Seb's Usa Tour 2006 *updated Again* 9/30/06

[image: Click for full size]
I know a few of you have been waiting for this, and to you I would like to apologize for being lazy(you know who you are!). To the rest you fine members of VFRD, I would like to share with you the experience I had recently while riding my sixth gen viffer around the country. Please note that up until this trip I had never ridden(or driven) myself out of the state, and had never ridden any bike for more than 200 miles in a day. I am a touring noob!

The whole trip started as a joke about a year ago when a co-worker and friend of mine decided to move from NY to Arizona to be closer to his family (As a note, he had ridden his F4i to Tucson and back in 2001, to celebrate getting his license and to visit). So about a week before he left, he smiled and said, "So you're going to ride your bike out to visit me, right?" To which I replied " goofy.gif !" I remember the shape you were in when you got back! And I passed it off as just that, a joke. The seed started growing, however, and in the midst of the ensuing New York winter I found a website called tailofthedragon.com, through a link provided by someone on the CBR forum that I'm also a member of. The gears started turning, and the idea of a road trip began to take shape in my mind, and so I decided to go on a journey to visit my friend in Tucson, and to ride the legendary Dragon on the way there, with hopes to have time and tire left to ride it again on the way home.

At this point I did not yet own my vfr, but had dreamt of buying one. I started poring over an atlas I picked up at WalMart, and started recognizing places I had seen written about on VFRD, and began adding stops and detours onto the route, under the guise of, "If I'm going all the way out there, I may as well go see this other place too! Then I decided that I could never pull it off with the F4i, and bought the vfr. There's much more to that story, but this is a ride report! I ended up with a list including the Blue Ridge Parkway, Deal's Gap, the Cherohala Skyway, Mt. Lemmon, the Coronado Trail(Rt. 191/666), the Grand Canyon, and the Million Dollar Highway. You only live once, right?

So to make the most of it, I thought it would be nice to meet some vfrd members while out on the road, and asked around about places to stay near cities I would be passing through. I owe many thanks to Kevin Bailey(baileyrock), Craig Hawley(ColSprsVfr), and Lee Scherer(Lee2002), for their generous hospitality, it wouldn't have been the same without you guys! More on that later!

Day one involved lots of rain, it started sometime Friday night, and I didn't hit dry air until I got out of New York, and into New Jersey. What a way to begin a trip, eh? Here's the bike all packed and ready to go Saturday morning:

[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 002.jpg 9:00am Saturday morning, 8/26, ready to go! (except for the rain)


During the course of the day, I rode in and out of rain while crossing Jersey, Pennsylvania, and a little piece of Maryland, and managed to not take a single pic until the next morning after I broke camp in Virginia. The rain got so heavy at one point in Virginia, that I found myself sharing an overpass with a friendly couple who were riding a Goldwing(his) and a Pacific Coast(hers) from Pennsylvania south to Roanoke. Day one also involved my one and only wrong turn of the whole trip, where I lost about 45 minutes because I turned onto 83 south instead of 81. I also remember waving to a 6th gen viffer that was going the opposite way, on the interstate, over a bridge. This was north of Woodstock, and the bike had a topcase and a tinted screen. Member??

I made it to Claytor Lake State Park around 8:30pm, right as it was getting dark. Thank you Mr. Honda for headlights bright enough to light up a campsite! biggrin.gif I pitched my tent, scribbled some notes, and had a nice long chat with my fiance on the cell phone about how I was sore and wanted to go home about as much as I wanted to keep going. Thanks for the support honey fing02.gif


Day 2 came all too soon, my el cheapo Radio Shack alarm had me up at 6:00am, to break camp and get organized for the day. My outlook had improved a lot, the weather was looking better, and I had the Blue Ridge Mountains to look forward to!


[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 003.jpg Campsite at Claytor Lake State park, in Virginia. Of course I remembered the camera after I packed everything up...



[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 004.jpg Another pic of camp...


After topping up on gas and coffee, and adjusting and lubing the chain, I set out for a 45 minute ride to the town of Fancy Gap, Virginia, to ride the last 188 miles of the BRP. I felt then and still do now that this was the real start of my trip, I was over being worried about "can I do it" and really started enjoying the ride.


[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 005.jpg Getting on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Fancy Gap, Virginia, 8/27/2006



[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 008.jpg On the Blue Ridge...



