Day Three Friday 8 June 2007
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Friday morning opened early with blue skies, and a quiet in the camp. Various riders were preparing for the day with deliberation, and subdued conversation. As riders exited the camp, revs were kept just above idle – mutual respect for the solitude of the morning. With the addition of Richard, our posse made a left turn out of the camp onto hwy 276 heading to the Blue Ridge Parkway. |
The night before, the decision was made to have breakfast at the Pisgah Inn. Perched on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the restaurant at the inn offers a spectacular view of the mountain forest coupled with nice cuisine. Breakfast and service were very good, but eager to get on with the day, we finished up and headed to the bikes.
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On the deck at the Pisgah Inn.
With a BMW rally taking place at nearby Asheville NC, numerous BMW models filled the inn parking lot. Chan made conversation with a couple of Bimmer riders he had met on an earlier ride, some humor and laughs, followed by salutations and our group of four was off.
I heard a lot of complaints from the BMW crowd. This was a big rally and had been heavily promoted. It was held on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate, and this was the first time that Biltmore had allowed any camping on the grounds. Sadly, they had not done a good job. The "campground" was in the middle of a field with no shade, no power, and no running water. They had brought in portable toilets and showers, one of which had backed up and overflowed. A lot of people left after the first night and went to other campgrounds in the area, Blue Ridge included.
| After breakfast, we ran just a few miles north to one of the best roads in the area, NC 151. It is a beautiful canopied road that descends from the Parkway to the valley below, twisting and turning through the folds of the landscape. It is also prime bear habitat. Several locals had told us that bears were regularly sighted on this road, but all we saw was some scat. |
NC 151, heading north from the Parkway. |
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Taking a break on NC 151.
Video of NC 151. 2 minute 15 seconds, 8.6 Mb, WMV format.
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The Blue Ridge Parkway has similar characteristics to the Cherohala Skyway – sweepers. Long lefts and rights that can be taken at speed – one’s bike locks into a groove in the turn, lean angle potential seems infinite. At this point, Steven and Bill happened to be out in front in German Black Forest mode. The Bimmer twin cylinder engine purring away in top gear as the two leaned left and right, weaving a confident, deliberate line through the mountain pass. Against the cloudless sapphire blue sky, the stark morning sun left a shadowless route providing high contrast visibility. Awesome. It was one of those moments where all of the important riding factors click , the result of which is palpitating excitement. Mentally fresh and physically alert, we were in the groove; the three bikes surging and leaning in unison. It was going to be another fantastic day….
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| At Chan’s discretion the group rode south on Hwy 276 with
the goal of making it to
Caesars Head State Park. The southern route ascent on
this piece of highway was big fun; but the descent on the other side of the
mountain – the South Carolina side, was brilliant with fantastic tight sequences
of concave asphalt twisting and dropping right out from beneath the chassis.
Steven playing the role of videographer, captured the segment: Chan in the lead,
Richard wingman, followed by Bill and Steven taking up the rear. Nhhhiiice
piece of road. So nice, in fact, that decision was made to ride it
again. The group climbed back up and took a break at the parking lot
at the crest of the ridge. At this point, Richard said he was low on gas...way low. I checked the GPS, and it said that the closest gas was an Exxon station, less than 5 miles away, in Pickens, SC. So I said "Let's get gas in Pickens". What I should have said was "Let's stop at the first gas station we see". Back to Bill's narrative... |
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When descending for the last time, south on Hwy 276, the group was held up by a couple really, really, taking their time. Sub-ten-mile-an-hour-cornering folks, brake lights blazing even in the straights – ugh!! By the time the group hit the intersection at SC Hwy 11, some pent up energy needed to be released. Bill, thinking that the next waypoint was Pickens, took the lead and made an unscheduled left onto Hwy 8; while Chan and Richard behaved according to plan, pulled over, and refueled their machines.
As soon as we pulled on to 11, there was the Exxon station. So Richard and I pulled in. Bill was in the lead, and knew that we needed gas, but he kept going. I blew my horn at him, but knew that he couldn't hear it. I also knew that he was frustrated and distracted by the Grandma Kettle driver that we had just been behind. "No matter", I thought. "He knows where we are going, and he will check his mirrors in a second, realize he lost us, remember the conversation about gas, and be right back".
