| Author | Message | ||
     Tedk |
Laconia was my first bike rally and brings back some wild memories. I thought it was the coolest, till I went to Daytona. Daytona was the coolest till I went to Sturgis. I NEVER will forget Laconia as it has a special place in the memory banks and was my first. But I have found a really cool place in which I now live and consider a year round bike rally for myself... FORGET LACONIA by Ted_K Forget Laconia, Daytona, Sturgis, Myrtle and all those other rallies, come ride the motorcycle mecca of North America. From southern Virginia thru North Carolina, Tennessee and into Georgia these roads were paved for motorcycles. I just got back to Raleigh, NC on the Buell after a 700 mile weekend. I left here Saturday morning and headed west on I-40. I was planning to make it to Tilley’s HD/Buell in Statesville, NC before refueling, well the bike had another plan; about 2 miles from a gas station she runs out of gas. So much for riding, it was time to push. The lesson here is don’t try to ride 40 miles on reserve if your on an XB9S. After about ½ mile of pushing a friendly southern family stops and gives me a lift to get some gas. Thanks! I finally make it to Tilley’s and see my friend Bubba who is stuck working. After some Buellshitting I head back on I-40 west towards Asheville, NC. I can see the mountains rise out of the horizon and the highway starts to curve. I take exit 31 onto 215 south. After passing some residential neighborhoods the road starts to twist and head up,up,up. Not much out here but some great twisty roads carved into the mountains. What breathtaking views. It starts to get cool as I ride higher but the tires stay warm with all the curves. I start heading back down 215 and let the bike “coast” down the mountain in neutral. Pretty cool. At the end of 215 I take a left onto 64. Route 64 takes me to the next road which is 276. Lots more tight twisties on 276 and some more mountains. I make it to the Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground off 276 and stop for the night. The campground caters to motorcyclists and is one of the better campgrounds I have ever stayed at. I met some great people including Phill, the owner, a couple guys from New Hampshire who were on an RC51 and a 998. I heard about a real twisty road and decided to ride it in the morning. After talking about motorcycles at the fire pit for an hour I started walking back to my cabin. There is a brook that flows right thru the campground and a small pond. I could here the water flowing and looked up at the mountains that surround the camp. My only thought was; I’m coming back here every chance I get! The next morning I mounted the Buell and left the campground via the wooden bridge that crosses over the river. I motored back onto 276 to the Blue Ridge Parkway. After a couple miles on the parkway I took a left onto 151, the real twisty road. The road is very technical and has a steep grade, but lots of fun if your careful! I believe there are 76 turns in 4 miles, reminds me of Deal’s Gap. I got back on the parkway, after my side trip, and met up with my friend John on his Buell Cyclone and his wife on her Ninja. We left the Asheville area and headed for Boone, NC on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was very cool and cloudy out but the views still amazed me. You could see dozens of mountain peeks and a heavy white mist surrounding them. There were many tunnels and scenic views on the way. It was a nice change from all the twisties. Just under 100 miles later we pulled off onto 321 in Boone and grabbed some lunch. John and wife headed west to Shady Valley, TN and I took 421 east back towards Raleigh. Pictures wouldn’t be able to capture the amazing scenery and fantastic roads, so you’ll have to make a trip out there to see it. Ted_K To be continued... | ||
| Buckinfubba |
yeah and you got to end up living there. you lucky dog. | ||
| Jmartz |
Tedk: All those states have helmet laws. | ||
| Henrik |
Nice write Ted. Blue Ridge MC Campground is a great place to stay. I spent a weekend there last year with some Danish friends. Great facilities, super friendly owners and a nice place to kick back after a long day of riding. Henrik |
