Me (Slim Jim) and the wife (Chick O' Stick) recently returned from a 12 day adventure covering VA, NC, TN and SC. We rode Skyline Drive (twice); the whole length of the Blue Ridge Parkway south; completed the Tail of the Dragon twice and part of the Cherohola Skyway. We got stranded for 2.5 days in Greenville, SC, visited family in Charleston and went to the Southern 500 NASCAR race at Darlington. It was quite the adventure.

I blogged each day so you can see the complete blog (along with some of our other adventures) here skylinebikers.blogspot.com. I am hoping to figure out how to easily post our photos so I can reblog our ride here on the forum. Happy Riding.

 

Here we go again. Time to straddle the saddle and head off on the scoots for 12 days. We have many adventures planned. Unlike our grand trip to CA last year, this one will keep us a little closer to home. We are leaving Friday afternoon once my work closes and headed for <a href="http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/driving-skyline-drive.htm" target="_blank"> Skyline Drive</a>. We will be staying at Skyland the first night. This should be interesting. We ride Skyline Drive all the time but have never done an overnight. We will be doing a large loop down Skyline/Blue Ridge Parkway, to Charleston, SC and then back home. Along the way we have a planned carriage ride with <a href="http://www.turtleislandpreserve.com/" target="_blank">Eustace Conway</a> (if you watch <a href="http://www.history.com/shows/mountain-men" target="_blank">Mountain Men</a> on the History Channel you know Eustace), a trip to <a href="http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/fontanadam.htm" target="_blank">Fontana Dam</a> (largest east of the Rocky Mountains), maybe a little blackjack in Cherokee, a visit with my mother in Charleston (never been, hear it's really nice) and capping off the trip with the NASCAR Southern 500 at <a href="http://www.darlingtonraceway.com/?homepage=true" target="_blank">Darlington Raceway</a> (this one has always been on the bucket list, CHECK).

Cherokee will be the only place we plan on staying more than one night. We will use this as a base to ride to <a href="http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/americas-wildest-roads/video/braving-the-tail-of-the-dragon" target="_blank">Tail of the Dragon (cool video)</a>, Fontana Dam and to pay a visit to <a href="https://mountaincrossingsatneelgap.wordpress.com/about/" target="_blank">Mountain Crossings</a>. And then at night there is always the blackjack at Harrah's Cherokee.

Our plan is to ride about 200 miles on travel days. Don't know yet how many we will do on just touring days. I would imagine we will cover close to 2000 miles before the 12 days are over.

Check back here each evening (or maybe morning) where I will try and post our daily adventure with as many pictures as I can muster. Praying for little to no rain and to keep the shinny side up.

 

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It's wasn't a long day or lots of miles but it was certainly beautiful. We got on the road about 12:30 and of course had a small hiccup right away. Only bikers will probably understand this but I bought new boots and they are thicker than my last few pairs. Consequently my boot did not fit under my shifter pedal. We had to stop just after departing so I could take the shifter apart and adjust it for the new boots. After monkeying for about 45 mins I was able to get it adjusted and we were finally on the road. Here's to hoping that is the worst problem we have all week.

Our route took us out towards Winchester, VA and a peaceful ride along the Shenandoah River to Front Royal. In Front Royal we entered Shenandoah National Park and the 105 mile road called Skyline Dr. We are so blessed to have such a beautiful park within an hour of our house.

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A ride to mile marker 42 and we had arrived at our destination for the evening, Skyland Resort. Skyland was built back in the 1800's but today it has inside toilets and flat screen TVs. Though it does have old school room keys.

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If you are ever up this way stop at Skyland for lunch or dinner. The food is homey (fried chicken and meat loaf) but it is wonderful. Now we are sitting on our porch watch a hazy sunset over the Shenandoah Valley.

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Gonna sleep well tonight with the wind blowing through the trees and no city noise. Tomorrow we have a 200 mile route planned. Finishing off Skyline Dr and the Piedmont section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Destination Roanoke. Until tomorrow.

P.S. I'm sure one of 100's of times we will cross this trail (Appalachian Trail). Some day I want to hike it.

