Artiee
R1200RT
You could say the foundation for this trip began many years ago. As my youngest daughter, Stephanie, is quite a few years younger than her two older siblings, past visits to grandparents were at a much, much younger age for her. As such, she only had vague memories and had been asking when she might get to visit her grandfather (my father) again. We had tried several times in years past to get together, but for one reason or another (schedules, finances, logistics) the trips never came about. The most recent attempt a couple of years ago, came to an abrupt end, when my father, enroute to the airport to fly here for a visit, was rear-ended by a local police car. By the time the investigation was completed, my father had missed his flight. (Visits to her other grandparents had been easier to achieve and my father was the only one she had not seen since she was a few years old.)
Towards the end of last year (2008), Stephanie again brought up the question of when there might be a chance to visit her grandfather. I told her I wasn't certain but would look for an opportunity when we might be able to go. A check of her school calendar showed she had a week off for Spring Break, April 13-17. When you threw in the weekends there was a window of opportunity for up to nine days of travel. I checked my work schedule and saw that my crew was scheduled for downtime for most of that same nine days ÔÇô by taking a couple of days leave, I would be able to make the trip. After consulting with my boss, he said if I decided to go he would approved the leave request. I then consulted with my father about his plans for the same week. He said he would be at home and we were welcome to come. The issue of timing appeared to be in our favor.
Next came the question of funding for the trip. As the initial thoughts for attempting this trip came at the end of 2008, Christmas shopping was wrapping up. I checked to see if anything was left in the Christmas budget. As it turned out, there was. Furthermore, I had not yet deposited my Christmas bonus check from work. The issue of funding was also in our favor.
Stephanie has previously gone on short rides with me in the local area but she had brought up on occasion the idea of going on a longer motorcycle trip. Here was an opportunity for her to fulfill her wish to go on a motorcycle trip. As my father lives in Gallatin, TN, the route there and back would pass near the Smokey Mountains (and "The Dragon", which I've wanted to go visit but just needed a justifiable reason and now had) so here was an opportunity for me as well. I broached the idea of the Spring Break trip to my wife. I briefed her on the timing and how it would be funded and she graciously agreed we could go. Now I could begin working on the details of the trip.
I now had to look to the issue of riding gear for Stephanie and ensuring the motorcycle was ready for the trip. In March 2009, the motorcycle would be due for routine maintenance (funding for which was already projected in the family budget). The timing was good because it would be shortly before our departure. As it turned out though, I needed a new front tire so that put me a little over the budget for the maintenance, but aside from that, the motorcycle was mechanically sound and good to go.
The issue of Stephanie's riding gear was another matter though. As she has previously gone on short rides with me in the local area, we already had most of her gear ÔÇô helmet, jacket, gloves and boots. We had previously purchased her some riding pants, but they turned out to be too large. No matter ÔÇô we could hold on to them and she would grow into them, but at this point we needed to find something else which would fit. The problem was, she is at that "in-between" stage, too big for the kids' sizes and not yet big enough for the women's sizes. After much searching around, I found her a pair of women's Answer moto-cross pants (small) which fit. As they didn't come with knee protection, we went to a sporting goods store and purchased knee protectors she could wear under the pants.
As the weather would be somewhat on the cool side, we also purchased a neck warmer and heavier gloves. Since springtime is often accompanied by rain, we bought rain gear as well. A couple of insulated sweat shirts for warmth and insulation rounded out the gear purchase.
As we were going through the process of finding and purchasing Stephanie's riding gear, I began route planning, looking for over-night stops and researching how weather for mid-April might affect our travels. The total distance, one way, was approximately 630 miles. Abingdon, VA was within a few miles of being exactly halfway, so it would be the overnight stop on the outbound and return legs of the trip. Researching hotel options for the area, I wanted something low cost with a restaurant on site or within walking distance (so we wouldn't have to don all our gear, just to go eat). I found a Days Inn, just off I-81, exit 19 which fit the requirements.
Accommodations while in Gallatin were already taken care of, so that left selecting a location in the vicinity US 129. I chose the lodge at Fontana Village because of its proximity to Deal's Gap and the fact they had a restaurant in the same building. Accommodations and reservations were now set.
(One day I would love to take a motorcycle trip which has no set plan or agenda - just get on the motorcycle, pick a direction and ride; when the time comes to eat or stop for the night, find something nearby; when you see a sign for nearby attractions, turn off the main route and go see them; no set plans or agenda, just riding and site-seeing. Unfortunately the upcoming trip required set time lines, destinations and agendas.)
