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Post by algears on Oct 9, 2011 6:07:39 GMT -5
After an extra loop or two at the roundy-round to give Evil Kitty the giggles, we stopped for a good rib-stickin' gravy & biscuit breakfast at Bojangles. Then we headed north on 176. It's a scenic ride through the antique-shop-filled mountain towns of Landrum, Tryon, and Saluda in NC. Picking up 191, we continued north until I made a wrong turn, and sometimes the wrong turn is the right turn. It happened to be a beautiful ride through some country farms, but dead ended into a park. What a shame that we got side tracked into such a gorgeous area. After a break, we retraced our steps and got back on track. My wrong turn notwithstanding, we made it to the Blue Ridge Parkway and enjoyed the scenes of the beginning of autumn colors. The colors so far are "spotty" and mostly not at someplace one could pull off and take a picture. We cruised up and over Mt Pisgah, through the Frying Pan tunnel, past the Graveyard Fields, and exited down 215 - which is one the many scenic roads leading up (or down from) the BRP. The Parkway itself was crowded and the caged, careless drivers (everywhere) were numerous enough to make the trip tiring - but still had our laughs and had a great day. You don't want to know how I teased EK to the point of almost not being able to get on the scoot from laughing... Total day was about 8 hours and 215 miles. Enjoy the ride - and always ride like they are out to get you because they are... Attachments:
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Post by quest4fire on Oct 9, 2011 6:17:50 GMT -5
I love sausage gravy and biscuits. Lived in Mars Hill NC for 4 years. I drive as if I were invisible and move like a car- "If you are going to impute malice in the actions of others you will never get anywhere in your thinking." R. Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome. Thank you for bringing up the BRP. I will never forget the trip my wife and i made to a BMW rally in Boone on the (German) Heinkel. They let us in for free because of the relic we were on. My daily ride still, 17 years later.
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Post by algears on Oct 9, 2011 17:00:14 GMT -5
quest4fire - Yeah, the sausage/gravy biscuits is a southern thing I think. While I have lived in many places around the USA, I spent 13 of those years in Asheville, NC. Loved it there, but good jobs are scarce. I learned to ride on 2 wheels there, with many miles done on the BRP - from Cherokee to Little Switzerland. It's nice to be close enough to western NC to ride through it (it's all beautiful), but have the milder winters of SC. Attachments:
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Post by algears on Oct 10, 2011 4:33:58 GMT -5
Another Attachments:
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Post by algears on Oct 10, 2011 4:35:26 GMT -5
One of (if not THE) most popular hiking spot on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Attachments:
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Post by TERRA NUVO on Oct 10, 2011 5:08:05 GMT -5
how far is grave fields from spartanburg?
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Post by algears on Oct 10, 2011 5:27:58 GMT -5
how far is grave fields from spartanburg? About 80-90 miles depending on route & starting point. If you decide to make the trip, please let me know. We ride up that way a lot, and know good stopping points, places to eat, where & when to get gas, and what to see along the way. Looking Glass Falls is literally "roadside" on the route, and there are more falls at Graveyard Field. I guarantee lots of "WOW" along the way. Give our best to the redhead. Al & EK Attachments:
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Post by justbuggin on Oct 10, 2011 8:36:30 GMT -5
you folks are talking of my childhood home i have been caming on the parkway to many times to count i cant wait to get back there as it is awsome place to be
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Post by algears on Oct 11, 2011 6:16:50 GMT -5
I debated about whether or not to post the following as it may serve to only increase the already steady stream of traffic on the BRP, but for those that are close enough to ride it, now is the time - and will be for a few weeks: www.goupstate.com/article/20111010/articles/111019953?tc=arI will add that I would also consider doing it in a cage at this time for safety's sake. It's "careless central" up there at this time of year. There are plenty of viewing places to pull off onto and admire the view. If you do ride it on 2 wheels, bring extra layers of clothing and warm gloves. The temperatures up there are 10-15 degrees cooler than the surrounding areas. If you go up to Mt Mitchell, it could be in the 40s and you might get wet - regardless of the forecast. The "experts" think this weekend will be peak color, but based on our ride last weekend, I think it is another week away. Take that for what it's worth. One more important safety caution - if it has recently rained (or is raining) be very cautious riding over leaves on the road - especially on curves. They can be slicker than... (insert your choice). And use extra caution in the tunnels - there are NO lights in them, not everyone turns on their lights in them, they can be WET (and curvy) and sometimes people STOP in them for no apparent reason! We almost became a sandwich when we approached one nearly stopped cage (and they had NO tail lights) and there was traffic behind us... So ends my public announcement and safety warning. Enjoy the ride! Attachments:
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Post by algears on Oct 11, 2011 17:39:19 GMT -5
In the springtime... Attachments:
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Post by algears on Oct 11, 2011 18:04:16 GMT -5
Will be heading back up to the "highest restaurant on the east coast" up on Mt Mitchell (on the Blue Ridge Parkway) before it closes at the end of October... Attachments:
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Post by algears on Oct 11, 2011 18:05:17 GMT -5
... with our own designated parking right up front! Attachments:
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Post by Premier Scooters on Oct 11, 2011 18:20:38 GMT -5
I love taking my scoot up there, I like to make a nice loop of 276 to brp to 215 to 178. Lots of fun curvy roads up there.