The problem was my comment about getting gas in Pickens. The gas station that Richard and I were at had a Pickens address, which is why the GPS had shown it that way. But it was not in town, it was out in the boonies. Bill had fixated on "Pickens", and when he came to the intersection of 11 and 8, he followed the signs to Pickens, down 8. Our real plan had been to stay on 11, never turning on 8.
About three miles (read quick miles) down Hwy 8, Steven and Bill realized that they were alone. So a quick one-eighty and sprint back up the highway was performed to catch up with the guys. But, this is where it all goes wrong. Check it out: Bill and Steven are at the intersection of Hwy 8 and Hwy 11; Hwy 11 running east/west. Simultaneously, Chan and Richard are east of Bill and Steven, perhaps one-half mile down Hwy 11 doing petro purchases. By now, Bill believes that his buds are well west, motoring down 11. After a quick mental time/distance calculation, Bill lets his son Steven know that they are about to go “afterburner” for just a bit to catch up with the guys. And so they do; the Bimmer’s highway riding characteristics are exploited, and in a short period of time, the four gentlemen are indelibly separated for the rest of the day.
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Chan: "I wonder where he got off to?"
Richard: "I dunno. Probably wanted to blow off some steam after following that blue hair coming down the mountain."
Chan: "Yeah, he will probably show up any time. Want to get some ice cream?"
Richard: "Sure!"
Bill and Steven decide to ride north through a series of highways yet discovered. From Hwy 11, the two proceed north on Hwy 178 which takes the duo back into NC. (Carolina, James Taylor, playing in Bill’s head). Hwy 178 proves to be another beautiful series of switchbacks, nicely banked, with virtually no traffic to contend with. From there a quick westward dodge on Hwy 64 leads north on Hwy 215; and finally, a long clockwise route of Blue Ridge Parkway and the familiar Hwy 276. A great, great day of riding, albeit without Chan and Richard, the two pull into BRMC around five PM.
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After waiting a while and having a snack, Richard and I saddled up and got back on the road. Bill knew that the plan was to ride 11 to 178 and 215, so we were bound to run into him. We stopped and looked around at the 11-178 intersection, no Bill and Steve. At this point, Richard offered to let me ride the Buell, and I jumped at the chance. It was a real blast. Tight handling, great brakes, wads of torque, all with that Harley V-Twin rumble. I can see why Richard likes it.
We ended up taking pretty much the same route as Steve and Bill, except we added a few roads along the way, including a little bit of dirt on 281. We had lunch at a Subway in Cashiers as the skies clouded and thunder rumbled. Shortly out of Cashiers, exploring some tight twisty little roads just to the west of Hwy 107, we hit the tail end of a shower that left the tarmac wet and slippery. It sure is a pity to be on a great road when it is wet and you have to keep your speed down...but we had fun, anyway.
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| A short time later, Richard and Chan arrive at BRMC. They, too, have had a great ride. Giggles and kidding about the mix up earlier in the day lead to dinner and a movie. ( Kudos to Phil and his family who served succulent freshwater trout for dinner.) Chan and Bill split a bottle of red; while the four watch video footage on Chan’s laptop, taken earlier in the day by Steven. The video attracts the attention of fellow riders camped next to us: Chuck rides a Strom similar to Chan’s while Donna undoubtedly gets the award for AMA fan of all time. Good conversation ensues on all levels and at all interests. Dinner ends and the conversation subsides, with Donna promising to say hello to the AMA Honda factory rider Miguel DuHamel on behalf of our posse. Steven, wearing the grin of a Cheshire cat, is conspicuously quiet. |
Steve and Bill plan tomorrow's route. |
The day came to a close after visiting with Phil and fellow riders on the porch of his residence. It had been a great day of riding and moto-socializing. The camp was quiet, dark, and cool; we all retired to our tents and sleeping bags, with the anticipation of our last riding day of the trip.
