High Country Motorcycle Campground - Yadkin Valley, NC

July 23 - 24, 2011 - 441 miles

I love the Blue Ridge Parkway. Everything about it. The cool air, changing topography, hiking trails, wildlife, and of course, the motorcycling. For me, nothing beats riding the BRP. From the time Ruth and I did an End to End trip back in 2006 (we are now officially End to Enders, so called by the BRP Foundation), I have been in love with this National Park.

And so, with a free weekend on tap and the incessant heat here in the upstate, I decided to check out a new to me motorbike campground in NC. In order to spend as much time in the bigger latitudes and as little time in the heat as possible, I chose The Blue Ridge Parkway as my main ribbon of asphalt to get there. A total of 110 miles each way was ridden on the BRP, and it was heaven, with temps ranging from a low of 68 degrees to a high of 75, while Ruth and the quadripeds were sweltering in 95+ degree heat and humidity.

High Country Motorcycle Campground is in the middle of nowhere, really. Situated in the Yadkin Valley, Boone, NC is 20 miles north and Wilkesboro, NC is about 15 miles south. The road to get to and from the property is narrow, tight and twisty, lots of fun and absolutely beautiful surroundings. The pavement of this road literally ends 50 ft. beyond the campground entrance. Glad I didn't miss that turn!

The campground is large, and very, very beautiful. There is a wonderful fast running brook, lots of shade trees and a large, clean bath house. A rental house is available, cabins are being repaired and relocated. There are no amenities here such as food service. You eat and drink what you brung, so bring enough because it's a haul north or south to replenish supplies. I had a very comfortable stay. There were only three of us camping this weekend. The heat must have kept everyone in motels. Highly recommended.

Here are some pics from my trip: Blue Ridge Parkway

Changing into my hiking boots, this was a beautiful
trail in the cool mountain air.

Under the Lynn Cove Viaduct

Another beautiful hike on a Parkway trail.

 Pics of High Country Motorcycle Campground:



Pavement ends just beyond!





All by myself. Wonderful!



The Lower Meadow camping area



Cabins relocated and now being renovated. They used to
sit around this now dried up lake.............



Something happened upstream to dry out this lake. Cabins
encircled this now dry lake bed. Must have been beautiful.



Upper Meadow camping area



Rental house in Upper Meadow



Running brook right behind my tent site. Insomnia is non-existent here.



Lower Meadow camping area.
Shot taken from my tent site. Just beautiful.

 And finally:




A great book..........



A not surprisingly (given the name) great bottle of wine..........



and an idyllic setting.

A fantastic weekend. Felt like I'd been away for four or five days. This is a beautiful area to ride to, from and around. Reconnecting with the BRP on a longer trip was fantastic. The campground did not disappoint. Just bring enough of the essentials! 

" Four wheels move the body........

Two wheels move the soul.

                     - Anonymous

END



A Most excellent Motorbike Vacation - STAR 2011 - Day 6

Day 6 - Thursday, June 30 - 235 miles

Yes Thomas, you can go home again.

" The sun is up,
                                the sky is blue,
                                                                              It's beautiful and so are you......."
                                                 - The Beatles
                                                        "Dear Prudence" -The White Album 

And so it was. Our trip home was fantastic. The day dawned bright and sunny, a perfect day for moto travel. We didn't have far to ride, but Jonny had 800+ miles back to Rhode Island. An easy 2 day trip for Earthdude. We packed up our bikes and took some final pics. Goodbye to other MSTA members with the promise of hooking up at some of the regional events. Then Roo, myself and Jon said our goodbyes - Jon heading north, Roo and I south. Rolling out of the parking lot, we started our journey home. Farewell, Johnson City!

Rhode Island Jonny & author. Elmer gave up on the wabbit.



Jonny and his Honda VFR.
If you can't stuff it in, stack it up!



Roo & Jonny just before take off.

Got a little Captain in you? (not now!)