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Post by skuttadawg on Oct 11, 2011 21:12:19 GMT -5
I prefer egg , cheese and bacon biscuit mmmmmm . I would love to ride in BRP on my scooter . Was fun in the snow there in a Jeep Sahara . Cesars Head is another twisty road 276 to Brevard which has lots of hiking trails to enjoy and boiled peanuts in Echo Valley at the bottom in Cleveland which is above Marietta . I have rode across Paris Mountain several times since I can see it from my home . I even met other scooter riders on 4th of July at the top and they shared their grilled burgers with me yummy . Ya gotta love coals over gas any day for grilling out . Furman University is great to cruise around but you MUST NOT speed as stricly enforced due to so much foot traffic and students . I ride the trail around the lake there since cars are not allowed most of the time , but two wheels are as long as you creep around people on it . When I was a teen we used to race mopeds around as long as no people around . Furman has pretty women to look at so very nice scenery to boot
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Post by nulldevice on Dec 27, 2011 22:35:12 GMT -5
Oh lord, the wonderful memories from 1968 and 1969. Seville Oh, near Akron, to Front Royal to Cherokee and back -- on a Suzuki 500 Titan with camping gear on the back -- both times the last week of September and First week of October.
No cars, no crowds, no radar, clean pavement and lots of curves. I ground the ends of the foot pegs off. May I have opportunity to do it again on my scooter.
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Post by inuyasha on Dec 27, 2011 23:09:40 GMT -5
Hi Great photos, very nice scenery Am so very happy that miss Kitty and you had such a marvelous time Sausage gravy and biscuits mmm mmm , ambrosia of the gods imho Thanks ever so much for sharing that with us Take care and drive safely dearest friend Yours Hank
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Post by TERRA NUVO on Dec 27, 2011 23:52:47 GMT -5
is this thread about the ride or food i can't eat, gosh!!!
thanks for the tour of where i can't eat.
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Post by algears on Jan 21, 2012 7:25:59 GMT -5
For you, Terra - no food review - just two wheels on the Blue Ridge Parkway... Attachments:
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Post by dudley on Jan 24, 2012 19:01:23 GMT -5
Bojangles steak biscuits kept me alive for about two years in the early 90s.
