Last Thursday Mike2000T and I had a wonderful ride up the Blue Ridge Parkway. After meeting in Rutherfordton, NC and riding up US 221 and SR 226 we jumped on
the Parkway at Little Switzerland, around Mile Marker 332, and rode north to Laurel Springs, NC at SR 18 around Mile Marker 248. Along the way we saw Tony,
Rich & Sandy at a picnic table, so we stopped and talked for a bit. They all headed south to the Linn Cove Viaduct, around Mile Marker 300. Mike and I
continued north and stopped at the Station's Inn Motorcycle Resort for lunch, just off the BRP exit at Mile Marker 248. http://www.stationsinn.com/index-a.html
Following are a couple of pictures looking south at the Linn Cove Viaduct and one looking north from the same overlook at the BRP across the valley.
Our first ride all together on Friday morning led us south on SR 16 out of Marion, VA down to the Jefferson National Forest and on VA secondary road 603 past the tallest mountain in Virginia, Mt. Rogers at 5729 feet. Riding curvy US 58 into Damascus, VA, we again turned south and arrived at Backbone Rock Recreation Area on SR 133 in Tennessee. Following are some pictures of that beautiful area.
Tony hanging off the edge trying to get a picture of the south side of Backbone Tunnel.
After an enjoyable morning spent at Backbone Tunnel we decided to move onto the Striped Snake. There were some serious warning signs that this could be a treacherous road, as shown below.
We had a successful ride down and back on the eastern portion of the Striped Snake, so it was time for lunch. BTW, that first uphill switchback on the eastern portion of the Striped Snake is tougher than any curve the Tail of the Dragon has to offer. Following are some pictures of Shady Valley where we gassed up, ate lunch and shopped for souvenirs.
After lunch we started on the western portion of the Striped Snake, US 421. That's where Alan crashed. Stony & Kathy, Rich & Sandy, and Tony accompanied him back to Marion by the shortest, easiest route possible. The rest of us again rode the challenging eastern portion of the Striped Snake into NC and were heartened to be riding in a gorgeous valley along SR 88 from which we could also see the BRP along the sides of the high mountains many thousands of feet above us. Unfortunately, my brother's friend Steve slid out on SR 194 and the group limped slowly back to Marion along US 58 and SR 16.
Sat. morning the whole group very much enjoyed riding the vigorous mountain road from Marion to Tazewell, VA 33 miles away. That road goes over 3 mountains and has some incredible switchbacks that are challenging even at 5 mph. We were heading to the WV State Line, still on SR 16 when I lost control in a series of S-turns. The esses are some of my favorite turns. It is so much fun to kind of wiggle through them without having to slow down as much as you would if you were in a 60° or greater degree tight curve. I still have not been able to figure out what distracted me, because I know it was something small in the road like a stone or a patch of pavement or the way the sunlight hit the pavement, not something big like a vehicle, a person or an animal, but whatever distracted me caused me to make a split-second decision to give nudge the handlebar and from the reaction I would guess my nudge was more like a shove because my back tire slid about 2 feet and when the bike started tracking straight again I was headed off-road. I knew it was going to be bumpy, so I relaxed my grip so I could hang-on without causing unwanted and detrimental changes in direction. From the path of my tires through the off-road area I could see my strategy was working. I walked the area twice after my get-off and the bike tracked straight through the rough stuff and was headed back to the highway. Unfortunately for me, just a few feet from the highway was a couple of small ridges, 6" to 12" high. My front tire augered into the last and tallest ridge sending me skyward and over the handlebars. At that point things were happening so fast I could not keep track of them, but I do know I hit the roadway hard. I lay there, knowing not to get up until I was ready. It seemed like about 2 minutes before I was ready to get up. In the meantime I asked some of the guys to pick-up my bike on the side of the road. I knew it was leaking gasoline and that could be disasterous. I was definitely one hurting dude when I stood up, but it felt good to stand and to walk.
I apologize to everyone attending this T Rally for setting a bad example. Many of us have attended the first four T Rallies without incident and also many of us have ridden other places together such as during Americade or the Honda Hoot, also without incident. There are two major ways to lead a ride. One way is ride as slow as the least capable rider in the group and keep the group together. That is the way of most group rides and most demo rides. The other way is to let everyone ride at their own pace and for the fast riders to wait for the whole group to re-assemble whenever the ride turns onto a different road. Few group rides proceed in this fashion, but interestingly this is the way that Italian sportbike manufacturer gives the most fun demo rides I have ever been on. I had thought we could ride together trusting everyone to ride safely at their own pace, but in reality at the moment I crashed I was riding over my head without knowing it. Honestly, I was just having fun in the esses. I was not trying to race anybody else or show anybody up. I just did not realize that riding at the fast pace I was enjoying would be so sensitive to what seemed like a little input to the right handlebar. Now I have a much better idea of mine and the bike's limits, I have to make some necessary corrections to my riding style. Even when I do not get seriously hurt, it is just too painful to go splat on the road, as a did on SR 16 less than a mile from the VA-WV border.
