2 days of bliss (girls can't ride cont'd)w video

[vulcanbill]

Day 1 with background:

We got a cabin outside Asheville, NC for a week in a place spelled Leicester.  Pronunciation is a matter of endless debate...no, really.  We took friends along to show them what we like about the area.  Turns out they have a house on a lake for a reason.  Regardless, we took them rafting on the Nantahala.  We went on a jetboat ride in Fontana.  We sat at one of the new pullouts on the Dragon and watched 95% of the bikes blow the double yellow in a decreasing radius.  We did a whirlwind tour of the Biltmore and the winery and spent a little time downtown.  We escorted them up to Boone on the parkway in the rain and fog.  I wonder why they didn't like it?  After they left, we spent a day looking at property then had 2 days to ride.  Luckily we found a guy who could replace the fork seals on the VFR which blew on the way down on the trailer.  (See Don at CycleSportz in Asheville if you need any work in the area)

Usually,we ride down to this area and it's just a stopping point along the way...one of a series of many 5 hundred plus mile days and we rarely have time to play.  This time was different.  We left the cabin and went up to the Parkway.  It took us a whopping 20 or so minutes to get there instead of 2 days.  Nice.  The plan was simply to ride from Asheville to the bottom, get a picture of the signs we'd never bothered with before and head back.  MM 390 to 469 and back.  We did just that.  At one point, we stopped and turned around and ran about a 15 - 20 mile section a second time just because it included both Kim's favorite section and my favorite section which are back to back.  What a nice option this was.  We were also able to hang out when we stopped for more than the obligatory 15 minutes on a typical mileage making trip.  Then we got to the bottom and needed gas so we went into Cherokee.  Ugh.  We got gas, chatted w/ some cruiser folks admiring our steeds and beat it back to the Parkway.  We did get a Smokey Mountains NP sign picture on the way.

Kim, with a heavy heart, opted to leave the FJ behind in favor of bringing my brother's 00 VFR since riding the turns would be the majority of the time spent on the bikes this time.  Though the FJ is very capable, it requires effort, planning and some sweat equity to ride hard in the tight stuff.  The VFR?  Notsomuch.  She had a blast and was so amused at how effortless it was to ride fast just about anywhere.  We might have done a total of 200 miles on Tuesday...

[vulcanbill]

Day 2:  The Dragon...8 or ten times.

We awoke early and headed out.  We decided that this day would strictly be dedicated to riding the Dragon.  We hopped on the highway purely in the interest of time and got to Fontana as quickly as possible.  We encountered wet roads and a few sprinkles on 28.  As seen in the photo above, there was a very cool layer of fog on the river beside 28.  Almost creepy.  It must have stayed there the whole day because that picture was taken on the way home at like 5pm.  It was just like that at noon when we went by the first time.  Very cool.  We had a nice sedate pace on 28 on wet roads then got to the store at Deal's Gap and decided to just do a pass to see what was going on.  We followed some cruisers and enjoyed just watching their efforts.  When you aren't limited to one pass, it's OK to follow people and just chill.  Roads were still wet anyway so we were happy to be going slow when we rounded a bend to find a couple THP taking pictures of themselves pointing to various places on the road.  Accident investigation maybe?  We headed down to the lake, after sitting through some construction traffic and relaxed and felt it warm up and watched the clouds go away.  After snapping some pictures, we headed back up to the store, noticing that the road was drying nicely, got a chicken salad sammich and a soda and plopped ourselves down in a turn to watch people try to navigate.  Good stuff.  

