[image: Posted Image]
I have always wanted to travel down to ride the �Tail of the Dragon� and all the other great roads in the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. My father has always wanted to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway from Virginia to North Carolina. This summer we finally got our chance!
Day 1: The Lost Key
My Dad turned 70 this year. He has been riding motorcycles for 54 years now. He has always ridden motorcycles, never even owned a car in Scotland until he was married and my mom made him buy a family car. My first memories are when I was 4 years old and I remember the blue tank in front of me and my dad behind me and we are driving over a curvy road in Scotland. Probably the moment I was hooked on motorcycles.
My father has always wanted to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway, but he has never gotten the time to get down to ride it. I thought what could be a better way to celebrate his 70th birthday? So we started making plans for a one week trip. This summer on the eve of his birthday, we set out to visit the Blue Ridge Mountains and all the curvy roads in the Great Smoky Mountains (especially the Tail of the Dragon). We made good time until we got to the border.
Normally it would be the border crossing that would hold you up, but on this day we got stuck at the Duty Free shop. We had stopped for lunch, and were getting ready to leave when my father announced he had lost his key. He checked all his pockets (twice � my dad is famous for misplacing his keys). At this point he headed back in and retraced his steps. No key. Then we checked the washrooms, around where we ate, under display counters � no key. We asked at the restaurant counter and the help desk, no luck. My dad checked all his pockets again. Nothing. Next the garbage bags where lunch was thrown out got emptied and checked, no key. We were stranded and we hadn�t even crossed the border yet. Not a good start to our trip.
Suddenly my dad held up his arm and looked closely at the sleeve. This was a new jacket he had got for the trip, and it was his first time wearing it. He was looking at a small pocket on the left sleeve that was designed to slip keys, or toll money into. He sheepishly pulled his key out of the pocket and we were back on track. We drove the rest of the day relatively trouble free. Every time we stopped though, I asked my dad where he was putting his key though.
Day 2: The Interstate (or man does my a$$ hurt)
Long hours going in a straight line. Lots of cops at the side of the road, so speed limits are observed.
Through my head at the end of the day, the last few hours when my knees won�t stop aching, and there is no comfortable position left on my seat: �Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we��
Finally we arrived in Roanoke. Tomorrow the Blue Ridge.
Day 3: The Blue Ridge
As we were leaving our hotel, we noticed the weather channel was on in the lobby. They were talking about an extreme heat wave that was starting today. It was quite hot when we left the hotel, but once we started ascending the mountain it was like air conditioning. The cooler air, and the sweeping curves made this the best day so far.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is just one amazing view after another. Everywhere we stopped, we soaked in the scenery. At our first pull off I snapped a shot of the mountains.
[image: Posted Image]
Where we are from in Ontario, the roads are long and straight, so riding the Blue Ridge was an eye opener. One curve was served up after another, the drought of straight roads was over, and we were loving the Blue Ridge. There are many pull offs, and each time we stopped we were in awe of the beautiful views. This is truly a beautiful area, and even though it was the weekend, the road wasn�t overly busy so we bobbed through curve after curve.
Just before lunch, we met some nice folk from our neck of the woods. We are from Kitchener, Ontario, and they were travelling back to Elmira, Ontario. They snapped a shot of my dad and I.
[image: Posted Image]
Lunch was granola bars eaten at the side of the road. We didn�t want to get off the road for anything, not even lunch. I was tempted by this giant mushroom that was growing under a canopy of trees at one of the pull offs.
[image: Posted Image]
At the end of the day, we slipped off the road as evening was descending. We rode in to town and found a place to stay.
Day 4: The Last Straight Road before The Dragon
Today the weather report was for heavy rain showers in our area, and on the Blue Ridge for the next few days. We checked the weather report for Deals Gap, North Carolina (home of the Tail of the Dragon, and many other curvy roads) and it had been raining quite a bit there, but it was now starting to clear. We jumped on the interstate and headed for the Dragon.
We made good time, slipped between weather systems nicely, with only about half an hour of rain to endure the entire day. We booked into our hotel, and even though it was 7:00pm in the evening, we decided we had to get out and ride the dragon, just in case it poured rain all of the next day. We dropped our luggage in the room and we were off. I was tired and saddle sore, but that was all forgotten as I passed the Deal�s Gap resort and the fun began.
This was my first time riding the dragon - ever. I was nervous, excited, and kept thinking of a roller coaster as I drove.
