Old Iron Run: Illinois to Kentucky or North Carolina?
The road trip was going to change today. Wyatt and I were going to split up with each of us headed in a different direction. This run had been short and fast; a lot different from what is usually a 10 day road trip, however, he only had a small window of opportunity for Milwaukee so, we latched on to it and did not look back! So, the master plan for the morning was for us to ride from Union, Illinois to Joliet, eat breakfast at the Bob Evans and from there Wyatt would head east to New York and then over to Vacation Land. I would head south through Indiana and into Kentucky or possibly into the Tarheel State. Leaving Union was pretty straight forward, albeit, foggy. I called a stop at the first gas station that we came across. We watered our steeds, ate a snack and I got my fix of caffeine-we were set!
We continued on east towards Chicagoland. According to the directions in front of me we were on the right path; every so often I would check off a mileage point in my mind as I reset "Trip B" on Ole Girl's odometer. Traffic was starting to thicken and the fog was burning off. Eventually we arrived at the point on my odometer where we needed to make a major turn, however, the highway that we needed never appeared! Okay, I will give it a few more miles or so, maybe I didn't reset the trip meter soon enough? That was not the case and soon we were literally at the end of the road and needed to make a big decision on what road to take! Of course all of this came to head as my 20 ounce cup of liquid fuel needed to be...well you know! And you probably know that you can not think rationally when you have to...well you know! Well, as I was doing the two-foot shuffle and trying to figure out where to go, I decided that I REALLY needed to go-but where? Thankfully there was a Burger King a couple doors down from the abandoned lot that we were occupying. Before the levee broke,I made it inside; I bought 'breakfast' on the way out, a cinnamon roll for Wyatt and I-very depressing indeed! I apologized profusely from my concrete seat in the parking lot, to Wyatt for the mistake! I was really bummed out! We rallied and figured out a new route. Although we would not being stopping in Joliet, we would be able to stay on course without any further delay. I packed the atlas up and we were off. It did not take us to long to arrive at our split-up point and I managed to catch Wyatt in a blurr...
Vaya con Dios!
I entered Indiana in a funk. My head wasn't feeling good and I still had that persistent cough that seem to be rattling my faceshield more often than not; I was also bummed out because Wyatt and I would not be tramping around North Carolina with our other hermano. My mind seemed to plunge deeper into self-absorption as the interstate conveyed me further south. The ocean gray cloud cover only served to accentuate my malaise. Plans to meet up with Hermit would not be, however, I decided to ride some of the roads he had suggested. Those roads helped a little, however, by the time I arrived in the Frankfort area, I knew that I would have to abandon any thoughts of enjoying the Indiana back roads. Crystal clear to me was this: I needed to get my mind right. To do that would require the speed of the super-slab. I rejoined Interstate 65 and moved on deeper south. Thankfully, Indianapolis traffic was not as bad as it had been during our family road-trip. Ole Girl and I plunged deeper south, stopping at a rest area somewhere north of exit 19. I cinched down my gear and chatted it up with a retiree driving a Volkswagen Beetle...
By now I figured that I would be riding to Corbin, Kentucky. I made this decision after consulting the Plexiglas protected Indiana state map inside the small restroom building. This seemed to infuse me with a sense of purpose and served to feed my need to see-whats-over-the-next-hill. Ole Girl and I hit the bricks with a new purpose. Back out on the super-slab our chatty retiree drove past us as though we were standing still! The sun appeared in a great display of late afternoon golden-wheat sunshine. Louisville was coming up quickly and it looked like a knot of steel due to the bridges spanning the Ohio River. Construction was in full swing and Ole Girl was needing a tank of fuel. The closer she got to the 200 mile mark, the more I needed to find a watering hole for her! The only thing I was finding was more construction and an onslaught of rush-hour traffic! No service signs, more traffic, and closer to being bingo fuel!
I finally decide to get off a the next exit just to see if I could get lucky. I exited and found myself close by to a small airport, should be gas by an airport? Yes! I had to go half way around it but I got lucky or did I?