Of course, as we do on all our motorbike trips, we took the long way home. Scooting down Hwy 321, we bypass Greeneville this time through and continue on to Newport, TN. The stretch of Hwy 321 between Greeneville and Newport is beautiful. The road shape shifts from a secondary 4 lane highway to a blue line 2 laner through some beautiful Tennessee countryside. A nice addition was the appearance of flat land curves that snaps your attention back to the task at hand.

We arrived in Newport, a seemingly quaintish little town. We didn't stop to check it out as we hadn't been on the road that long. Our planned stop for lunch is in Hot Springs, NC. Turning east on Hwy 70, a sign informs us we have 25 miles to go for lunch. Hwy 70 between Newport and Hot Springs is gorgeous! Beautiful scenery and curvy asphalt with nothing in between until you reach town. Rolling into Hot Springs, we park the ST and stroll into Sweet Imaginings Cafe for lunch. Good sandwiches, salads and smoothies - they also offer up coffee drinks and ice cream. Feeling half-human again after lunch, it's now time to put our game faces on. Our chosen route down the mountain is NC Hwy 209 - a super twisty roller coaster thriller that spits on the overdone fame of Hwy 129's Dragon's Tail and puts it's fire out.

We mount up, I swing the beaST around, and down the roller coaster we go! What a blast! I'd forgotten how twisty this road is, but the little gray cells didn't need much coaxing to remember. Mostly 2nd gear curves had the big V-4's exhaust growling as the chicken strips on the Bridgestones got smaller. Roo and I were yelling around curves just like kids on a roller coaster, with Roo waving her arms around! How appropriate going through the small communities of Luck and Trust (yes, they are real towns!) - luck in that we didn't jitterbug on any of the gravel in the curves, and trust in the Bridgestone company's R&D team. All too soon we arrived in Waynesville, NC with it's myriad of traffic congestion and pedestrians. Crawling our way through, we hooked up with Hwy 276 south. Up and over Cold mountain, we descend into the quaintness of, and, one of our favorite mountain towns, Brevard, NC. 



Johnny Cash sang "I've been everywhere, man. I've been everywhere....."
We don't have the travel resume of the great Man in Black,
but we're working on it!

By this time, Roo was ready to be home. "Don't stop." she said. "Let's keep going." So we did. Over to Caesars Head, then down the mountain one last time into the searing heat of South Carolina. Back on home turf, we had nothing but smooth, open road between us and home. In no time we were rolling down our street and into our driveway, shutting the beaST down for the final time on this trip. Roo and I dismount, and as is our tradition after a two-up moto trip, hug and high-five each other, congratulating ourselves on yet another fantastic, successful moto trip together. Roo quickly sheds her riding gear and jumps in the car to pickup the rest of our family, Gretchen & Duncan, our two Beagles, from the kennel. While she is gone, I unpack and stow our gear, and give the ST a well deserved bath. A mere 20 minutes later, Roo was back with the quadripeds, and the four of us jumped and rolled around in the grass, all happy to be together again.




Gretchen (white), Roo, & Duncan (trying to hide)

Duncan: "anybody got water?"



Now that's a happy pack!

So you see Thomas**, you really can go home again.


**Thomas Wolfe, (1900-1938) famous Asheville, NC novelist
     Reference made to notable work: "You can't go home again"
     Published posthumously 1940




Yeah. That about sums it up.
Life is good, especially on a motorbike!

END

THANKS FOR READING!

A Most Excellent Motorbike Vacation - STAR 2011 - Day 5

Day 5 - Wednesday, June 29 - 150 miles

Stayin' Safe - Rolling By Thunder Valley - MSTA Banquet

I didn't get much sleep last night because I was so amped (and a bit nervous) about what was on tap for me this morning. But it didn't matter. It was a great sunshiney morning and I felt fantastic, sleep deprived or not. I registered to take my first ever on road, real time, motorcycle training class this morning. I take the Motorcycle Safety Foundations Advanced Riders Course each spring, but all that training is done at slow speed in parking lots. Don't get me wrong, it is great for developing the necessary "neurological inputs" to make counterintuitive actions become intuitive, which all motorcyclists need to develop. But it is not "real road training." Eric Trow, president of Stayin' Safe Training Tours, offered discounted half-day mini-sessions to MSTA members while attending STAR. I jumped on it.

