Wing and Harley 2007 Mountain Range Tour

Well the Wing and Harley tour is over for 2007. With that, I promised to post some notes from my trip with my old buddy Paul (aka Pablo). So here it goes:

Day #1

I left home Wednesday the 11th of July to hit the road and ride to the western mountains to meet my old buddy Pablo who is from the flat lands of Texas. My original plan was to head out from home around mid morning. Well, that didn’t happen due to the weather man saying there was a good chance I was going to get dumped on before I ever left home. So, I packed up Big Red and left home around 0830. As I was cruising down the road, I was thinking, ‘I might just make it without getting wet’. I was wrong. As I left Greensboro on I-40 I barely made it to Winston Salem before the drizzle hit. So I ended up pulling off the side of the road and put on my trusty Frogg Toggs. I like my Frogg Toggs because they do keep a man dry, but when it is humid outside, they tend to get a little toasty.

Anyway, I suited up and headed west. I did promise my mom I would stop by and see her in Lenoir NC before I headed up the mountain on highway 321 toward Boone NC. I arrived at her home and she did what all good mothers do. She feed me. Nothing is better than good old mom’s good cooking, right?

After my visit with mom, I jumped on Big Red and started to head out for Boone. Of course, the clouds were looking worse. At first I wasn’t sure if I could make it to Boone without getting soaked. I started to leave the Frogg Toggs off. I decided not to. Luckily for me I put the suit on because no more than 2 miles up the road from my mom’s home the rain started and it rained all the way up to Boone. The road up 321 wasn’t that great to start with. There was a lot of construction going on and my mom warned me of that. With the combination of road construction, mud, gravel and rain, it was not that great of a ride to Boone. Luckily for me, it was a short one.

At around 1430 I rolled into the Holiday Inn parking lot and there was my good old AF buddy Pablo with his really nice Harley. Thankfully, I could say hi to him because he turned that loud monster off. Pablo and I talked a little about our bikes and covered them up before the rain hit hard, grabbed a bite to eat at a Ruby Tuesday’s, talked about our route for the next day and basically just chilled out for the rest of the night. Thursday was really the beginning of the trip and the part we were looking forward too; the mountains.

Day #2

Thursday morning was finally there. It was time to hit the road. The morning started off with some patchy clouds and the streets were dry. There were a lot of motorcycle riders at the hotel too. Some were doing the same thing we were planning; hitting the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Finally, it was time to get started. So we grabbed some grub from the hotel and Pablo drink his normal 4 cups of coffee (man, that dude can drink some coffee). After breakfast, we started packing our bikes for the day. It took me about 2 minutes to take the cover off Big Red and throw my bags in the bikes saddle bags. It took Pablo a little longer. One piece of advice for anyone traveling with a Harley rider, add about 15 minutes for your planned departure time. Harley riders take a bit longer to pack up and move out.

After Pablo finally got packed up and all his gear strapped down we headed south on to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The weather was great with mostly sunny skies and the temps were in the upper 70’s to mid 80’s. We could have not asked for a better day for hitting the mountains. We headed up the mountain and stopped on many overlooks. Of course we took a lot of pictures. I believe Pablo was really enjoying the mountains since he was from Texas and there are not too many mountains there. In NC we call Texas mountains hills and bumps.

Our goal for the day was to start in Boone NC and go all the way south to the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Well, we did that. But, of course, we made several stops along the route. Some of the stops included stops at Grand Father Mountain, Mt. Mitchell (the highest peak in NC), and many overlooks throughout the Pisgah National Forest. While at Grand Father Mountain, we talked to a couple that were from Ohio that also stayed at the same hotel Pablo and I stayed out. Actually Pablo talked to them earlier. They were a nice couple and were experiencing the empty nest time of their lives. So of course, they were enjoying life riding the parks on their bike too.

Below are a few pictures I thought you might enjoy:

One quick note for anyone visiting Grand Father Mountain, expect to pay $14.00 to get into the park. I noticed that a lot of bikers go to the park but many of them were shocked to find it cost so much to get in.

