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It all started with pie...

Probably from a place that sticks out into the ocean and has water on the west, kinda like a "Cape", i.e. Cape May:

map

:mrgreen:

fair enough, except I didn't see any land on the horizon. :shrug: after a second glance, nevermind. :lol2:
 
Oh the photos of Cape May! The girls and I wish we were there, cool weather visiting with aunt and uncle, enjoying the waves and sunset. The Crab Soup photo has us salivating at the mouth! What a perfect post. Thanks for sharing.
 
Yep, Chucks right with the Cape part. The sunset is actually looking over the bay side. Cape May is about 5 miles wide here.
 
Date: 07/08/2009
Destination: New Jersey (Cape May)
Miles: 6
States: New Jersey (Cape May)

This 70ish degree temperature sure makes for nice sleeping weather. That translates to a late awake time, but shoot – that sure is nice!

Today was catch-up day for trip reports and laundry, then errands with my uncle. Last night I loaded and resized the trip report pics and typed up the text part. So this morning after breakfast (ok, brunch to give you a ballpark reference) I hopped on the bike and found the local library with highspeed wi-fi. I’ll also admit today was yet another new experience. This time I rode in my riding boots, shorts, T and helmet. I took the backroads and albeit chilly, the ride was fun. Sadly, these days will soon come to an end and I’ll go ATGATT starting tomorrow.

I pushed up all the trip pictures and posted the report then came back to the house to do laundry. A new well was just drilled here (60’) so good water was available. While the laundry was going, I sort of mapped out where tomorrows travels would take me.

Once that was done, my uncle and I ventured into Cape May in search of fresh sea scallops for dinner this evening. We also wandered to the little walking mall for a purchase and then by the local auto-parts store as yet another front headlight bulb has died. These roads really are tough on the front ends with lots of bumps, holes and such. A final stop by the Coast Guard Academy and we were headed back to start dinner.

Some more sights of Cape May prior to departure tomorrow
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This one just for Janet
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Hmmmm…… must be the GPS error correction for elevation
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Wednesday nights dinner
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We cooked the scallops in a mix of olive oil and orange juice and served them up with fresh salad, tomato slices and sweet corn. Yep, a good final meal in Cape May. Sleep came early as tomorrow would bring new adventures.

Tomorrow? A few more states and Skyline Drive! WooHoo!
 
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Date: 07/09/2009 Thu
Destination: Fancy Gap, VA
Miles: 546
States: New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia

What a day! Some really enjoyable parts, some not so enjoyable.

I left Cape May about 7am and headed the two miles to the Ferry terminal to catch a 7:30am boat ride across the Delaware Bay to Lewes, Delaware. The weather was beautiful and the bay quite calm. Once I purchased my ticket, I was treated to “Rock Star” boarding/parking. I was put at the front of the ferry so I’d be the 2nd or 3rd off the boat.

A local fishing boat headed out for the morning run
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Rockstar parking
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The trip over was nice, about an hour and a half for the 25 or so miles. Just as we were pulling into Lewes, I caught the tip of a couple dolphins headed to intercept us. You can almost make their tails out
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Arrival at Lewes, DE. They too have the Fire Control towers
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Once off the ferry, I made my way across Delaware. Delaware is much like the other farming communities mixed with the requisite dairy operations.
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Clearing Delaware was only 30 minutes or so then on into Maryland which again, is much like Delaware.
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The Monocacy River Valley where a big civil war battle was. I was amazed at the size of the battlefield, as small as it was
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I came in at Annapolis and headed straight for Washington DC. Coming within a half a dozen miles, I skirted the city on the loop and then headed North on 270 until a little town where a local said “turn here if you want to see some good roads”. OK, so I did that and followed his directions that took me down into West Virginia with the little hook at Harpers Ferry. From there, on down to the beginning of Skyline Drive at Front Royal, Virginia.

