Left Virginia and rode through Maryland into Delaware. Delaware seems to be the strip mall capital of the world. Every town I rode through was one strip mall after another. Saw a little place called Firebase Lloyd in Delaware.
Some kind of Viet Nam Vet's motorcycle club. From there it was on to the Allentown/Bethlehem area of Pennsylvania. It was like one large town. City traffic all day. I did ride into Nazareth, PA. Nazareth is where C. F. Martin guitars are made.
Later the weather turned nasty and I got dumped on near Stroudsburg, PA. I wound up staying in a motel.
The second day of my journey proved to be relatively uneventful. It entailed a long, straight ride on Highway 58 from Meadows of Dan to Norfolk, VA. Boring! The highlight of the day was the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel. There are actually two tunnels that take you under the Chesapeake Bay which allows large ships to enter the harbor at Norfolk. It was a really cool ride.
The low point of the day was my campsite for the night. I though that there was a National Park Service campground on the island of Chincoteague off the Virginia coast near the Maryland border. Upon arriving on the island, after quite a detour, I found only commercial campgrounds were available. For $35 I got a trashed out campsite at a “family campground”. I also got attitude from the kid running the registration. I don't think they like motorcycles staying here. My rating for Tom's Cove Park, two thumbs down!
Shades of Alaska! Three years ago I took a took a ride to Alaska and had eighteen straight days of rain. It looked like this trip was going to start off the same way. I woke up to thunderstorms and before I had left home a tree had fallen and taken out the power to our whole neighborhood. Eventually the rain stopped and I left on the MaritimeTour. As do most of my trips this one started with a jaunt on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway was littered with debris and leaves due to the high winds. There was a detour from the Parkway at Laurel Springs and I had to take highway 18 from Laurel Springs, NC. About 15 miles into the detour I came upon another tree down across the road. Every traveler hates to backtrack, but sometimes it is necessary. My map was in my tankbag, but I really don't know why I keep it there. I can't see it without my glasses. I was going to have to depend on my GPS to get me out of this. I knew I needed to get to Highway 58 in Virginia and I knew that Willville Motorcycle Camp was near where I needed to be. Willville was a waypoint in my GPS so off I went. The wind picked up and blew me around the road quite a bit. Rain also began to fall. I finally found Highway 58 in Independence, VA and headed east. It was getting late afternoon and I decided to call it a night and camp at Willville.
That night I got to meet Rocky, the campground raccoon. I had been warned not to leave any food out and I was careful not to. I did not think Rocky would be interested in my sponge I use to wash dishes. I was wrong! Rocky brazenly climbed up on my picnic table and stole my sponge while daring me to do anything about it. I yelled an him and the chase was on! Rocky crossed a stream, dropped the sponge, and looked back at me as if to say “I didn't really want it anyway”. The next morning, when I could see better, I crossed the stream and retrieved my sponge from where Rocky had dropped it. Kurt 1... Rocky 0!
On June 11 I rode the Moonshiner 28 between Deal's Gap, NC and Walhalla, SC. I rode to Kickstand Lodge in Stecoah, NC on June 10 and made that my base camp for the weekend.
First I rode to Deal's Gap. What a circus!! I live in this area and I know that folks come from far away to ride the Dragon at Deal's Gap, but it is probably my least favorite area to ride here. I'll leave the Dragon to the tourists ride the good roads that we local riders try to keep secret.
From Deal's Gap I rode Highway 28 all the way to Walhalla, SC. Highway 28 is an old moonshiner's route to take white lightening down from the hills of Tennessee and North Carolina to waiting customers in South Carolina. It is a very good ride.
After completing the Moonshiner 28 I had lunch in Seneca, SC at a local greasy spoon. The Time Drive In was not bad (as long as you like all your food deep fried!)
After lunch I rode back to Kickstand Lodge to relax and socialize with the other riders. Kickstand Lodge is a very laid back campground with a unique method of operation. You'll just have to visit it for yourself to see. Here is a photo of the stream behind my tent.
Next week I am planning on leaving for a long ride to Canada. The goal is to pick up some New England states that I have not ridden in. I hope to take the ferry to Labrador and Newfoundland. We'll see if it all works out. Things happen on the road!!! I do not plan on being near a lot of wi-fi hotspots so reporting on this blog may have to wait until the trip is over. Check back later and see how it shakes out!
On Saturday, June 4, 2011 I took a day ride to the Diamondback. It seems all curvy roads in North Carolina have to have a reptilian name these days. The Diamondback is actually 226A between Marion and Little Switzerland. Although it is a good ride I found it to be just like other roads in the area. I guess I have become jaded by living in Motorcycle Disney World.
Somewhere on Highway 80
Somewhere along The Diamondback
Next week I plan on riding the Moonshiner 28. The Moonshiner 28 is Highway 28 between Deal's Gap and Walhalla, SC. Look for that report next week.