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Today was just odd. No other way to describe it. We woke to a hazy valley, or I think it was hazy because that's the way the valley was 2.5 hours later when the sun finally came up. 4:00 AM? &nbsp;Really? &nbsp;I mean come on sleep gods this is vacation. Do you really need me up so early? Since we were up we decided to get on the road. Little white knucklish to be driving Skyline Dr in absolute darkness at 5:00 in the morning. But we did get to see some deer, up close and almost personal. They stood right next to the road and looked at us like "why you humans out here so early?" &nbsp;Same question I had. It was so early the dining hall at Skyland wasn't open for another 3 hours so instead we rode into Harrisonburg to that fine dining establishment, Waffle House. Dems good eatin'. &nbsp;After breakfast was a quick stop at Walmart. Doesn't every Saturday morning start at the worlds largest retailer? &nbsp;By the time we headed back to Skyline Dr the sun was starting to come up and it was getting a bit warmer. We had to start out the morning wearing all the cow we brought with us as it was very brisk.

We had on been back on Skyline Dr for about 30 mins when just up ahead of us two little bear cubs scampered across the road. Chick wanted to stop and take pictures until I said that if momma bear was still on the original side of the road and we got in between momma and Cubs we were gonna be the bears Waffle House for that morning.

Just before 9:00 we pulled over into the Loft Mountain Wayside for a bathroom break and a cup of coffee. After retrieving said coffee we were sitting in the nice warm glow of the morning sun on a picnic table when we hear this strange noise that makes us both turn in that direction. And what would we see? &nbsp;No, not a bear but some fool on a ricer come screaming down out of the campground road, realize he was going to fast too late, run in a ditch, bound into the air, separate himself from his bike and splay all over Skyline Dr. I ran to his aid but by the time I reached him he was up and trying to pick up his bike. Thankfully he didn't seem hurt. More his pride than anything else. I asked him if he was ok and he said "that stop sign came up a lot faster than I expected". &nbsp;It wasn't &nbsp;because you were riding too fast. &nbsp;He dusted himself off, rolled over the the wayside and probably went in and removed the load from his shorts. That was the first time I had ever seen a motorcycle accident actually take place. Besides that one I was in but to be fair I didn't see the fool hit me from behind.

So it's not even 9:30am and we've seen deer, bear, a motorcycle accident and eaten at Waffle House. &nbsp;Generally that would be a full day but we still had 150 miles or more to ride. Stay tuned there will be more later. As I said this was to be an odd day.

We finished Skyline and started on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

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At the intersection there is what appears to be a former HoJo's that is being reclaimed by Mother Earth. Kind of strange as you would think right there at Skyline and Blue Ridge there would be a great call for a breakfast spot.

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Tooling on down the Blue Ridge it was time to get some gas. There are no gas stations on the Blue Ridge between Waynesboro and Roanoke so we had to take a little detour to Montebello, Va. The road was twisty, twisty, twisty. Sign said safe speed 20 mph. So I rounded one of these twisty turns and there was a lovely patch of sand. My bike twitched hard right and by instinct I put down my right foot to catch catch it. One spindly foot and ankle do not do well holding up a 600lb bike thankfully nothing broken and the bike stayed upright. Foot and ankle are quite sore though. We made it to the gas station, actually a little country store that was established in 1894. The gas pumps weren't from the 1800's but they were on the antique side.&nbsp;

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Back on the Parkway and our next stop was at the James River overpass. Lovely view of the river from the walking bridge underneath the road.</div>

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We could have tubed all the way to Richmond. In the parking lot there was a guy riding this strange elliptical bike. See, it was an odd day.&nbsp;</div>

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The rest of the ride to Roanoke was thankfully uneventful. We stopped for a late lunch at Jersey Lily's. If you are ever in Roanoke we highly recommend JL's. The food was outstanding and they had a table reserved for Judge Roy Bean.

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When was the last time you thought about Judge Roy Bean? &nbsp;One of my favorite movies from my early childhood. A young Paul Newman and Ava Garder. Aren't old movies great?

So it was on to the hotel to check in and unload. Just as we made the turn onto the street for the hotel there was this crowd looking at a display of balloons and flowers. Right in front of the hotel is the TV station where those two reporters that got shot this week worked. Very sobering image. Such a sad situation.

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Checked in and unloaded and another trip to Walmart. Who doesn't need two trips to Walmart in one day. We then rode up to the Roanoke Star.

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It's the worlds largest man made star with beautiful views of the Roanoke Valley.

