| Author | Message | ||
     Skyclad |
I had a few days off from training, and the weather was starting to warm up a bit, so I figured that it was a good time for my first long ride on my Ulysses. Cleared it with the wife and started planning. Now, where should I go? North? Yeah, right. It’s still winter in that direction. West doesn’t look much better and I run out of dry land way too fast going east. Hmm, guess that leaves south. And to the south lies North Carolina…western NC in fact. Yeah, time to head to Deal’s Gap and all the wonderful stuff in that area. The plan was to spend four days on the road; two days down and two days back. I even managed to plot out a route that would cover the 1600 hundred or so miles with right around 20 miles of interstate. Sweet. Hotels are booked and everything is a go to leave Saturday morning. I figured that it would be a good idea to get a feel for how the Uly is going to handle loaded up for the trip, and Wednesday was a nice day, so I get it all together and head out for a shakedown run. Things did not go quite as planned. Hmmm, isn’t this where the adventure starts?  Not to worry. I fortunately have the pleasure of a wonderful dealer that actually treats Buell riders every bit as well as they treat their Harley owners. One phone call later, and there is a truck on the way. Did I mention that it is late afternoon and the dealer is about 50 miles from where my bearing fell apart?   Luck was with me and they had new bearings in stock. I explained the situation about the trip to the service manager, and they said I would still make my trip. Thursday afternoon I received a call that the Uly was ready to pick up. Most outstanding. A huge thanks to the guys at Lancaster Harley Davidson. Saturday morning comes and the weather is looking a bit on the damp side. No problem, as I have rain gear just waiting to be used. The planned route for today is to head over to West Virginia and follow twisty roads in a generally southern direction. Destination is Marion, VA. Should be a nice ride. First thing that I found out is that even with three coatings of Camp Dry silicon waterproofing, my boots are NOT waterproof. I would not even give them a water resistant rating. Feet were pretty much soaked in the first 30 minutes of riding. Oh well, I only have about another eight hours to go today. I figured that as long as I could still feel my toes, I had nothing to worry about. If it got too bad, I could always change socks and get a few plastic bags at some convenience store. Riding in the rain is actually something that I enjoy, assuming I can keep relatively dry and warm. Between my sweatshirt, fleece underwear, Fieldsheer riding gear and rain gear, I achieved that goal. I have Hippo Hands, so cold fingers were not a concern. All in all, I was pretty comfortable, even with wet feet. The riding was every bit as spectacular as I expected it to be. I crossed into WV on Rt 55. I am going to have to assume the scenery was nice; kinda hard to tell with pea soup fog though. Once I broke out of the fog (low clouds?) I just had to stop for a second and enjoy. Hell, the rain even let up a bit. Things were definitely looking up. At this time, let me apologize for the lack of pictures. When I get into a groove while riding, I have a hard time stopping to take pictures. It is something that I have to work on. But there are lots of pictures out there of the areas I rode on this trip, so hopefully you have a good idea of what I was seeing. If not, then get out there and see it for yourself. It will be worth the trip. Rt 55 took me to Rt 28 and south through the Seneca Rocks area. Yes, it is beautiful, even with cold, wet feet and on and off rain. Traffic was light, so I could just enjoy the scenery and the roads. I was definitely in that zone where nothing existed except me and the road. The bike and I were one, and nothing else mattered. No family, no work, nothing but the road beneath me wheels. Ah, life is good. Stopped to get gas at the Rock Gables gas station. The wonderful man working there saw me pull up and started a fresh pot of coffee. I guess I looked like I could use it.  I kind of have to laugh at myself when it came time to hit the road again. Remember what I said about sweatshirt, riding gear and rain gear? Well, it is a bit on the bulky side. OK, more than a bit. In fact, it is bulky enough that I had one hell of a time trying to strap my helmet back on. I am sure I was quite the sight standing there with my fat arms barely reaching my chinstrap, fighting with the damn thing. I was almost ready to ask somebody for help when I finally was able to get it through the D-rings. As I pulled out of Seneca Rocks, the rain stopped. Unfortunately, it turned into snow. Great big and wet flakes; the kind that stick to you when they hit. This was something new for me. I have ridden in snow before, but not snow that stuck and much as this stuff did. I also discovered that it was freezing to my visor. Interesting... I figured out that if I kept the heated grips turned on, it got the thumb of my glove warm enough to deice my visor enough to see. I tried using the piece of chamois that I had with me, but that just made for a nice thin layer of water that froze into a nice opaque glaze. Not the best for seeing out of. This picture was taken, appropriately, close to the town of Frost, WV.  