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The Canadian Caper - Turning my New VFR into a Real Adventure *Final Installment*


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This is great so far. I'm so sorry you dropped the bike. I was hoping that this would be smooth sailing all the way. I'm really looking forward to the rest of your report. Best wishes.

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Nice job with ya now typical storytelling and pictures O but let us know when ya go on a real ride would ya.. :biggrin: :biggrin:

BTW...did they upsell ya a ski mobile conversion for the 11.5 months per year you'd need it.. :fing02: :goofy:

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Nice job with ya now typical storytelling and pictures O but let us know when ya go on a real ride would ya.. :biggrin: :biggrin:

BTW...did they upsell ya a ski mobile conversion for the 11.5 months per year you'd need it.. :fing02: :goofy:

Safe from "AWARDS" over here, huh, Aussie..... :laughing6-hehe: :laughing6-hehe: :laughing6-hehe:

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ah, i love 'dappled sunlight'. i'm enjoying the installments, it is a very good read. good luck, and thank you for taking the time to entertain us.

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Don't worry Skuut. I don't get mad, I get even. I know where he lives, it's only a couple of days ride from here... and I'm already planning on heading out that way again next July. :cool:

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Don't worry Skuut. I don't get mad, I get even. I know where he lives, it's only a couple of days ride from here... and I'm already planning on heading out that way again next July. :cool:

She aint kiddin Skuut, I am a tad worried but to answer your ?....YES :biggrin:

I'm thinking San Diego but what do I know :blink:

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Don't worry Skuut. I don't get mad, I get even. I know where he lives, it's only a couple of days ride from here... and I'm already planning on heading out that way again next July. :cool:

She aint kiddin Skuut, I am a tad worried but to answer your ?....YES :biggrin:

I'm thinking San Diego but what do I know :blink:

Hopefully, we get to enjoy the "Western Fun" with all of You in 2011....."penciled in" on the Calendar right now anyway..... :fing02:

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With sunlight streaming in the window I woke up in another bedroom. After getting myself organized I headed out to greet Blesk and Strap. Blesk decided that she wanted to make me a proper southern breakfast which entailed a quick trip to the store for supplies.

We took her car and headed through a community that apparently was typical for the greater Atlanta area. Nice homes across the street from commercial properties. Multi million dollar homes beside those occupied by the average family. After a short drive down a treelined street we arrived at the grocery store.

Returning to Blesk's house, breakfast was cooked and served in the dining room. In typical southeastern style my hostess ensured that I wouldn't go hungry, despite the fact I was still full from dinner the night before.

We visited for a short while, and Blesk decided that she would join me on part of the day's ride. As she was getting ready Daisy dropped in. The previous evening we had been talking about the trip and I mentioned my intent to stop off at a Walmart later in the trip to pick up a Polar Fleece that I hadn't had enough room to pack in my luggage for the trip down. To my surprise he donated an over sized fleece to me, as well as a spare clutch lever, just in case there was a problem with the one that I had tweaked a few days previous. Very thoughtful of him.

Daisy and myself sat down at the kitchen table, mini laptop computer open to Google Maps, and my manual GPS unfolded and laid across the table. I had marked out a few partial routes for Georgia and Tenneseee. I had Estill Springs highlighted on the map as well. We discussed options and I considered dropping in on Skuut... after all, he had told me to stop by any time We had a good chuckle at the idea, and routed through Suches and some of the roads heading towards Estill Springs.

Unfortunately neither Daisy nor Strap could join us on the ride out, so we took off – Blesk on her white VFR, and me on my darker counterpart. The nice thing about the suburbs of Atlanta is how quickly you can be on tree lined roads and feel outside of the city. We rode for a while, topped up gas, and then headed towards Suches.

Blesk knew the roads, and upon coming up a light that was just turning red, decided to take a small detour through a parking lot. The parking lot was for a closed gas station, and wasn't in great shape featuring broken pavement and gravel. Following her through it I scraped my center stand on a bump. She got out of the lot a little faster than I did, and I had to stop to wait for traffic. She pulled over at the side of the road to wait for me, and when I caught up she explained that she had been trying to avoid a long wait at the light and hadn't realized quite how rough the shortcut was.

We carried on through the curves, passing cars when the opportunity presented. It was a nice run, but we had gotten a later start than I had hoped for. We parted ways at the intersection of 68 and 40 just south of Ducktown.

I continued the ride solo, heading east for a few hours taking side roads that looked promising. As it was getting later in the day, and I figured that I was about a half hour out of Estill Springs I decided to get ahold of Skuuter. I told him that I was looking for some routing advice, “Are there any good restaurants in Estill Springs?”. He responded, “The restaurants all closed when they rolled up the sidewalks.” It took him a moment to clue in to what I was asking. We made arrangements to meet up for dinner in nearby Manchester. When I arrived his distinctive yellow Trike was parked at the gas station where we had arranged to meet. Mahawk hadn't come along as she had to work at Oh-Dark-Early the next day.