So, up early - downstairs to eat breakfast, then to a conference room for a pre-ride briefing. Roo gets to sleep in today; no resistance to that on her part! There are 6 club members in the class, plus our instructors: Eric, Pete and Randy. We all introduce ourselves and fill out the required legal paper mumbo jumbo while Pete gives us the lowdown on what is going to happen today.



Seeing as I did not have any real time pics for this part
of my post, Joe decided it would be Cool to crash this
blog. What a Virginia Ham! Anything for a photo op!

Stayin' Safe is an on road, real time, real speed, advanced training course. In a nutshell, the first half of each class has us "students" following the instructors on a pre-determined route containing all the things you would encounter on a road ride: straight roads, sweepers, technical mountain roads, city traffic, suburbs, rural areas, farm tractors, Ma & Pa Kettle slow drivers, cow patties, chasing dogs, etc. Yes, we did get chased by dogs, twice! The pace is held at the speed limit of the particular road being ridden. Students are expected to be able to ride at the posted speed limits. Instructors communicate with the students via one-way radio. As we ride, the instructors are talking us through key points of riding safely and smoothly that are pertinent to the lay of the road we are riding on. A lot of the info was review for me (which is always good), but I learned new things and re-learned old things that were communicated and executed in a different manner for more effectiveness. Periodic breaks, dubbed "chalk talks", were taken in parking lots where Eric would promptly produce a piece of chalk, get down on his knees, and draw out key points on the blacktop. Very effective!



After an hour or so, the group broke up into 3 groups of 2, plus one instructor. Now it was time for the students to take the lead with the instructor right behind where he would continue to give cues on what to look for when scanning the road, and also to critique us on what we had just learned, with appropriate feedback on how to correct bad habits in real time! A bit intimidating, but a fantatstic learning experience! Four, much too soon hours later, we arrived back at the hotel. What a great morning and an excellent learning venue! I am already planning to do one of their 3 day training tours. For more info on this novel training course, go to http://www.stayin'safe.com/ .

Roo and our buddy Jon met me as our group rolled into the parking lot. I was all grins! After de-briefing with the instructors, Roo, Jon and myself ate lunch at our now go to eatery, Cootie Brown's. After lunch, Roo wanted to chill by the pool and Jon was tired from riding demo bikes all day.



Rhode Island Jonny and Roo pose it up while the ST cools down.
Where's Elmer? I think we found the wabbit!

But not me. I had one more required photo shoot to take. So I geared up again and pointed the ST north. Fifteen minutes later I arrived at my destination and the shutter started clicking. Here it is:

Bristol Motor Speedway



Entrance to Thunder Valley Drag Strip



Yessir! That's right. NASCAR! Bristol Motor Speedway and Thunder Valley! The Nascar and drag race capital of the southeast. Bristol Motor speedway - a shrine to all 4 wheelers that run in a circle and make left turns! NASCAR! Woo Hoo, darlin'!

But really, this place is immense! It's shear size is mighty impressive. Having had my fill of Nascar, it's back on the beaST and motor on down the road to the Holiday Inn. It's time to clean up and get ready for our STAR closing banquet.

At 6:30, all 520 of us MSTA members gathered in the hotel ballroom for the final night of MSTA motorcycle frivolity. I left my camera in the room, and the tables were so jammed packed in the ballroom that I just didn't feel like fighting the crowd to go get it. Besides, the festivities had already started. Bad journalism, I know.

