International Motorcycle Show in Greenville, SC

Today I attended the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in Greenville, SC. It had what you would expect at an event like this...motorcycles, girls on motorcycles, more motorcycles, a motorcycle stunt show, and more motorcycles. Vendors were present selling everything from ear plugs to funerals for bikers! The lighting conditions were not set up for photographers so please excuse the harsh flash photos. Here are some photos from the show.





On the way home I decided to check out Jones Gap State Park and managed to drive into a forest fire. Here are a couple of shots of the fire. I was not permitted to go to the state park or get any closer to the fire.

I am starting to get pumped about the upcoming season. It is the end of February and spring will be arriving soon. Kickstand Lodge (a nearby motorcycle campground) opens for camping on March 6. That may be a little early for me, but at least if a nice weekend occurs it will be available. Keep checking back! You never know when something worth reporting may happen this time of year!!!!

February Blues

Sorry, no photos for this entry. That is mainly because I have not done any riding this month. I'm not likely to any time soon. I am taking two classes this winter at our local community college. One is a photography class that meets on Saturdays. Hopefully that means the photos from this year's riding season will be better than last year's.

Next Sunday I will be attending the International Motorcycle Show in Greenville, South Carolina. I will take photos and post them as soon as I can during the week. Check back!

Dreary Winter Daze!

Tomorrow is the first day of February and I can see the light at the end of the Winter tunnel! This month I will attend the International Motorcycle Show in Greenville, South Carolina. I will make a day trip out of this. It will be good to spend a day in a building that smells of gas and rubber!

It has been a slow month for riding. I rode the airhead on New Year's day but I have not ridden the GS at all. Tomorrow (February 1) The weather is supposed to be in the 50s (11-12C) and I may get a ride in just to charge up the battery. Starting on Monday we are due for another round of ice and snow. The snow melts quickly here but the problem is the salt and sand that the city and county spread. That stuff remains for weeks afterward. Sand and motorcycles are not a good combination (for me, anyway!).




















I am also busy planning my "Chasing Hemingway" trip scheduled for third week in April. This trip will only be one week, but it is to an area that I have never been to before. I am a huge fan of Earnest Hemingway and the main purpose of this trip is to see his home/museum in Key West Florida. I have included the route that I am planning to take. If any of you are familiar with this area and have some tips for me let me know!

Well, everyone hang in there and check back in two to three weeks. Spring is coming!!!!

Baby! It's Cold Outside!!

Some of you have been asking for updates since I have not posted in over two weeks. Don't worry I am fine and still alive, but there have been some goings on at our house. First I shipped son number 1 (he's the pilot, black belt, SCUBA diving one (don't you love it... land, air and sea!)) back to San Diego. Son number 2 (he's the one that just graduated college) has decided that Honduras are more to his liking than Mexico...so on Tuesday he flies to Honduras to begin his Dive Master course. This means he will not be in Mexico, so that changes my schedule for the summer. At first I thought that Honduras would make an interesting trip, but I just won't be able to squeeze it in this summer. Besides his course will be over in April and he does not know if he will remain in Honduras or not. Oh! To be young again! Anyway, I am back to my original coast to coast plans for this summer.

I have not ridden either bike since New Year's Day. You can see why in the photo above. I snapped this photo yesterday morning. I don't normally let a little cool weather keep me from riding, but I do have my limits! Nine degrees Fahrenheit (-14 C) is just below my limit. It does inspire me to plan my trip to Key West this April!

If you don't hear for me in a couple of weeks, don't worry! Spring will be here soon and winter will be a distant memory! For those of you in the southern hemisphere, ride safe...those in the north, stay warm!!!!

First Ride of 2009!!

Today I made my traditional New Year's Day ride. I took the airhead and rode a few miles (almost 50) on my home road, the Blue Ridge Parkway. As you can see from the photo the weather was absolutely beautiful. It was a little chilly though, 42 degrees Fahrenheit (About 7 degrees Celsius).

For New Year's Eve my wife and I spent the evening listening to Larry Keel and the Mountain Family Circus at the Grey Eagle Music Hall here in Asheville. Larry's music is hard to describe...sort of a bluegrass/jazz/experimental/fusion style. Whatever you want to label it, it was a great show!

I hope everyone has a great 2009 and let me hear from you!!

Last Ride of 2008!

I managed to get in a ride while my son and his girlfriend were here for the holidays. We had a very warm day after Christmas an I invited Yeseul for a ride. We cruised up the Blue Ridge Parkway and got in about 20 miles or so. After I dropped her off at home I took the airhead out for a spin just to keep the fluids moving around.

For 2009 I have several events already in planning. My "Chasing Hemingway" tour to Key West, FL (Arctic Circle to Key West in one year, pretty cool, huh?); "Coast to Coast with Kurt" (Ocracoke Island, NC to San Diego, CA maybe via Mexico?); the BMWMOA National in Johnson City, TN; the BMWRA National in Caanan Valley, WV; and the Horizons Unlimited USA East Meeting in North Carolina on my birthday. The new year is already getting full and it is still hours away!

