Date: Mon, 06 Jul 1998 16:03:50 -0400 From: Paul Luevano Reply-To: nedod@linus.mitre.org To: DoD Subject: Trip to Deals Gap: Days 1 and 2 Day 1: Friday, 6/26/98 Tim and I pack up after work. Since Tim's wife was able to convince her job to fly her down to DC and back, we opt to ride the whole way, rather than trailer the bikes to DC, as originally planned. After packing up, and taking care of last minute details, we're on the road by 5:30 pm. We jump on the pike, and start off our journey on the slab (we needed to make time). We do the usual pike to 84 to 91 to the Merit. We stop somewhere in CT for dinner and then take the Merit into NY, cross the GW and jump on the NJ turnpike. From there it's a mismatch of roads to get us to Freehold, NJ, our first stop. Tim's in-laws graciously put up the biker scum for the night. We've covered the first 262 miles. We're in bed by 11:30pm, planning on an early start the next day. Day 2: Saturday, 6/27 We wake up late, and don't get on the road until about 9:30am. Once again, we have a lot of distance to cover, so we opt for the slab for the first part of the trip. We head out of Freehold on rt 537, pickup I195 to the NJ pike to the PA pike. Follow that to King of Prussia, where we jump onto 202, and then finally onto rt 30, not exactly backroads, but not highways. We followed a mix of state roads through southern PA and cross over into Maryland. We stop in Wesminster for lunch. It's been sunny and a little hot, but the trip is progressing nicely. We head out from lunch to hit some more slab to get us into VA. We head south on 671 down to 9 to 690. A quick stint on rt 7 brought us to rt 601, which looked like it could be a lot of fun on the map, since it passed through Assby Gap. 601 is a nice, tight, twisty road with lots of elevation change. I was leading with Tim following. We hit several turns posted at 15 mph, that we were able to negotiate safely at 30+. On the downward side of the road, I blew a turn. As I entered the turn, what looked like sand covered the whole side of the road. I straightened up, braked a bit, noticed it was just stain on the road, got off the brakes, leaned it over, and made the turn, just touching the yellow line. I think Tim did the same thing. About 5 minutes later, we come to the last turn of 601 (didn't know that at the time). Its a right hander, posted at 15 mph. I slowed down, went through what I thought was the turn, gasses it as I straighten up, then came to the real turn. *DISASTER* The road came to a *very* sharp, decreasing radius, road dropping off, turn. To make things worse, as you enter the turn, the whole road opens up, going from completely tree lined, to wide open, with a side road to the left and a large field straight ahead. My visual field was thrown off. I realized I was going *way* too fast and was not going to make the turn. I straightened the bike up, braked hard, and aimed for the field. I think I would have made it, if it wasn't for the ditch. My front tire just caught the edge of the ditch that was about 4 ft long, and ran alongside the road. From there, I'm not really sure what happened, but this is what Tim and I put together. The bike went down on the right side, which is when the bike and I parted company. The wheels then caught in the dirt and flipped the bike over on the left side. The bike may have flipped twice, hard to say. I got up, picked up the bike, and started to assess the damage. Every body panel is scuffed, even the front fender. The front fairing is toast. The left mirror snapped off. The right mount of my Givi rack snapped. The mount for the topcase Givi also snapped right off. Dean's top case, which I had borrowed, sensing the impending impact, immediately jettisoned itself, and laded softly in the grass, the *only* thing not damaged. Both side Givis are badly scrapped up, but they did save the exhaust cans. Both the clutch and rear brake levers got bent. I got away with a quarter sized patch of road rash on my left wrist, where the stick arm rode up. If I had been wearing my gauntlet gloves instead of my summer gloves, I would have been fine. I also bruised my right knee when I came down. I'd had the legs unzipped a bit for ventilation, so I think the legs twisted, and when my knee came down it missed the pad. Tim also blew the turn, but he missed the ditch and came to a safe stop in the field. Tim and I started damage control. A really nice guy in a truck stopped to see if everything was all right, and if we needed anything. He gave me 4 bungee cords he has with him, as well as a bandage for the road rash on my left wrist. As we were standing there, several cars went by, everyone