[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 009.jpg The first pulloff I came to... I was in awe of the scenery, this is a beautiful place to visit and I was blessed with great weather. The green mountains are where I want to be!



[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 010.jpg Fox Hunter's Paradise!



[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 016.jpg Another stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway



[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 020.jpg The reason they're called the Smoky Mountains, is for the fog you see here. I was very lucky that it stayed off in the distance...



[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 022.jpg 200 years ago, we'd be riding 1-horespower 'vehicles', and living in something like this:



[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 024.jpg Breaking in the Avon...



[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 025.jpg Next stop: Boone's Trace, rumored to be the starting point of many of Daniel Boone's westward treks.

One of many history lessons for me along the way!


The southern end of the Parkway only gets better, as you go through the tunnels and the Asheville Watershed. After all that scenery, I dropped into Asheville for gas and to locate I-40, and what do I see coming at me down the street, but a red sixth gen VFR! Too cool! We smiled and waved and went on our merry way. Two days, two viffer sightings! Sweet!

After riding such a nice road, getting back on the InterSlab really puts a bad taste in your mouth, I was taking I-40 west toward Gatlinburg, and hating every minute of it. Until I hit the section that runs through the Pisgah Forest. WOW! WHY CAN'T THEY ALL BE LIKE THIS?!? Sure, it would take ten times longer to cross the country, but with these turns, who cares? Left, right, left, right, one after the other at 85mph felt great in the rising temperatures of the day. Welcome to Tennessee, home of the Twisties! Got the Avons good and gummy by the end of that bit!

I rolled into Gatlinburg just in time to catch the fleeing Sunday tourist traffic, and it was HOT. Real hot and humid, I was drenched by the time I made it to the Comfort Inn, and their a/c felt great. Right up until the nice lady told me that I was at the wrong Comfort Inn, and that I had actually booked myself at the one in Pigeon Forge, 15 minutes away. blink.gif Back into the 90 degree heat! I was very relieved to finally make it to the room and get some grub, I remember thinking to myself as I streched my weary back out on the floor, "Tommorrow's going to be a great day, the Dragon awaits!"


Stay tuned...

SEBSPEED, Sep 22 2006, 12:20 AM
Stay tuned...

What? Not fair.. pissed.gif

I'm on the edge of my seat. wheel.gif

Sorry guys, I can only load so many pics in one night... more to come this evening! cool.gif

Chev, Sep 22 2006, 08:04 AM
What? Not fair.. pissed.gif

+1.gif

Wow, this is better than the book I'm reading...

Is the limitation on how many pics can be uploaded a VFRD restriction or your connection? If VFRD, I vote that HS lets you upload all of it at once... idea3.gif

Seb,

Great so far, you are blessed to be able to make that ride. I look forward to the day and your trip report is perfect. I wait to continue to live vicariously with you.

A+

Christian

lurk.gif

on the edge of my seat!!, I'm looking forward to read the rest, I am planning on riding to Tucson, AZ for Thanksgiving approx 3400 miles roundtrip, Like you my longest ride has been about 400 miles to the PNW Meet last month. Looking to pick up some pointers, learn from others! +1.gif wheel.gif

Tease ! dry.gif

baileyrock, Sep 22 2006, 08:39 PM
Tease ! dry.gif

tongue.gif

Looking forward to it! lurk.gif

SEBSPEED, Sep 22 2006, 07:44 PM
tongue.gif

It might be time to ban someone from the board untill they get that write-up done. goofy.gif

Chev, Sep 22 2006, 09:39 PM
It might be time to ban someone from the board untill they get that write-up done. goofy.gif

Hey! I'm tryin here! I'd like to add the pics to the vfrd gallery, so they'll be around for awhile, but uploading a hundred pix one at a time is painful!! unsure.gif Photobucket lets you do ten at a time...

SEBSPEED, Sep 22 2006, 08:48 PM
Hey! I'm tryin here! I'd like to add the pics to the vfrd gallery, so they'll be around for awhile, but uploading a hundred pix one at a time is painful!! unsure.gif Photobucket lets you do ten at a time...

See what I mean BR? If he wasn't looking at these posts, he'd be uploading. laugh.gif biggrin.gif

[image: IPB Image]
Ohh right, it only sounds similar.

