17 days, 14 states, 4000 miles

[silent1]

This trip started off being just a 6 day trip down south, and it stretched into a 17 day trip. I own a condo in Atlanta, and I wanted to do some work on it. I had vacation time coming, so I figured why not ride down there and back. I love doing solo trips now, so this would be no exception.

The trip map:



Day 1 was long and wet. 700 miles from NH to Roanoke Va. It rained from CT all the way to central VA. The sun didn't come out until maybe 50 miles north of Roanoke. I was beat down and tired, but at least the hard part of the ride was over.

Day 2: Ride to Maggie Valley

I woke up not knowing really what I wanted to do. I ended up deciding to check out this place Burke's Garden after someone here mentioned it. It's a high alpine valley with farms. The road getting in and out was nice and twisty and loaded with switchbacks. Once you get in, it was super peaceful and scenic. I passed an Amish buggy but didn't have my camera ready.







After leaving there, I decided to do the Back of the Dragon - VA-16. Great road, and hardly any traffic. It was a Saturday morning, so I figured that I'd find at least a few sportbikes up there. Only real traffic I encountered was a pack of MINIs hauling ass. I let them by, and never saw them again. This was a little out of the way, but well worth it. I didn't take any pictures, but I started in Tazewell, and rode it down to Marion Va.



After fueling up and watching some hitchhikers for a while, I head on to Maggie Valley for the night. I stayed at the Best Western, which was infinitely better than the Meadowlark Motel. $81/night, plus tax.



Day 3:

Mother's Day. There weren't a lot of riders out that day. I started out with a quick breakfast at Joey's before all the families got there and it got too crowded.



All I had to do for this day was get to Atlanta. The weather was great, and as most of you know, there are all sorts of great rides that start in Maggie Valley. I ended up deciding to ride to Greenville SC for lunch, and then head to Atlanta later.

To get to Greenville, I went thru Waynesville and got to NC-215. I love this road. There's usually not much traffic, and there's a great mix of tight turns, sweepers, and scenery. I got to my favorite point on the road just past the Blue Ridge Parkway to take it all in. I love this place.



Even my panoramic pics came out nice. It's still spring time in the mountains, so the trees and flowers aren't in full bloom yet, despite being this far south.





The rest of the ride to Greenville via 276 was great. Eventually I got to downtown Greenville, which had a ton of people there. It was also a lot hotter than up high. I decide to go to this place called the Trappe Door. Basically it's a restaurant that specializes in Belgian beers. I got a gourmet burger for about $10, and it was so good. The beer was great too.



I suck at food pictures, so here you go:



After getting fed, I headed on to Atlanta. I could've done I-85, but I'm in no hurry. I take US-123 instead, and find myself in Clemson, SC. Cool little college town. No pics here. But I did find some scenery along the SC/GA border.



Eventually I make it to Atlanta and call it a day.



Yes, the traffic was awful. I couldn't stay at the condo since it's under construction, so my wife had the great idea to get me a room in midtown by Georgia Tech, which is where all the traffic is.

More to come later....

[Margarita]

Thank you for sharing.

[dzlfitr]

reads and looks like a fun trip.

[silent1]

Day 4-6: Not much going on these days. Yoshi came down to join me to check the progress of the renovation. The next few days were really spent doing work. We were updating the bathroom with new tile, paint, and a vanity. Contractors did most of the work, with me managing them.

Picking the paint...



The tile...



New toilet is in...



Day 6: It became clear that we wouldn't finish the reno before Friday. This is a problem because I have to be back at work on Monday. And I didn't bring my laptop. Eventually we decide that I will stay another week, and she will Fed Ex the laptop to me. So with that, I head BACK to Maggie Valley for some more good times for the weekend.

Day 7: At the hotel, I meet some other riders in the rooms next to me. They're firefighters from Ontario Canada. Nice group of fellas. They invite me to ride with them, and I say ok. Bad idea. They're a little slow. One guy was actually scared of heights, and we're on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I decide to part ways and do my own thing for the rest of the day.