[image: Posted Image]
We spent the next 20 minutes or so riding on curve after curve, riding from one turn to the next, slowly a rhythm started and the turns began to flow together a bit. When we finally stopped at the end I saw the biggest smile on my dad�s face.
[image: Posted Image]
He hadn�t been overly excited about this part of the trip, it was my idea to come to do the Tail of the Dragon, and he had thought that 318 turns in 11 miles was impossible. He was never so happy to be wrong. We threw our helmets back on and headed back through the turns again. Hungry, tired, but happy we headed back to our hotel for the night.
Unfortunately�
In the parking lot I noticed a green puddle under my bike. Uh oh. Coolant, leaking quite badly. Great. It was properly dark now, so repairs would be attempted in the morning. I went to bed with visions of curves dancing in my head, and the hissing sound of coolant dripping on the pavement in my ears.
Day 5: The Yellow Bumble Bee Saves the Day!
So it turns out that my bike had been damaged previously in a low side, and the radiator had been pushed into the fan slightly. As the fan came on during the ride through the Dragon, the fan finally wore several small holes in the rad and I was definitely not going to be riding today. Did I mention this was the only day we had here to ride? We would be leaving again tomorrow.
My dad is a mechanic, so he would be able to patch the rad, but it would have to sit for 24 hours before being ridden again. Here is my dad working on the bike.
[image: Posted Image]
I was feeling pretty low, but then I remembered a pamphlet I had seen in the hotel: Sportbikes4hire.com. I checked out the website and they had several great models available. I settled on an SV650, a bike that I previously owned and was still a big fan of, and it was delivered to my hotel promptly, even with the short notice.
[image: Posted Image]
The bike was a 2002 SV650 in mint condition. The first things I noticed was the set of pilot powers on the wheels, and the shiny yellow paint on the tank. It was going to be a good day. Actually it was going to be a great day!
We headed out and tried to hit every curvy road we could find. Of course we rode the dragon again, and we hit the Moonshiner 28. The Cherohala Skyway brought some welcome cooler air to a hot riding day. Every road was fantastic in its own way. Our confidence in the curves grew, there were so many curves now, that we almost hoped for a straight section in the road, just to have a break.
We pulled off on Moonshiner 28. Here is the way we came in.
[image: Posted Image]
The road on the way back out.
[image: Posted Image]
A shot of the view from the pull off we stopped at on Moonshiner 28. We were so busy riding, that we almost missed how beautiful it is everywhere down here.
[image: Posted Image]
We were hot and tired now. We had been riding for 8 hours straight. But we were in for a pleasant surprise on the way back to our hotel. We were heading down US129 on our way back to Robbinsville. And it was still really hot! We saw this heavy mist on the water as we rode along.
[image: Posted Image]
The mist started to roll up onto the road, and it was like instant air conditioning as we rode though it. It was a nice way to end our ride as we headed into Robbinsville. We were pleased to be invited into the Carolina Kitchen for supper, even though they were getting ready to close. Great service, great food, perfect day!
Day 5: Man it�s hot! Why don�t I need to Pee anymore
It is funny how you never seem to get sore, when every road curves around itself. It seems to be pain free riding for hours. Once the road straighten out though� We headed up US129 to Knoxville, where we would jump on the Interstate to head home. It was really hot today, the hottest so far, and we were really feeling the heat.
This was our last chance to ride the dragon. We stopped to get the obligatory picture in front of the Deal�s Gap sign.
[image: Posted Image]
All the opportunities to ride on all the amazing roads around here had helped my confidence, and I was riding a bit smoother today. I was worried about the heavy overloaded side cases, but it didn�t seem to be an issue.
[image: Posted Image]
My dad enjoyed his last ride on the dragon (until next year)!
[image: Posted Image]
We stopped at the outlook at the top of the Dragon for one last look.
[image: Posted Image]
And we began the long ride back to Canada.
US129 was great all the way up we were spoiled with lots of twisty bits, and long sweepers before we got to the Interstate. After lunch is was all straight all the time. The familiar pains returned in the knees and the a$$. The heat didn�t help and even with our mesh gear, we were just sweating like crazy. The air was hot, so there was no cooling effect when at speed.
The VFR was holding up well, and though it was really hot, the temperature didn�t climb too high, and everything seemed to be holding steady. Thank you JB Quick Weld and thank you dad!
We started stopping every hour or so to just drink, and get out of the heat for a bit. The day went on into early evening, and when the temperature didn�t drop at all, we packed it in and found a hotel.