I pulled into a gas station that seemed to have more cars than usual. I found a pump and when I walked in to pay, I was stopped by a deep line of customers-what was going on? Was there some kind of disaster and now everybody was leaving Louisville? The chatty lady in front of me explained to me that this gas station decided to have some crazy super low price run on gas. I paid, went outside back to my pump and discovered that it wasn't working or some other issue. Sometime between getting that squared away and returning, somebody decided that they needed my Goretex rain suit more than I. For as I walked back up to Ole Girl, I saw two dangling bunngy cords minus my prized rain suit! I know I am good for loosing an item from time-to-time but I know that it was secured before leaving Indiana! I had had that rain suit for so long! Besides the sentimental value, it was a very practical piece of gear that I used often even when I wasn't on two wheels! Wow! In the short time I was inside somebody decided that they needed a rain suit-I hope it is serving them well! I was really, really bummed out now! Thankfully the sublime sunset melted out my dissapointment. After leaving Louisville I made a stop at a Kentucky rest area and happened upon a Hotel Coupon guide. Wyatt being the savvy man that he is told me about this coupon guide that are normally found at rest stops. They have a bunch of coupons for discounted stays at various motels and hotels in various geoprahical areas. They are handy! Continuing on east on Interstate 64, I continued to mellow out except for when the super-slab became a parking lot somewhere outside of Lexington. Ole Girl was starting to go Cherynobl on me. I was at wits end when the Virginia Chapter of the Hells Angels roared up to my right on the shoulder. Probably returning from Sturgis. I was about to join in as the last bike rolled by, however, I figured that if I did, Ole Girl's new rear tire would get a flat! I came up with Plan "B" and executed it. By now I needed to eat. I would be making my dinner with my Jetboil but where? Why at the Lexington Target of course!
I enjoyed a sumpteous feast of flatbread, Indian food and instant coffee! I left Lexington with a full stomach and veins that were coursing with Starbuck instant coffee! The southerly view in front of me on Interstate 75 was perfect! Ole Girl and I soaked in the beauty of the Daniel Boone National Forest and the waning summer sunshine.
The warm air, green mountains, pink contrails and smooth road surface wiped out the foggy, confusing morning and the lamentable afternoon! The ink-black night appeared and shortly afterwards, I found Corbin, Kentucky and I found a fair deal at the Super 8 using my coupon guide!
(Author's note: I am new at posting on a forum and apologize for not having a better flow. If you are just joining us, this is DAY 4 of my, "Old Iron Run", PA-WI-NC-PA. Gracias!)[/SIZE][/COLOR]The Corbin Super 8 reminded me of a place where folks who are struggling to get by go to when they are in between a job, their foreclosed home and the street. I saw 'that' family, their minivan loaded down with all of their worldly possession's and a tired daddy carrying his sleeping child inside past me; I saw the strained look of a refugee father trying to figure out the next best move for his family. That 'look' is the same in Iraq as it is in the United States-don't ever bad-mouth the poor or homeless! I did not sleep to well-still sick and too excited to ride the road between here (Corbin) and there (Waynesville)Route Ole Girl patiently waited for me to finish my free Super 8 coffee and then we roared off in to the inky Bluegrass morning. We made a quick stop at the Wal-Mart for oil. US25E provided us with our road surface through the twisty, steep green-gray rock-walls. Layers of thick and thin pearl white fog sheets made the emerald green hills appear as floating icebergs. Riding through small Kentucky towns nestled in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains was very pleasing to the eyes!
My belly was growling for breakfast and coffee. I found a small town that had a public park and carefully zoomed in and set up my Jetboil on an old concrete slab. Quaker instant oatmeal and Starbucks coffee put my mind and body in order. Ole Girl and I continued to chug along through Kentucky and even though it was early August, I was actually chilly-or was I becoming sicker? Well, I learned that Middleboro, Kentucky IS the hometown of the Six-Million Dollar Man, the Fall Guy, or to locals, Mr. Lee Majors! Cool! But he wasn't hanging out at the McDonalds talking to me while I put on warmer gloves! Perhaps he was looking for Bigfoot? I certainly was enjoying the beautiful scenery that continued on into Tennessee...
Tennessee did not last long since we were slicing the northeast tip of the Volunteer State off; North Carolina and Tennessee meet at a very lovely spot...
