Memorial Weekend Ride

This past Memorial weekend ride was nice. Slick, Jordan and I rode up to Skyline Drive in VA and also rode on about 75 miles of the Blue Ride Parkway. Slick and I had rode the same ride last year and we really enjoyed it. We thought Jordan would like to ride the same route. It would be his first long distance ride on his new bike. Below are a few photos from our trip.

We headed out around 11 am on Saturday morning. We did plan to leave earlier but due to me getting in from a trip at 2 am, we felt me getting on a bike with little sleep was not such a smart idea. So I got some much needed sleep before we took off on about a 7 hour ride.

On our first day we headed up to Winchester VA which was just about 20 miles above Skyline Drive. If you are not familiar with that area there is a small town called Front Royal which really starting point of SLD (also known as Shenandoa National Park). On the first day the weather was really nice. The highest got to almost 80 degrees and there was plenty of sun. We had stopped at several places along the way up to Winchester and took a few photos. Once we got Winchester VA we bedded down for the night. Actually, we got a room at a Hampton Inn.

After a good nights sleep we rode to Front Royal VA and started our trip on the SLD. SLD is not for everyone. The speed limit is only 35 mph and it is very scenic. So for those that like faster trips, SLD is not for you. Slick and I like it because of the scenic riding and the lack of a lot of traffic. Jordan seemed to like it but I could tell he got pretty bored riding at 35 mph. He did like it better when we did hit about a third of the way on SLD because we got into some pretty nice curvy roads. That was nice and even Slick didn't complain about the curves.

After SLD we then hit the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a little faster. The speed limit was 45 and it was nice too. However, there are less overlooks and the northern part of the parkway is not as nice as the parkway in NC.

On Monday morning we started to head back toward home. While at the hotel we met a really nice guy that had been riding with his wife for about 2 days. I talked to him for about 40 minutes in the lobby. We had a great conversation about our past rides and it was nice talk to a fellow biker. Afterwards Slick, Jordan and I headed toward home.

All-in-all the ride was great. The weather was perfect and we put on 650 miles on the 2 day trip. We also discussed plans for our next trip next year and how we wanted to make the Memorial weekend trip an annual adventure. Of course, it will have to be a different place each year. We have a lot of places we can ride. The trick is to figure out where the next trip will be.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Little Red was Sold

Well, a lucky couple from Greensboro bought the VLX660 Honda Shadow (Little Red). So for those that thought about buying it, you lost a good chance to buy a very nice bike. Oh well. I wish you luck on finding a nice bike that will fit your needs.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Nice Short and Expensive Ride Today

Jordan and I took a little trip Saturday morning down to the Cycle Center in Asheboro NC. Originally all I planned for us to do was to ride down there (just to be riding) and check out if they had any new goodies. Well, they did. Actually all I was looking for was to buy a $5.00 pair of motorcycle sunglasses. Well, that didn't happen. I ended up buying about $125.00 worth of goodies, that I planned to buy at the Wing Ding in Greenville SC in July.

I ended up buying the chrome trimming from my side view mirrors, knobs for my console and kill switch and the new chrome arrow decals for my saddle bags. I really like the chrome decals because they really set the bike off and break up the empty solid spaces on the saddle bags.

After getting all my goodies, Jordan and I went across the street to a local Cookout and got lunch. Afterwards we headed back toward home. Once I got home I decided I wasn't done riding around. So, I parked Big Red and jumped on my little VLX600 Honda Shadow and headed to the movies to see Iron Man (good movie). Afterwards, I rode it to a local park and went for about an hour long walk.

It was a nice day to ride. The temperature was in the mid 70's with a slight breeze. It was perfect. However, I do need to watch going down to the Cycle Center too often. I have already scoped out my next purchase. It will be new exhaust pipes for about $170.00.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy