Left home at 7:30AM and met Jeff in Chelmsford on 495. Headed south on 495 to 90, then 84 through CT, NY and into PA. Made our obligitory "old man" stretch stops along the way. Our first fuel stop was in CT, fuel was $4.65/gallon. I guess we can't complain about $3.89, which is what I paid this morning. At one of the stop we ran into another rider from PA heading to Myrtile Beach, SC for bike week. We asked about the ride through PA, his reply was that we should hit a lane restriction south of Carsile... Good, that should be at the end of our day!
Early road construction!!! Shortly after turning onto route 81 south traffic came to a stop. About 30 minutes of crawling in heavy traffic before we found the problem. Three lanes down to one, the two lanes closed for construction with a single pickup truck in the work zone.
In keeping with tradition of M/C trips we hit rain, well really we were driving through a cloud it's 1700 ft of elevation for several miles and it was like driving through thick fog. About 40 miles later we finally pulled off the highway so I could take off my sunglasses and get our rain gear on.
When we pulled off the highway to suit up we saw stopped at restaurant that had a plane sticking out of the it's wall. Check out the photos below.
Ended the day (6:30PM) with eating supper a nice deli that served decent soup and sandwich combinations, then found an Ecno Lodge in Wormleysburg, PA, about 7 miles from the highway. Put up for th night here and leave early in the morning, we still have just over 600 miles before we reach our next stop.
We even got a water front room with a view:)
Day 2 May 15 2011 Wormleysburg, PA to Robbinsville, NC 630 miles
Left Wormleysburg at 6:15AM and headed south on Rte 81. Traveled through PA, VA, MD, and W. VA. The weather was overcast with on and off showers and in the 60's. Not the best weather but not too bad either. Met a young couple traveling from CT to Knoxville, TN on a Kawasaki Concours. Turns out they left about the same time as us and hit the same weather and construction in PA. Somewhere in NC when stopping for gas we ran into a guy, from NH and owns some property in Lowell, who was traveling from New Orleans back home. He was well traveled, taking yearly 1-2 month trips, sometimes driving to a location, puts his bike in a storage unit, then fly home and returns weeks later to finish his trip.
Stopped in Bryson City NC for diner at Jimmy Mac's, it's about 20 miles from our final stop. The food was good and this place has won the "Best Burger" several years in a row. We discovered this after we ordered! Jeff really wants to try out the burgers, so I guess we're coming back.
We arrived at the Iron horse Motorcycle Lodge about 7:30PM and got checked in. Today was about 630 miles and 13 hours of riding. The lodge caters to motorcycles only and is fairly new (8 years old). We met the owners shortly after checking in and they seem very friendly.
Day 3 Touring the Great Smokey Mountains 180 miles
Up and on the road by 8:30AM. Headed to Fontana Dam one a two large hydro-power dams. What I find interesting is that this dam was built during WWII.
Then off to the "Tail of the Dragon" an 11 mile long road with over 300 turns. This section of road is also called Rte 129 and Deals Gap. As you would expect the was light rain and 60's. I'm told this road gets 1 million M/C rider a year on it, just to ride the hair-pin turns and switch-backs. I have to admit it's a very trying roadway to ride and it takes about 45 minutes in the rain. For some riders this is a right of passage, not for me. You need to focus too much on the roadway to enjoy the scenery. Great road for those looking to test their leaning and braking skills, not for touring and taking in the Smokey Mountains. Like a lot of things I can add it to the list of things I've done!http://www.tailofthedragon.com/
Day 4 - NC, GA and SC 300 miles and Three States
Today had one basic goal; hit as two southern states. Left Iron Horse about 10:00AM and headed south into Blue Ridge Lake, Georgia so I could get something special for my wife... fabric. My wife, the quilter, has one special interest and it involves fabric that she transforms into works of art by designing quilts. When possible I try to get something unique from the area I'm in. This time is was Civil War reproduction fabric.
On the way to Blue Ridge we stopped at a rather unique motorcycle shop. It had a HUGE chopper parked near the roadway.
PLACE PHOTO HERE
In Blue Ridge, SC I found a place called Country Quilts and bought 5 fat quarters (for you non quilters it's a quarter of a yard). The owner recommended a nice place to eat that had a good grilled chicken and apricott penni sandwich.
From there we headed south on route 52, then east to route 9. We stopped in Clarksville on route 9 Jeff checked the maps and thought we could make it to South Carolina in a reasonable time. Off we went to somewhere in SC. As we crossed the state line between GA and SC a cloud formation was very visible in the direction we were heading. Lightening and one of the locals told us they had reports of hail!!!
Got to Westminister, SC and had diner at the Rib and Beef, had a half rack of ribs for $7.00... good food and cheap. Finished eating about 7:00PM and headed back to Iron horse, about 60 miles but a 2 hour ride traveling through Oconee State Park on route 28. This turned out to be a very long road with sharp curves and steep inclines and declines. We finally got back to our base camp at 9:30PM. This was a very long and tiring trip since the last leg was such a technical road to ride.