squealing its tires around the turn. It is a very badly posted turn. I took some pictures, and as soon as I scan them in, I'll post them We secured the light and the front fairing with some duct tape and zip ties. The right Give bag actually held the broken rack together, becoming a stressed member of the rack! We budgeed the top case to the passenger seat, and bent the clutch and brake levers back into shape. I threw the broken mirror in one of the Givis and packed everything else up. At this point I was still really pissed and ready to head home. I even called my friend in DC to say I would be there that night to crash (no pun intended). Tim suggested I take the bike up and down the road to make sure everything worked. He would follow. I went back up the road a way, turned around, and took the same turn again, this time successfully. The bike seemed fine mechanically. It rode straight, braked well, and there was no vibration. I said fuck it, this was only the second day of the trip, there was no way I was calling it quits and continued on. We had covered 546 miles. There is no one to blame for the crash but me. I was going way too fast on an unfamiliar road. Granted, the turn should have been posted at 10 or even 5 mph, or at the very least be posted with a hairpin sign, but it still boiled down to me going too fast for the road. This was my first street crash. Boy was I pissed. We headed west to rt 340 that paralleled Skyline drive. It was getting late, so we bagged the backroads, and headed into Harrisburg, got dinner, and once again hit the slab, I81. In Buchanan, we jumped onto the Blue Ridge Parkway for the last 30 miles, it was now very dark. We finally pulled into the Mill Mountain Camp at around 10:30pm, where we meet up with Tom, who had been there since 3pm! Another 496 miles covered, for a 2 day grand total of 758 miles. I fell to sleep with the sound of distant thunder in the distance. Date: Tue, 07 Jul 1998 11:43:46 -0400 From: Paul Luevano Reply-To: nedod@linus.mitre.org To: DoD Subject: Trip to Deals Gap: Days 3 - 9 WARNING: Long, with lots of "what a great road" statements. You have been warned, I'm an engineer, not a writer. :) Day 3: Sunday, 6/28 I wake at around 6 am to the sound of pouring rain. I roll over and go back to sleep, with no interest is packing in the rain. Around 7:30am, Tom wakes me, the rain has stopped. We pack up, and head out. For a majority of the day, we are on the BRP. Traffic was fairly light, and the road was fun. This section of the BRP isn't anything special, but it was the only road going our way. At Lindville falls, we jump off the BRP and hit some fantastic backroads, and eventually end up at the Blue Ridge Cycle Campground (BRCC), just south of Wayneville. Tim and Tom have described this place already, very nice, and probably the best site we were at all week. When we get there, we find Mr. POU's tent and Givis, but no Mr. POU. We start to set up camp, and eventually Bill shows up. Apparently he was eating dinner in Waynesville when we passed through. We send Tom out to get food, while Tim and I set up, and Bill just shakes his head and repeats over and over again "Oh, MAN, Paul" as he looks over the XX. Thanks Bill, I'd almost got over it. Another 368 miles, for a total of 1126 miles. Day 4: Monday, 6/29 We pack up and head out of BRCC. We head south on 276 to the BRP. From there, with Bill in the lead, we head off onto a few roads that I forget the names of, Bill will need to fill in the blanks. All I have on my map is "LRR" and "FOOT", but they lead us up over to 129, The Dragon, Deals Gap. Now, I didn't realize at the time that is was the dragon, all I remember thinking was "wow, this is a fun road" When we get to the end and stop at the Crossroad of Time campground, Bill take his helmet off and says something like "Well, whacha think?". All I remember is that I said something like "That's it?". I guess all the hype set my expectations waay to high. Don't get me wrong, it was a kick ass road, nothing compares to it in NE, but, well, I don't know what I expected. Part of the problem was that it had been raining on and off, so there were wet patches all over the place, and we couldn't just let it rip. Anyway, we decide to set up home base for a few nights, as setup camp. planning on staying for 2 days, so we didn't have to carry all our gear everyday. There is only one other group of bikes at the camp, a few members of the Fulgarwe tribe, when we get there. We head to the local swimming hole. When we get there, Bill, the southern wimp, declares the water is too cold for him, and retreats for the cover of the pavilion. Tim, Tom, and I hang out in