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At Harpers Ferry, I stopped in at a KOA and inquired about campsites down the road. The gal pulled out her book and we found one at Fancy Gap, Virginia to the South and she called to see if they had space which they did. I asked the girl if I could get there by 8pm, or six hours taking Skyline Drive and the Blueridge Parkway. She said “Sure, come on down”. OK, I took her word for it. Bad move.

The river at Harpers Ferry
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I fueled up in Front Royal at 2pm and found the entrance to the Shenandoah National park and Skyline Drive, paid my ten buck entry fee good for a week and was off under cloudy skies to the maximum of 35MPH through the park. I’ve got to say, this was one VERY nice ride segment. Albeit fairly hazy and cloudy, these are about the best shots I could muster under the circumstances.

The beginning….
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The park entrance
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Well, 106 miles later and some three hours I was spit out on the bottom end of Skyline Drive and onto the Blueridge Parkway. Much like Skyline Drive, this road is a bit wider, doesn’t hug the mountain edges as much and has a 45MPH limit. Along the way, the skies began to lower and mist turned into rain where I stopped and geared up in the rainsuit. There were very few vehicles on the road approaching dusk, but the critters were out.

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This has to be my favorite sign so far. (on the BRP)
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Fuel was starting to play into the equation as there are limited gas stops along both the Skyline Drive and Blueridge. I figured the only way to get fuel was to duck off the parkway to the Interstate a dozen or so miles to the North. I was also doing the time/distance calculations and the gal at the KOA was WAY OFF base. Of the six hours planned, three of it was killed by Skyline leaving six for the 150 or so miles of BRP. After that nonsense, I ducked over to the Interstate fueled up and ran 120 miles down to the Fancy Gap KOA arriving about 10pm. So with the Interstate run, the trip was a full eight hours and 120 of that at 70mph in the dark rain. I can’t begin to imagine how long I would have been on the mountain.

Speaking of mountain, I started today at basically sea level and up through Skyline Drive topped out about 3350 feet above sea level. Needless to say, the elevation change brings temperature changes and out came the liner and switching of the heated grips between low and high as my gloves were wet from the rain.

In the end, I found Fancy Gap and made my way to setup camp under a heavy fog and called it a night.

Tomorrow is the balance of BRP and maybe SC/GA and the Dragon. I also hope to meetup with Rusty (Woodbutcher) if that works into our schedules.
 
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Scott,
What a nice trip and covering so much our our great country and the temperature in not even in triple digits like it is here. We are enjoying your report.
Thanks,:clap:
 
Date: 07/10/2009
Destination: Asheville, NC
Miles: 206
States: Virginia, North Carolina

Another pretty good day considering the weather and detours…

I found out this morning when I broke camp that I was in the wrong spot. Last night when I rolled into the camp, there was supposed to be a reservation and tent assignment. There wasn’t an assignment and the office had closed at 7pm. I arrived just before 10pm and when I pulled in, the camp manager came down to meet me. He showed me where to go and I thought I did. No wonder I thought the ground was a bit lumpy. I was in an RV spot with a rock base. But hey, at 10pm at night, in the dark and foggy mist I thought I was in the right spot!
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I slept in a bit later than normal and wound up leaving about 11am or so for the balance of the Blueridge Parkway and I’d see where I was, how I felt and so forth. The forecast was for sunshine, but I was a bit skeptical based on the current weather. I didn’t bother to put on the rain gear as the weather didn’t look that bad. However, the fog was quite thick.
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Within about 10 miles or so, the sunshine appeared and I was off to a glorious day.
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In this short distance I had already seen a few deer and a couple huge turkeys.