So what could we expect in the way of weather? It wasn-t too hard to compile historic data and come up with a projection.
As the time for the trip approached, I consulted ten-day weather forecasts for various points along our route of travel. Using this data I compiled a projected forecast chart to help plan travel times while avoiding the worst of the weather.
(Okay, some may consider going this far with charting the weather a little over-board, but it's the Ops Planner in me. I just can't let the little details go unaddressed. This might make the spontaneous trip I would like to do someday a little awkward to pull off.)
As it turned out the only day where we would actually encounter rain on a travel day was April 11th, our departure day. There was rain and isolated thunderstorms on April 13th and 14th, but we were at my father's and not traveling. April 15th was cloudy but no rain and April 16th and 17th turned out to be absolutely, dropped dead, gorgeous riding days - (but I'm getting a little ahead of the story here).
As I made plans for the trip, I frequently spoke to Stephanie about where we would be going and what we would see. She was very intrigued when I told her about "The Dragon". When I showed her the web site for "Tail of the Dragon", she noticed the "Tree of Shame" and was looking forward to seeing it in person. I also showed her the web sites of the various photographers (such as Killboy) who set up along the route and take pictures. She was looking forward to seeing a picture of us on one or more of those sites.
Monday - April 06, 2009 (T ÔÇô 5 Days and counting)
Everything is on track, the planning is done, the gear purchased, maintenance completed, reservations made. All we have to do now is wait for the day of departure. Then all of a sudden. "Houston, we have a problem!" My wife calls me at work in the late afternoon. She had gone to Stephanie's after-school soccer game and is now transporting her to the Emergency Room with an injury. During the soccer game, Stephanie suffered a severely bruised Achilles tendon in her left ankle when she was accidently kicked by another player. On a scale of 1-10, she rated the pain a 9 and wasn't able to walk on it. Of course I'm concerned about Stephanie's welfare, but she has suffered ankle injuries during soccer games before and I know what doctors are likely to put on her leg to help the injury to heal. I can't help but wonder how that will affect her ability to go through with this trip on the back seat of a motorcycle.
By the time I came home from work, my wife and daughter are back from the ER. Sure enough, the doctors have but a temporary splint on her left leg and it's wrapped from her toes to just below her knee. With a bandage that size, there is no way she will be able to wear her motorcycle boots. The bandage and splint are not weather proof, not to mention her toes being exposed to low temperatures at highway speeds. It's looking like we won't be able to take the motorcycle; Stephanie was disappointed at this prospect. While we can still go on the trip via car, going through "The Dragon" just wouldn't be the same.
I immediately shifted into damage control mode and started looking for ways to salvage this trip. The first thing we need to do is schedule Stephanie for a follow-up appointment with an Orthopedic Surgeon. We were fortunate to find an opening before our scheduled departure, but it wouldn't be until Friday morning, April 10th, only one day before our scheduled departure. The question now is ÔÇô will she be medically cleared to take the trip via motorcycle and if so, will she be able to fit her boot over any brace the doctor fits her with?
I posted my dilemma to various motorcycle web sites to solicit advice on how we might possibly proceed and salvage the trip. The suggested solution which appeared to have the best chance of working involved over-boots ÔÇô the ankle brace would provide the structural support, heavy insulated socks would provide warmth and an over-boot would provide protection from wind and rain. Additionally, a folding cane might be needed if she were still unable to put weight on her foot. Now we just had to wait for the follow-up appointment and see what the doctor said.
Thursday - April 09, 2009 (T ÔÇô 2 Days and counting)
The weather this day was beautiful ÔÇô sunny with a few clouds. Trying to remain optimistic about riding the motorcycle for the trip, I roll it out of the garage to wash off all the winter grim which has accumulated over the past several months.
Friday - April 10, 2009 (T ÔÇô 1 Day and counting)
When I took Stephanie to the doctors on April 10th, I took her motorcycle boots with us, just in case. By this day, Stephanie was still walking with the aid of crutches but she said the pain in her ankle had subsided considerably. The doctor looked at the x-ray, looked at her ankle, had her walk on it, listened to our concerns and looked at her boots. He then gave us the verdictÔÇöshe would be fine riding on the motorcycle for the trip! He didnÔÇÖt want to put a brace on her ankle because he wanted her to walk on it and keep the Achilles tendon stretched. He related the boots were more than adequate for supporting her ankle during the ride. He concluded by saying that if her ankle started to hurt, she should just take Tylenol and prop it up at the end of the day.