As for Mt. Mitchell, be aware that there is some construction going on at the very top of the mountain. The park is in the process of building a new observation deck and the very top of the mountain is closed. You can still get some great pictures from the parking lot. Also be aware to check the weather conditions before you visit the mountain. It is pretty cloudy up there on many days. We got lucky and the view was great. If you decide to visit Mt. Mitchell, stop by the restaurant at the top of the mountain. The food was great and the view was very nice. It was well worth the stop and besides, we were starving.

The day was filled with great riding conditions. So much that we actually ended up riding the whole route on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Boone to the end of the parkway in Cherokee. Once we got to the end of the parkway we made a decision to find a place to stay in Cherokee. We located a very nice motel in Cherokee for the night for only $70.00. Pablo paid for the first night of lodging and I told him I would take care of the Friday night stay. We unpacked our bikes, covered them up and planned the next day of riding. However, it was not going to be as nice as the first day.

Some of things I had noticed about the trip on the first day was there were a lot more curvy roads than I expected. The curves were fun and was a great day to ride with the curves, but I wasn’t expecting that many. Another thing that got me was the lack of wild life on the trip. I expected to see some wild life. Even a deer or two would have been nice.

Day #3

Friday morning came and it was time to plan the day’s events. Pablo and my original plan was to head west toward Deal Gap and take on the Tail of the Dragon. We scratched that idea due to the rain. Luckily we did not go to Deals Gap to the dragon. I learned later that 3 people died that day on the dragon. One single rider lost control and ran off a cliff and landed 80 below the roadway. Another couple riding a trike lost control and ran head into a SUV carrying a boat. They hit the boat so hard it detached it from the SUV. Both accidents were due to speed and over-braking.

It did start to drizzle most of the morning. So we decided to head west toward the Great Smoky Mountains and tour some of that area. Even though the weather wasn’t that great we did have a good time riding through the smoky mountains. We just had to take it a little slow.

Below are a few pictures I thought you might enjoy:


As we traveled through the Great Smokey Mountains on highway 441, we ran ride into Gatlinburg TN. Pablo was a little shocked by the sudden change in scenery. One minute we were touring through mountains and forest of the Pisgah National Forest. The next minute we hit civilization, tourist, rain and bumper-to-bumper traffic. Oh joy!

The traffic was really bad in Gatlinburg. We travel through bumper-to-bumper traffic for a good 10 miles. Once we got through Gatlinburg we had to deal with Pigeon Forge and then Sevierville. Pablo and I decided that since we were not going to take on the dragon we would continue on north until we hit I-40. Once we hit the interstate we decided to head east and then find a place to discuss our next route and get off the interstate. Besides, interstates are boring. We found a safe exit to take to discuss our next move and so Pablo could down another pot of coffee. After Pablo’s caffeine fix, we decided to head toward Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. I figured Pablo would like Chimney Rock and the lake.

As we rode east on I-40 we decided to take highway 276 east. That road wasn’t too bad until we had to take highway 9 east. There we decided to grab some lunch off of exit 104. If you ever think about doing that; don’t. It was a terrible place to get off and try to get access to food. There is food there (Shoney’s), but it is buried behind a Shell station and a large Wal-Mart off of an access road. It was not an ideal place to stop. Oh yeah, it was still raining.

After lunch and escaping the jacked up traffic situation, we continued on highway 9 until we hit highway 64. From that point on, it was pretty smooth riding to Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. I have always liked highway 64. It has some really nice roads to ride. Even though it was raining for most of the day, the riding and scenery was great. As we got closer to Chimney Rock and Lake Lure the sun come out and life was good.

Once we arrived at Lake Lure, we drove past Chimney Rock so Pablo could see it. He was pretty excited about visiting it. We drove through Lake Lure and decided find a place for the night. We choose the Lake Lure Hotel and Spa. It was a really nice place to stay. If you ever get a chance to visit that hotel do it. It is a great place to take your spouse. We saw a lot of families there too. I called Slick and told her about the hotel and that we would have to come back in the fall for a weekend. Pablo called his wife and told her about it too. The hotel was built is 1927 and is loaded with history. The service and food was great there too. I really enjoyed cheese grits. I had never had those before. I need to get that recipe.