The bottom part of Virginia on the BRP is much like the Northern part – lots of farming. I think everyone decided to cut hay or mow grass on the same few days as the smells of this activity were overwhelming in the helmet. Another item that stands out is how well manicured the roadsides are maintained. They are perfectly mowed the entire length thus far.
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Here’s one of the many bridges along the parkway.
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Within a short distance, I found myself knocking off yet another state.
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However, as soon as I crossed into NC, the fog started to roll in again. This might have had something to do with the change in elevation which I noticed later in the day. Yet at 3500’ or so, there seemed to be much more fog and mist than at the lower elevations. Here’s the Brinegar Cabin to give you an idea of what life was like on the Parkway years gone by as well as the fog rolling in.
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I just LOVE these signs.
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Along the parkway some more random shots. I wish the weather would have been nicer. I can only imagine what this place looks like after a dry cold front, or after a fresh snow.
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About a third of the way down the parkway today, there were a couple of detours. In the end, I estimated about 50 miles worth of detours in and around the town of Boone. From what I gathered, there was a road collapse of some type so all traffic has been rerouted on a couple of spots.

Ever wonder where Christmas trees come from?
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This bridge was literally hanging from the side of the mountain.
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By now, the temperatures had to have dropped into the 60’s as the elevation was now about 5700’. I wish I could post up some of the short video clips of the fog hitting one side of the mountain and you could see it swirl up and over the roadway to the other side of the mountain. A very cool site indeed.

And a few more random shots to close out the day
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I pulled into Asheville about 5pm and decided since I didn’t sleep very well last night and the threat of rain this evening, I’d treat myself to a Best Western. Man this room is nice compared to the tent.

Tomorrow should bring a couple more states and a dragon slaying…

.
 
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Date: 07/11/2009
Destination: Deals Gap/Tail of the Dragon
Miles: 391
States: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee

The Dragon has been slain. Mandarin Pig 1 – Dragon 0

What a day! Leaving Asheville after a great nights sleep under yet another thread of rain, I was hoping for a dry day and that I received. The day started out at 7am under foggy skies and I made my way South to Hendersonville, a quaint little town with a very old cemetery. With the fog still heavy in the air, I couldn’t resist the temptation to try to shoot a cool shot.
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Along the way, I passed an exit for “Bat Cave”. Somewhere a while back I recall someone else posting that same sign and having some funny comments. I decided I didn’t need a picture of the exit so I continued on in to South Carolina via highway 64. I guess Transylvania will have to do.
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Now 64 turns into Hwy 178 in South Carolina, and the road I was on was only what I imagined the Dragon to be. Very tight turns with short approaches/departures. I’d highly recommend this road if you are in the area south of Brevard NC.

Welcome to South Carolina
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I ran a scenic beautiful parkway called 11 down to Westminster then caught 76 over to Georgia. Again, lots of farming and hay operations with yet more barns
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Heading back North into TN, I came across this bike. Sure makes the pig look small.
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Finally, I made it to Deals Gap on the South end. I stopped in the store and made a few purchases hoping to not jinx myself and headed North.
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What a fantastic ride I had. Only one truck in front of me and he pulled over so I had a full, fast run to the top. I kept going just to see what was there and turned around at a large dam. A guy there said he’d take my picture so here I am all geared up again.
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So what to do next? Continue North to Knoxville or head South and do the Cherohala Skyway? No brainer. I turned the pig around and stopped once again for another picture and saw this great photo op for the V-Strom. The rider was from Indiana.
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I made the trek back down and didn’t have any traffic in front of me. Man it was a fast run and I had the video going so that’ll be interesting to see how it turns out when I get home. I passed the parked sheriff at 37mph with a posted limit of 30 and he didn’t budge. There were bigger fish to fry I guess. When I got to the bottom, I decided to check out the chicken strips. Not too bad I guess for a heavy bike loaded with camping gear.
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I made it to 165 where the Cherohala Skyway ducks off from 129 and fueled up. A lot of people there said I would enjoy this ride as well. They said it was full of fast sweepers and would run up to about 5300’ and be cold. Here’s a few from along the way.
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With the Dragon slain and Cherohala Skyway marked off, I decided to call it an early evening, found the local KOA at Tellico Plains and pitched the tent with a backdrop of an apple orchard.

Yep, today was a good day.

Tomorrow will be a run across TN and up to KY to stay with the sister-in-law and their triplet 12 year old boys for a day.
 