In two weeks I am planning my next long ride. My goal is L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland and Labrador. I am not sure how much I will be able to update the blog while on the road. I don't really plan on stay in places that have a lot of Wi-Fi capability. My new cameras are all 14MP and it takes forever to upload photos. What I don't get done on the road I will get done once I'm back home.
This year's Eastern Rendezvous was again held in Laurel Springs, NC. The weather was perfect for the event, but the nights were a little chilly. I arrived on Thursday and spent the next two days riding around the borders of North Carolina and Virginia and the evenings meeting old friends and new ones as well. The "Party Boss" did a fantastic job of feeding, watering and keeping us entertained. Here are some photos from the event.
May 13-15 were the dates of the 2011 ADV Old School Spring Fling held this year at the Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground in Cruso, NC. The weather was a little cool but the rain held off for the most part and a good time was had by all in attendance. I took a little ride on the airhead Saturday and wound up in South Carolina. The rides where I get lost seem to be the best ones.
Along Highway 215 between Lake Logan and the Blue Ridge Parkway.
We had a Canadian contingent from New Brunswick and they thought we Southern Boys were a little wimpy because we complained about the "cool" weather. They bought Hawaiian shirts to make us feel even worse!!
Next week is the Eastern Rendezvous in Laurel Spring, NC. Check back next week for a new entry after the RDV!
I live in Asheville, NC and have ridden to Alaska, but never to Florida! I'm a teacher (for the present) and Spring Break was coming up. I decided to correct this and make a dash to the Gulf of Mexico.
I was going to take two days to ride down, spend a day at the beach, and take two days to get back. On the way down I camped at General Coffee State Park near Alma, GA. It was a nice place with Spanish moss in the trees and a real "southern" feel. Georgia state parks charge about $30 to camp and I think that is a little steep.
The next day I booked it for the Gulf. I passed through the Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Lakeland, GA.
After passing into Florida I began looking for gas and food. Parts of the Florida panhandle have neither. I finally rolled into Panacea, FL. There I found a Shrimp/Chicken shack that made me wonder if Florida had a functioning Department of Health. Granny was fryin' in the kitchen while her daughter simultaneously took orders and breast fed a snotty nosed kid. I wanted shrimp, but decided to play it safe and ordered grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and fried okra. Money was not wasted grilling the chicken (it was almost raw), the okra was fried to within an inch of its life and I could still smell the chlorine from the tap water used to make the instant mashed potatoes. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers.
I arrived that evening in St. Joseph Peninsula State Park near Apalachiola. It was a nice destination on the Gulf and it is the part of Florida that has the white sugar sand.
The next day I spent walking around the state park and NOT swimming!!!!!!
I rode to Port St. Joe for a shrimp lunch. I found a little place called Regan's. I was the only customer in the little shrimp shack and while I ate I listened to the employees complain about the lack of tourist since the oil spill last year. As far as I could tell there was no damage to this area at all. The beaches were clear and beautiful.
On the way back to the state park I took a look at the Cape San Blas Light. She was very different from the light houses I am used to on the Outer Banks.
The next day I packed up and started back. I rode to Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park near Pine Mountain, GA. It was a nice, quite little place on a lake built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). This was a "make work" program during the depression. The lake in the photo was made by men with shovels and wheelbarrows!
After loading up the next day I rode about two hundred miles to avoid riding through Atlanta. I don't like driving a car through Atlanta, much less riding a motorcycle. I was passing close to Suches, GA and decided to stop by and see Two Wheels Only. TWO had shut down and I wanted to pay homage to the place where I had had so many good times. It has already begun to look run down and it was truly a sad sight.
On April 7, 2011 Austin Vince did his presentation on Terra Circa at the French Broad Brewery in Asheville. I was fortunate to attend this get together and meet Austin. Austin has ridden a motorcycle twice around the world. His first trip was Mondo Enduro and the second was called Terra Circa. I have long been a fan of Austin and his wife, Lois Pryce.
Tomorrow I will leave on a Spring Break trip to Florida. Nothing fancy, just a two day ride there, a day to sit at the beach and read, and a two day trip back. Look for my report next week!
It has been a long winter here in North Carolina and it is time to get back on the road and see what the next riding season brings. I have just made reservations for a camp site in Florida for my Spring Break next month! I have never ridden in Florida and I am going to use this Spring Break to correct that! Spring bike maintenance is being performed and I hope to be back on the road posting blog entries on a regular basis soon! Stay tuned!!!!
Next week I am planning on leaving for a long ride to Canada. The goal is to pick up some New England states that I have not ridden in. I hope to take the ferry to Labrador and Newfoundland. We'll see if it all works out. Things happen on the road!!! I do not plan on being near a lot of wi-fi hotspots so reporting on this blog may have to wait until the trip is over. Check back later and see how it shakes out!
We had a Canadian contingent from New Brunswick and they thought we Southern Boys were a little wimpy because we complained about the "cool" weather. They bought Hawaiian shirts to make us feel even worse!!
Next week is the Eastern Rendezvous in Laurel Spring, NC. Check back next week for a new entry after the RDV!