During dinner we chatted about the roads, the ride so far, and my plans for the next day. Skuuter is an interesting person to visit with one on one. During our discussions of routing, Skuut decided to pick up the phone to call BaileyRock and arranged a lunch date for me the next day. Skuuter was the perfect host and treated me to dinner, and then I headed back to Estill Springs with him for the evening. I was doing pretty good, five nights into my trip and my tent was still packed.

Now, anyone who has read my other ride reports is probably wondering just where all of the day's photos have gone. I've been left wondering that myself.... I have a whole bunch of corrupt files off of the memory card. This is never a good feeling. Especially not for a person who takes as many photos as I generally do. However the pictures from most of the rest of the trip seem to have worked out. So for today's installment, I only have a few photos to share of the cozy cabin I stayed in that evening.

Skuut has been doing a lot of work on his place, and it shows. He and Mahawk have a certain style that they are working towards that is rustic and inspired by the 1950s. It pulls together well with wood floors, and home made touches that makes a very cozy place for them to call home. It is still a work in progress, and it is evident what Skuuter is hard at work at when he is not riding his bikes. Definitely a large project to tackle!

Skuuter has his priorities right. This is where to find the Coffee.

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While I was there he decided to proudly share part of his racing history with me. It is always interesting to catch a glimpse of the past.

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Skuut in his computer nook.

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Pouring over my manual GPS helping me figure out a route. This was the last time that I saw my highlighter. Skuuter apparently has a penchant for anything florescent yellow – riding gear and highlighters.

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After we visited for a while, we turned in with plans to ride the following morning. Skuut planned to have the coffee started early for Mahawk and her early start at the Quick Mart, and then we would head out on a short run before Skuut had to go to work.

Stay tuned for the next installment, where photos are plentiful and bikes are featured...

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Obviously Coffee is easier to make at my House than at the Motorcycle Campground in Tellico Olive..... :laughing6-hehe: ......and Pics from my "Previous Life".....Good Stuff....THANKS... :biggrin: :fing02: .....When You comin' back....... :fing02:

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jeez....skuuter even wears the 'stich when he is relaxing at home.

Safety First as you never know when you might spill the Coffee! :ohmy:

Yep, Great for Ridin', usin' as a Waterproof Coffee Protector, and Pajamas.....One Suit does it All.....:laughing6-hehe:

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Started off the morning with coffee – from the sign I knew exactly where to find it. Mahawk had already left for work, and Skuut had rolled out the Aero and was ready to ride. We packed up the bike with my gear, and Skuut decided that I needed a cargo net to better secure items like the tent. Thanks Skuut!

Since there were a few hours before Skuut had to be at work, we headed out for a ride. The sun was coming up… or was that the radioactive glow from the Skuuterviz ahead? The weather was cool and a little foggy as we headed towards Lynchburg using the scenic route.

Lots of curves and very little traffic made for a pleasant ride. The historic town square was very quiet at this hour, all the stores were closed.

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This is Skuuter’s natural reaction to having a camera pointed in his direction.

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Gearing up we headed out past the famous Jack Daniels distillery, and took a fairly direct route back to Estill Springs. Skuut had to be back early enough to open up for his staff. We stopped off at the Quick Mart so I could say hello to Mahawk.

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Mahawk and myself visited for a while before I set off towards Nashville leaving the Skuuters behind. It was still rather chilly, so I decided to flip on my heated grips. This is a well practiced move on the BMW, so I didn’t even have to look when I reached down to hit the toggle switch right under my right thumb. As soon as I hit it, I was a little disconcerted with the results. There is a really ugly feeling when your bike suddenly shuts off when you are riding through a corner. I carefully pulled over to the side of the road and tried to restart. Uh. Oh. The bike didn’t want to start again. I powered off the ignition, and then back on. Still no joy with the starter. So I looked down, and flipped off the “heated grips” and the bike smoothly started without any issues. No, there weren’t any electrical issues, just a “loose nut” between the handlebars and the seat.

I firmly resolved to leave the red “heated grip” switch alone for the rest of the trip – especially when riding. It certainly didn’t have the intended effect. Just in case you aren’t familiar with the layout of the controls for the sixth gen VFR, the “heated grip” switch that I hit was a red toggle that had the customary sign on it for the engine kill switch… There is something to be said for familarizing oneself with the controls. Not something that I want to hit when riding!

I had a few hours to ride before lunch, when I was slated to meet up with BaileyRock. The driving directions were fairly clear, and I was running early. Or so I thought. I quickly discovered that Nashville has multiple exits for “Hermitage” and I had apparently taken the wrong one. The small note that indicated that road prior to the Hermitage exit was apparently very applicable in this case.

After I figured out where I was actually going, I pulled up at the restaurant with only a few minutes to spare. BaileyRock showed up and we headed indoors to check out their coffee and to share a Mexican lunch.

It always seems odd meeting people for the first time. You get a certain impression from them over the internet. You see their photos, hear their words, and put together an image. The reality is usually fairly close to what you have pictured, but takes on a new immediacy. I’m sure that others have experienced the same thing meeting me as well. This really is part of the adventure of the trip.

