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Riding the Southern Appalachians and the RA Rally

terham

BeemerBoy
I had a great time riding the Blue Ridge Parkway this past Fall, and with the RA Rally in Asheville, NC at the Biltmore, I made plans to attend the rally so I could return to this area and ride the wonderful roads. I've never been to an RA rally, but the location drew me in. I wasn't disappointed with the rally or the location.

I had planned to take three days to get there, attend the rally for three days, and return home in two days to my home outside Philly. As a preview, my route took me through western MD, into WV and south to VA, TN and NC, camping along the way. I rode WV 16, VA 16 including the Back of the Dragon, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherohala Skyway, and wonderful roads in SW VA and Skyline Drive on my return trip.

I was packed Monday ready for an early Tuesday departure.

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To be continued...
 
I'm still drying my tent out and unpacking. :)

(BTW, you missed a good trip. Hope your wife's surgery went OK.)
 
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This is going to be really disjointed, since I keep getting a message that I can only upload three files per post. I think I used to be able to attach 20 pictures per post. I have a few pictures/videos to go with this report. :whistle

For the ride to Asheville, I wanted to mainly ride WV/VA 16 down to the VA/NC border, since I?ve heard a lot about this road, and planned day 1 to get into WV near route 16. There were a couple of state parks that were not too far from home and convenient to WV 16, and settled on North Bend SP, about 450 miles away. With a chunk of interstate riding, it wouldn?t be too long of a day.

I left home north of Philadelphia at 6 and rode the PA turnpike to Carlisle. As turnpikes go, it?s not a bad ride, especially as you head west. I picked up I-81, probably my least favorite interstate, and headed into MD, where I picked up I-70 west to I-68 west, two very nice interstates as interstates go.

I finally got off the interstate in western MD at Cumberland and headed over to Oakland, where along the way it started to rain pretty hard. There aren?t a lot of pictures from day 1 due to interstate riding and the rain. I had put a mostly back roads route into the GPS to get to the SP, but abandoned that due to the weather. The visibility was poor and there was debris in the roads and I didn?t want to ride secondary and tertiary roads under those conditions. I decided to stay on WV 50, as it was fun to ride even in the rain.

I stopped in Grafton at a Mickey D?s to try to dry out a little and figure out my plan.

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I had a personal mopper assigned to me to follow me around the store and mop up the wet floor that seemed to follow me wherever I went. I think they were happy to see me go.

The worst of the rain had let up some, and since the SP was just south of route 50, I continued west towards Parkersburg, picked up WV 16 and headed south a short distance to North Bend SP. I arrived around 3, and chose a site on the bank above the river - above flood stage but near enough to hear the sounds of the river.

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Since it started to clear, I rode around the SP after setting up camp.

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There were some nice roads in the area.

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I headed back to camp for dinner.

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After a dinner of freeze-dried and a little single malt sippin? whiskey, it was off to bed after chasing a raccoon out of my site.

Hoping the rain was finished, I was looking forward to tomorrow, when I thought of the trip as really starting, and riding route 16.
 
All is well, last of the stitches out yesterday and she's back to work.

Looking forward to my own early departure in .... let's see now .... 16 days! Woo Hoo !!! :dance
 
The problem I was having of multiple photos solved thanks to Kurt. :dance

End of Day 1.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/69099193" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/69099193">North Bend SP</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user11114127">Terence Hamill</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

I awoke at 6, had my customary breakfast of oatmeal, poptarts and coffee, packed and was on the road by 8.

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For the day, it was sunny early, clouded up a little and misted on me and then cleared again as I made my way south.

I started the day by picking up 16 south out of Harrisville, and started to smile.

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I think this must be the state flower of West Virginia ? I?m not sure what it?s called but it grows all along the roadsides everywhere I went. :laugh

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Following the same route number all day, makes it easy to navigate and makes a GPS unnecessary.

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I stopped to poke around this house some. I always wonder what the story is of a place like this and why someone would abandon the house. Probably a sad story.

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Makes me want a GS to explore a little bit. :)

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Route 16 continued to twist and turn and took me through lots of small towns.

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I eventually made it to Gauley Bridge, southeast of Charleston, where I stopped and ate my lunch out of my tankbag ? power bars and almonds. :eat

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From there, it was easier to take highways to just south of Beckley, where I picked up 16 again.

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I eventually reached Virginia.

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Burke's Garden

Great RR. Keep it coming!

BTW, wondering if you made it over to Burke's Garden (as mentioned on the Tazewell Co. sign)?
 