the water until the thunder starts, then we head back to camp. Pete isn't cooking, so we head out for dinner at a nearby lodge. There is only one thing on the menu, and it is mediocre at best. Afterwards, while Tim and Tom play ping pong, Bill and I engage in a waay too serious game of checkers (pictures at 11). We leave and get back to COT, to find that the rest of the "tribe" has arrived, about 40 - 50 of them, erecting canopy's and have the grills out. We realize that we don't have squat, no beer, munchies, or even matches to light a fire. So we set out on a quest. Since we are in a dry county, our quest takes us 42 miles out, to a Shell station, where we pick up a case of, wait for it, Michelob! We turn around, and head back another 42 miles, in the dark to the camp. Since my light is still aimed waay low, I stay mid pack. When we return, we find some of the younger members of the tribe already started our fire for us, so we sit around, swap war stories, and enjoy our Michelob staring at the stars. Suddenly the stars disappear, We decide its a good time to head to bed. No sooner had I crawled into my tent, did the skies let go. It sounded like a distant wind, building and building, then, boom, downpour. From out tents, we could hear the tribe scurry for cover. Another 296 miles covered. Day 5: Tuesday 6/30 We wake to rain. We mill around the store and talk with Pete (the owner). At one point, Mr. POU takes his name seriously, and forces all to relocate to the other side of the store. I think the Michelob was too much for him. The rain finally lets up, and the sun comes out. We saddle up and head back across the gap, stop for a photo opt, and head back. We head south on 129 to the Cherahala (sp?) skyline. Absolutely beautiful road. Nice fast sweepers, leading up into the mountains. We stop for lunch in Tellico Plains, where we have some fantastic pizza, and get a kick out of all the "older" locals hanging out in front of the antique store across the street. We saddle back up, and head down rt68 over to GA and then down rt 60 into Suches. WOW, what great roads. I never though of GA as having good motorcycling roads, was I suppressed! We stopped at Two Wheels Only Campground, Tom and I pick up a T shirt, and then headed out to cover the "blood triangle". Rt 180 has been compared to Deal Gap, and I can see why. Very tight, and very technical. From there, we headed down 129, to 60 and back to TWO. We stopped to grab a drink (it was HOT), and headed back over 180 for another run. At this point we were starting to feel the effect of 5 days in the saddle, and opted to head back to camp in a more or less direct fashion. We headed straight up 129, stopping for dinner and beer on the way. For some reason, the Atwoods talk Bill out of getting 3 six packs, and he only gets 2. Back at camp, we go about the task of resurrecting the 'Bird. While sucking down some beers, we remove the upper cowling and asses the damage. Lots of picture were taken, so I won't go into details, I'll wait for Bill and Tom to post them, but lets just say we did wonder with duct tape, wire coat hangers, and adhesive. When we were done, I had 2 mirrors again, and the headlight was aimed correctly. We did run out of beer very quickly, however. Another 298 miles covered. Day 6: Wednesday, 7/1 We pack up, say good-bye to the Tribe, and head out. We head south on 129 to Wayah road. I think I'm beginning to sound repetitive, but another fantastic road. From there we hit rt 28. Everyone has mentioned this road already, one perfect radiuses turn after another. I was solidly dragging fairings/collecters/centerstands on just about every turn. We get to then end, compare notes, and head back across to rt 64 into Cashiers, where we stop for lunch, at what had to be, the slowest Hardees, anywhere. As we suit up to leave, Tom make the discovery, his rear tire is flat. We spend about 40 minutes in the parking lot plugging and trying to inflate the tire. We get it to hold air, try 2 local tire shop who are no help, and then decide to beeline for a bike shop in Waynesville. We head out a slow pace, to make sure Tom's Tire will make it. We get to the shop, and the service guy brakes every rule, and plugs the tire for Tom. A good thing too. As the mechanic checks the plug we had put in, evertime he toughed it, air gussed out. While Tim and Tom wait on the tire, Bill and I head out for BRCC. We set up camp and find that the Tribe had beaten us there. After setting up camp, we head out for beer, pass Tim and Tom, and return to camp to find they went and got dinner without us, the bastards. Even after we left a note asking them to wait for us. It said "Gone