Its to bad most of the Blue Ridge was at night, it really is beautiful. I have spent a lot of time in Hendersonville, a good friend of mine lived there. There is a little place called Hot Dog World the locals love, great dogs. You were right near where they filmed Last of the Mohicans in Dupont State Forest and the Lake Lure where they filmed that Patrick Swayze dancing film at the camp. Next time you take a long trip like this, let me know, I'm game....Bill
 
What a great report! Can't wait to hear about time with triplets! That should be fun. Enjoy.
xoxox Rooster and Princess Nose in Book
 
Man, those are some beautiful vistas. I need to plan a trip east some day. Got some relatives in Columbia, TN that need to be visited. :trust:
 
Its to bad most of the Blue Ridge was at night, it really is beautiful.

Actually, the whole run including the BRP and Skyline Drive is about 550 miles. I ran all but 150 or so of it top to bottom. After the first hundred miles of it, it all starts to look the same - but different. ;-)
 
You passed a restaurant and hotel at the top of the parkway called the Pisgah Inn...great place to stay and eat....amazing colors in the fall...
 
You passed a restaurant and hotel at the top of the parkway called the Pisgah Inn...great place to stay and eat....amazing colors in the fall...

:tab And right near there are several AWESOME roads. Hwys 151, 276 and 215. These all run up and down the sides of the ridge. 151 is STEEP and TWISTY!! Pisgah is a cool place to stay. No TV or phone in the room. All the rooms have a back porch with rocking chairs and look out over a heavily forested view of mountains. The restaurant has pretty good food. Two walls are huge floor to ceiling windows looking out over the forests/mountains. We usually try to stop there for lunch on our route through the area. We stayed there for several Triumph rallies back in 2000 and 2001. I know a lot of folks think Deal's Gap is incredible, but there are a LOT of other roads out there with FAR less traffic and that are much more fun. However, Deal's Gap is a great place to see bikes/people on weekends.
 
What a great ride! Thoroughly enjoying your prose and images, great catch on the bears through the brushes :clap:
 
Scott,

Well, you have been having a most excellent adventure since I saw you in Marble Falls at the pie run. I got back from family vacation/wedding in Maryville, Tenn. on July6 (30 miles from the Dragon) and wanted to be on the bike so bad!
I'm enjoying your commentary and photos, as always.
 
I'm back in Austin. LONG day coming in from an hour North of Nashville to ATX. Right at 981 miles. Balance of trip reports to come tomorrow.
 
Thank you God for a safe trip and return.
Welcome Home Uncle Awsome! and Happy, Happy BIG Birthday!
 
Glad to hear you are home safe. Looking forward to the remaining report and photos.
 
Thank you for sharing your AWESOME Adventures! Your pictures are wonderful and really told a nice story (along with your report) Thanks for letting us ride along with you!
 
Date: 07/12/2009
Destination: Trenton, KY
Miles: 274
States: Tennessee, Kentucky

When I turned in last night, I checked the radar and forecast for the area. Yep, another front was supposed to come through during the night or early morning hours. As it turns out, I woke up about 7am and although not raining, the clouds were heavy. I stayed in the rack about 10 minutes too long and as I was breaking camp, the little droplets started to fall. Just enough to get the tent wet so I’d have to dry it out in the next day or so.

As I was packing I saw this little critter between the tent and the plastic tarp. I’m not a spider guy, but if I was a guessing person I’d say black widow. Yet, there wasn’t any wood piles around.
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The bike packed and ready to launch.
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With the bike packed, I left Tellico Plains, TN for a back road (TN 68) to Sweetwater, then I75 up to about Knoxville. I didn’t make it but 25 miles or so and the heat and humidity started to become a bit oppressive, so I stopped at the local K-Mart to purchase some deodorant and strip off the rain gear. Boy did those two things make a difference!