Below are a few pictures I thought you might enjoy:


Day #4

Saturday was Pablo and my last day of riding together. So we decided we would top off the trip and visit Chimney Rock. I knew Pablo would like that. After a great breakfast and watching Pablo drink about half dozen cups of coffee we headed to Chimney Rock. Once we got to the entrance we parked our bikes on the side road and I had the bright idea of wanting to walk to the top of the entrance to the park. For some reason I decided we should probably take the bikes instead. I am glad we did. Even though I had been there several years ago I had forgotten how far it was to the top of the entrance to the park. You have to go one mile to get to the ticket booth to pay your $14.00 and then 2 more miles up some very sharp curves to get to the entrance way. Oh yeah, it is a bit steep too.

Once we finally got to the park entrance we parked our bikes and decided to climb the stairs to the top. We had a choice of taking the elevator, but we though, hey we are still young enough to walk the stairs. Well, we did, and realized that we are not 30 any more. The bright side is we made it to the top and man what a nice view we had. We could see for many miles and the skies were almost perfect for taking photos.

Pablo said he plans to take the wife to Chimney Rock, Lake Lure and the mountains next year. I could tell he really enjoyed the parkway and mountain. Heck, I have been here for half of my life and I never get tired of the mountains; especially, when I can ride Big Red through them.

Below are a few pictures I thought you might enjoy:


After the death march to the top of Chimney Rock it was time to head down the stairs. It was much nicer going down the stairs than going up. Once down, we mounted our bikes and headed down to exit the park. Pablo and I departed Chimney Rock. He was heading back to Texas and I continued on east on highway 64 and then I-40 toward home. Once home I unpacked Big Red and cleaned up Big Red.

All-in-all it was a really nice trip. I really felt relaxed and free on the trip. I had the opportunity to see an old friend, tour the mountains of NC and TN, and talk about the old days and our families. Next year we plan for another ride to some where. For now, we have no idea where. Wherever we decide to go, it will be fun.

Last but not least. Here is the photo of the trip. Enjoy!






Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Great Sunday Morning Mini-Trip

Today Slick and I took a little trip up north today. Actually it was about a 3.5 hour ride. It was a beautiful day to ride. It was a little toasty but not enough not to ride. We headed out about 8:30 am from home and headed to highway 52 toward Winston Salem. We actually enjoy riding early on Sunday mornings because of the lack of traffic and it is a little cooler this time of year. We headed toward Mt. Pilot and Mt. Airy. We had a great view of Mt. Pilot this morning. The skies were clear and bright. Just right for the view of one weird looking mountain.

Once we got a little south of Mt. Airy it was time to hit 89 east toward Madison. Both of us had not been there before and I did expect a nice country road on that part of the trip. Man, did we get that. We were really in the sticks and really enjoyed it. One thing that did surprise both of us was the amount of curves on 89. We did have some interesting events on 89. We saw a pretty good size deer that threatened to jump out in front of me. The deer did ran back in the woods which was a good thing for us and the deer. Another thing was a small dog decided the get the crap scared out of him. He was about 50 yards in front of us on our side of road. I figured the stupid dog would move since he was looking right at us coming toward him. I guess the little fellar was blind because he decide to run in the opposite direction in front of me doing about 50 mph. He came within a foot of my front tire. I had decided that if he ran in front of me, he was going to get hit. I have heard of too many riders having wrecks trying to avoiding dogs. I was not going to be one of them. Besides, when I took the motorcycle course, they had us run over a 2x4 board. I guess the board represented a dog because I haven't seen too many boards in the road. Anyway, Spot almost got hit. Lucky for him, I was quick enough to use my superior quick stop skills (just kidding) and avoid tagging his little butt.

After we left 89 we hit 704. That road was just like 89 but less curves. (Did I mention Slick is not too crazy about curves? They scare her, but deep down, I think she really likes them). We headed east on 704 to Madison. Once we got to Madison we jumped on highway 220 south and headed back home.