Sounds like an awesome trip so far. Just that alone is a good trip in itself, with plenty to come. Looking forward to reading the rest as you post it. Thanks Glad you had wonderful / safe trip.

Need more pics / info....you're banned from posting on other topics 'till the total adventure is up.......the 7000 miles took less time............KIDDING, but waiting... lurk.gif beer.gif

Great write-up, looking forward to the next episode lurk.gif

[/quote]


Did you mean to say something here? No reason to re-post the entire subject!

I would recommend not putting your helmet on the handlebars and/or mirrors when you take it off. The chance of it dropping is high and the potential damage could ruin your helmet. Trust me, I know.

Nozz, Sep 26 2006, 07:11 AM
I would recommend not putting your helmet on the handlebars and/or mirrors when you take it off. The chance of it dropping is high and the potential damage could ruin your helmet. Trust me, I know.

We walked outside of a restaurant on Sunday and there was a Harley with the little NAZI beannie helmet upside down hanging off the right handlebar filled with water from the rainstorm that just happened. goofy.gif

Anyway, nice trip report. MORE PICS idea3.gif

Come on Seb, post some more story and pics!

Ian

I think he fabricated the whole thing! dry.gif

goofy.gif

baileyrock, Sep 26 2006, 07:57 PM
I think he fabricated the whole thing! dry.gif

goofy.gif

Yeah, notice he is not in any of the pictures? His sister must have taken pics of someone elses bike along the side of the road. blink.gif

baileyrock, Sep 26 2006, 06:57 PM
I think he fabricated the whole thing! dry.gif

goofy.gif

It does seem a little suspicious... I mean, really, does anyone really think some guy is going to travel around the USA on a VFR and do 7,000 miles in 13 days.

If you are going to make up a story, it at least has to be believable. Anyone can find photos on the internet and say... "Oh, look at my bike here." Come on Seb, I'm not biting.

Lee 2002, Sep 26 2006, 09:41 PM
It does seem a little suspicious... I mean, really, does anyone really think some guy is going to travel around the USA on a VFR and do 7,000 miles in 13 days.

If you are going to make up a story, it at least has to be believable. Anyone can find photos on the internet and say... "Oh, look at my bike here." Come on Seb, I'm not biting.

Seb... do you own a copy of photoshop?..... dry.gif

Ok, ok, twist my arm why don'tcha tongue.gif Here you go, day three...

8/28/2006

Monday morning I got up a little late, around 7:00am, that queen size bed had my aching shoulders seduced, but the desire to make sure my baby was still parked outside the window was overpowering, so I checked, and there she was, tucked away under the cover. I got all my things packed up(I was starting to get good at it by this point!), and made it to the hotel cafeteria for some coffee and a few smuggled bagels before I hit the road. I left the way I came in, by going back down through Gatlinburg(nice lookin town, but too many tourists), and taking 73 through the Smoky Mountain Park. Here's a shot from 73, it was nice and quiet here, riding this area on a Monday morning sure has its benefits!

[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 036.jpg Quick stop on Rt. 73 in the Smoky Mountain Park, not too far from Gatlinburg.


From there I got on 321 to connect to the Foothills Parkway again, for some more beautiful morning scenery:

[image: IPB Image]

The giddy feeling I woke up with turned into a full rush of excitement and butterflies as I approached the intersection with 129, I remember thinking "I'm here, I'm here! I made it!", as I painfully heeded everyone's warnings about the police and first few sharp turns. It felt very surreal going by the overlook and into the first 20 or so turns, having seen so many pictures and stories about them, but that faded quickly as I fell into rythm with the road.

[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 041.jpg View from the overlook at 9am, Monday morning, 8/28/2006.

[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 044.jpg Viffer at the overlook

[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 046.jpg One of the few pullouts on the Dragon, showing a little of the elevation change going on there.


I ran the dragon a total of five times, and was(and am still!!) wishing for five hundred more as I left. I went down to the store for a soda and some souveniers rolleyes.gif , then went back up to the overlook for some photos, and took a few more on the way down again. I had noticed Yellow Wolf's bike when I got there the first time, and checking it out whilst drinking my soda, I thought to myself that his price drop from $60 to $40 was pretty reasonable for a memory well saved, and so before I headed out on run #4, I found Rick and set my bike up to be recorded. He's got a good process down pat, and it's reflected it the final product. the only thing I wasn't happy with was some of my riding biggrin.gif . Once we got to the overlook, he was quickly distracted by other interested parties, but I managed to snatch this shot:

[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 050.jpg At the overlook with Yellow Wolf after he recorded my run. Dunno who that is in the background...


