Dash to the Gulf

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.


From TWO I told the GPS to take me home!

Dash to the Gulf

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Austin Vince in Asheville

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!

Spring is Here!!!

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!!!!

ADV Old's Cool Fall Rally - 2010

On October 15 - 17, 2010 I attended the ADV Rider Old's Cool Fall Rally in Tellico Plains, TN. It was the usual group of inmates minus one or two regulars. The weather was perfect during the day, but it got quite cold at night. Below is a photo of Heidi with frost on her.


On Saturday I rode to the Ocoee River where the river events of the Atlanta Olympics were held. This area is still used for whitewater events and weekend rafters.

It was really great to see old friends and make a few new ones. I guess that is what these events are all about.

This will probably be my last event of the year. I have sent my rain fly in to North Face to be refurbished for the upcoming season. In June my wife and I will fly to Japan to visit our son and in July I hope to ride to Labrador and Newfoundland. That is a trip I had hoped to make this year, but other things got in the way. Please check back ever so often or subscribe via RSS. I do know for sure there are a few events planned for the spring. Have a safe winter and I hope I see you on the road next spring!

Cold Night on Cold Mountain

I spent the night of October 1 at the foot of Cold Mountain in Cruso, NC. I took the airhead and my winter equipment. I though my sleeping bag was warmer than it proved to be that night! The temperature got into the mid 30's (3-5 Celsius). I was terribly cold during the night. I left my cotton socks on during the night and I believe that was my mistake. I would have had warmer feet without the socks. The next morning I had to wait for the sun to up over the mountain before I could cook my breakfast of sausage and eggs with coffee. After packing up I rode over to check out Balsam Lake in the Nanthahala National Forest. I found the lake although the directional signs had been removed thanks to roadwork going on under our leaders stimulus plan.
The lake was quite low but it was a beautiful setting. There is a lodge where rooms can be reserved for weekends and holidays.
After visiting the lake I set off for home. I seemed to have caught a cold from the night of camping and had a runny nose. I hate riding with a helmet when my nose is running!

The weekend of October 15-17 is the ADV Rider's Old School Fall Meeting in Tellico Plains, TN. That will probably be my last outing of the year. We shall see!

Ride the Blue Ridge Rally 2010

The Knob Mountain N.C. Motorcycle Chapter (Knobbies) hosted a great BMW rally in Morganton, NC. The weather was beautiful on Friday and Saturday. I did ride home Sunday morning in a downpour, however.

On Saturday the GS managed to find more gravel roads in Western North Carolina. The photo above was shot in Gragg, NC. This is a small community at the intersection of some gravel roads. Below is a closeup of the sign.


I rode to Mortimer and discovered a small general store in the middle of nowhere on one of these gravel roads. No, I did not hear any banjos playing anywhere!

The rally itself was held at Catawba Meadows, a city park operated by the city of Morganton, NC. The site itself was beautiful. The site was donated to the club by the city to help tourism in the area. I won a gift certificate to a local restaurant as a door prize so I know I will return!

Next weekend I plan on making an overnight trip to Cruso and on Saturday check out Balsam Lake. Check back next week!

Horizons Unlimited Traveller's Meeting - 2010

The weekend of September 10 - 12, 2010 found me at the annual Horizons Unlimited Traveller's Meeting in Stecoah, NC. Horizons Unlimited is a group of international motorcycle tourists and many presentations are given on topic ranging from border crossing to how to stay healthy on the road. This event is only about 80 miles from my home so I try to make it every year. Saturday was soggy one and well spent by listening to several presentations.


This year I was most impressed by Ileana LaTorre and Efrain Martinez. These two have started a charity trip called Moto Nomadas. They will ride from Charleston, SC around South America raising money and volunteers to help educate the street children on Central and South America. Please visit there web site for more details. Just when I seem to lose hope in the current generation a couple of kids like these step up and restore my faith. There is hope!!

Labor Day Weekend in Cruso

Over the Labor Day weekend, September 3-5, 2010, I camped with the GS in Cruso, NC. On Saturday I rode to the Nanthala National Forest to ride a little gravel. While walking on a swinging bridge over the river I saw an entire family of deer watering in this beautiful countryside.


It was an excellent day on the GS in its natural habitat. Although I am not that comfortable on gravel the GS loved it.


On Monday I rode the R80RT to Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville, TN to do a little knife shopping. It was another beautiful day, but no photos of this. I enjoyed the riding too much!!

Ride to Roan Mountain

On Saturday, August 28, I rode the GS to Roan Mountain State Park in Tennessee just to eat a picnic lunch. On the way there I rode through some interesting localities. I love the name of the town of Loafer's Glory, NC. I also stopped in Kona where Charlie Silvers is buried.

Charlie was caught cheating by his wife and she killed him and chopped him up into pieces. You can't tell from the photo but Charlie is buried in three separate graves. There is one headstone and three foot stones. As they found pieces of Charlie scattered about the countryside they would bury them in a new grave. Charlie's wife, Frankie, was the first woman hung in North Carolina.


In this part of the country we remember ALL of our war dead.

Weekend in Cruso

I spent August 13-15 in Cruso, NC camping at the Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground. Friday evening was spent relaxing with members of the Time Warp Vintage Motorcycle Club from Knoxville, TN.

On Saturday I rode to Oconee Station in South Carolina. Oconee Station was used as a meeting place for the Cherokee and British in the early part of the the 19th century.



My next planned trip is to the Horizons Unlimited USA East Traveller's Meeting in Stecoah, NC next month. Until then, Ride safe!!