Day 6: Tons of Friendly Americans and One Canadian A$$hole
Again with the heat! I read an article in a local newspaper that morning as we were eating breakfast and it was explaining how people over 65 years of age are affected more during heat waves. I was a bit worried for my dad, we resolved to stay hydrated all day today.
We stopped and drank every chance we got, and kept on our way. We were getting closer to the border. We kept moving and finally hit Detroit. Almost home! It had been a long hot day. The heat is more noticeable when sitting in line waiting to cross.
Finally we were up. We rolled the bikes forward. I have never seen a customs official so mad! �HOW MANY FINGERS AM I HOLDING UP?!� he yelled. I looked. His leather-gloved hand had one finger pointed high in the air. �One� I replied. He told me to back my motorcycle up. A VFR fully loaded with luggage is not a super heavy bike, but it isn�t a lightweight either, and the slight upward slope backwards didn�t make it easier. The fact he could make my life miserable for hours searching my luggage was my motivation as I dragged my bike back.
Now this is the first real motorcycle trip I have ever done. I have gone a few hours from home, but this was my first time crossing borders on a bike. At the US Border we had rolled up together, presented our identification and been on our way. No one had seemed at all upset. I had no idea I was breaking the rules. I sure was aware of the fact now though.
My father was up presenting his passport to the guard. The guard was angry and was asking him questions. As I mentioned at the beginning of my tale, my father is 70 years old, and a bit hard of hearing. So he walked closer to the guard so he could hear what he was saying. Then the guy really got mad, he was yelling at my dad to step back and to remain with his motorcycle. We eventually got through, and I don�t mean to slight the difficult job that border personnel have to do, but man did that put a bitter taste onto the end of our trip.
Screaming at a 70 year old man, and grilling him with questions seems a bit much. Every where we went in the United States, we were treated with respect, and genuine friendliness. People went out of their way to be helpful. The first jerk we met, and he was Canadian. Oh well, Trip over � can�t wait to go back next year! After all my dad will be turning 71, can�t think of a better way to celebrate it!
Thanks for reading!
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/115683.jpg){kind=link}
I have always wanted to travel down to ride the �Tail of the Dragon� and all the other great roads in the Great Smokey Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. My father has always wanted to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway from Virginia to North Carolina. This summer we finally got our chance!
Day 1: The Lost Key
My Dad turned 70 this year. He has been riding motorcycles for 54 years now. He has always ridden motorcycles, never even owned a car in Scotland until he was married and my mom made him buy a family car. My first memories are when I was 4 years old and I remember the blue tank in front of me and my dad behind me and we are driving over a curvy road in Scotland. Probably the moment I was hooked on motorcycles.
My father has always wanted to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway, but he has never gotten the time to get down to ride it. I thought what could be a better way to celebrate his 70th birthday? So we started making plans for a one week trip. This summer on the eve of his birthday, we set out to visit the Blue Ridge Mountains and all the curvy roads in the Great Smoky Mountains (especially the Tail of the Dragon). We made good time until we got to the border.
Normally it would be the border crossing that would hold you up, but on this day we got stuck at the Duty Free shop. We had stopped for lunch, and were getting ready to leave when my father announced he had lost his key. He checked all his pockets (twice � my dad is famous for misplacing his keys). At this point he headed back in and retraced his steps. No key. Then we checked the washrooms, around where we ate, under display counters � no key. We asked at the restaurant counter and the help desk, no luck. My dad checked all his pockets again. Nothing. Next the garbage bags where lunch was thrown out got emptied and checked, no key. We were stranded and we hadn�t even crossed the border yet. Not a good start to our trip.
Suddenly my dad held up his arm and looked closely at the sleeve. This was a new jacket he had got for the trip, and it was his first time wearing it. He was looking at a small pocket on the left sleeve that was designed to slip keys, or toll money into. He sheepishly pulled his key out of the pocket and we were back on track. We drove the rest of the day relatively trouble free. Every time we stopped though, I asked my dad where he was putting his key though.
Day 2: The Interstate (or man does my a$$ hurt)
Long hours going in a straight line. Lots of cops at the side of the road, so speed limits are observed.
Through my head at the end of the day, the last few hours when my knees won�t stop aching, and there is no comfortable position left on my seat: �Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we��
Finally we arrived in Roanoke. Tomorrow the Blue Ridge.