I never did make it to Burke's Garden - it wasn't on route 16. :D I actually liked stopping to read the county signs in VA and TN as most of them had some bit of information about the county. They made for some interesting reading.
 
I really liked riding in SW VA. It seemed a little more open than WV so there are great views. The topography is rolling, but plenty of mountains to ride up and over.

The Back of the Dragon, VA 16 running from Tazewell to Marion, was a really fun road to ride. It doesn?t get the press of the Tail of the Dragon so it wasn?t very crowded and it?s a longer ride, ~30 miles.

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There was a section in Tazewell county that had gravel shoulders, so the inside of most turns had gravel. I didn?t enjoy that section very much, but it wasn?t too long. The next county to the south has grass shoulders, so there wasn?t any problem. It starts fairly open with great vistas, then climbs into the hills and becomes quite twisty. I rode the first bit back and forth a couple of times. I liked the section approaching Hungry Mother SP and there?s a nice view at the top.

Here?s a short video of the section near Tazewell.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/69133308" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/69133308">Back of the Dragon</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user11114127">Terence Hamill</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

I continued on 16 through Troutdale to Volney and turned west on VA 58, another fun road to ride, to Grayson Highland SP, where 5700? Mt Rogers is located.

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I arrived around 4 and set up camp.

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After relaxing a little, I rode around the SP a bit before dinner.

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Another freeze-dried dinner and a little adult beverage, and it was off to bed. At the elevation in the SP, it made for good sleeping weather.
 
Lovin it! I have been down that way twice in the past month. We rode down thru WV into VA, TN, NC, & back up thru VA. Awesome roads, sweet mountain riding. We had rain & fogg too, but it didn't dampen the fun too much.

I'm looking forward to more of this RR.
 
It was cool and misty in the morning as I ate breakfast and packed up and took one last ride around the park.

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I picked up VA 58 towards Damascus.

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I?ve done a bit of hiking on the Appalachian Trail in the mid Atlantic states and wanted to visit the well-known trail town of Damascus. I used VA 58 some ? I always like to see the warning signs for trucks and large campers saying the road is unsuitable for them ? as well as some other back roads on my way.

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After looking around Damascus, I headed south into Tennessee.

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I was headed for Boone and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

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I picked up the BRP and headed south. What a nice ride ? sunny with light traffic.

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I exited the BRP at Asheville late in the afternoon, headed to registration at the Asheville BMW dealer near the Biltmore, got my bracelet and headed over to the rally site. I?d been by but never to the Biltmore ? what a setting. The ride in was a long, shaded, landscaped route. Very nice. Camping was in a large field that was a bit muddy from recent rains that was, ahem, interesting to navigate. Not so nice. I love mud riding on street tires. :) With feet up, gas on and a little fish-tailing, I managed to find a spot to set up my tent and met my neighbors.

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I took in some of the sights, listened briefly to the Thursday night band and turned in. I like drifting off to sleep with the sound of rally goers BSing and the sweet sound of airheads, oilheads and K bikes passing by in the night.

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Lovin it! I have been down that way twice in the past month. We rode down thru WV into VA, TN, NC, & back up thru VA. Awesome roads, sweet mountain riding. We had rain & fogg too, but it didn't dampen the fun too much.

I'm looking forward to more of this RR.

I grew up on Rt 16 near Marion I the 60s and we cursed the crooked roads for years. I moved away and became a motorcycle nut. I retired and moved to within 2 miles of Rt 16 and the beginning of the "Back of the Dragon". A big reason I moved back was so I could ride the roads I used to hate on my motorcycles. (Also, like a salmon, we want to return home to die).
 
A misty morning with heavy dew greeted me on Friday morning. A fresh layer of moisture on the slippery route in and out of camp. :laugh

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I had ridden the BRP in the Fall and time constraints made it necessary to exit at Balsam Gap and skip the last twenty miles or so. I was determined to ride this section of the BRP.

I took NC 25 from the rally site to the Parkway and headed south in a bit of a mist.

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It cleared up shortly though.

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At these elevations, the rhododendron was starting to bloom.

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Beemers were everywhere.

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With stops along the way, I reached the end of the BRP after about three hours of riding. In Cherokee I headed west with the intention of riding the Cherohala Skyway. From what I had read, this road would suit my style of riding better than the Dragon. I prefer flowing, uncrowded roads over technical, crowded roads, with the emphasis on uncrowded. I also liked that it was a longer stretch of road compared to the Dragon.