The trip was a nice short trip for a Sunday morning. We had great country roads, open fields, great views and even some wild life to hit if we needed too. We do plan to do that trip again. It was a nice trip for about a 4 hour ride.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Great Weekend Ride

Today Slick and I headed out for a nice ride in the country. It was a great day to ride. The temps were in the low to mid 80's and low humidity. It was great. We road for about 220 miles and were gone for about 4 hours. As part of the trip I took Slick to the old Liberty road which is a really nice road to practice some tight turns. She hadn't been on that road before. So when she told me she wasn't ready to go home, I decided to take her for a ride on the curvy roads. She seemed like the road even though she didn't said word during the turns. I know she was nervous but she did great.

We also stopped for gas and we had a few people come over and took a look at Big Red. A couple fo guys came over and said they it was a nice bike and as usual, they asked if the bike was new. They could not believe the bike was 3 years old. Slick even heard a couple talking about the bike as they walked into the store. The lady said she liked the color of the bike. The guy stated the back of the bike looked like a car. Slick and I thought that was kind of funny.

After our trip, we headed back home and I cleaned up Big Red. It was nice to take the bike out and enjoy the day with Slick. I really enjoyed it because it has been about 3 weeks since I got a chance to ride. Thankfully, I will be home for a few weeks and can enjoy the trips again. I am really looking forward to the trip in the middle of July when I head off to the Smokie Mountains and who knows where else I will be go on the 5 day trip.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Memorial Weekend Trip

Yesterday Slick and I returned from our scheduled trip to the Shenandoah National Park and Blue Ridge Parkway. We headed out on Saturday morning and basically took highway 220 N and then interstate 81 to Front Royal VA. It was a great day to ride. The temperature was actually pretty warm with a lot of humitiy, but it was sunny and we didn't run into any rain.

There was bikes every where. One reason was there was a lot of bikes heading to Washington DC for a memorial ceremony. Many I believe were part of a club called Rolling Thunder. We happened to have seen a piece on the news about them.

After we arrived at Royal Front we decided to relax for a while. We were a little tired after being on the road in the heat for about 7 hours. We were so tired that after we got in our room we couldn't decide if we wanted to eat in town or order out. So I decided to do the next best thing. Walk over to a nice place for some fine dining called McDonald. Many you have heard fo them. Only the best for my wife, I have to say.

The next day we got up around 7:00 am and started packing for the trip through the Shenandoah National Park. We were really looking forward to that. Both of us had not been there before but we had heard a lot of good things about the park. The weather was nice and cool but we noticed that taking pictures might not be that great due to the morning haze. We took some pictures anyway and they did turn out pretty nice. See them below:

As you can see we stopped at a lot of overlooks on the SNP parkway. The scenery was great. We saw some deer and even a small black bear club. Luckily we did not see good old mom walking around. The traffic was pretty lite too. Most of that was because we got on the park around 8:30 and got off around 12:30. If you have not been to the SNP you might need to know the speed limit is 35 mph, the park is around 105 miles long and you willhave to pay to enter the park. It is worth it. Slick and I did not mind the slow pace because we went there to enjoy the scenery, not to set a speed record.

After the SNP we hit the BRP. It was nice but we both said we actually liked the SNP best because of the lite traffic and all the overlooks. The SNP had overlooks every where and many of the parking areas were large enough to handle several vehicles. We rode the BRP for about 50 miles and then realized we needed to find some gas. So we took a road off the parkway to look for gas. I don't remember the name of the road but Slick and I will not forget it, but the road was very narrow and the curves were very tight. Slick wasn't too thrilled with that road. I thought it was pretty fun. Evenually we found some gas near interstate 81. We talked about going back on the parkway but decided not to due to it getting late in the day. So we headed back home on interstate 81. By that time it was pretty toasty and we were pretty hungry. We decided to head to the house.

All in all the trip was just what we expected. We had great weather and spent some great quality time together. We also put on over 750 miles on the bike and road for a total of 17 hours. Today we plan to rest and I need to give Big Red a bath.

Below are a few more picturs of the trip. Enjoy!