Leaving Tellico Plains
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Leaving the Knoxville area I knew there was a frontal boundary out there somewhere and just decided to slab it to North of Nashville where my sister in law and her triplet 12 year old boys live. Her hubby is currently in the sandbox so I figured I’d stay there a day or so with the boys.

As I approached Cookeville, the skies became darker and darker so I pulled over and tossed the rain gear back on. Not two miles later the heavens opened up. Not just rain, but pelting, stinging on the hands sort of rain. I guess I was lucky in that the hard stuff lasted only about 10 minutes and then trailed off. Within 30 miles the clouds lifted and by the time I headed North at Nashville the sun was out in force so again off comes the rain gear as I was steaming inside.

Here’s a ‘second runner-up’ picture for the favorite list.
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I found my way to Trenton and pulled in about 11:45am. I had forgot I’d pick up an hour back in Central Standard Time along the way. When I passed the CST sign, I knew I was within a day or so of home and that was a good feeling.

Welcome to KY
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In Trenton I was greeted by the triplets and helped prepare for a friend of theirs birthday party. Helping one of the triplets cook burgers and dogs, a good meal was had and a grand time for everyone.

About 7pm this evening the clouds grew dark. As in REALLY dark. A quick check of weather radar showed a huge line of storms coming through and I was glad the bike was under cover, the gear inside and me on the couch.

I’ll hang with the triplets tomorrow and make the turn for home Tuesday. As of now, I haven’t decided to slab it home in one day (917 miles) or break it into two days. I think I’ll save the Natchez Trace for another time.

Tomorrow brings a down day with the triplets. Now THAT ought to be interesting.

.
 
Date: 07/13/2009
Destination: Day off the bike
Miles: 0 (hard to believe, huh?)
States: Kentucky

What do you do when the sister in law has left and you’ve got the triplet 12 year old nephews? Call for reinforcements! Yep, my mother in law was here about a week ago and I called to ask what do you do with kids? She laughed and said they were pretty self-sufficient.

So……. We all woke up about 8:30 and I had them unload the dishwasher and do a load of laundry. We then ate and headed into town which incidentally was in another state which I found amusing. The kids wanted to walk the local mall, so we did that first. While there I picked up a thumb-drive for the laptop to do some file transfers.

We were crowding lunchtime by now so we wandered over to the local Taco Bell, or Taco Smell as they call it. Kids…… I was amazed at how much they eat. From there, we tried to find a local Army surplus store to walk around, but I was relying on a 12 year old for directions. After 20 minutes and a “Road Closed Ahead” sign, I figured we should just backtrack and go on to the next objective – finding Top Gun and Days of Thunder. We found Top Gun so that would be a few hours to kill later.

I was wanting a Starbucks iced coffee and I asked if they had every had one. [evil grin] They said no so I figured this was a good time to introduce them to Corporate America and a mocha-java frappachino. Two of the three sucked them dry and one really didn’t care for it. The funny part was, after the first sip or two they all said they had a coffee buzz. I just had to chuckle. They really are good kids.
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A few shot of the area around their place in SW Kentucky heading back to their house for movies.
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A tornado earlier this year destroyed one of their little churches
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We made it home and watched Top Gun and they all said they wanted to watch some Will Farrell movie about racing. Bobby something if I recall correctly. They just laughed and thought that was a great movie. I don’t think they noticed Uncle Scott sort of dozing in the easy chair while this nonsense was playing.

I was introduced to the Wii games and am pleased to say I beat them every time at the archery games. Then I let the cat out of the bag that I tried bowhunting this year and they all chimed in that was “no fair”. Hey, what’s that saying about age and treachery will be youth and exuberance every time? It works.

About dinner time we decided we’d do a reheat on the burgers and dogs from yesterday, but their mom would have nothing to do with that. So we went out to an Old Chicago where we had a grand time. Twelve year old boys have much larger eyes than stomachs when ordering, but they did make a good dent in the groceries.

Afterwards, we returned home, wound down and called it a night.

Tomorrow should bring me closer to home.
 
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