Awards were given out: longest distance traveled to STAR, most STARS attended, oldest MSTA member (Don Clark, get this, 92 years old and still riding motorcycles!), and a special award given to our buddy, Rhode Island Jonny, the "King of the Demos" award. This award, the first ever given at a MSTA event, was given to the person who rode the wheels off the motorcycle demo fleet provided by Kingsport Cycles, Kingsport, TN. Jon's coronation even included "crowning" the king with a paper crown. Lot's of great door prizes were given out (we didn't win any) and guest speaker Eric Trow of Stayin' Safe gave a very informative and humorous talk on rider safety.

Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for - the announcement of the winner of the raffle bike - a Triumph Tiger 800. No, we didn't win. And neither did anyone else in attendance. The winning member was home in Atlanta, GA (you did not need to be present to win). Many moans of disappointment ensued. Oh well, the luck of the draw. The banquet ended, but the party continued in the lobby and outside. Things broke up fairly early, as many people had many miles to travel to get home. Another great MSTA comes to a close.

Next up: "Yes Thomas, you can go home again."

A Most Excellent Motorbike Vacation - STAR 2011 - Day 4

A portent of things to come?

Day 4 - Tuesday, June 28 - 125 miles

Listen To Your Inner Voice - A Natural Wonders Tour

Today was the clubs big lunch ride to Breaks State Park in Virginia. This was the one ride of the week where club members all rendezvous at the park for a sit down lunch provided by the park staff. Judging by the pictures I saw of Breaks State Park, it looked absolutely beautiful. Hiking trails abound, and we were looking forward to doing some short hikes into the gorge there. A 250 mile round trip ride was on tap, with some of the most beautiful, scenic roads promised by the club's Tenessee and Virginia local residents who made out the route sheets. So an early departure time was a must.

But things were not looking their best. We awoke to a very cloudy morning with the weather report calling for a 60% chance of severe thunderstorms, high winds, and possible hail. Well, how do you do! We went downstairs for breakfast and, of course, everyone was discussing the weather and tracking the storm system. Watching the radar, it looked like the projected track of the storm was going to move south, away from Virginia and south of Johnson City. That's all everyone else needed, as they prepared to gear up and a mass exodus of motorbikes rolled out of the parking lot. Ruth and I waffled and discussed what to do. My little voice was telling me not to go, but I really wanted to (waaahhh!). Besides, Virginia was looking pretty clear on the radar. Finally, after much discussion, we decided to take a stab at it. We could always turn around if things got too dicey. So we geared up and off we go, with navigator Roo calling out directions from the route sheet.

Well, we weren't on the road but 15 minutes when we promptly got lost. In downtown Johnson City. Three times we backtracked and three times we failed to find a certain route number we had to turn on to. By this time it was late morning. Even if we found our way, it was too late to start a 250 mile ride in the mountains, and we would miss the designated lunch time. Pissed off and frustrated, we started back to the hotel. Then I missed our turnoff. At that point my little voice re-surfaced, saying " Since you ignored me, I got you lost. Have a nice day." And indeed we did! Ok. Go to Plan B (always have a Plan B when traveling by motorbike). The sun broke out, I now knew where we were, so we motored on down the road to the first stop on our now self-named "Natural Wonders Tour", Bristol Caverns, TN.

Bristol caverns is a very cool place, literally and figuratively, where the temperature in the cavern stays at a wonderfully cool 55 drgrees! The cavern is privately owned, surrounded by some really beautiful countryside. The entrance to the cavern is actually a hole in the ground, not a cave in the mountainside that we usually envision a cave entrance to be. Of course, the owners have built a stairwell and overhanging structure around the mouth of the cave. History says that when white settlers came into this area of Tennessee, the Indians living here would attack their farms and outposts, then run back into the cave and hide until the next attack. When the settlers would mount a chase, they were amazed at how the Indians "just disappeard into thin air." It was years before they finally figured it out after discovering the cave entrance themselves.