Still, I was having fun. But the roads were getting worse, and I was not seeing much traffic. Meaning I was not seeing many folks to pick my sorry ass out of a ditch if I found that icy spot around the next bend. Time to do the smart thing and hit the slab. The weather kept deteriorating when I got to I-64, with continuing snow and rain. I did receive a high compliment from some folks at a rest stop. I hit the restroom first, and then went into the visitor’s center to warm up a bit. As I walked in, they were just asking about the crazy person riding a bike in this weather. I thanked them for the kind words as I stood dripping on their pretty floor.  Soon after I got into Virginia, and headed for I-81, the rain and snow finally stopped. Now the only thing that I had to deal with was the cold and wind. I found out later that the wind was gusting up to about 50 mph that night. I did not know that at the time. All I knew was that it was pushing me all over the place and making it damn hard to hold my head still. It was getting less and less fun and I could barely feel my feet any more, so I decided to call it quits in Radford. A Best Western hotel with attached restaurant has never looked so good as that one did that night. Well, that’s it for the first day. More will be coming, but it is getting late here. This is my first ride report, so please let me know how I am doing. Hope that you are enjoying it half as much as I did the ride. | ||
| Freezerburn |
Skyclad- one of my favorite bands (folk metal). Do you ride 'in the buck'? | ||
| Skyclad |
lol...no, but afterwards... | ||
| Skyclad |
I slept really well that night (what a shock), and woke up fresh and ready to go. Boots were dried over the heater all night, so no wet feet today. I look at the morning news to check the weather. Yeah, no rain, no snow and the winds have died off to a reasonable 10-15 mph. Oh damn, 22 degrees. Guess that it might be a little chilly, but at least I will be dry. Went out to load up the bike and do a general walk around. Everything looks good, except that bit of oil around the front brake caliper. Hmm, not a good thing, and I do seems to remember the brakes feeling a little weak last night. I didn’t think much of it at the time, just writing it off to being tired. The brake fluid level is well above the minimum level, so I figure that I can at least ride it carefully to the closest store to get some brake cleaner at fluid. There I can check the bolts and the caliper to make sure that nothing vibrated loose. Well, nothing vibrated loose. In fact, it turned out the leak was not in the brakes at all. Seems that I developed a bit of a fork seal leak. Now, that is something that I can live with. As long as I am careful about bottoming the front end too much, there shouldn’t be much problem with running with a leak. Oh, gotta keep the brake rotor clean as well. Ever notice that if there is only one rotor on the front of a bike, it will always be the same side fork seal that leaks? BTW, I forgot to get a pic. Quick side note…when dealing with a fork seal leak, remember that the tire might have some slippery stuff on it, too. No worries, it was only a minor slide…in a decreasing radius corner. At least there was no oncoming traffic. Now I only wish that I could get my butt cheeks to release their death grip on the seat. Took another look at the map and found some of those wonderful grey lines to follow. Dropped into NC on US 221, then found Rt 194. Followed that south to US 19E. For anyone passing through that area, I highly recommend Rt 194. Nice twisties, small towns, great scenery, etc. etc. etc.   One of the coolest things that I had seen so far this trip was on 194. I don’t remember exactly where it was, but I was coming down from higher elevation and there was snow on either side of the road. Maybe a few inches. Then in less than a quarter mile, all the snow was gone. Not just thinning…gone. Pretty neat just how sharp the dividing line was. I stopped in Asheville to eat and try to get in touch with some of the NC inmates I was hoping to meet with that day. I knew that the combination of starting 100 miles further north than I had planned, and having some minor bike issues to get through was pretty much going to kill riding with them. I wasn’t able to get through to the locals, but at least the food was good.  I left Asheville via US 19 and headed for Cherokee. I figured since I had blown any chance of riding with the locals today, I was going to at least get a good ride in the rest of the way to Robbinsville. US 441 through the mountain seemed like a good idea. The roads were clear, not much traffic and the weather was warm enough that I was able to ride without the Hippo Hands. :clap When I got to 441, the traffic was a bit heavier, slow I pretty much figured that I would enjoy a relaxing ride over the mountain, and enjoy the scenery. Certainly wasn’t going to be a high speed run. The first sign that I had that maybe this would be interesting anything was actually a sign. Just three words on this sign…WATCH FOR ICE. Now this was not one of those signs that are there all the time, like we have back here in PA. Nope, this was one of those big, lighted signs on the trailers. You know, the ones that they use to warn of current road conditions. At least this time I have an excuse for no pictures; though I would be happy to take pointers from anyone that is comfortable riding one handed on sheet ice. It sure was pretty though. Now I am in Tennessee and want to get to Robbinsville. Hmm I wonder how I am going to get there. Yep, I followed the Foothills Parkway to the west end of the Dragon. It would have been nice to get there before the sun went down, and it would have been nice if there had been less loose salt in the corners. Can’t complain too much though, it was still fun. I know that many here think the Dragon is overrated. I would say more that the other roads in the area are underrated. Without all the squids that show up in the summer, it was even quiet going through Deal’s Gap. Of course, that could have been due to how late it was… Got into Robbinsville, had some dinner… Even had some healthy food   …and then found the Two Wheel Inn and put the bike to bed.  