Day 3: The Blue Ridge
As we were leaving our hotel, we noticed the weather channel was on in the lobby. They were talking about an extreme heat wave that was starting today. It was quite hot when we left the hotel, but once we started ascending the mountain it was like air conditioning. The cooler air, and the sweeping curves made this the best day so far.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is just one amazing view after another. Everywhere we stopped, we soaked in the scenery. At our first pull off I snapped a shot of the mountains.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/DealsGap007.jpg){kind=link}
Where we are from in Ontario, the roads are long and straight, so riding the Blue Ridge was an eye opener. One curve was served up after another, the drought of straight roads was over, and we were loving the Blue Ridge. There are many pull offs, and each time we stopped we were in awe of the beautiful views. This is truly a beautiful area, and even though it was the weekend, the road wasn�t overly busy so we bobbed through curve after curve.
Just before lunch, we met some nice folk from our neck of the woods. We are from Kitchener, Ontario, and they were travelling back to Elmira, Ontario. They snapped a shot of my dad and I.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/DealsGap005.jpg){kind=link}
Lunch was granola bars eaten at the side of the road. We didn�t want to get off the road for anything, not even lunch. I was tempted by this giant mushroom that was growing under a canopy of trees at one of the pull offs.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/DealsGap018.jpg){kind=link}
At the end of the day, we slipped off the road as evening was descending. We rode in to town and found a place to stay.
Day 4: The Last Straight Road before The Dragon
Today the weather report was for heavy rain showers in our area, and on the Blue Ridge for the next few days. We checked the weather report for Deals Gap, North Carolina (home of the Tail of the Dragon, and many other curvy roads) and it had been raining quite a bit there, but it was now starting to clear. We jumped on the interstate and headed for the Dragon.
We made good time, slipped between weather systems nicely, with only about half an hour of rain to endure the entire day. We booked into our hotel, and even though it was 7:00pm in the evening, we decided we had to get out and ride the dragon, just in case it poured rain all of the next day. We dropped our luggage in the room and we were off. I was tired and saddle sore, but that was all forgotten as I passed the Deal�s Gap resort and the fun began.
This was my first time riding the dragon - ever. I was nervous, excited, and kept thinking of a roller coaster as I drove.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/img_0562.jpg){kind=link}
We spent the next 20 minutes or so riding on curve after curve, riding from one turn to the next, slowly a rhythm started and the turns began to flow together a bit. When we finally stopped at the end I saw the biggest smile on my dad�s face.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/DealsGap078.jpg){kind=link}
He hadn�t been overly excited about this part of the trip, it was my idea to come to do the Tail of the Dragon, and he had thought that 318 turns in 11 miles was impossible. He was never so happy to be wrong. We threw our helmets back on and headed back through the turns again. Hungry, tired, but happy we headed back to our hotel for the night.
Unfortunately�
In the parking lot I noticed a green puddle under my bike. Uh oh. Coolant, leaking quite badly. Great. It was properly dark now, so repairs would be attempted in the morning. I went to bed with visions of curves dancing in my head, and the hissing sound of coolant dripping on the pavement in my ears.
Day 5: The Yellow Bumble Bee Saves the Day!
So it turns out that my bike had been damaged previously in a low side, and the radiator had been pushed into the fan slightly. As the fan came on during the ride through the Dragon, the fan finally wore several small holes in the rad and I was definitely not going to be riding today. Did I mention this was the only day we had here to ride? We would be leaving again tomorrow.
My dad is a mechanic, so he would be able to patch the rad, but it would have to sit for 24 hours before being ridden again. Here is my dad working on the bike.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/DealsGap028.jpg){kind=link}
I was feeling pretty low, but then I remembered a pamphlet I had seen in the hotel: Sportbikes4hire.com. I checked out the website and they had several great models available. I settled on an SV650, a bike that I previously owned and was still a big fan of, and it was delivered to my hotel promptly, even with the short notice.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/DealsGap030.jpg){kind=link}
The bike was a 2002 SV650 in mint condition. The first things I noticed was the set of pilot powers on the wheels, and the shiny yellow paint on the tank. It was going to be a good day. Actually it was going to be a great day!
We headed out and tried to hit every curvy road we could find. Of course we rode the dragon again, and we hit the Moonshiner 28. The Cherohala Skyway brought some welcome cooler air to a hot riding day. Every road was fantastic in its own way. Our confidence in the curves grew, there were so many curves now, that we almost hoped for a straight section in the road, just to have a break.