Don't look down, lol....



After I left them, I took the Parkway to Asheville and got some lunch. I wanted to ride up to Little Switzerland and do that loop. But storms forced me to can that idea. I tried to get back to Maggie Valley but got caught in a nasty storm back on the BRP. These guys did too, and we all huddled under a shelter until the weather passed.

This guy had his bike mounted to the motorcycle. Pretty neat.



Eventually I get back to the hotel and relaxed until the next day.

Day 8:

Today I decide to do NC-28 - Moonshiner Run. Most of the Doofs did this last year, but Turtle and I had our own fun on the Rattler instead. So now I decide to go back and do it solo. At first it was good, but I kept getting passed by these sportbikes. Eventually I see them all pulled over at the BP station up the road so I pull in and make introductions. And I get invited to ride with them. It was an interesting group, and I learned a lot. I learned that no matter how good I am, I won't be able to keep up with a liter bike. Period. However, the 600s.... if you're not a good rider, I'll be on your ass. All the guys were amazed that I could do all that I did with ape hangers. "How do you turn? Isn't it slow?" The questions were great.

They did zoom right past the falls, so I'm a little bummed about that.

Terrible selfie:



One of these things does not belong....




I learned a lot of new roads riding with them that I wouldn't have done otherwise. They were a fun group. We rode all day and eventually get back to the hotel at 6pm. Oh yeah, they're also at the Best Western too.

Day 9:

Half of the sportbike guys go home, and I was supposed to go back to Atlanta too. But I could do some riding too. We started off doing the Rattler (NC-209) and eventually end up near Erwin TN. This half of the group was the fast guys, and I had trouble keeping up with them. It was too much work, so I parted ways with them in Erwin, and started making my way down to Atlanta again. The storms were popping up again, so I didn't really take much pictures. I will say that coming from the peacefulness of the Blue Ridge Parkway to the hustle and bustle of Buckhead was jarring.

Peaceful:



Not peaceful:



Day 10:

Back in Atlanta, I still have a day or so before I have to work. So why not go for a ride? I decide to check out the mountains of north Georgia. I had no idea what would be in store for me. I rode up GA-400 from ATL and eventually made it to Dahlonega. It's in the foothills just before you get into the mountains. There, I found a gas station with a bunch of bikers there, so I knew I was in the right area. Eventually I would learn that this is where you go if you live in Atlanta and want some challenging mountain roads to play on.

I meet two guys on sportbikes, and they invite me to follow them. We did this loop:



If you guys think the Tail of the Dragon is good, these roads make that one look like a straight line. I don't think I've ever had such challenging roads as US 19 coming out of Dahlonega. You basically go up and over Blood Mountain. It starts off as two lane, but it eventually opens up to 4 lanes. You get to a point, and it's nothing but banked uphill fast 180 switchbacks and sweepers. What makes it tough is that you can pass cars, and yet still you're getting passed by the sportbike crowd, as well as guys in Lamborghinis and other exotics. No pictures here. I did see a point where there were photographers snapping pictures, but I have no idea where to find them.

Eventually we find a nice country store and take a break. I had no idea that the roads here were that fun. Boiled peanuts are terrible, by the way.



It was this point where I started trying to figure out how to convince my wife that I need a 2nd motorcycle.



Eventually we part ways and traded Facebook info, and I headed back to the condo. It's time for vacation to end (sorta) and get back to work.

[MrSurly]

Outstanding report! Not enough pics, but I understand.

[BigSwede]

I'm jealous! Will be hitting some of those areas this weekend enroute to Nashville. Ride safe!

[Fe Butte]

Nice!

Are you allowed to have that much fun?

[silent1]

Yes, that's the best part! She was the one who came up with the idea of staying the extra week. I just went with it.

[silent1]

Day 11-15:

Work, work, work, and renovation. Not much happened in terms of riding. I basically worked everyday til 6, and then did work on the condo afterward. But I did at least ride over to Stone Mountain and got another terrible picture. It wasn't until later that I realized that I completely missed the stone carving.



