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Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Friday, May 28, 2010 - 01:31 am: | 
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I owe a big thanks to FB&D and Alex and Heather. I truly appreciate the hospitality. BTW, it's 0120 and we're still drinking beers at the Prior homestead. FB, I'm green with envy. Your home is beautiful and right on the parkway to boot! You took time out of your schedule to show me around and make personal delivery of this big oaf to Alex's. I appreciate it! You're the best! The roads were great and the company was even better. I'm having a great time and look forward to meeting everyone tomorrow.
Reep, there's no fertilizer but you can find solace in knowing that I've got a pickup load of mulch to spread in the AM with Alex. Never afraid of earning my keep!
I'll post pics as soon as I'm stationary. I've got some great ones of my journey thus far...
Charlieboy |
Prior
| | Posted on Friday, May 28, 2010 - 01:35 am: |
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See the big glowing stopsign? Great START for the weekend! |
Jerry_haughton
| | Posted on Friday, May 28, 2010 - 09:44 am: |
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FB...You took time out of your schedule to show me around and make personal delivery of this big oaf to Alex's. I appreciate it! You're the best!
As usual, Denise does all the real work, and I get all the glory. 
Glad to put you up and show you around, amigo. You're in good hands this weekend (but do be careful if, I mean, when Mikey gets likkered up and wants to rassle...).
I've gots lots more pix, but I'll wait to post them up until you've had a chance to catch-up your thread.
Rock on, Donk! 
FB&D |
Bartimus
| | Posted on Monday, May 31, 2010 - 12:07 am: |
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Hey guys, thanks for the Happy Dances,
I'm glad to see everyone having a good time, and that our favorite Jarhead is being well taken care of! |
Prior
| | Posted on Monday, May 31, 2010 - 08:55 am: |
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Charlie,
Thanks a a great visit. Friday's ride was a great one, and had a absolute blast bombing down the fire roads...
Safe travels to FL, can't wait to see the rest of your ride report!
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Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Monday, May 31, 2010 - 09:19 am: |
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Hey Bart, maybe we find some fire trails in Az?
Alex, I had a blast & I owe ya BIG thank you for putting up w/me...I mean putting me up :-) I slept from 1000 till 0800 & it felt great to catch up. We did a bunch of 2 am nights! I'll post pics & catch the thread up when I get to Pensacola |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Monday, May 31, 2010 - 01:02 pm: |
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Nice meeting you Charlie! |
Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 01, 2010 - 12:32 pm: |
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Nice meeting you Bill! Hopefully I'll get back out and ride with ya'll again soon.
I'm all checked in here at Pensacola. Finally have internet access so I'll be able to post some pics and catch up once I'm done running around getting checked in.
In the mean time I'll just say my view doesn't suck!
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F_skinner
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 01, 2010 - 12:41 pm: |
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Good Ol P'cola, I was stationed there twice and TDY once (NTTC Corry Station). I really liked it the first time I was there after basic training, mainly because I was out of basic training and out of Texas...
Great write up, and pics and it looks like you had a grand time with the best Buellers around...
I am looking forward to more pics..
Frank |
Jerry_haughton
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 01, 2010 - 09:02 pm: |
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In the mean time I'll just say my view doesn't suck!
Not bad, but I'm not seeing any dark St. Pauli Girls..........
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Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Thursday, June 03, 2010 - 12:47 am: |
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Hey Ferris,
Nobody on the beach is either a perk or a drawback to being on a military reservation. No crowds, but not many girls to watch either... :-(
I started my first day of class today. Orientation mostly. I figured I'd take an hour each evening to get the pics posted from my trip. Imma go forward from the beginning.
After putting some miles in the saddle to VaBeach and Baltimore; my butt was starting to feel better about the days ahead and what I was in for. I've already posted some of those pics.
So, the day Eliz was flying out we took the Metro with all her bags to check her into her flight and allow us to have a few more hours together without all the baggage. I was going to drop her off on the bike an hour before her flight. WELL, since 9-11, apparently you cannot drop your luggage four or more hours prior to your flight anymore which left us lugging her bags around DC for 6 hours! If I ever get the chance to kill a terrorist...I won't feel so bad about it! ;-p
Eliz decided to say goodbye from the metro station and I embarked on my first short leg to Fredericksburg. Here's some pics of us at the metro station. Hugs and kisses babe!