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Post by ScootForFun on Apr 26, 2012 7:17:53 GMT -5
Love the parkway, and I'm on it in riding season a lot seeing as I live near Asheville! Never gets boring, and taking it all the way to 276, and then down the mountain into Brevard is a great route. I haven't gone the other way and gone to Brevard first and then up the mountain on 276 to the BRP- cause I am not that crazy about putting that kind of stress on the CVT. The manual advises against real long runs uphill. But that's a small sacrifice, for the 60-70 mpg the LH300 gets, and all the fun you can have with it otherwise! Anyone got a 250cc+ and wanna go sometime to the BRP or even Lake Lure or Lake James, hit me up with a PM. Got camera, lots of photos and stops, and just chilling. And maybe even the occasional spirited sprint in the twisties. Attachments:
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Post by tinstar on May 23, 2012 22:27:21 GMT -5
Wow...y'all brought back some great memories for me. I was a National Park Ranger on the Blue Ridge Parkway from 1977 to 1985. I lived on Mt. Pisgah for my first year and was the first Ranger with a family to ever live there through the winter. It paid off because a couple of guys from Florida would have surely died had I not been living there. Normally, the whole place was closed down during the winter and Rangers couldn't get through either side to patrol for weeks at a time due to very deep snow. I had been out patrolling in my small Army surplus jeep, with chains on all four tires, getting stuck and digging out, and at the end of the day, I was beat! I turned into my residence and couldn't wait to get warm and sip on some hot chocolate. I happen to see some tire tracks going in the opposite direction and there shouldn't have been any because the gates were all closed and I had not been that way. As tired as I was, I decided that I had better go that way as there was a gate nearby that some four wheeler had probably popped open. This happened all the time...we would close the gates, and somewhere along the way, somebody would come up in their big four wheel drive, hook their winch to it, and pull it down. Sure enough, that is what had happened. It appeared that the large vehicle had exited the parkway, so I fixed the gate as best I could and was about to head home...then I happen to realize that there were also some skinny tire tracks, which looked like regular tread street tires, headed towards Craggy Gardens. Not good. So, once again, I headed to check it out. As I topped a hill, I saw smoke...then, I saw a small vehicle turned sideways, stuck in about a five foot snow drift, and two guys were jumping up and down and yelling with all they had. The smoke was from their back seat that they had pulled out of their plymouth valiant and was burning to give them some heat. They were from Florida, had never seen snow before, was visiting family down the mountain, came up to the parkway, saw the gate open, and drove through. They were nearly frozen and had they stayed out there all night, they would have frozen to death. No one would have found them for some time. I took them to my residence, got them warm, called their kin folk, and arranged a meeting. I called one of our local wreckers that were used to dealing with those kinds of conditions, and they got the car out for the boys. I will have to say, they were grateful and wrote a really nice letter to the Chief Ranger and credited me with saving their lives. I was so happy that instead of wimping out for the day, I followed my instincts and made those final checks. I slept good that night.
I left Mt. Pisgah and moved to Linville Falls, where I patrolled between Mt. Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain. This was my favorite area and I was there for almost six years. I bought a used Honda CB360 (early 70's model) and rode all over those mountains. I was going to college on my VA benefits and rode my bike for four solid years, up and down the mountains, all year long. It got very cold during the winter months, and sometimes I couldn't possibly do it, but not much stopped me. I would come home with ice cicles hanging off my helmet! One of my favorite rides was with some friends to Roan Mountain during the Spring. Just beautiful! I then moved to the Boone/Blowing Rock area and patrolled from there to the Virginia State line. I ended up selling my bike to a Ranger when I left to become a Special Agent and transferred to Norfolk/Va. Beach, VA. On my first trip to my new office before I actually moved, I observed a terrible motorcycle accident with a cage and with all the traffic in that area, I decided not to ride a bike in that area. I didn't start riding again for many years...around 2003 when I moved back to Spotsylvania, VA. Been riding ever since.
Biscuits and Gravy...yep, a way of life in them mountains...and lip smacking good! As they say...put some south in your mouth! Oh yeah! I have thousands of stories about those beautiful mountains, but I'd better stop now. Got to rambling on and hope I didn't bore you. I fell in love with those mountains and figured I would retire there, but circumstances brought me back to Spotsylvania, my home town. The good thing about living here is I can be in the mountains in about an hour or I can be at the beach in about an hour. That's pretty cool! Anyway, it has been some great riding weather around here and I have been taking advantage of it. The old 2008 SYM RV-250 is holding up well and has only tripped a little over 3500 miles! I love riding this thing. Now that I'm an older baby boomer, I won't ever go back to a motorcycle. Bad knees, herniated disc in my neck, and torn rotator cuff made it extremely difficult to ride my Yamaha V-Star 1100...then I discovered scooters. Never been happier...except maybe when I had a Sears mini-bike when I was a kid. Riding my SYM makes me go back to those days in my mind! I love it! Be safe out there!
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Post by bactrac on May 29, 2012 17:30:53 GMT -5
I'll be back on the Parkway in 10-12 days time. Riding from Front Royal to Cherokee on my 150. It's part of a much longer ride. Looking forward to it all. - Fabe
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