We pulled off on Moonshiner 28. Here is the way we came in.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/DealsGap056.jpg){kind=link}
The road on the way back out.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/DealsGap055.jpg){kind=link}
A shot of the view from the pull off we stopped at on Moonshiner 28. We were so busy riding, that we almost missed how beautiful it is everywhere down here.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/DealsGap054.jpg){kind=link}
We were hot and tired now. We had been riding for 8 hours straight. But we were in for a pleasant surprise on the way back to our hotel. We were heading down US129 on our way back to Robbinsville. And it was still really hot! We saw this heavy mist on the water as we rode along.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/DealsGap064.jpg){kind=link}
The mist started to roll up onto the road, and it was like instant air conditioning as we rode though it. It was a nice way to end our ride as we headed into Robbinsville. We were pleased to be invited into the Carolina Kitchen for supper, even though they were getting ready to close. Great service, great food, perfect day!
Day 5: Man it�s hot! Why don�t I need to Pee anymore
It is funny how you never seem to get sore, when every road curves around itself. It seems to be pain free riding for hours. Once the road straighten out though� We headed up US129 to Knoxville, where we would jump on the Interstate to head home. It was really hot today, the hottest so far, and we were really feeling the heat.
This was our last chance to ride the dragon. We stopped to get the obligatory picture in front of the Deal�s Gap sign.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/DealsGap086.jpg){kind=link}
All the opportunities to ride on all the amazing roads around here had helped my confidence, and I was riding a bit smoother today. I was worried about the heavy overloaded side cases, but it didn�t seem to be an issue.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/img_3994.jpg){kind=link}
My dad enjoyed his last ride on the dragon (until next year)!
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/115686.jpg){kind=link}
We stopped at the outlook at the top of the Dragon for one last look.
[image: Posted Image]
![[image: Posted Image]](http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/ss216/intueri/Trip/DealsGap074.jpg){kind=link}
And we began the long ride back to Canada.
US129 was great all the way up we were spoiled with lots of twisty bits, and long sweepers before we got to the Interstate. After lunch is was all straight all the time. The familiar pains returned in the knees and the a$$. The heat didn�t help and even with our mesh gear, we were just sweating like crazy. The air was hot, so there was no cooling effect when at speed.
The VFR was holding up well, and though it was really hot, the temperature didn�t climb too high, and everything seemed to be holding steady. Thank you JB Quick Weld and thank you dad!
We started stopping every hour or so to just drink, and get out of the heat for a bit. The day went on into early evening, and when the temperature didn�t drop at all, we packed it in and found a hotel.
Day 6: Tons of Friendly Americans and One Canadian A$$hole
Again with the heat! I read an article in a local newspaper that morning as we were eating breakfast and it was explaining how people over 65 years of age are affected more during heat waves. I was a bit worried for my dad, we resolved to stay hydrated all day today.
We stopped and drank every chance we got, and kept on our way. We were getting closer to the border. We kept moving and finally hit Detroit. Almost home! It had been a long hot day. The heat is more noticeable when sitting in line waiting to cross.
Finally we were up. We rolled the bikes forward. I have never seen a customs official so mad! �HOW MANY FINGERS AM I HOLDING UP?!� he yelled. I looked. His leather-gloved hand had one finger pointed high in the air. �One� I replied. He told me to back my motorcycle up. A VFR fully loaded with luggage is not a super heavy bike, but it isn�t a lightweight either, and the slight upward slope backwards didn�t make it easier. The fact he could make my life miserable for hours searching my luggage was my motivation as I dragged my bike back.
Now this is the first real motorcycle trip I have ever done. I have gone a few hours from home, but this was my first time crossing borders on a bike. At the US Border we had rolled up together, presented our identification and been on our way. No one had seemed at all upset. I had no idea I was breaking the rules. I sure was aware of the fact now though.
My father was up presenting his passport to the guard. The guard was angry and was asking him questions. As I mentioned at the beginning of my tale, my father is 70 years old, and a bit hard of hearing. So he walked closer to the guard so he could hear what he was saying. Then the guy really got mad, he was yelling at my dad to step back and to remain with his motorcycle. We eventually got through, and I don�t mean to slight the difficult job that border personnel have to do, but man did that put a bitter taste onto the end of our trip.
Screaming at a 70 year old man, and grilling him with questions seems a bit much. Every where we went in the United States, we were treated with respect, and genuine friendliness. People went out of their way to be helpful. The first jerk we met, and he was Canadian. Oh well, Trip over � can�t wait to go back next year! After all my dad will be turning 71, can�t think of a better way to celebrate it!
Thanks for reading!