The French Broad River kept us company as we continued into North Carolina on US25E/US70. The road began to twist more and the tall summer green trees hugged those twists. Steep hills were starting to grow into the western edge of the Smokey Mountains. Ole Girl and I made three hard turns before finding NC209 in downtown Hot Springs, "... the only North Carolina AT town..." I was drawn to the town but the tight turns had my immediate full and undivided attention. WOW! Tight turns that rose and twisted with the steep elevation gains, an asphalt corkscrew! For the next 19 miles or so, I was treated to one of the best rides that I have ever enjoyed! I did not know that I was riding, "The Rattler" until I reached the end over at US276. Listen, if you and your freedom-machine are ever in the Maggie Valley area, do yourself a favor and ride NC209! Check out Google maps starting at Hot Springs and follow it over to Lake Junaluska.
Off of the "Rattler" I directed my attention to the directions in front of me; my next stop would be the Blue Ridge Motorcycle Camp
Ole Girl and I made all the right turns and found the camp ground in a nice shaded, private area of North Carolina. There was not much activity other than my grumbling stomach and fuzzy head. I found a piece of real estate good enough for a tent and a hammock. Soon after eating lunch I was down for the count. I wondered where mi hermano was as I drifted off into much needed rest.
Day FiveI needed that power-nap. Fuzzy head or not this trip was going forward irregardless! It was early in the afternoon, over-cast and damp. After the sleep inertia cleared, I poked around the secluded campground while waiting for JT to roll in and soon enough, I heard his 1200 downshifting through the thick woods! JT and I caught up whilst the bad weather rolled in! A gray torrent of liquid sunshine opened up like a fire hose on a group of protesters! The deluge did not last long but we both knew that our tents were in fact rain proof! Spending time with a friend is priceless and we both wondered out loud what it be like if Wyatt were along as well as joking about giving him a hard time about 'ditching' us; of course Wyatt did not ditch us, however, if ya'll have a good friend I am certain that you like to give them a hard time whether or not they are present! Our big planes for the next day were simply to visit Wheels Through Time and spend some time on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Sleep was not to be for me. I spent the night hacking and gagging; my sinuses were giving me a righteous work-over and I thought that my head was going to implode. Thankfully the sun was up when I shimmed out of my sardine can that is my tent. After dry-heaving and puking a bit, thank you sinus headache, JT and I lit out for the territories! The first stop was an unplanned breakfast stop at Cyndi Ray's gas station-cafe-bait shop. We waked into the cafe to the sounds of the Spice Girls-wasn't expecting that! I did my best to lip-sync but was told to try again! Good vittles and ambiance! From Cyndi's we rolled on down to the mecca of motorcycle museums- Wheels Through Time! Some high-lights:
My desire was to stay longer, however, Ol Girl wanted to lay down some miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The afternoon weather was all but perfect! Man! How I could have ridden longer!
We decided not to ride the entire length but we found this restaurant off the parkway,El Pobre, 1605 S. Main St. Waynesville, NC.
It was time to hit the Wal-Mart so I could procure an adequate rain suit and a pillow. Our mission was successful but our next mission would be a little more challenging: finding some local ice cream parlor where I could satisfy my wicked sweet tooth. With minimal information and directions we located "Jack The Dipper" in the middle of strip mall parking lot. I was treated like a rock star only because JT was along! Jack's is inside an old bank and when I asked about this, the cashier wanted to know "why" I wanted to know...Seems as though I make new friends and fans wherever I roam! LOL
The day ended righteously! Back at camp we prepped our gear-we'd be rollin' out in the morning all the while wondering out loud about whether or not our journeys would be wet or dry...
My head felt better laying on a full size pillow, brand new to boot, inside my cocoon. In about nine hours or so, I would know if I would be riding home in sunshine or rain; I knew with certainty that I would not be camping in Virginia with my family. It seems as though Baby-doll was pretty sick and I was only marginally better. So, now what? Sleep took over and I never had an oprotunity to answer that question.
I could hear a faint, muffled sound next to my tent, okay that is JT breaking camp and loading up! I'd better get my butt in gear! My groggy head broke the plane of the tent entrance and I saw that the only sunshine was inside me and not peeking out through the North Carolina forest, in fact I really could not see the ridge line since it was shrouded in rabbit-gray clouds. Attempting to ride the Parkway in the current atmospheric conditions would be a very poor choice since it most certainly would be blanketed in fog! So, plan "B" could be to ride US 220 up through Old Dominion. JT did not have a long southern ride, I had at least a 400 plus mile ride north but the big question was who would remain the driest?