to get beer, Hold tight", but that wasn't explicit enough for them. We spend the evening talking with some of the tribe, and going over where we've been and what we want to do the next day. At the advice of some other riders, we opt to skip the Riders Roost, for High Country Campground. Sounds like a plan. Another 241 miles covered. Day 7: Thursday, 7/2 We head out of camp and make tracks up the BRP. We take a short detour up rt 151. I think this was my favorite road of the week. Very tight and technical, with lots of elevation change. If it weren't for the gravel, and the sun-shade transitions, it would have been perfect. We continue up the BRP and shift gears into tourist mode, heading up Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi at 6684 feet. We climb to the top, take the obligatory pictures and head out. We meet up with another XX'er from the CBR list, swap war stories, admire the Erion pipe on his bike (I think Bill admired it a little too much, wait for the new addition to his bird), and then head out. I don't remember what roads we did after that, I just know they were great and we ended up at a really nice cafe in Little Switzerland, with a really cute waitress to boot. We jump back on the BRP in search of the High Country camp ground. We hitch up with a group of BMW riders heading to the same place, and follow them at a painstakingly slow pace to the camp. As Bill said, the camp might not be at the end of the world, but you could sure see it from there. We set up our tents, battled a ferocious spider in the head (where are the pictures Tom/Bill?) that was a good 5" in diameter, and then headed for the swimming hole/waterfall a few miles up the road. Tim and Tom, the Maine boys, jump right into the mountain steam. I slowly lower myself in up to my waist, I don't think Bill ever got past his knees. As we were leaving, Bill decided to show us the moon as he changed, and Tom snapped a quick picture. Available for the right price, or, not available for the right price, depending on your point of view. After changing, we head into Wilesboro for dinner at a local steakhouse. Tim, Tom, and Bill head back top camp after dinner, while I head to the local Hospital. Nothing related to the crash, but at the beginning of the week I had a small spot on my face, like a infected zit, and at this point, it had spread all over my face. Finally get to see a doctor, tells me it is staff infection, don't shave until it's gone, and gave me a prescription for antibiotics. I meet up with the rest of the group at about 10:30, suck down a few beers, and head to bed. Another 269 miles covered. Day 8: Friday, 7/3 We pack up, and head up to the house for breakfast. Turkey Tom, the owner, fixes us our food, we eat, pay up, thank Tom, and hit the road. When we get back to the BRP, we part company with Bill, we're heading north, he's heading back south. We travel entirely on the BRP, and then onto the Skyline Parkway. We jump off at rt 33 over to rt 29, follow it to I66 and take it all the way into DC, where we were spending the weekend with friends for the 4th. This was a long day, 460 miles. All three of us park the bikes, with no desire to get back on them any time soon, we were all looking for the number for Corbin. Day 9-10, Saturday and Sunday, 7/4 - 7/5 We spend Saturday at our friends house, drinking beer, BBQ'ing, playing badminton, and generally having a good time. Sunday, Tim and I bid farewell to Tom, and we set ourselves up for a long day of riding in holiday traffic. We opt to avoid NJ all together and plot a route through Pennsylvania, up to NY, and back across Ct and into Mass. Boy were the cops out in force. We passed several speed traps, but managed to make it home without any run-ins with the law, even maintaining 75-85mph speeds. We logged another 479 miles on his last day. Overall, I had a fantastic time, and recommend the trip to anyone. The roads, the company, and the bikes were a perfect combination. I was surprissed at how quickly the MEZ4's bit it, I have just over 3K mile son them now, and they are pretty much done, but they did stick like glue. BRCC is probably the best campground we stayed at, I wish we had stayed at TWO, it looked really nice, but maybe next time. I now need to undergo the task of ripping the XX apart to see how much damage I've done to my wallet. :( -- ______________________________________________________________________ Paul Luevano | AMA #418487 | '97 CBR 1100XX (Streetbike) Team Daemon Racing | USM * CCS #898| '94 CBR 600F2 (Racebike) Waltham, MA USA | NMA #116657 | '87 5KCSTQ (Winter) ________"Man's purpose is to live, not to exist."-Jack London_________