I left the station sad but with much excitement for my trip. Traffic, as always, was bad going South so I stopped off at Quantico Town for dinner and a few last beers at the crossroads of the Marine Corps. More to come from my 1st days ride tomorrow |
Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Thursday, June 03, 2010 - 12:58 am: |
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On a side note, no matter where I seem to go for dinner the view is awesome!!!
Had me a big ol bowl of GUMBO!! It makes me so sad knowing that 7 miles out there are millions of gallons of crude that will soon be here. The Eath is bleeding bad! It's horrible... |
Jerry_haughton
| | Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2010 - 06:59 am: |
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More pix and moto-adventure, please. |
Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Friday, November 05, 2010 - 12:56 pm: |
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Alright, apologies to anyone who may have actually been waiting for me to close out pics of this trip. Apparently, being a WO does occupy that much of my time...so two months later here ya go!
As I left Quantico, I had to stop and take a pic of the contrails left behind from the morning flights out of DC. I thought they looked so cool! Scientists actually say as the skies get more crowded, the contrail cloud cover may affect climate on the ground! |
Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Friday, November 05, 2010 - 01:58 pm: |
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I passed several of the battle sites along the way to the Skyline Drive, I needed to keep going and get on to Big Jims Ride, but will certainly be back to sight see in Va. So Beautiful! |
Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Friday, November 05, 2010 - 02:06 pm: |
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After paying my toll, I rolled out through 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear and about .2 miles into my ride I got pulled over by a park ranger for 50 in a 30. I hadn't even seen a speed limit sign yet! So, don't speed on the Skyline, they mean business.
I got off with a warning as I could still point at the toll booth where I had entered and there was no speed advisory between it and us. I took these from the stop. |
Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Friday, November 05, 2010 - 04:23 pm: |
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Ferris spoke to this later, but I was instantly amazed at how the road narrowed in front of me and how the scenery seemed to just open up all around me as I cleared the tree line. The Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway were designed to run the ridgeline leaving near unrestricted views to either side all the way down. IT IS TRULY AMAZING! If you have not done this ride, find a way! |
Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Friday, November 05, 2010 - 04:30 pm: |
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Sister Signs
You cross several "Gaps" as they call them in those parts, or "saddles" if you're a map navigator and they make excellent transitions from ridgeline to ridgeline: THIS ROAD IS FUN! There is a nice twisty gorge you ride down as you come off the Skyline and onto the Blue Ridge...
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Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Friday, November 05, 2010 - 04:38 pm: |
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The Blue Ridge Pkwy is no less grand, it is a little wider, less twisty, with a lot more altitude and vastness in places. There were parts it felt as if I was riding on the blade of a knife at 4000 ft! Or so it seemed in my helmet anyway...
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Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Friday, November 05, 2010 - 05:00 pm: |
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Almost forgot to mention, by the time I got to Montebello, I was ready to feed the beast. I stopped at this roadside stop and I swear the waitress there is an angel. If I wasn't a married man, she mighta been propositioned! She did however serve up some very good fried chicken! This version of southern fried was very crispy and had a sweet zest or tang to it, can't decide which? Either way, very different than any I've had and very delish!!!
In our modern world of fast food stops, I miss lil road side shops like this... |
Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Friday, November 05, 2010 - 05:12 pm: |
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By the time I got to Roanoke, I had been sightseeing/riding for 6 hours and needed a break so I stopped at my favorite pitstop for a beer. Lets just say these servers weren't as angelic as fried chicken girl, but I didn't mind...
Also gave me an opportunity to contact Ferris. Boy am I glad I did! He is litterally right under your nose on the Blue Ridge. You could ride right past and never know it. I'm very jealous! Nice pad brother! I overnighted there, shared a cigar, and ate tastey vittles served up by the lovely Denise. I am lucky to count you as my friends and I don't know why you would ever visit Phoenix? But if you do, mi casa es su casa!