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

New Big Red Photos

I know I have mentioned to a lot of people how much Big Red has changed over the past year. The bike is no longer "naked". Check it out and let me know what you think.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Great Day to Ride the Parkway

Today was a great day. The temperature this morning was about 70 degrees when Slick and I headed out to ride to the Blue Ridge Parkway and met Cindy and Scott. Slick and I headed out around 10:30 and headed toward Fancy Gap on highway 52. It was a great day to ride. Since it was Sunday morning traffic was pretty Lite. But there were plenty of other bikers out on the roads on the way up to the BRP, thru it and on the way home.

Slick and I were all decked out in our “Old Biker” clothes (including our cool vest). Actually the vest got pretty hot for me on the way home when the temperature got up to 83. Anyway, we headed up to Fancy Gap and we had planned to met Scott and Cindy Stevenson just right off the parkway just south of highway 21. We were not exactly sure which site to stop at and of course, we drove right by it. We were early so we didn’t really miss them because they had not reached the park. We just ended up riding about an extra 20 miles and ending up heading toward Wilkesboro

Once we realized we needed to turn around we headed back to an area that we thought they were talking about. And sure enough, 20 miles back, we found Scott and Cindy waiting on us. They had been there 30 minutes. Oh well, at least they got to enjoy the scenery, right?

After a little chat about the mix up, we got on our bikes and headed out to get something to eat. Slick and I were pretty hungry. We had been on the road for about 3 hours and ate little for breakfast. So our plan was to grab a bite to eat and get some fuel. I was getting low due to running all over the park looking for our riding partners. We were pretty lucky since Scott grew up near the parkway and go us up and running and looking for food and fuel. We went to a couple of eating joints near the parkway but the wait was too long. So we ended up eating at one really nasty Wendy’s. The food was okay, but the place was a dump. After the nasty food we headed onward on highway 16, toward 421 and home.

On the route Scott took us on some great two lane roads once we got off the parkway. It was all country roads. The parkway was great and Slick and I really enjoyed it. Even though the speed limit was 45 it was really nice. The scenery was great and so was the weather (Did I mention it was in the mid 70’s). We could have not asked for a nicer day to ride.

All-in-all we ended up riding 400+ miles and were gone 8 hours. Once home, I washed Big Red and got it ready for the week of riding. Next weekend is going to be even better because Slick and I plan to head to Skyline Drive in VA and ride the BRP some more this Memorial Day weekend. We are really looking forward to that.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Chapter's Open House

Last Saturday was our chapter’s annual open house event. It all started with Slick and I getting up at 5 am to be at the Cycle Center in Asheboro by 7 am. We were a little late due to having to stop by and getting 5 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. Of course, I had to do a little taste test and take one for the team. Actually, I took 2 for the team.

After arriving at the Cycle Center our chapter began setting up for the event. The weather was a little soggy but it was bearable. Most of our chapter members were there. After the set up, I decided to do a little shopping so I could beat the rush and get my 20% discount. I ended up buying about $200.00 worth of stuff for Big Red. Slick decided to buy us some matching “Old Biker” vest and shirts. We really like the Old Biker gear. The prices are good and the items are great. Actually we are starting a nice little collection of Old Biker gear.

We were able to make a pretty good profit from the open house. As for door prices I was able to win a nice sleeping back that I plan to use for my trip with my old Harley buddy Pablo in July. I also won a can of Honda polish too. It seems that everyone wants that stuff since Honda is discontinuing that product. My old buddy Craig really racked up and won 6 cans (lucky old fart).

Slick and I did our part by working the awesome duck game. It was really hard to do that job. We also did our part to participate in the “Pin the Trailer on the Goldwing”. All in all it was a lot of fun. Our chapter was able to make about $1400.00. That was about $300.00 off of last year’s total. We know we would have had a better showing if the rain would have held off. Oh well, we will just plan for next year. Below are a few pictures from the open house.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Great Time at Spring Fling

I am a little late on this post but here it is. Last Thursday Slick and I headed to Spring Fling in Pigon Forge TN. We met up with some members of our group in Lexington before headed west. Big Red was packed to the max. Actually, having Big Red packed with all the extra weight was a real pain for me. Slick and I talked about it and decided that our next big purchase will be a trailer. But that will have to wait a few months. Luckily, we only have 1 more trip where we will be gone for more than 1 day and that is to Marysville Ohio to the Honda Homecoming in July.