By my original plan, I would be heading back north the next day, but I wanted to stay down here a little. The weather was warming up nicely, and that was one of the reasons that I came this way, to find spring. Decisions, decision…do I spend two days finding twisties back to PA, or do I sacrifice the last day to super slab to get a whole day in NC? Guess that we will find out with the next installment. | ||
| Jlnance |
Looking good Skyclad  | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
very nice, i know how long it takes to do a ride report after an epic ride, thanks for sharing, very excellent that your Uly got its own room. FB | ||
| Skyclad |
Now, about my decision of a day in NC or riding twisties home to PA. Well, considering what I rode through to find Spring, I think most of you will understand why I decided to enjoy a day of just riding around instead of trying to cover distance in a northerly direction. I will say that it was an absolutely wonderful decision as well. Took advantage of not going anywhere today to sleep in a bit and drug my butt outta bed about 9am. ‘tis nice to be able to do this every once in awhile. Took my time getting ready to ride, made a pot of coffee and pulled the bike out of her sleeping quarters. Hmm, seems to be a little harder than normal to push. Guess there could be a reason for that.  Not the best way to start the day, but it was only a small hole that was easily found and plugged. I was on my way less than 30 minutes after discovering the flat. Stopped at the Huddle House to fuel myself then treated the Uly to her breakfast. After that it is off to Deal’s Gap, this time with full daylight. :clap I wanted to check out some of the other riding in the area, along with the Dragon, so I took Rt 143 to Rt 28. Good choice. Both roads are a nice ride, with 143 being more sweeper type riding and 28 having more tight and technical stuff. Some good views as well. I even remembered to get a few pictures.   Of course, I had to stop at Deal’s Gap Motorcycle Resort for the required picture of the Tree of Shame. I am happy to report that I had no donations to make by the end of the day.   While I was at the Resort, a semi pulling a flatbed went by on its way through Deal’s Gap. OK, I guess that I will sit for a while to give him lots of head start. Figured that 30 minutes or so should be good, and it worked out. I had a clear run the entire length of the Dragon. Nice. Since it was nice and sunny, I was able to go a bit faster than I did on the way in. I certainly wasn’t going to run with the locals, but I went just hard enough to leave a bit of my Scorpions on the exits of the corners. Damn, that is fun. The Ulysses handles nice with full luggage, but without the extra weight, it is an absolute riot in the twisties. Damn, I love this bike. After the first run across the Dragon, I headed towards the Cherohala Skyway. The ride there is kind of boring, especially when you don’t remember all twisty short-cut routes. Riding the Skyway more than makes up for it though. Hell, the Skyway itself makes the ride from PA worth it. The Cherohala Skyway is much less technical than the Dragon, with sweeping corners and views that go forever. It also has much more of an elevation change. I am not sure how high the Dragon gets, but the Skyway is over 5000 ft at its highest point, after starting at 860 ft in Tellico Plains. I was luck enough to only have one car in front of me the entire way. Man, this day just kept getting better and better. While climbing up the Tennessee side, I noticed the ground looked awfully white up towards the tops of the mountains.  Still, it was a nice, warm spring day, so I wasn’t going to let a little snow on a few mountain tops slow me down too much. Then I discovered it wasn’t just on the mountain tops. It started at about 4000 ft elevation. Came around a bend to find snow in the road. Easy to get through though, as there were tire marks a foot wide with bare pavement. Piece of cake. A few turns later, and it wasn’t such a piece of cake. The snow was completely covering my lane and half the opposing lane. Now, do I ride on the wrong side of the road, with a blind corner just ahead, or do I take my chances with the snow. Neither option sounded fun to me, but I decided that the worst that could happen with the snow is that I would drop the bike and have to pick it up again. Much better than becoming a hood ornament. Turns out the snow was soft and wet enough that I never even spun a tire. I wouldn’t want to try to go through it with much speed, but working at 10 mph or so was just fine. Here are a few pictures of the snow patches. No, I didn’t get the big one, as I had just recently passed the one car that I saw and didn’t want to risk taking it from behind.   It was a quiet day on the Skyway and finding parking was not too difficult.  Again, the views are nothing short of spectacular. I will have to come back down here when the trees have their leaves.  