After lunch, we geared up and headed back down the road for a few more passes.  The road was mostly dry and we watched both the THP guys roll out at various points.  Things were looking up.  The pull offs are an absolute blessing down there.  People move over right away and just about everyone we got behind just got out of our way.  What a treat.  It was surprisingly busy for a Wednesday but with people getting over, it was like having a full run with no interruptions.  As we were riding, we noticed a guy on a cruiser who was really hustling his bike around.  He'd pull over occasionally and rest then jump in behind someone that looked fun to follow.  We had him behind us a few times and I was shocked at how long he was able to stay there.  Turns out he was on a Valk all set up for touring with a car tire on it.    When I saw that, I was even more impressed at his ability to hang up to a certain pace.  Really impressive.  We were having an incredibly good time, just zipping when we could and chilling when we couldn't zip (tho that was rare).  We put the camera on the front of the Bandit for a run from the store to the Dam, then on the back of the VFR for the dam to the store.  Then back on the Bandit for the last run of the day.  We pulled out behind a couple guys on GSXRs just for yuks.  I figured they'd just disappear.  They didn't and we ran with them for a while till the lead guy bailed.  Good thing cuz he was sloppy and clearly being pushed by his buddy, and us I suppose.  Then his buddy took off and we upped the pace a bit.  It was nice to both have a rabbit on a GSXR in front of you and have the confidence that the road is in really good shape all the way to the end.  It was a good pass.  Kim took point and was riding as clean and confidently as I've ever seen her.  She tends to carry more speed into the turns than I do and I tend to motor out a little faster.  These are just characteristics of the Bandit and VFR I suppose.  But it leaves me with a sense of her pulling away from me and me reigning her back in.  So much fun.  I love the fact that there is absolutely no girl quotient when riding with her.  My brain is free to do my own thing which is good on that road.  She becomes just another motorcyclist who just happens to ride just like I do with the same priorities on safety, line of sight etc.  I don't worry about her at all because I know how good she is at this and how much fun she's having at the same time.  

This was one of our best days on the motorcycles.  Long trips have a completely different dimension and give you a sense of peace in a totally different way.  But this day of play just rolled everything we love about motorcycling into one little 4 hour block of two wheeled bliss.  We stopped for gas at the Fontana Lodge entrance and the guy showed Kim the monster on the radar we had to look forward to.  We got nailed on 28 but realized as we pulled beside each other that we were both smiling.  Dark clouds, standing water and no blue sky in sight and we were as happy as we could be.    For the record, both stiches stayed dry all the way to the house.  It was a very very good day and probably only encompassed about 250 miles.  There we no pucker moments, no real close calls (we did pass a big truck but with plenty of warning) and no real stupidity outside the realm of our calculated risks.  We both rode well and got to test our abilities in a relatively controlled environment.  Life is good.


BillO

Here's a little sample for the critics...

[Rincewind]

Kim sounds like an excellent partner - you are a lucky guy.  Nice report.

[DNA]

Sounds like fun - good write up.

[vulcanbill]

updated to add video

[DNA]

Nice vid - great tunes  

The only way I would have not been dropped on that run is if I was on the Tard.  

BTW - I want to see the "bug" pic.

[vulcanbill]

You can't really see it because the camera makes everything seem so far away.  In the video, I was on her tail bigtime but it doesn't look like it.  In this picture, she's right in front of the camera but you can't tell.  For example, the stills of me right on her tail were taken on the same run as the video.  We were that close a lot of the time but the camera just doesn't convey.

There was a big black slime mark on her cheek and on the side of her nose.  Looked pretty gross.  She said it was a bug but it looked like she hit a pterodactyl.

[deacon51]

Nice run Bill, we need to get together for a ride again.  It's been a couple of years now.  Our little yahoo group kind of fell apart.

[BigBird]

Bill,

Nice Report!!!

One thing that is VERY obvious from the photos is that (like me) you definately married UP :>)

Maybe we can link up one of these days.   I think we'd enjoy riding together.

GAIL, Bandit (dog) and sam
Frederick, Maryland

[vulcanbill]

Bill,

Nice Report!!!

One thing that is VERY obvious from the photos is that (like me) you definately married UP :>)

Maybe we can link up one of these days.   I think we'd enjoy riding together.

GAIL, Bandit (dog) and sam
Frederick, Maryland

Concur.  We also need to go mt biking.  Nice and dry out now and I'd LOVE to see you guys tandem on the trail.  

[soonerstan56]

Nice video Bill,
Stevie Ray and your "sweet little thang" on a yeller VFR on the dragon.
Can't get any better than that.

Stan

[R Doug]

Nice trip and I'm glad you two get to have so much fun together!

[bassjones]

Is that Third Day after SRV?  Not familiar with the tune, but it sounds like Mac Powell

[vulcanbill]

Is that Third Day after SRV?  Not familiar with the tune, but it sounds like Mac Powell

Yep.  

[R Doug]

Yep.  

Love Third Day and Casting Crowns.  

[Orson]

Nice video  

Thanks for the pics  

[Tony T]

Nice report, great video.  

Sounds like a great marriage / partnership you have there.