Dirt_Dad
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2012 is starting off as an odd riding year. Although we almost never leave home with a hotel reservation, we usually have an idea of where we want to ride. So far this year we have not come close to arriving in our anticipated ride location. This past weekend was no exception. We set off for the wonderful roads of Western North Carolina, but after losing 24 hours replacing my wife's stolen helmet and bluetooth, and gaming out the weather forecast, the dirt Cherohala and Rt 28 were out of the question.
Despite the two solid days of riding in rain, and the quality time spent with the police one sunny afternoon, we still managed it get in a great ride. We found mile after mile of hillsides covered with Christmas trees in both Virginia and North Carolina. It was pretty interesting to see the professional business of tree farming.
We also rode about 250 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway between Roanoke, VA and Grandfather Mountain in NC.
Honestly the BRP from Roanoke to the NC border can get pretty monotonous. It's a lovely road with very little traffic, but it has a slow speed limit and the scenery is often the same for mile after mile. But fortunately we were on Teneres and there are many dirt roads paralleling the BRP. It was nice to jump off the hardtop and ride the dirt roads for a while to make things interesting.
The section of the BRP around Grandfather Mountain is probably my favorite along the entire route. Just a spectacular area. I was able to capture it a little better on video than in the still below, but it must be seen to be appreciated.
Also had another opportunity to ride The Snake. I love the Snake and will always choose it over the more tourist trap of The Dragon. Compared to the Dragon the Snake has very little hype, and on Saturday morning we never saw any other vehicle during the first run over the mountain from Mountain City towards Bristol. On my second run down the mountain I finally saw my first car. I love the Snake.
Although the helmet theft was a negative event, it did lead to us meeting many people that were willing to help a couple of strangers. Overall it was great seeing that most people are good and looking for an opportunity to help.
As always there's a video
BRP, Snake and more
The next video is just the raw footage of the first run up the Snake on Saturday morning. If you've ridden this great road there's nothing new here. I know it's not sport bike fast, but for an middle aged guy on a adventure bike with K60 tires it's not too bad. By the way, the K60 tires were a non-issue on this road.
The Snake
Despite the two solid days of riding in rain, and the quality time spent with the police one sunny afternoon, we still managed it get in a great ride. We found mile after mile of hillsides covered with Christmas trees in both Virginia and North Carolina. It was pretty interesting to see the professional business of tree farming.
We also rode about 250 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway between Roanoke, VA and Grandfather Mountain in NC.
Honestly the BRP from Roanoke to the NC border can get pretty monotonous. It's a lovely road with very little traffic, but it has a slow speed limit and the scenery is often the same for mile after mile. But fortunately we were on Teneres and there are many dirt roads paralleling the BRP. It was nice to jump off the hardtop and ride the dirt roads for a while to make things interesting.
The section of the BRP around Grandfather Mountain is probably my favorite along the entire route. Just a spectacular area. I was able to capture it a little better on video than in the still below, but it must be seen to be appreciated.
Also had another opportunity to ride The Snake. I love the Snake and will always choose it over the more tourist trap of The Dragon. Compared to the Dragon the Snake has very little hype, and on Saturday morning we never saw any other vehicle during the first run over the mountain from Mountain City towards Bristol. On my second run down the mountain I finally saw my first car. I love the Snake.
Although the helmet theft was a negative event, it did lead to us meeting many people that were willing to help a couple of strangers. Overall it was great seeing that most people are good and looking for an opportunity to help.
As always there's a video
BRP, Snake and more
The next video is just the raw footage of the first run up the Snake on Saturday morning. If you've ridden this great road there's nothing new here. I know it's not sport bike fast, but for an middle aged guy on a adventure bike with K60 tires it's not too bad. By the way, the K60 tires were a non-issue on this road.
The Snake