We had medical clearance and the trip was a go! Time to head home and start packing.
Towards the end of last year (2008), Stephanie again brought up the question of when there might be a chance to visit her grandfather. I told her I wasn't certain but would look for an opportunity when we might be able to go. A check of her school calendar showed she had a week off for Spring Break, April 13-17. When you threw in the weekends there was a window of opportunity for up to nine days of travel. I checked my work schedule and saw that my crew was scheduled for downtime for most of that same nine days ÔÇô by taking a couple of days leave, I would be able to make the trip. After consulting with my boss, he said if I decided to go he would approved the leave request. I then consulted with my father about his plans for the same week. He said he would be at home and we were welcome to come. The issue of timing appeared to be in our favor.
Next came the question of funding for the trip. As the initial thoughts for attempting this trip came at the end of 2008, Christmas shopping was wrapping up. I checked to see if anything was left in the Christmas budget. As it turned out, there was. Furthermore, I had not yet deposited my Christmas bonus check from work. The issue of funding was also in our favor.
Stephanie has previously gone on short rides with me in the local area but she had brought up on occasion the idea of going on a longer motorcycle trip. Here was an opportunity for her to fulfill her wish to go on a motorcycle trip. As my father lives in Gallatin, TN, the route there and back would pass near the Smokey Mountains (and "The Dragon", which I've wanted to go visit but just needed a justifiable reason and now had) so here was an opportunity for me as well. I broached the idea of the Spring Break trip to my wife. I briefed her on the timing and how it would be funded and she graciously agreed we could go. Now I could begin working on the details of the trip.
I now had to look to the issue of riding gear for Stephanie and ensuring the motorcycle was ready for the trip. In March 2009, the motorcycle would be due for routine maintenance (funding for which was already projected in the family budget). The timing was good because it would be shortly before our departure. As it turned out though, I needed a new front tire so that put me a little over the budget for the maintenance, but aside from that, the motorcycle was mechanically sound and good to go.
The issue of Stephanie's riding gear was another matter though. As she has previously gone on short rides with me in the local area, we already had most of her gear ÔÇô helmet, jacket, gloves and boots. We had previously purchased her some riding pants, but they turned out to be too large. No matter ÔÇô we could hold on to them and she would grow into them, but at this point we needed to find something else which would fit. The problem was, she is at that "in-between" stage, too big for the kids' sizes and not yet big enough for the women's sizes. After much searching around, I found her a pair of women's Answer moto-cross pants (small) which fit. As they didn't come with knee protection, we went to a sporting goods store and purchased knee protectors she could wear under the pants.
As the weather would be somewhat on the cool side, we also purchased a neck warmer and heavier gloves. Since springtime is often accompanied by rain, we bought rain gear as well. A couple of insulated sweat shirts for warmth and insulation rounded out the gear purchase.
As we were going through the process of finding and purchasing Stephanie's riding gear, I began route planning, looking for over-night stops and researching how weather for mid-April might affect our travels. The total distance, one way, was approximately 630 miles. Abingdon, VA was within a few miles of being exactly halfway, so it would be the overnight stop on the outbound and return legs of the trip. Researching hotel options for the area, I wanted something low cost with a restaurant on site or within walking distance (so we wouldn't have to don all our gear, just to go eat). I found a Days Inn, just off I-81, exit 19 which fit the requirements.
Accommodations while in Gallatin were already taken care of, so that left selecting a location in the vicinity US 129. I chose the lodge at Fontana Village because of its proximity to Deal's Gap and the fact they had a restaurant in the same building. Accommodations and reservations were now set.
(One day I would love to take a motorcycle trip which has no set plan or agenda - just get on the motorcycle, pick a direction and ride; when the time comes to eat or stop for the night, find something nearby; when you see a sign for nearby attractions, turn off the main route and go see them; no set plans or agenda, just riding and site-seeing. Unfortunately the upcoming trip required set time lines, destinations and agendas.)
So what could we expect in the way of weather? It wasn-t too hard to compile historic data and come up with a projection.