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Then it was back to the hotel to turn in early or watch the Redskins get trounced by the Ravens. It's already 10-0. I think we might go 0-16 this year.&nbsp;

So the odd day is over. Deer, bear cubs, a motorcycle accident (almost two), an elliptical bike and a memorial to two lives cut short too early. Odd day.&nbsp;

Tomorrow will be better. We have to be to Boone, NC by 2:00 for our carriage ride with Eustace Conway. Till tomorrow.&nbsp;

359 total trip miles so far.&nbsp;

 

Today was a much more normal day. Thank you to the sleep gods as they let me sleep at least until 5:00. Maybe tomorrow it will be 6:00. Our morning started with our usual breakfast stop at Waffle House. Love them hashbrowns. As soon as we got on the Blue Ridge we saw some deer and some wild turkeys. No bears today. It was overcast all day which kept the riding cool. Thought it might rain but it never did. The riding was excellent and eventful. Just the way we like it.

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We crossed into our second state today, North Carolina. There was actually a state line painted on the road.

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We arrived in Boone at 12:30, dropped our bags at the hotel and went to Turtle Island Preserve. Today was our buggy ride with Eustace Conway.

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Slim Jim with Eustace Conway</div>

Eustace is a man that has lived truly off the grid. He lives on 1000 acres in the Carolina mountains with none of the creature comforts we city folk are used to. This includes indoor plumbing. His privy is a bucket filled with saw dust. He grows or hunts for all his food. He actually lives off the land. Eustace was also one of the characters on History Channels <i>Mountain Men</i>. If you want to read about this very interesting person pick up a copy of <i>The Last American Man</i>. And if you're ever in Boone go visit Eustace. He's quite the character and a very gentle soul. If you like peace and quiet you will love Eustace and Turtle Island. &nbsp;</div>

Here are some pictures from Turtle Island. All the structures Eustace built by hand with resources available on his property.

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You have to love a man who's tree house is a boat.&nbsp;

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And of course he has animals.

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Yes we are still alive but have had a hiccup. Chick's bike has broken down in Cherokee, NC. We met the tow truck last night and they are taking it to a dealership in SC to hopefully be fixed but I am not optimistic as I think the transmission has gone. Old girl may have to be retired (the bike, not Chick). I will update for the last three days hopefully later today while we wait on the prognosis on the bike.

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We are grounded in Greenville, SC. &nbsp;And sorry to offend anyone from this area but so far Greenville has shown us nothing but heat and traffic. &nbsp;Not the greatest place to get stranded. &nbsp;Before I chronicle our last several days how about an update on Chick's scoot.

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As my last post indicated we had it picked up by flatbed in Cherokee, NC and towed to the nearest Can-Am dealership which happened to be Greenville, SC. &nbsp;103 miles from where it broke down. &nbsp;Thank you to GEICO for roadside assistance and having no towing bill. &nbsp;It was taken to Powersports of Greenville. &nbsp;The service manager there has been real nice and mostly helpful. &nbsp;Turns out the issue was that several of the teeth on the drive belt had been worn away (warning to you bikers, stay off gravel roads). &nbsp;They did not have the belt in stock and had to order it. &nbsp;I paid extra to have it shipped overnight so that we could be back on the road by Thursday. &nbsp;Belt came in. &nbsp;Belt got installed. &nbsp;Oops, the shop cannot find their harmonic belt tensioning tool so that can't properly adjust the belt. &nbsp;When I spoke with the shop manager at 2:30 on Thursday he explains all this (after apologizing for not calling because he was the only one running the shop) and that they are trying to track down THEIR tool as they believe a former mechanic has it. &nbsp;I asked "can't you borrow one form another shop" to which I got "Oh, hadn't thought of that". &nbsp;This is when my blood pressure spiked. &nbsp;I got so mad and frustrated that I wanted to chuck my phone across the room. &nbsp;But I didn't. &nbsp;He was going to try and borrow one and would get back to me later in the day. &nbsp;I called him back at 5:30 (they close at 6:00) and they were attempting to borrow one from a local Ducati dealership but wouldn't get it until the next day. &nbsp;So here we sit, two days stranded in Greenville. &nbsp;And the east coast has decided to have a heat wave so not only are we stuck in Greenville but its 95 degrees. &nbsp;Not exactly the way I wanted to spend my vacation time. &nbsp;Here's to hoping that the bike gets done this morning and we can continue on our journey. &nbsp;Here's what's been happening the last few days:

<b>Day 4 - Boone to Cherokee</b>
A bit of Fall was in the air. &nbsp;The air had some crispness to it so the morning called for full leathers. &nbsp;And the sky was really clear and really blue. &nbsp;Just like on one of those perfect fall days. &nbsp;Of course the morning started with our usual stop at Waffle House (I need a frequent buyer card) and then it was back on the Blue Ridge Parkway. &nbsp;It was just about perfect. &nbsp;Bright blue sky, cool air, and absolutely wonderful vistas and every side. &nbsp;I really love this part of the Blue Ridge Parkway because the mountain views are just stunning.