Once we met our gang in Lexington we headed to TN. It was an interesting trip. We were trying to beat a storm that was coming from the west. We didn't make it. We rain into the rain about an hour outside of our destination. All of us had to put on our rain suits once we hit the mountains. It just worked out that there was a lot of traffic backed up and we decided to put on the suits at that time. Once the rain gear was on we were ready to roll.

It took us about 4.5 hours to get to "The Grand" in Pigion Forge. There was a lot of bikes already there. There were all types. There was even some Harleys there. Man, did they look out of place. Once we got settled in we met up with the remaining members of our group. There was a total of 17 of us that showed up for the rally. We met up and headed for our first group meeting. Of course, that involved food. We took a trolley to a local school where we were served hot dogs and hamburgers. Those tasted really good since we had to wait in line for about 45 minutes. I felt like I was in death camp waiting in the line that long. All I could keep telling myself is those hot dogs better be good. They were. Or I was just so hungry that a brick would have been tasty with a little salt.

After the meal we headed back the the hotel for the night. I stopped by the vendors to see what they had. All of the vendors were not there on Thursday so I decided to wait until Friday to give them all my money.

Friday came and we started out the day with breakfast. Did I mention that Goldwingers love to eat? We had a nice expensive and fattening breakfast and hit the vendors hard. Slick racked up on body chrome for her (jewerly) and I started out slow. I first bought a back rest, Slicks passengers floorboard and her arm rest. I was going to stop there but Bubba bought a lot of his chrome and I was a little jealous because his bike was looking really good. My bike was really naked. So I bought more stuff and my motorcyle mentor Craig put all my stuff on. He is a really talented guy and I don't know what I do without him.

After spending all my money and helping Craig fix up Big Red it was time to get cleaned up and go to a local show called the Dixie Stampede. It was a really good show and I highly recommend it. At the show we had a group photo and individual photos made. After the show we headed back to our hotel and the guys play a little poker and then the gang wanted to head over to Shoney's for a nightly snack. I shouldn't went there, but man that hot fudge cake and coffee was good.

On Saturday, we did a little more shopping. Of course I was broke but I was able to buy a few "Old Biker" products. Slick bought more body chrome and then we all got ready to go to the "Apple Barn" for dinner. That is one really nice place to eat. They just give you way too much food. And of course, I ate too much. After we returned to the hotel, it was time to do the next best thing after a heavy meal. That's right, crash!

Sunday morning came and it was time to pack up and hit the open road. Four couples left around 8 am. and hit some of the back road before we hit interstate 40. It was the first time some of us got to ride for the weekend due to rain. We actually took a small part of the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way back. It was a beautiful day to ride, but we couldn't stop to enjoy it because we all had to get home at a decent time. Slick and I plan to return to the parkway in the next few weeks.

On the way back we stopped to have lunch at the Moose Cafe in TN. That was our breakfast for the day. If you like country breakfast and biscuits that is the place to go. After breakfast we mounted our bike and began to hit the road again. I did not get too far because once I started to leave the parking lot I dropped my bike. I wasn't going fast enough and I chalk it up to going too slow and all the extra weight. That was the first time I dropped it. It was a real bummer, but oh well, it will not be my last time. What made me feel better was that the veteran riders that I was with told me it happens to all riders. Craig's wife Melinda told me she had been dropped 2 times. So I didn't feel too bad after a couple of hours.

After 3 of us picked up the bike we headed east toward home. It took us about 6 hours to get home due to all the stops. All-in-all it was a great trip. I got to spend too much money and my bike no longer looks naked. Of course, I am not done but I did make a huge improvement in the bike thanks to Craig.

If you get a chance to go the Spring Fling I suggest you do it. It was a great trip and Slick and I do plan to attend the event next year. Oh yeah, below are a few photos of our trip. Enjoy!