As the time for the trip approached, I consulted ten-day weather forecasts for various points along our route of travel. Using this data I compiled a projected forecast chart to help plan travel times while avoiding the worst of the weather.
(Okay, some may consider going this far with charting the weather a little over-board, but it's the Ops Planner in me. I just can't let the little details go unaddressed. This might make the spontaneous trip I would like to do someday a little awkward to pull off.)
As it turned out the only day where we would actually encounter rain on a travel day was April 11th, our departure day. There was rain and isolated thunderstorms on April 13th and 14th, but we were at my father's and not traveling. April 15th was cloudy but no rain and April 16th and 17th turned out to be absolutely, dropped dead, gorgeous riding days - (but I'm getting a little ahead of the story here).
As I made plans for the trip, I frequently spoke to Stephanie about where we would be going and what we would see. She was very intrigued when I told her about "The Dragon". When I showed her the web site for "Tail of the Dragon", she noticed the "Tree of Shame" and was looking forward to seeing it in person. I also showed her the web sites of the various photographers (such as Killboy) who set up along the route and take pictures. She was looking forward to seeing a picture of us on one or more of those sites.
Monday - April 06, 2009 (T ÔÇô 5 Days and counting)
Everything is on track, the planning is done, the gear purchased, maintenance completed, reservations made. All we have to do now is wait for the day of departure. Then all of a sudden. "Houston, we have a problem!" My wife calls me at work in the late afternoon. She had gone to Stephanie's after-school soccer game and is now transporting her to the Emergency Room with an injury. During the soccer game, Stephanie suffered a severely bruised Achilles tendon in her left ankle when she was accidently kicked by another player. On a scale of 1-10, she rated the pain a 9 and wasn't able to walk on it. Of course I'm concerned about Stephanie's welfare, but she has suffered ankle injuries during soccer games before and I know what doctors are likely to put on her leg to help the injury to heal. I can't help but wonder how that will affect her ability to go through with this trip on the back seat of a motorcycle.
By the time I came home from work, my wife and daughter are back from the ER. Sure enough, the doctors have but a temporary splint on her left leg and it's wrapped from her toes to just below her knee. With a bandage that size, there is no way she will be able to wear her motorcycle boots. The bandage and splint are not weather proof, not to mention her toes being exposed to low temperatures at highway speeds. It's looking like we won't be able to take the motorcycle; Stephanie was disappointed at this prospect. While we can still go on the trip via car, going through "The Dragon" just wouldn't be the same.
I immediately shifted into damage control mode and started looking for ways to salvage this trip. The first thing we need to do is schedule Stephanie for a follow-up appointment with an Orthopedic Surgeon. We were fortunate to find an opening before our scheduled departure, but it wouldn't be until Friday morning, April 10th, only one day before our scheduled departure. The question now is ÔÇô will she be medically cleared to take the trip via motorcycle and if so, will she be able to fit her boot over any brace the doctor fits her with?
I posted my dilemma to various motorcycle web sites to solicit advice on how we might possibly proceed and salvage the trip. The suggested solution which appeared to have the best chance of working involved over-boots ÔÇô the ankle brace would provide the structural support, heavy insulated socks would provide warmth and an over-boot would provide protection from wind and rain. Additionally, a folding cane might be needed if she were still unable to put weight on her foot. Now we just had to wait for the follow-up appointment and see what the doctor said.
Thursday - April 09, 2009 (T ÔÇô 2 Days and counting)
The weather this day was beautiful ÔÇô sunny with a few clouds. Trying to remain optimistic about riding the motorcycle for the trip, I roll it out of the garage to wash off all the winter grim which has accumulated over the past several months.
Friday - April 10, 2009 (T ÔÇô 1 Day and counting)
When I took Stephanie to the doctors on April 10th, I took her motorcycle boots with us, just in case. By this day, Stephanie was still walking with the aid of crutches but she said the pain in her ankle had subsided considerably. The doctor looked at the x-ray, looked at her ankle, had her walk on it, listened to our concerns and looked at her boots. He then gave us the verdictÔÇöshe would be fine riding on the motorcycle for the trip! He didnÔÇÖt want to put a brace on her ankle because he wanted her to walk on it and keep the Achilles tendon stretched. He related the boots were more than adequate for supporting her ankle during the ride. He concluded by saying that if her ankle started to hurt, she should just take Tylenol and prop it up at the end of the day.
We had medical clearance and the trip was a go! Time to head home and start packing.