RIDE LONG AND SAFE INTO THE NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

I just want to wish all of my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! To end my entries for the year here is a video highlight from this years Solo to the Circle trip. Stay tuned!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano!!!
Frohe Weinachten und einen guten Rutsch!!

Dreamin' of Ridin'

Today I took both bikes out for about 20 miles each just keep the fluids moving and the batteries charged. While riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville I kept thinking about my upcoming trips. Regular readers of my blog know that I went to the Arctic Circle this year. During Spring Break I plan on riding to Key West. Not only will it be cool to ride from the Arctic Circle to the southernmost point in the U.S. in one year, but I am also a huge fan of Earnest Hemingway. I also plan to see his home which is now a museum and stop in at Sloppy Joe's. I hope the town is not too engulfed with Spring Breakers. Shortly after that trip, in June, I will begin my coast to coast trip IF my son still lives in San Diego. Also the BMWMOA International Rally will be held in Tennessee this year. I sure won't be receiving the long distance award! Also, the Horizons Unlimited USA East meeting is scheduled for August. Looks like another great year ahead if I can just make it through winter!

You may have noticed that I have put a hit counter and a country counter on my page. Please leave comments!! I speak Spanish, English and German. So please, don't be shy about leaving a comment in any of those languages!

DVD Time!

Winter has set in here in the mountains of North Carolina. The bikes are in the garage patiently waiting for their next ride. It is the day before Thanksgiving. It gets dark early and we have even had some snow. I did take a few rides since my last post but it was just mainly cruising around the back roads. To get me through the winter I watch DVDs by others that have made interesting trips. About a week ago I finished Long Way Down with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. This was the second journey in their series. I had watched the series on Fox Reality, but the DVDs included a lot of extra footage. I know a lot of guys think they're wimps with all their support and everything, but I like the show anyway. I have also watched Globeriders Indochina. This documents a scouting trip made by Helge Pedersen to Southeast Asia. He and a friend traveled through Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and a couple of other countries. I am now in the middle of watching a series by Gary Smith called Burro has Three Wheels. In this series Gary rides his Ural with a sidecar from Portland, OR to the tip of South America, then on to Prudhoe Bay, AK, then on to Goosebay, Labrador. That is still not enough riding for Gary and he heads for Key West. I watched the Mexico portion last night and he really made me yearn for a warmer climate. After I have finished Gary's series I will watch Get Lost: Oregon.

Don't think I am just a couch potato. I have also cracked open a book or two that deals with motorcycle travel. Right now I am reading Obsessions Die Hard by Ed Culberson. Ed was one of the first, if not the first, to get a motorcycle through the notorious Darien Gap. For those that don't know, the Darien Gap is a break in the Pan American Highway between Panama and Columbia. Most people will ship their bike by air or sea to get around the Gap. A few people have conquered it on motorcycle. I know only of Ed Culberson and Helge Pedersen. After reading this book, I would have to say I would fly my bike over. If you are starting to get cabin fever check out the links and support these guys by buying their products.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and check back soon to see how I am surviving the winter!

3rd Annual ADV Eastern Airhead Rally

On October 17 - 19, 2008 the third annual ADV Eastern Airhead Rally was held in Tellico Plains, TN. This is traditionally my last big outing of the year. From now until March I will just do what I call maintenance rides. These are short 20 to 30 mile rides just to keep the batteries charged and the oils moved around. Also the next few months will be spent planning my my Ocracoke Island to San Diego cross county trip. I may make a few posts to let you know how the planning is going, but until March posts will be far and few between.
This past weekend, however, was a fitting end to a great riding season! I arrived late Friday night, in the rain, and Boojum still had some brats, chili, and Schlitz (that's right, Schlitz!) left over. After getting my tent up in the dark and standing around the campfire for a while I hit the sleeping bag for a good night's sleep. The next morning was foggy but it soon burned off and the rest of the day was beautiful! I rode to TWO in Suches, GA for lunch. This was the first time I had been at TWO in a couple of years and there were a lot of "Harley Posers" there. After lunch I ran the cooler run and returned to Tellico Plains. I won a "Ride the Dragon" board game as a door prize in the evening. Sort of appropriate for a third grade teacher. After the usual frivolity of the evening campfire, including Kayla the beer drinking bird dog, I hit the sack and during the night the temperature plummeted.
I awoke in the morning to a frozen rain fly and a motorcycle covered in frost! This photo is not that great, but the lens was fogging up in the cold. If I remember right the campground was at about 1800 feet and I was going to ride over the Cherohala Skyway which would take me up over 5300 feet. That meant I was in for a cold ride home! Oh well, so be it. This is what I do. The ride home was cold, but the skies were blue and the fall colors were out.
Keep check back during the course of the winter. I will try to make at least one post per month just to keep the site active. Meanwhile, if any one has any recommendations for my cross county trip, shoot me an email! Have a great winter!!