I picked up 74 west to 28 north to 143 west to Robbinsville. Signs for the Cherohala Skyway took me up 129 and I apparently missed a turn, and next thing I knew, I was at Deals Gap. Quite the scene there.

I ended up riding 28 to Fontana Village and back again and wished I had more time to ride that road. It started to rain pretty heavily on my ride back to Deals Gap, so at Deals Gap I stopped to put on my rain suit, and headed south on 129.

I stopped along the road for a break, removed my rain suit and looked at the map again and realized the mistake I had made earlier. I think using a GPS has eroded my map reading skills - use 'em or lose 'em. I must?ve been enjoying the ride too much, to read the signs along the road. :nod

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It was getting late in the day, but I found my way to the Cherohala. It was worth it. The road surface is great, there was little traffic, the elevation is high so there are nice views and there are plenty of turn outs with little cross traffic and no stop signs/traffic lights. There are some tight corners, but for the most part, is a flowing road that was a blast to ride and I made very few stops along the way.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/69231152" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/69231152">Cherohala Skyway</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user11114127">Terence Hamill</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
A commercial photographer was out ? now I know why the edges of my tires aren?t worn. :)

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I initially thought I?d ride the Skyway in each direction, but when I reached the end in Tellico Plains, I really didn't have time to head back the other way as I wanted to get back to the rally by 7 or 8. I decided to let the GPS route me back to Asheville. I?m not sure it routed me the best way, but ended up heading back via Knoxville. I really enjoyed the stretch of I-40 at the Tenn/NC border.

I got back to the rally about 8 and hung out in the beer tent (at $5/beer, I savored each one) listening to the bluesy band that was pretty good. This day turned out to be my highest mileage day, so I slept well that night.
 
A really fine ride report. Thanks, especially for the pictures. We followed on many of the same roads, although I have to admit to bailing on WV Route 16 after about an hour of very technical riding. It was more than I wanted to do all day, riding 2-up. But SE Ohio and WV sure have some great roads!
 
One of several reasons I attended this rally, was that the rally fee included a tour of the Biltmore house. A ticket costs ~$50, depending on when you buy the ticket, so I rode 1000 miles for a free admission.:laugh

Saturday was tour day for me. In speaking with other rally goers, it sounded like the shuttle to the house could fill up and included waiting around and the house got crowded later in the day. It was recommended that I walk, which I did. I left in time to get there at opening, so I could avoid any crowds and enjoy the house more. It was a nice walk on a beautiful morning.

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The house and gardens are just incredible. It reminded me of a couple of royal residences I?ve seen in Europe.

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After getting back to my non-royal residence and spending time in the vendor tent, I rode up to the house for a photo. There was no parking at the house, but they were letting rally goers stop briefly for photos.

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As the day was warming up, I decided to head to the Parkway and higher elevations, and hopefully cooler temps. It was a great day for a ride and much cooler than at the rally grounds.

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The closing ceremony was at 5 at the house itself, so I returned in time for this. The idea was to place all the motorcycles ? it was announced that there were ~2300 attendees ? around the grass plaza in front of the house. The group I rode up with was diverted to a parking lot since they were ?full?, so there were a number of people that couldn?t ride to the house. Oh well, it was quite a sight anyway.

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Since the contract for next year?s rally isn?t signed, they couldn?t announce next year?s site, but ?you?ll like it.? Based on my experience at this rally, I would attend another RA rally, but I?ll have to hear where it will be.

Saturday night was typical last night at a rally ? packing up a little and preparing for an early departure the next morning. The Saturday night band was a bluesy band that I really liked. I turned in a little early since I wanted to get on the road early the next morning.
 
Loved the rally report!! Thanks so much!! Couldn't go, but was up north on Skyline Drive for the weekend, so at least I felt like I was kind of there in spirit!
 
I initially had thought about heading home via eastern KY and Ohio to ride the triple nickel, but that will have to be a separate trip. In the end I just wanted to get home and planned a two day trip home via SW VA and the Shenandoah Valley. I had decided to stay in a hotel that night, since after five nights in a tent, I wanted a break. I wasn?t very careful in packing away a rain fly soaked with dew, knowing I wouldn?t need it again.

With the sounds of people packing up, I awoke a little earlier on Sunday, made a cup of coffee, ate a quick breakfast and was packed and on the road by 7.

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<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/69285929" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/69285929">Homeward Bound</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user11114127">Terence Hamill</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

I headed over to the BRP, and apparently, early Sunday morning is a good time to ride the Parkway. :) Very little traffic on my journey north.