Again my sincerest apologies for the trouble I caused, my profound gratitude for all the help that you gave me and my deepfelt appreciation for your friendship and the fun times we got to spend together.
Following are a couple of pictures looking south at the Linn Cove Viaduct and one looking north from the same overlook at the BRP across the valley.
Our first ride all together on Friday morning led us south on SR 16 out of Marion, VA down to the Jefferson National Forest and on VA secondary road 603 past the tallest mountain in Virginia, Mt. Rogers at 5729 feet. Riding curvy US 58 into Damascus, VA, we again turned south and arrived at Backbone Rock Recreation Area on SR 133 in Tennessee. Following are some pictures of that beautiful area.
Tony hanging off the edge trying to get a picture of the south side of Backbone Tunnel.
After an enjoyable morning spent at Backbone Tunnel we decided to move onto the Striped Snake. There were some serious warning signs that this could be a treacherous road, as shown below.
We had a successful ride down and back on the eastern portion of the Striped Snake, so it was time for lunch. BTW, that first uphill switchback on the eastern portion of the Striped Snake is tougher than any curve the Tail of the Dragon has to offer. Following are some pictures of Shady Valley where we gassed up, ate lunch and shopped for souvenirs.
After lunch we started on the western portion of the Striped Snake, US 421. That's where Alan crashed. Stony & Kathy, Rich & Sandy, and Tony accompanied him back to Marion by the shortest, easiest route possible. The rest of us again rode the challenging eastern portion of the Striped Snake into NC and were heartened to be riding in a gorgeous valley along SR 88 from which we could also see the BRP along the sides of the high mountains many thousands of feet above us. Unfortunately, my brother's friend Steve slid out on SR 194 and the group limped slowly back to Marion along US 58 and SR 16.
Sat. morning the whole group very much enjoyed riding the vigorous mountain road from Marion to Tazewell, VA 33 miles away. That road goes over 3 mountains and has some incredible switchbacks that are challenging even at 5 mph. We were heading to the WV State Line, still on SR 16 when I lost control in a series of S-turns. The esses are some of my favorite turns. It is so much fun to kind of wiggle through them without having to slow down as much as you would if you were in a 60° or greater degree tight curve. I still have not been able to figure out what distracted me, because I know it was something small in the road like a stone or a patch of pavement or the way the sunlight hit the pavement, not something big like a vehicle, a person or an animal, but whatever distracted me caused me to make a split-second decision to give nudge the handlebar and from the reaction I would guess my nudge was more like a shove because my back tire slid about 2 feet and when the bike started tracking straight again I was headed off-road. I knew it was going to be bumpy, so I relaxed my grip so I could hang-on without causing unwanted and detrimental changes in direction. From the path of my tires through the off-road area I could see my strategy was working. I walked the area twice after my get-off and the bike tracked straight through the rough stuff and was headed back to the highway. Unfortunately for me, just a few feet from the highway was a couple of small ridges, 6" to 12" high. My front tire augered into the last and tallest ridge sending me skyward and over the handlebars. At that point things were happening so fast I could not keep track of them, but I do know I hit the roadway hard. I lay there, knowing not to get up until I was ready. It seemed like about 2 minutes before I was ready to get up. In the meantime I asked some of the guys to pick-up my bike on the side of the road. I knew it was leaking gasoline and that could be disasterous. I was definitely one hurting dude when I stood up, but it felt good to stand and to walk.
I apologize to everyone attending this T Rally for setting a bad example. Many of us have attended the first four T Rallies without incident and also many of us have ridden other places together such as during Americade or the Honda Hoot, also without incident. There are two major ways to lead a ride. One way is ride as slow as the least capable rider in the group and keep the group together. That is the way of most group rides and most demo rides. The other way is to let everyone ride at their own pace and for the fast riders to wait for the whole group to re-assemble whenever the ride turns onto a different road. Few group rides proceed in this fashion, but interestingly this is the way that Italian sportbike manufacturer gives the most fun demo rides I have ever been on. I had thought we could ride together trusting everyone to ride safely at their own pace, but in reality at the moment I crashed I was riding over my head without knowing it. Honestly, I was just having fun in the esses. I was not trying to race anybody else or show anybody up. I just did not realize that riding at the fast pace I was enjoying would be so sensitive to what seemed like a little input to the right handlebar. Now I have a much better idea of mine and the bike's limits, I have to make some necessary corrections to my riding style. Even when I do not get seriously hurt, it is just too painful to go splat on the road, as a did on SR 16 less than a mile from the VA-WV border.
Again my sincerest apologies for the trouble I caused, my profound gratitude for all the help that you gave me and my deepfelt appreciation for your friendship and the fun times we got to spend together.