After riding the Skyway, it was getting late in the afternoon. I figured with that, the snow on the roads and being alone, it was probably best to stay off the dirt roads. Something else to return to the area for. I headed back over to Deal’s Gap to ride the Dragon a few more times, just because I wanted to. It was nice to have nobody to answer to and just ride wherever I wanted. I stopped at the Tennessee end for a break and to take in the scenery before heading back to Robbinsville.  Got back to the Two Wheel Inn, had a beer or three and reflected on what was one of the best days that I have ever had on two wheels. About the only thing that could have made it better would have been to have a friend or two to share the experience with. It was one of those days that defines the reason why I ride. Was it worth the pending 640 mile ride that I had to make the next day, most of it on the slab? In a word, YES. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Great story! Thanks! That snow would have *definitely* gotten my attention... thats for sure. Small world, thats the second time I saw Lancaster HD mentioned today... I just started Dave Barr's second book, and they were a sponsoring dealer for his trans Siberia ride. Clearly and enthusiast dealer, and I am happy to hear they support Buell riders as well. | ||
| Skyclad |
 After a wonderful day of riding in NC, I really did not want to leave, but family and work were calling me back to PA. At least the weather was supposed to be nice for the ride home, all 640 miles of it. One last ride through Deal’s Gap on the way to I40 is the only twisty I am gonna get on this day. Riding slab is not something that I enjoy all that much, but it is nice for the thinking time it provides. Keep one part of the mind on traffic and just let the rest of it ponder whatever needs to be pondered. Boredom can be the ultimate random thought generator. Looking back over this trip, I am satisfied with how it all worked out. The original plan pretty much got shot to hell, but that is part of the adventure. One thing that I learned from it is to not worry as much about making detailed plans ahead of time. Just lay out a general route and see where and when the roads take ya. I learned that I need to get some sort of camera mount so that I can get pictures without stopping. I got more comfortable on the Ulysses on all kinds of paved roads in all kinds of weather. I have a much better understanding of the capabilities of both my machine and myself. Random though regarding naming of motorcycles…my Uly seems to be a woman. She is a bit homely in the face, but has the body of an athlete and the morals of a slut; she will do anything I ask of her with enthusiasm and come back for more. Oh yeah, her name is Nadia. While riding through the WV/VA/MC border area, it was cooling down. Nowhere near enough to actually be cold, but just a pleasant chill in the air. Hearing the wind, feeling the chill, experiencing the world up close and personal…this is what riding is about. Feeling ALIVE, not just living. Riding through the storm Saturday, feeling the bite of the cold air Sunday morning, experiencing the warmth of the sun with snow around me on the Skyway. All of these are part of the world that we live in everyday, but rarely seem to take the time to appreciate. It is easier to just hide inside when the weather turns nasty. All to often we take the nice days for granted. Being out there on a motorcycle ties me back into the world that is all around us. It was a long day in the saddle, but I was not hurting like I expected to be. Knees and arms were the worst off. Back and butt were just fine. I knew the Uly was a comfortable bike, but I was even more impressed by the time I came to this sight…  Not a great picture, but I am home. Thanks for riding with me. | ||
| Usroute66 |
Skyclad, great writeup and photos. I lived in VA for 22 years before I got the motorcycle bug. I only wish I could transport myself and the bike back there to experience the roads you used. Except, I would wait until May, LOL. | ||
| Skyclad |
bah, why wait? A little snow and ice is good for the soul. Makes one appreciate nice riding weather all that much more. (Message edited by skyclad on March 18, 2008) | ||
| Ulynut |
Skyclad, thanks for the great pics. That is exactly what I bought my Ulysses for. Congratulations on making the time for the trip. Hope to do the same this summer. Starting out with March Badness, then who knows where. | ||
| Skyclad |
I have two more rides on the schedule. there is an ADVrider gathering in WV the first weekend of May that I am going to. the week of June 28 - July 4, I am going to be pointing the bike in a northerly direction and see where the road takes me. no particular destination in mind. | ||
| Ulywife |
Skyclad - looks like you had a great trip. Thanks for sharing. There's a WV Rally in August if you're interested in another weekend trip. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/37/ 328370.html?1204643796 | ||
| Skyclad |
Ulywife, I am gonna try to make it, but my work schedule is gonna be strange around that time. If I have the time off, I will be there. The ADVriders are having a campout at Laurel Forks Wilderness area the first weekend in May. That is a go for me. More Uly's are always good (hint hint hint). Here is a link to the thread http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=299616&page=11 (Message edited by skyclad on March 20, 2008) | ||
| Ulynut |
Hint taken! |