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We'd been riding for a while and were about 30 minutes past the Mt Mitchell picnic area when we rounded a corner and were greeted with the strangest site. &nbsp;Scampering off into the bushes was this large, black, cat like creature. &nbsp;It looked to be about 100 lbs so it was too big to be a normal house cat. And it wasn't a bear as it had a tail that was about 3 feet long. &nbsp;Both Chick and I saw it and immediately were on our comms system going "did you see that!?". &nbsp;It was too fast heading back into the bushes for us to get a real good look or any pictures. &nbsp;Later in the day we stopped to use a privy and there was a ranger station so I popped in and inquired about this sight. &nbsp;When I described what I saw and asked what it was the two rangers looked at each other with these funny looks and one said "officially big cats have been extinct from these hills for 40 or more years. &nbsp;Unofficially there have been sightings in the last few years but no one has ever gotten any photographic proof. &nbsp;Did you get a picture?". &nbsp;I told him no that I was not able to snap a pic. &nbsp;Then I asked "so what was it?". &nbsp;"Unofficially, a mountain lion." &nbsp;Chick and I were treated to a sighting of the unofficial and ever elusive big cat of the Blue Ridge. &nbsp;Now I wish I had circled back and looked for paw prints or something.

This day also took us over the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/blri/learn/historyculture/linn-cove-viaduct.htm" target="_blank">Linn Cove Viaduct</a>.

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This is a section of road that appears suspended in the air. &nbsp;It has to be one of the most photographed sections of the parkway. &nbsp;It was the last section of road to be built along the Parkway as folks tried to find an environmentally friendly way around Grandfather Mountain.

Before we road into Cherokee we crossed the highest part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. &nbsp;This is on Richland Balsam Mountain at milepost 431. &nbsp;It stands at 6053 ft above sea level.

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From there it was on into Cherokee. &nbsp;It had been a great day of riding with beautiful views, cat sightings and being over a mile in the sky. &nbsp;Was looking forward to a fun evening of a little blackjack. &nbsp;And it was an evening and a little one but it wasn't very fun. &nbsp;The cards were colder than an iron toilet seat in an Alaskan winter. &nbsp;And not just for me (or Chick) but for everyone. &nbsp;I don't think I saw one person winning at blackjack in that whole casino.

 

Per usual, we began the day at Waffle House. &nbsp;

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Again, the morning was a bit brisk so we started off in full leathers once again. &nbsp;We had a full day of riding planned. &nbsp;First stop was Fontana Dam.

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Fontana Dam is the largest dam east of the Rockies. &nbsp;The dam was built in the 1940's and created the 10,230-acre Fontana Lake. &nbsp;It was quite an impressive sight. T<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">he Appalachian Trail crosses right over the top of the dam.

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Then it was on to Deal's Gap and riding the Tail of the Dragon. &nbsp;Tail of the Dragon is a road that connects NC and TN. &nbsp;It has 318 curves in just 11 miles.

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For those who have never ridden it is quite a technical ride. &nbsp;Several bikers lose their life on this road every year. &nbsp;Ride slow and ride careful and you will make it easily. &nbsp;Its the idiots who want to ride it fast and hard that end up making the ultimate mistake. &nbsp;We rode it north and then turned around and rode it again This is probably the 8th or 9th time we've ridden this stretch of road and it never gets old.

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From the tail we took Rt 129 south into Robbinsville, NC and stopped for lunch at this quaint roadside diner called The Hub. &nbsp;They are soon to be featured on Diners, Dives and Drive Ins. &nbsp;If you are out this way I highly recommend a stop. &nbsp;The food was great.

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We then ventured out of the Cherohala Skyway. &nbsp;This is a 43 mile route along the mountains from Robbinsville to Telico Plains, TN.

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And here is where the hiccups really began. &nbsp;Chick's bike started acting up so after 20 or so miles we decided to turn around and head back to Cherokee. &nbsp;On the way back we pulled over to try and diagnose what was going wrong with the bike but I was unsuccessful in doing so. &nbsp;Thankfully the bike held together until we reach Cherokee but it was not happy. &nbsp;There was no way we were going to be able to drive it the 103 miles to the nearest Can-Am dealership so we called a tow truck to take the bike for us. &nbsp;At 10:00PM the truck left with the bike and around midnight the driver texted me that he had dropped the bike at Powersports of Greenville. &nbsp;The rest I documented in the last post.