The tours through the cavern are all guided, and our guide was a hoot. Funny kid! Below are some pics from within the cavern, the best my camera could do in the limited light and my limited photog experience.



Cave entrance





This is looking up at the cave entrance from inside the cave
The glowing light is the sun peering in



A cave dweller? No! It's a RRD!
(Roo Rubber Ducky)



One of the "rooms" in the cave. Absolutely beautiful.



After the 1 hour long tour and a fantastic respite from the heat, we jumped on the ST and flew up I-26 to the next stop on our self-proclaimed "Natural Wonders Tour"; Natural Tunnel State Park, VA.

Natural Tunnel is over 1 million years old, and was formed by the water erosion of the now named, Stock Creek. Back in the 1800's, the railroad was laying track through this area to expedite the shipping of coal being mined nearby. The plan was to blast a tunnel through the mountainside when they came upon this tunnel already in the rails path of travel! A slight re-routing of the track plan brought the railroad through this tunnel.



Natural Tunnel

At one time, the railroad ran freight and passenger service on the line. Passenger trains used to stop here so passengers could disembark and enjoy the natural beauty of the area for a few moments while the locomotive took on water. Today, the railroad still uses the Natural Tunnel route running coal trains between West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee. The trains pass through the tunnel 3 to 4 times daily, but there is no set schedule. Sometimes you see one during your visit, sometimes you don't. We did not.



Another tunnel did have to be blasted through the mountain.
This is opposite Natural Tunnel



Roo on the platform that once housed the depot station



Looking down into Stock Creek Gorge.
The rails are crossing over Stock Creek, the river that formed Natural Tunnel.

 From the visitor Center, there ia a chairlift that takes you down into Stock Creek Gorge, or you can hike down a very steep trail. We opted for the hike, as I prefer my feet to be on terra firma. The hike into the Gorge was absolutely beautiful, and it felt great to be walking off the last couple of hours on the motorbike.




The chairlift house



Chairlift down into the Gorge and to the Tunnel

We hung out for awhile at the Tunnel, hoping to catch a train coming through. No luck. So we started the steep climb back up and out of the Gorge. Finally, with the day getting a bit long in the tooth, it was time to head back to Johnson City. What a beautiful place, and a great find. This whole area of Virginia is a beautiful place to visit.


Back on I-26, we fly south towards Johnson City. About 2-3 miles out from town and our exit, we hit the tail end of the viscious storm that was predicted for the area. Traffic was heavy and brake lights were flashing on everywhere as drivers panicked when their cars went from dry pavement to wet and rain. My senses immediately went to red alert as I scanned my surroundings and tagged escape routes should I need them from cars coming up behind. An ST sandwich would not be good. I steered the ST over to the right lane so as to have the shoulder as MY lane should I need to. Apparently, emergency vehicles had the same idea as they came blasting down the shoulder, only to be blocked by some idiot who heard the sirens and immediately pulled over onto the shoulder....and STOPPED! They eventually got around the car, but at what cost to the victim in the crash? Can you believe that?

Anyway, after two crashes in two miles (not us!), our exit came up, and we were thankful to be off the superslab. We roll into the Holiday Inn Parking lot at about 5 PM, just as other club members were returning from the original lunch ride route. Roo and I were all smiles from our great day of riding and sightseeing (after recovering from the I-26 lunacy), but that sentiment was not shared by others. Horror stories abound of horizontal rain, tornado style winds, hail and lightning from riders coming back from Virginia's Break State Park. Bear in mind that these men and women are all seasoned long distance touring riders, well versed in the ways of riding in inclement weather. But the looks of relief on their faces told a different story. Thankfully, no casualties. Everyone arrived back at base camp safely. No doubt the hotel bar will be very crowded tonight.

Listen to that voice in your head (unless there's multiple voices - then you've got other issues). It's going to be right 99 percent of the time.

Next up: Stayin' Safe