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Spring Fling...Here We Come!

Well, Slick and I are preparing for our first trip to Spring Fling in Pigon Forge, TN. We are going with our chapter to the event and from what I was told it sounds like we will be having a great time. There will be lots of vendors and I plan to buy a lot of cool stuff for Big Red. The weather looks great for the trip and the scenery should be awesome. Everyone that knows me knows how much I enjoy the mountains and combine that with Slick and Big Red, and I am set.

Tonight we start packing for our trip. The packaging should be interesting since this will be our first trip on the bike and the trip will last more than 1 day. So packing for the trip will be a little tight. I figure in the next year or so I will have to brake down and buy a trailer for trips that last longer than a few days. The good thing about the Spring Fling trip is that several of our fellow wingers have their own trailers and have been really generous in saying they will bring back anything we can't bring back.

I plan to take a lot of pictures and posts some of the stuff that happens on the trip. It should be a great time and we are really looking forward to the trip.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!
Pappy

VA Trip Today!

Today Slick and I went on one of our regular trips to VA to eat at Wendy's. No, it is not that the Wendy's aross the border in VA is all that great, but it is an excuse to ride. So we took it. After a little snack at Wendy's we headed east on highway 58 east to Danville VA. Once we got to Danville we headed back on highway 29 south toward home.

We did make a couple of stops. One was at a rest stop and information center as we crossed back into NC. There we saw couple of Harley riders. The two riders were from Wilson NC and it looked like they had been camping for a few days. They were going to head to WV but they had heard of a bad motorcycle accidents and they decide to avoid that area. One guy came over to me and looked at Big Red and said that was a really pretty bike. He also thought it was new. I must take good care of it because a lot of people think Big Red is new. Also at the rest stop I had 2 other people stop and said they thought the bike was beautiful. One guy also said that is one really red bike. I like that because it make it unique.

As we left the information center we made 2 more stops. Both of them were at Slick's favorite hangout, Walmart. Of course, I didn't go in. Those that know me know I hate to shop unless it is at a motorcycle shop or on the Internet. Even at Walmart, I had people stopping to look at Big Red and made comments on the bike. Once dude walked from 3 rows over just look at Big Red and said, dude that is once nice bike.

After the 2 stops at Wally World we headed toward home. Slick was in the mood for a shake so we headed to Archdale to have a shake at the Cookout Drive Thru. We hung out there and watched all the Harley's stop in at a place across the street called the "Bandana". It looked pretty cool. Oh yeah, even at the Cookout a couple in a mini-van stopped and asked me about Big Red. He asked me what it was. I told him it was a Goldwing. He said he wanted to get he and his wife one. Of course, I said you should. Hey everyone should have a motorcycle, right?

Finally, we headed home and the ride was done for the day. It was a great 80 degree day, lots of sun and plenty of motorcycles were out and about. I finished up the day with washing and polishing Big Red. All in all, it was a great day and the rest of the week looks great too as we prepare for our trip to Spring Fling in TN on Thursday. Can you say "Road Trip"?

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Great Article from My Motorcycle Mentor

Below is a great article from my motorcycle motor, Craig. He is old but he is wise. Enjoy!

Enthusiasm, Skill and PBS?

About three month’s ago a rider died when he hit some gravel while participating in a charity ride to raise some funds for another rider that died a couple of month’s earlier. Now someone will be remembering him with a Charity Fundraiser. This rider had been motorcycling for many years. But, he hadn’t had an ERC refresher in many years. An ERC skill refresher quite possibly could have saved his life. This rider had too little skill and not enough enthusiasm to take an ERC refresher course.

A year ago a rider ran head on into a dump truck in a curve. This rider only had his motorcycle for about a month. He hadn’t taken a BRC or read any Motorcycle Safety Information before purchasing his motorcycle. This information was available online or at his place of employment. It was reported that this rider was trying to turn his handlebars away from the on coming truck. Instead, unknowingly he performed a Counter Steer, right into the truck. Had he the enthusiasm to participate in a BRC and learned the proper motor skills quite possibly he could have been with us alive and well today. Rider error? Yes! This rider had too much enthusiasm with not enough skill.