Oh, and the bathroom came out great.





Day 16-17:

Head home. Pretty much all highway, until I got to Albany NY. Then I took the scenic route through Vermont and had a super nice ride home with no traffic. No real pics here. I almost lost my ass when riding in pouring rain on I-26 heading up toward Bristol. My rear completely lost traction. Somehow I managed to ride it out and stay upright.

When I got to Maggie Valley, I stayed at the Best Western again. I would definitely recommend this place if we do another Doof event down here. It would work really well for us.

I learned a few things on this trip:

1. I ate well, and pretty much whatever I wanted. Stuff I wouldn't normally eat, like these delicious tacos I found at a place in Asheville. Total hole in the wall, but it was packed. Packed with what? Contractors' trucks! If they're coming in here to eat, you know it's good.



And this delicious fried catfish sandwich from Salty Dog in Maggie Valley. Mmmm....



But eventually, my body rebelled. So in Atlanta, I rode over the Lenox mall, and made good use of my bag and got one of these for the condo.



That leads me to #2....

2. McDonald's has the nicest bathrooms pretty much anywhere you go.



3. Definitely talk to people. You learn a lot that way. Two people on different days covered my dinner tab. I met some really interesting people on this trip. Everyone I met was nice.

4. If you have to ride thru the middle of Atlanta, you have to be aggressive at all times. Coming off the Blue Ridge, I was too relaxed, and traffic was too much for me. After I got back in urban mode with lane splitting and riding like an asshole, I was fine.

5. My bike is great. It never let me down, always started up, didn't have a problem the entire trip. But it uses about 1 quart every 1500 miles. It's what it is. I found out on this trip that BMW oil costs $9/quart. Their motorcycles cost a bit more.



6. Good gear is critical. I was in 40 degrees and slush at one point up high on the Parkway, to 86 degrees in Atlanta. That HD rainsuit was so good to me, along with my Tourmaster rain boot covers. Dry the entire ride. I have these heavy artic waterproof gloves that did their trick and kept me dry. When I got back to the hotel at night, I'd stuff them with newspaper to dry them out for the next day. It worked perfectly! I also picked up a neck warmer in Asheville, which is something I should've had with me anyway. The chaps were good as well for the chilly mornings.

7. Roads, loops, and day rides. Yeah, I know a ton more roads in NC/SC/GA/VA that are away from traffic, thanks to locals I met. Whether you're in Roanoke, Greenville, Atlanta, or Knoxville, I know the must-ride roads, because I probably rode them. I didn't do the Cherohala or the Dragon. No need to. I still want to do Little Switzerland at some point. Guess I need to plan another trip...

I should do this more often.

[vafatboy]

"Then Came Cam"

Awesome!

[Dinero]

Truly an epic trip.

Puts me in mind of the camping trip I took hitting all the southeastern states. 4,000 miles in all and only two nights in a motel in over a month. Well I did spend one night at Laurie's and one other night at a friend's house.

Man, when you do it, you do it up right.

[BillyB]

Looks like an excellent adventure sandwiched around your property renovations

[vafatboy]

Originally Posted by BillyB

Looks like an excellent adventure sandwiched around your property renovations

Yeah, the work part kinda sucked.

[Fe Butte]

Ever get your valve guide seals replaced to the upgraded ones?

Harley oil is sorta pricey also...

I buy Mobile 1, V Twin 20W-50, at car parts stores and save paying the $4 plus mark up at motorcycle parts stores...

[silent1]

Originally Posted by Fe Butte

Ever get your valve guide seals replaced to the upgraded ones?

Harley oil is sorta pricey also...

I buy Mobile 1, V Twin 20W-50, at car parts stores and save paying the $4 plus mark up at motorcycle parts stores...

I buy the same in bulk from the car parts stores too. Saves loads of cash that way. But I couldn't find any 20W-50 anywhere that day, and finally decided to find a bike dealer. That one happened to be the first one I stumbled on.

Oh, and the valve guide seals looked ok the last time I looked in there (October 2015).