We left the ATGAT stormtroppers behind and made our way out to US 276. Well, it did not take long for the spritz to start but I ignored it and hoped that it would not amount to anything more than just an annoying spritz! I felt confident enough to break-out my camera to snap a few pictures...
before the fury of the rain descended upon us! So, my brand-new-not-even-24 hours-old-Coleman rain-suit would be tested, tested by a full on sustained, torrential downpour! Yes! Ironically enough JT and I parted ways last year in rain! Well, so much for taking the scenic route home, heck, I wasn't so sure how far I would travel today before calling it a day! Leaving North Carolina was like riding into a waterfall! I finally said enough and decided that as soon as I could locate a place to eat I was going to stop and fill up on food just so my body would have calories to keep me warm! Somewhere north of Asheville, I pulled off the super-slab and located a huge grocery store in a strip mall. The rain was relentless even as I secured Ole Girl in the parking lot. I waltzed into the store and acted like there was nothing amiss despite the fact rain water was running off of my new rain-suit. I found a food bar which contained hot chicken noodle soup; I bought the biggest size container available and consumed ALL of the hot soup! Ole Girl and I continued our soggy slog north. The liquid sunshine seemed to slow down a considerable amount as we sliced-off the northeastern tip of the Volunteer State. With the Bristol Speedway in my rear-view mirror, we crossed over into Old Dominion and the rain seemed to come to an end-Ha! Just kidding! The showers continued to saturate us as we entered the Virginia rest-welcome. Riding in the rain is very draining! My inexpensive rain-suit was holding up pretty good, but riding in the rain is physically and mentally draining! We pressed on north and briefly exited the super-slab in order to find out if US 11 would be a viable route-it was not! A slow long ride in the rain isn't much better, perhaps worse, than a quick sustained slog on the super-slab! My surroundings seemed to have taken on a dismal prison-gray pallor. Even the gas station in Blacksburg seemed to have that washed-out colorless look that Iraq had. Standing in front of the gas station I placed a call to home-where my mind was. I ignored the looks of the patrons as they walked passed me in and out of the dimly lit gas station; I confered with my bride who confirmed what I was thinking: tie-up in Winchester for the night and get a good solid night of sleep and a hot shower. You bet babe! And so the ride continued on '81 north. I was very greatfull that the rain seemed to be spent once I entered the western edge of the Shenandoah Valley. Ole Girl and I were able to relax since the rain left us somewhere around Lexington. The sun in the west was pushing the dismal gray rain to the east and soon enough the late afternoon sun had the hues of golden wheat. Ole Girl and I pulled off the super-slab in order to find out where our lodging would be for the night. The missus and I figured that Candlewood Suites would be the best bet. Ole Girl and I jumped back on the super-slab for a quick blast north to our exit. Ten minutes later we were in the lap of luxery! All of my wet gear was hauled up to my room and laid out to dry. The only other business I needed to tend to was dinner. Los Toltecos was within easy walking distance thus my last day on the road was completed with a Mexican dinner, a very excellent way to close it out a long soggy day!
Last edited by Iron Vaquero; 03-25-2015 at 11:02 AM.
Reason: Adjustment
The End
I ended The Old Iron Run ended with a sunny two hour ride home through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and finally Pennsylvania. To sum this trip up I would say that it was rainy and compressed. Wyatt hustled down from New England just so that he and I could chew up 600 plus miles in one soggy Sunday, visit Milwaukee for a day and them turn around and blast back to Portland, Maine in under two days! The guy is an ANIMAL! And thus he has ridden the Mystery Machine 110,000 miles!
Copious amounts of words were spoken amongst us throughout the trip about not having 'enough' time, I offer this thought:
Whatever time one is given, be a good steward of that time vice complaining about not having 'enough' of it; I would rather have the experiences than the material 'things' of this temporal state of being called, life!
Thank you for joining me on this run and for the kind words! Vamonos!
03-16-2015, 05:17 AM
Old Iron Run: Illinois to Kentucky or North Carolina?