(Message edited by charlieboy6649 on November 05, 2010) |
Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Friday, November 05, 2010 - 05:26 pm: |
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The next morning, Ferris escorted me along a scenic trip to Priors house so I could link up with him for Big Jims Ride.
As we checked out this ol' school mill, I couldn't help but think about how wonderfully simple yet rugged life was when this mill was in operation.
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Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Friday, November 05, 2010 - 05:38 pm: |
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Ya'll have already seen the link-up pics at the Prior's. Ferris and I said our good bye's till next time after some suds in the garage, and that evening I enjoyed some mexican food with Alex & Heather. It was decent for East Coast ;-p I'm kidding. Mexicans always cook good food no matter where you are! You can count on that!
I rode with Alex scoring a look at Lucifer's Hammer and the Buell Race bikes. We also managed some Buell Hats on the clearance rack! Sweet!
Link to Big Jim's ride: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/37/ 560328.html?1276260202 |
Charlieboy6649
| | Posted on Friday, November 05, 2010 - 05:41 pm: |
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I'll have to locate the rest of the ride. There's two more days! That's good for now...maybe Ferris has more now that I finally got off my a$$ and posted??? |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Friday, November 05, 2010 - 07:20 pm: |
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Cool! Wish I was there. Errr, for the rest of it.
In particular, I wish I was there for the epic Uly ride on the road to nowhere. |
Jerry_haughton
| | Posted on Saturday, November 06, 2010 - 05:20 am: |
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Charlieboy, good to see you posting again. Denise and I enjoyed your fine company here at the RidgeDome, and it was an honor to escort you the Long Way Round to Alex and Heather's. Thx for the "mi casa, su casa" invite - if we ever make it to Phoenix we'll gladly take you and Eliz up on your offer of hospitality. :-):-)
Ride to lean,
FB&D |
Jerry_haughton
| | Posted on Saturday, November 06, 2010 - 06:29 am: |
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Charlieboy has just ridden a couple hundred miles of Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway, has safely landed at the RidgeDome and shed his gear, and already has an ice-cold St. Pauli Girl in hand (in a genuine C3 beer coozy) ready for mess destruction. Result: The infamous "Happy Dance."
Denise, Snickers & Charlieboy
Ferris: "Say, does this motorcycle make my legs look short?" Charlieboy, beer at the ready, is there to catch me should the tip of my left big toe suddenly fold over. I'da flipped up the sidestand for the photo, but I couldn't reach it...
I had the pleasure the next morning of showing Charlieboy around the Blue Ridge 'hood, before escorting him the long way down the mountain to Alex & Heather's place in K-Vegas. Our first stop was at the Southwest Virginia Farmers Market near Hillsville to drop off a monetary donation on behalf of a local woman whose husband had been killed in an accident while working their farm. In the photo CB is holding a condolence card for the widow.
In front of the Buffalo Mountain Presbyterian Church, circa 1929. More info here:
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/wb/xp-94728
http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Moved-Mountain/dp/08 0061237X
Mabry Mill also brought out the Happy Dance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabry_Mill
I'm convinced CB woulda done the Happy Dance here, too, but he couldn't get off the bike due to his kickstand mucking up the angle of his dangle. Spiral Curves? Ride to Lean.
Charlieboy gets a little North Carolina on him for the first time in his riding career.
CB checks out the view at Hanging Rock State Park. More info:
http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/haro/main.php
http://www.hikingupward.com/NCSP/HangingRock/
I'll let Charlieboy tell you what he called this NOTGATT Harley rider...
Happy Dance R Us! Alex is happy 'cause we're early, which got him out of a dreaded after-w*rk "kumbaya" session with his homies at John Deere, and CB is happy onnaconna he's just naturally that way. Me? I'm happy 'cause I left a skid mark in the Pride of North Carolina's parking lot (locking up the back brake is about the only way the RK will burn any rubber...)
Alex, Twig and Charlieboy, downtown K-Vegas. Hooking up with Twig for a few minutes - one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet - was an unexpected treat.
http://www.kevinharvick.com/
CB, Alex & Heather. It'd been a grand visit with Charlieboy, and now he's in A&H's capable hands for the next step in his journey.
Muchas gracias, amigos y amiga!
FB&D |
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