And so, being pressed for time and all, I had to make my way through one last time, before hitting some of the roads Baileyrock had layed out for me further south. FWIW, I didn't see a single LEO the whole time I was there, and they could have snagged me at any time except the beginning of my first run goofy.gif

I forgot to mention it had sprinkled a bit on and off in the area, which kinda put a damper on 28S, but I did get to wick it up a few times. The rain picked up again near Fontana Lake, but let up once I got on 143. I took that to the Cherohala, but wasn't too impressed with it. It needs a serious revamp with new pavement and some better drainage to keep the dirt off. I managed to snap a couple pix of the Cherohala before I hit a wall of fog around 4500 ft; here's one:

[image: IPB Image]
USA TOUR 2006 051.jpg One of only a couple pics I got from the Cherohala, it was very foggy! Pea soup above 5000 feet!


Needless to say, it took a little longer to get through there! Literally couldn't see anything past my windscreen for 20-30 yards at at time in some places! I came down into Tellico a little dissapointed about that, but, you win some, you lose some. Plenty more to see over the next couple weeks, and I was on my way to meet Kevin(baileyrock)! I hadn't planned for the extra time it took to do the vid at the dragon, so I had to cut out a lot of the backroad excursion Kev had mapped out, and take 68 north to Sweetwater and I-75 to I-40 to Nashville.

Nozz, Sep 26 2006, 07:11 AM
I would recommend not putting your helmet on the handlebars and/or mirrors when you take it off. The chance of it dropping is high and the potential damage could ruin your helmet. Trust me, I know.

Sorry for your misfortune, I haven't had any problems yet. I feel it's pretty safe there for the few minutes I leave it unattended.

Lee 2002, Sep 26 2006, 09:41 PM
It does seem a little suspicious... I mean, really, does anyone really think some guy is going to travel around the USA on a VFR and do 7,000 miles in 13 days.

If you are going to make up a story, it at least has to be believable. Anyone can find photos on the internet and say... "Oh, look at my bike here." Come on Seb, I'm not biting.

Yep, I magine day four will start off with "No sh!t, there I was...with only a titanium spork and my aluminized solar emegency blanket to fight off the attacking herd of...". goofy.gif


Good stuff, Seb. fing02.gif

kwb377, Sep 26 2006, 11:12 PM
Yep, I magine day four will start off with "No sh!t, there I was...with only a titanium spork and my aluminized solar emegency blanket to fight off the attacking herd of...". goofy.gif
Good stuff, Seb. fing02.gif

Ok, how's this:

Here I am out on the town in historic Nashville with a few ladies we met at the Broadway Bewhouse while having dinner beer.gif

[image: IPB Image]



And so ends day three goofy.gif fing02.gif

SEBSPEED, Sep 26 2006, 10:19 PM
Ok, how's this:
And so ends day three goofy.gif fing02.gif

Yeah, yeah...but how 'bout pics of night three?? 491.gif

Day Four...

Tuesday started nice and early, Kevin took the morning off from work so we could ride a part of his 400-mile loop.
[image: IPB Image]

We stopped at Puckett's for breakfast, scrambled eggs and pancakes, mmmm... just what I needed after last nights' Coronas and Jagermeister!!
[image: IPB Image]

Then we hit some real fun roads, and Kevin let me test ride his bike to check out the suspension work he's done. I was on the fence about it, because I really wanted to test his bike with all the goodies, but on the other hand I knew that I needed my tires to last the whole trip! goofy.gif It's all good though, I made it home many miles later with tread left! I'm actually still on those tires today, with a new set coming at the end of this week.

I remember passing under the Natchez Trace Parkway at some point along the way, too.

...

After parting ways with Kevin and the last of the twisties I'd see in Tennessee, I settled back into SuperSlab mode, and set the dial to Arkansas. My plan was to make it to Woolly Hollow State Park to set up camp for the night, but I ended up getting there around four in the afternoon, with nothing but clear skies ahead, so I kept going! It's a good thing I did, because I had an 800 mile day of slab on the books for the next day! blink.gif