 

Really not much to report for these two days. &nbsp;Since Chick's bike had been taken to the dealership we had to ride two up on my scoot. &nbsp;Our first stop was in Maggie Valley so that we could call the Can-Am dealer and check on the bike. &nbsp;At first he told me he couldn't find it but when I called back 1/2 hour later he had found it and was looking at the issue already. &nbsp;In Maggie Valley we stopped at a nice little coffee shop. &nbsp;The proprietor's husband had recently had an MS attack so along with the coffee shop they had a ski and t-shirt shop that were both up for sale. &nbsp;If anyone wants a nice little business in a small NC mountain town its there for the taking.

Along our way we were treated with a very lovely waterfall called Looking Glass Falls. &nbsp;Since it was right next to the road we were able to stop and snap a few pics.

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May not have mentioned this but Chick is having issues with her feet (operation scheduled for October) so we are not able to do much walking.

There were some tricky mountain roads for us to navigate but we made it. &nbsp;We crossed into our 4th state, South Carolina.

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Was quite hot during the day so we took our time getting to Greenville. &nbsp;Once we arrived we immediately went to Powersports of Greenville to introduce ourselves and check in on Chick's bike. &nbsp;They had diagnosed the issue by the time we got there and the part was on order (drive belt). &nbsp;With it being so hot we just went on to the hotel and camped out there for the evening. &nbsp;Dinner was at Stax Omega, some local joint that had a varied menu. &nbsp;I had collard greens, black-eyed peas and fried okra. &nbsp;When in the south right?

The next day we got up and called the dealer right at 9:00 when they opened to check again on the bike. &nbsp;He was expecting the part around 11:00 and hoped to have it ready for us around 2:00. &nbsp;We made a stop at a Harley dealer to pick up a pin (I collect pins from each dealer we stop at).

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Again being in the middle of an east coast heat wave we didn't feel like doing much riding. &nbsp;Besides it didn't look like there was any real good riding around Greenville anyway. &nbsp;We decided to take in a movie. &nbsp;Being I am obsessed with the Appalachian Trail we went to see the new Robert Redford, Nick Notle movie based on the Bill Bryson book <i>A Walk In The Woods. &nbsp;</i>I've read the book twice. &nbsp;They took some license with the story but it was an entertaining movie. &nbsp;Actually quite funny.

At 2:00 we called the dealership back and they had the part on but as previously mentioned they were missing a tool they need to get the job completed. &nbsp;So back to the hotel we went for one more night in Greenville. &nbsp;Dinner again at Stax and then watched the final Redskins preseaon game before retiring early.

 

The mystery word for the day kids was HOT! &nbsp;HOT! &nbsp;Let me say it again, HOT! &nbsp;The sun was shinning brightly with no cloud cover and the temps were in the mid 90's. &nbsp;I'm sure the heat index had to be pushing 100. &nbsp;But the great news is we are out of Greenville. &nbsp;As a side note, its been several days since we had breakfast at Waffle House and I'm not going through the DT's. &nbsp;That's a good thing.

The bike got fixed and we were on the road by noon. &nbsp;But it was HOT. &nbsp;200+ miles to Charleston so we decided just to head out on the highway and burn up (no pun intended) as much highway as possible. &nbsp;It was so hot we had to stop about every 45 minutes to find some shade and cold water. &nbsp;We were scheduled to meet with with my mother and step-father for dinner but my mom broke her leg a month or so back and today was physical therapy. &nbsp;She was not feeling so well so we postponed the gathering until tomorrow. &nbsp;It did somewhat cool off about 20 miles outside of Charleston as the rain moved in. &nbsp;Didn't rain hard or for long but the respite from the heat was most welcome. &nbsp;We rolled into Charleston about 4:45 and checked into the hotel. Tonight's dinner was at California Dreaming. &nbsp;Its an odd looking castle structure with great views out on the water.

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Dinner was nice and then back to the hotel to do some much needed laundry. &nbsp;We are here in Charleston for 2 days so we hope to get to see some of the city tomorrow. &nbsp;We've never been here but everyone says its a great town. &nbsp;There is a lot more traffic than I had expected. &nbsp;Maybe a lot of people getting away for the long weekend.

One more hiccup though. &nbsp;It appears that when Chick's bike was being towed to Greenville the cover got ripped.

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Tomorrow we are going to have to go to another Can-Am dealer to purchase a new cover. &nbsp;Hopefully we have seen the end of our hiccups.

Till tomorrow.