Thread: Blue on Blue Tour 2008

Originally Posted by RedRider

Sheep, you're quite the road king. How many miles do you have on your 1K now?

Only 26K, I only ride I never commute. This was about 1700 by the GPS.

Originally Posted by RedRider

That's a helluva lot more than I ride.

That can change you know


Sheep, another great sounding trip. Might have to turn the thoughts of getting closer to that area into actual plans. Too bad it is so hot and there are no good jobs down in that area

Originally Posted by SheepOfBlue

OK so day two will really start on the end of day one

I get to my cabin and settle in then decide to head into the metropolis of Tellico Plains for a soda and food. Well as I swap from tinted to clear the side peace breaks on my helmet. Yep replaced the OTHER side and still have a new one for this side.... back in Alabama. But I did bring some duct tape so disaster averted

Disaster two is in the morning. I get up early to get rolling and have everything loaded and bring the bike up top. I mess with a couple of things and put gear on and left the key on and it is dead now Yep the battery is on the way out but I borrow a charger from the owner and after a couple of minutes I can start it and just plan on being sure to not leave the key on at all extra.

She suggests checking with Tellico Plains Outfitters for a helmet shield cover but thinks the odds are low. Wheelers on the other side MIGHT have had it but I didn't bother checking (they have some hard parts as they cater to dragon crashes)

I run into town and check his store out. As expected he did not have one but I wanted a Cherohala shirt anyway and he had those Talked a bit about his Aprilia that he was having issues with then headed out to the Skyway. Between the stop, visit and battery my early start became just a normal morning start though.

hey dummy its illegal to park in the crosswalk. note that cone telling you where the last spot is.

Originally Posted by SheepOfBlue

Only 26K, I only ride I never commute. This was about 1700 by the GPS.

damn yo my bike is only just over 27k

Originally Posted by RedRider

That's a helluva lot more than I ride.

I need to do the same. I've ridden my bike twice since Grattan. I was almost gonna ride it the other day but my boss called with some OT. which has been the case pretty much all year so not much riding has gotten done. oh well the checks are nice and the end result of what they buy will also be nice.

Actually I had pulled the bike back out and gotten on when I decided a picture of the shop and his cool bike was called for. Besides this was not boston so no worries

Originally Posted by SheepOfBlue

Actually I had pulled the bike back out and gotten on when I decided a picture of the shop and his cool bike was called for. Besides this was not boston so no worries

yeah cause in Boston that spot would be filled with a car

I like the pics, keep them coming.

Day 3 started from Fancy Gap, VA where I was at a local hotel and bikes owned one wing

I started out by getting back on the Blueridge and seeing a whole herd of turkeys cross (sorry no picture) the scenery had gotten less mountainy but was still awesome. I passed a cool stone church and stopped at a cabin that once belonged to a midwife of the late 1800's early 1900's cool story on the plaque.

Suddenly a full grown black bear comes blowing out onto the road at a full run! I braked to let him by but stopped just a wool up the road hoping to get a picture. Nope he had dissapeared into the corn stalks .

Up the road a few miles was my planned detour into Woolwine getting off at the Meadows of Dan. Well, the road down was actually fairly interesting with a steep grade and a few decent turns. The first covered bridge was LAME but the second was decent. Once back on the Blueridge I continued up to Mabry Mill then on with occasional stops. The NC section at times gets aggressive but while winding is moderate for NC. The VA section is nice and winding but you can set the bike at 45 and never let off regardless of turn sign posting.

This continues all the way to the northern end of the Blue Ridge which is the start of Skyline drive which runs the length of Shenandoah National Park
On this day I was a bit worried as my camera battery was lower than anticipated and I didn't bring my charger like I thought.

I got mixed feelings on Skyline drive vs the Blue Ridge. First there is a $10 fee (for a bike) while the Blue Ridge is free. Second the speed limit is 35MPH which is is hard to keep at on a CBR1000RR and yes the rangers like their radars . But the scenery is worth it though the speed could be bumped 5MPH much more is not a great idea as the deer are everywhere.

I stopped at the entrance and got my pic then continued on. Stopped for some deer photos and another bear This guy was not full grown but not a cub. Got a need rock tree picture though I bet NH/TAZ could have made it a jaw dropper. The light contrast and rock was really neat in person so I hope the capture was not to lame.

Once at the end I continued on up into Pennsylvania to get 3 more states bringing my total to 23 on the RR now. I usually stop at the welcome signs but it was way to dark so I found post offices instead.

The next morning I got up early and headed south and into the teeth of Fay. It took 2 days for my gear to dry I was so soaked and it was soooo worth it. Next time I will plot one day to recover though for multi-day rides. Also I need figure out my packing better as I need more space so I can bring my rainsuit (you bad influence Z ). Also for some reason I lost the track all the way up the blue ridge and skyline drive Seems like it should have been fine but I need to figure this feature out. Should be able to move it onto the SD card but the manual does not appear to support this.

Oh and what tour write up would be complete without a gratuitous sheep picture (county fair behind the hotel on night #3)