Last year a rider on a Sport Bike struck an SUV at an intersection. The 350 pound Sports Bike knocked over the 5000 pound SUV. The result of this rider’s negligence is he and an innocent victim are now dead. Rider error? No! Too much enthusiasm with too little skill? No! This rider had too little brain power. I prefer to call this Pea Brain Syndrome (PBS). Being able to stop a motorcycle is more important than going fast! It seems this rider never learned to stop his motorcycle. And now he won’t have the chance to learn.

PBS we see it all of the time. Riders pulling stunts like wheelies, handstands, sitting on the handlebars and other stunts on the streets, highways and interstates. Now let’s not forget my favorite PBS, racing on the public thoroughfares! Racing on the public thoroughfares is not the place. Take it to the track. On the racetrack if the rider loses control he has hay bales to tumble into if he goes down. Maybe he’ll pay a visit to the ambulance for a strip of gauze and head back to the pits to straighten his handlebars and to think about his mistakes. On the public thoroughfares this type of thinking and practice is a no win for everyone.

Furthermore, it seems that the PBS has migrated from the youth culture to our older and mature culture. It’s been my observations that many matured riders are riding immaturely. Using excessive speed through curves and through unknown highways and back-roads, overriding their headlights at night, failing to slow down while riding in the rain, and just plain riding too fast for the overall road conditions.

We as members of the GWRRA need to remember that we are observed by others the same as the crotch rocket culture. When non-cyclists see a motorcyclist they are just looking for the slightest mistake or error to make a negative comment. Remember this, someone will tell approximately 11 other people of what they saw negatively. Where as that same person will tell approximately 3 other people of something a motorcyclist has done correctly or nice. We must always be the example and lead as the example. Let’s continue to be the organization in the forefront of motorcycle safety. As always, let’s think before we act. Safety is for life!

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy

Progressive Ride

Saturday our Goldwing chapter had a great progressive ride. If anyone is not sure what that is, that is where we found another excuse to eat. Actually, it is a great event in which we all meet at one of our members homes and do a little fellowship and enjoy each others company.

We started the progressive ride at Lennie's home. There we had a great salad and some really nice fresh fruit. We stayed there for awhile and talked about how nice Lennie's home is. He and his wife are some really unique people. They do a lot for kids in there home. Angie and I really respect them for that and don't see how they do it. They have a lot of love for the kids they help and support.

After the salad bar, about 12 bikes headed toward Donna and Brian's home for chilli. Of course, my old buddy Craig (aka Pops), took us on some country back roads. Slick and I had no idea where we were going, but we both thought we heard banjo's. It was pretty impressive to see all those cool looking Goldwings headed down the highway and through the country roads.

Once we arrived at Donna and Brian's home we all piled in and took a quick tour of their home. They have a really nice home. After the tour, we did what all Goldwingers are noted for; we ate again. This time it was chilli, chips and dip. Donna made several types of chilli. All of them were great. After words she said that it was the first time she had made some of the chilli and we were her test subjects. All I know it was some good stuff and as of the time of this post no one had to go to the hospital. (Donna if you read this, it was great chilli).

After Donna and Brian's stop it was time to head to Andrew and Vickie's homestead for guess what; desert. We all jumped on our bikes and by this time it was dark. Slick and I were not sure where we were for most of the trip to Vickie and Andrews home until we were almost there. Once we arrived, everyone headed for our last meal of deserts, drinks and coffee. All of which were great. A lot of the guys sat around and told stories of how they dropped their bikes and wives. I thought those stories were great. I haven't dropped Slick yet but I have come close. I know my day is coming.

After about an hour it was time to hit the road and head back home. Slick and I had a great day of riding. We actually rode about 2.5 hours in the morning and then with our chapter Saturday night. We all had a great time and the chapter is already looking forward to planning another progressive ride other members homes. That should be fun.

Next event for our chapter is the Spring Fling in TN in April. That should be fun.

Until next time and enjoy the ride!

Pappy