After visiting over lunch, BaileyRock had to return to work, so we pored over the map for a short while, I marked up some routing ideas and set off our separate ways. Thanks for lunch BR! As they say, without photos it didn’t happen, so here’s a shot of BaileyRock with my bike.

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My route took me around the outskirts of Nashville. So far on this trip I had only seen suburbs and smaller towns. From the freeway I saw some of the landmarks such as the Grand Ole Opry. I kept on riding, as there was nowhere convenient to stop for a photo, and I didn’t want to head into Nashville proper. I was ready to find some curves and put in some distance. The past few days had been spent visiting with people in the greater Atlanta area, and it was time to make tracks towards home. This didn’t mean that I couldn’t have some fun on the way – the route I took was certainly not the most direct. I have never been a fan of slab.

After I got out of Nashville, I found some smaller roads that had a little more appeal. The weather was warm, the roads were in great repair and didn’t follow a straight line for long. In short, a great place to ride.

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I was rather amused to see that I was entering “Charlotte” – I’d picked up the bike in Charlotte a few days ago, a couple of states to the east.

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I didn’t stop very often on the road for pictures because I was in the mood to ride and I had chosen some narrow roads that didn’t provide many opportunities. Although I did stop on a few occasions.

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(Yes, that's a road)

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Along the sides of the road I would occasionally see a squat stone tower that was overgrown with moss and vines, which had evidently been a local feature for quite a few years. Curious, I stopped to check it out. They were charcoal burning cold blast furnaces. I stopped at the Bear Spring furnace. The sign claimed that it had been the first in the area, dating back to 1830.

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One oddity that I noticed in a lot of small towns were square signs that looked like they were quilt patches. These could be found on the sides of buildings, houses and businesses. There were different colours and different patterns, but all were very angular and I could easily see them making up part of a patchwork quilt. Obviously they held some meaning for locals, but I didn’t actually find out the story. Does anyone here have any light to shed on it?

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I continued heading west.

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This was the first night on the trip that I had the opportunity to pitch a tent. I opted to stay in a campground at Land between the Lakes in Tennessee. It looked quiet, and the weather was warm enough that I would be very comfortable in the tent.

As the sunlight was beginning to wane I paused at the information station to figure out where to find a campsite.

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The campground was large enough that it had a manned check-in station staffed by rangers. I paid my site fee, and headed for my campsite. By the time I unstrapped my tent night had completely fallen, and I put up the tent by the light cast by a LCD headlamp that proved to be one of the most convenient light sources when camping.

It had been a long day, so I crawled into the tent and read by flashlight for a while.

Middle of the night I woke up feeling a little chilly, so I added a few more layers, and then crawled back into the sleeping bag to wait for morning and the adventure that would bring.

Stay tuned for the next installment when I visit five states in one day...

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I have no idea what those wall quilts are, didn't you ask the Ranger? :blush:

Gee, if I had only know you were getting gifts all along the way I could have had my extra set of Factory Hard Bags painted to match you bike and ready to go! :goofy:

BR

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One oddity that I noticed in a lot of small towns were square signs that looked like they were quilt patches. These could be found on the sides of buildings, houses and businesses. There were different colours and different patterns, but all were very angular and I could easily see them making up part of a patchwork quilt. Obviously they held some meaning for locals, but I didn’t actually find out the story. Does anyone here have any light to shed on it?

The quilt patterns on the sides of building, mainly barns are a way to attract tourists to visit the countryside and small towns of rural American. They are called quilt barn trails. An organization will produce a map that people can drive over the countryside to see people's quilt patterns on sides of their buildings .It identifies American heritage of farming and quilting and is extremely popular in Iowa, Ohio, Kentucky and I see a lot of them in the NC mountains.

Fantastic write up about your journey so far. I know the feeling of hitting the "heated grip" switch while riding. I accidently hit it one time on the intersate and was freaked out for a second.

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The quilt patterns on the sides of building, mainly barns are a way to attract tourists to visit the countryside and small towns of rural American. They are called quilt barn trails. An organization will produce a map that people can drive over the countryside to see people's quilt patterns on sides of their buildings .It identifies American heritage of farming and quilting and is extremely popular in Iowa, Ohio, Kentucky and I see a lot of them in the NC mountains.

Thank you! I figured that it was something like that.

Fantastic write up about your journey so far. I know the feeling of hitting the "heated grip" switch while riding. I accidently hit it one time on the intersate and was freaked out for a second.

Thanks! There is a huge difference between hitting the "heated grip switch" while riding by accident, and doing so deliberately. Although in the end it comes down to the same sinking feeling... :comp13:

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This is a fantastic ride report. I hope everything is well with you. Beautiful bike. This trip was definitely a memory maker.

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Fantastic report! It's fun to see you visiting some of my favorite places, like Hunts Lodge! And I'm so glad that so many VFRD members were able to welcome you.

Looking forward to the next installment.

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