fleetingyouth
Active Member
Hi everyone. This is a little late but Ive been so busy since I got back from this trip. We had planned on doing 2 weeks riding down the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Tail of the Dragon staying 3 days in the area and riding the same way back. This is not what happened haha.
The first day we had planned on stopping in Philly to check out the Revzilla showroom but unfortunately the pope was in town and Philly was shutdown. So we headed west to the middle of PA to spend a night with a friend. The next day we hit Skyline Drive and this is where the rain started. By the time we got to the Skyline it was evening and visibility was 10 feet. The fog and rain was so thick and with seeing Deer around every corner we had to slow our pace and didnt get more then halfway before it was just to dark.
The next day we started our trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway and the rain was even worse. We probably drove faster then we should have and never really got to see any of the views but it was still one of the best roads Ive ever ridden.
It only took us 3 days to do the Parkway which considering the conditions I think is impressive. At several points we had to pull over and just stand in the rain because we kept getting flash flood warnings. These were no joke either. Water was pouring over the cliffs onto the roads everywhere and several tight turns turned into rivers. We even had to take shelter in a tunnel as the safer option because the visibility got so bad neither of us could ride faster then 5mph. You can see the water pooling up under the bikes in the tunnel.
Before we made it to the Dragon we stopped in Maggie Valley to check out the Wheels Through Time Museum. I can honestly say the show and all the pictures Id seen dont do this place justice. It is every bit worth the drive to spend a couple hours walking around in there. Id love to go back at some point and really take some planned photos of the displays.
After 5 days of riding and 4 days of bad rain we arrived at the Tail of the Dragon... In the rain. haha After checking in to the hotel we headed straight for the Dragon. We did two runs one just wet the second in the rain. I was not prepared for the dragon in the rain. I didnt realize how hilly the road really was. Yet I still had fun and hope to one day hit it on a dry day.
So its day 6 and the rain hasnt let up. To make things worse hurricane Joaquin was heading up the coast right along the Parkway blocking our route home. So rather then staying at the Dragon for 2 more days and following the hurricane home we calculated we could go west out of the storm get some dry pavement and hit as many states as we could on the way home. Before leaving we met several riders down from Canada who also decided to leave early because of the weather but unlike us they headed straight into the storm.
So with a rough new route planned out we left the Dragon and headed straight for New Orleans... cause why not. we even took a short 30min detour so we could cross over the boarder of Fl. Check one more off the list. The next few days were 8-9 hour days riding on the worst straight roads through Mississippi, Arkansas etc.
The rest of the trip was dry but the rain was replaced with bugs. We had to stop constantly to clean our visors. It was very disgusting. haha
While going through Columbus we had the best Random discovery. We made a last min change on our route to head towards Pittsburgh rather then Cleavland because a friend we had planned on staying with couldnt meet up. It just seemed like it made more sense to start going east towards home then North for no reason. As we left the city I just happened to catch a glimpse of a large sign for a Motorcycle Museum. I pulled off the next exit told my friend and we went looking for it. It turned out to be the AMA Museum and headquarters. it was another great Museum and Im glad we took the time to check it out.
This trip turned into doing as many miles and hitting as many states as we could rather then the easy mtn roads we had planned on. Even though we didnt have time to take pictures or video like we had planed or stop and see the sights. We did get to ride longer and father then either of us ever have. This was officially my first real motorcycle road trip.
The first day we had planned on stopping in Philly to check out the Revzilla showroom but unfortunately the pope was in town and Philly was shutdown. So we headed west to the middle of PA to spend a night with a friend. The next day we hit Skyline Drive and this is where the rain started. By the time we got to the Skyline it was evening and visibility was 10 feet. The fog and rain was so thick and with seeing Deer around every corner we had to slow our pace and didnt get more then halfway before it was just to dark.
The next day we started our trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway and the rain was even worse. We probably drove faster then we should have and never really got to see any of the views but it was still one of the best roads Ive ever ridden.
It only took us 3 days to do the Parkway which considering the conditions I think is impressive. At several points we had to pull over and just stand in the rain because we kept getting flash flood warnings. These were no joke either. Water was pouring over the cliffs onto the roads everywhere and several tight turns turned into rivers. We even had to take shelter in a tunnel as the safer option because the visibility got so bad neither of us could ride faster then 5mph. You can see the water pooling up under the bikes in the tunnel.
Before we made it to the Dragon we stopped in Maggie Valley to check out the Wheels Through Time Museum. I can honestly say the show and all the pictures Id seen dont do this place justice. It is every bit worth the drive to spend a couple hours walking around in there. Id love to go back at some point and really take some planned photos of the displays.
After 5 days of riding and 4 days of bad rain we arrived at the Tail of the Dragon... In the rain. haha After checking in to the hotel we headed straight for the Dragon. We did two runs one just wet the second in the rain. I was not prepared for the dragon in the rain. I didnt realize how hilly the road really was. Yet I still had fun and hope to one day hit it on a dry day.
So its day 6 and the rain hasnt let up. To make things worse hurricane Joaquin was heading up the coast right along the Parkway blocking our route home. So rather then staying at the Dragon for 2 more days and following the hurricane home we calculated we could go west out of the storm get some dry pavement and hit as many states as we could on the way home. Before leaving we met several riders down from Canada who also decided to leave early because of the weather but unlike us they headed straight into the storm.
So with a rough new route planned out we left the Dragon and headed straight for New Orleans... cause why not. we even took a short 30min detour so we could cross over the boarder of Fl. Check one more off the list. The next few days were 8-9 hour days riding on the worst straight roads through Mississippi, Arkansas etc.
The rest of the trip was dry but the rain was replaced with bugs. We had to stop constantly to clean our visors. It was very disgusting. haha
While going through Columbus we had the best Random discovery. We made a last min change on our route to head towards Pittsburgh rather then Cleavland because a friend we had planned on staying with couldnt meet up. It just seemed like it made more sense to start going east towards home then North for no reason. As we left the city I just happened to catch a glimpse of a large sign for a Motorcycle Museum. I pulled off the next exit told my friend and we went looking for it. It turned out to be the AMA Museum and headquarters. it was another great Museum and Im glad we took the time to check it out.
This trip turned into doing as many miles and hitting as many states as we could rather then the easy mtn roads we had planned on. Even though we didnt have time to take pictures or video like we had planed or stop and see the sights. We did get to ride longer and father then either of us ever have. This was officially my first real motorcycle road trip.