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There was early morning fog, especially at the higher elevations.

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On my BRP trip in the Fall and on my ride down on Thursday, Mt Mitchell was fogged in, and I didn?t think it?d be any different this morning. For some reason, as I approached Mt Mitchell SP, it cleared, so I made the run up to the top. Gorgeous views from up there.

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I retraced my route back to the Parkway and continued north.

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I pulled into Little Switzerland for a quick rest stop.

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At Deep Gap, I exited the Parkway and eventually headed north towards VA on route 16.

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In Independence, I headed north on VA 21, headed for Wytheville and lunch. There were dark clouds ahead, so I stopped and prepared for rain.

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The rain came quickly and I stopped for gas to get out of the rain a little. Not a bad place to stop for gas.

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By the time I reached Wytheville, the rain had stopped and I was hungry. A BBQ place I found on my GPS didn?t seem to exist anymore, so I had a quick lunch at Sheetz. I like the fact that Sheetz has outside tables, so I ?dined? al fresco.:eat

After a delicious lunch, or rather, after lunch, I headed north a short distance on I-77 to Bland, where I picked up VA 42.

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VA 42 was fantastic and the kind of road I really like. I headed northeast up a broad valley which occasionally crossed a ridge. The road is fairly open with nice sweeping turns and the scene was of grass freshly cut, rolled and drying in the fields. I hit a few showers, but it was my favorite road of the day.

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I had forgotten to load my return route into my GPS before leaving, so was navigating by map and took a wrong turn in Poplar Hill. I had intended to follow 42 further north, but ended up headed for I-81, and it was too late in the day to back track. Continuing on 42 is another future trip.:)

As much as I dislike I-81, I decided to head north as it was getting late in the afternoon, and I?d find a hotel somewhere. I ended up in Staunton, VA at a Hampton Inn and looked forward to my last day on the road.

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I slept a little better in a hotel bed than my tent, and woke after a good night?s sleep. After the free breakfast buffet, I was on the road by 7 headed for Waynesboro.

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At Waynesboro I paid my $10 to ride Skyline Drive and headed north at a leisurely pace. The speed limit is only 35 mph compared to 45 mph on the Parkway. Early Monday morning is apparently a good time to ride Skyline Drive. :)

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I stopped in Big Meadows, about half way up Skyline Drive, for gas and a look around the visitor center.

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After a short stop, I headed north and completed Skyline Drive at Front Royal.

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From there I headed north on the Stonewall Jackson Highway.

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I was headed for the Harpers Ferry area for lunch, and stopped briefly in Rippon, WV. This church next to the Rippon PO caught my eye because it was for rent.

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After another al fresco meal at Sheetz in Charles Town, I headed north on WV 340. At one point, I was braking for an intersection and thought I heard something hit the road. I thought maybe I had lost one of the bags strapped to my seat and found a place to pull over. Everything seemed attached and off I went. I was headed for Antietam to look around the battlefield.

After stopping for this picture in MD?

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?when I walked back to the bike, I immediately noticed I was missing my left saddlebag.

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WTF? Of course, I immediately realized where I had lost it and what I?d heard hitting the road. I backtracked to the intersection on 340 where I had stopped about 30-40 minutes before to check my load, and found nothing. I walked the shoulders and the grass median and didn?t see the saddlebag, any part of a saddlebag or any contents of a saddlebag. I called the police departments of Harpers Ferry and Charles Town when I got home, but as of today, nothing has been turned in. I also had neglected to put any contact information in the saddlebag, which I have since done with my other bags. I don?t know how it happened, but assume that at lunch or some time earlier in the day, I had gone into that bag for something and hadn?t properly secured it, and the act of braking made it come off. An expensive lesson learned. I lost along with the saddle bag, my rain suit, cook set, camp stove and fuel body and a fleece jacket.

No longer being interested in Antietam, I headed for home, picking up MD 15 in Frederick.

It was nice to finally cross back into PA, even though I was returning with fewer things than I had left with.

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I rode through a couple of thunderstorms, missing my rain suit a little bit, and was home by dinner time.

The lost saddle bag put a damper on things, but I had a great trip of 2300+ miles in 7 days riding some great roads. The list of roads I?d like to ride has also grown and I?ll have to revisit parts of VA I didn?t have time to see.

I also thought the RA rally was a lot of fun. It?s on a different scale than the MOA rally, but it was still fantastic people on great bikes in a location with roads worth riding. Good combination.

Now to replace my lost items before leaving for the National in Oregon?
 
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