Member Contributer talldrinkofwater Posted June 15, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2011 Great report so far. I'm gald to see you're enjoying the ride and am jealous. Let me know if you want any suggestions for some roads off of the BRP around the Asheville area that will leave a big smile on your face. Maybe I could meet up with you around there. I'm only about an hour away from the BRP. Safe travels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted June 15, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 15, 2011 ooohhhh Olive, you didnot leave while doing a rolling burn out? Them boys will be disappointed for sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forum CEO HispanicSlammer Posted June 15, 2011 Forum CEO Share Posted June 15, 2011 Olives Shoe String fund - dont forget about the shoe strings folks, if you like to continue reading about this trip I coughed up a few bucks myself. New boots are needed now says Dutchy! Hello Miguel, I'm reading in Olive's posts that her boots are about shot, so I will donate some $ on her paypall account towards a new pair. Perhaps VFRD has a fund somewhere that could contribute some. If so, her paypall is nicole.hankel@gmail.com Regards, Leon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Olive Posted June 16, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 16, 2011 I am just posting a quick update of where I am today (still need to catchup on PROPER ride reprots, but thought a brief update would be in order): Spent today riding the Blue Ridge Parkway. Beautiful ride. Gorgeous weather.. this morning. Earlier I posted that I couldn't wait to get back on the Parkway.... this evening I couldn't wait to get OFF of it. The weather was a little overcast. I thought nothing of it. I rode through a brief rain shower - a little sprinkle, then it dried up again. Did this a few times. It was taunting me. The next "brief rain shower" turned into a torrential downpour in short order. By the time I found a place to pull over to don rain gear I was completely drenched. Decision time... do I put on rain gear and trap all of the lovely wet inside... or do I gamble that the weather will dry up quicky, as will I... I went with the latter option. Apparently a huge mistake. The rain didn't stop. It was out to have a real party. After inviting close friends lightning and thunder, it also thought to add to the scenery with low lying clouds. Looking down from the Blue Ridge you could see them. You could also see them on the parkway. However, you couldn't see through them. Very bad for visibility, and the cloud banks varied in size. Then a little wind storm kicked up. It didn't seem that bad, but it left a mess all over the road. Scattered green leaves stripped from trees. When wet on the roadway they are as slick as owl snot - this is something I can personally attest to. Small branches from trees. Two not-so-small-branches, also torn from trees. A small rockfall. At first my plan was to push past the storm cell... then my plan was to get off of the road before it got me off without my authorization. As dusk fell things got rapidly worse. To this end I was riding with my fours flashing, speed down to 25 MPH in sections with heavy low lying clouds just so I could see the crap on the road in enough time to dodge it. I was very thankful I had slowed down that much as I saw a large animal cross the road in front of me - I think it was yet another deer. I paused at the top of a lookout to take a brake as the rain let up a bit. I had a view across the valley, not too bad - a clear spot in the clouds... this wasn't long lived. I watched the clouds blow in around me, and within two minutes all I could see was thick white fog. Very fast moving storm system! I was beginning to seriously think of just holing up for the night in a park bathroom. Finally I saw the sign for Asheville loom out of a cloud bank. Very relieved I headed for town and booked into a cheap motel for the night. I was so wet by this point in time all of my clothing was drenched. Perhaps I would have been better served by putting rain gear on over wet clothing - it would have kept me a little drier. Tomorrow I plan to finish riding the Blue Ridge (if road conditions warrant) as well as some of the other area roads. As I said, I kept this one "short"... and a proper full ride report will follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 It is a shame that your experience on the Parkway was so poor! I live just a few miles from the Peaks of Otter off of the Parkway and can assure you that under normal riding conditions, it is beautiful. We've had some pretty rough weather here recently though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Olive Posted June 16, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 16, 2011 It is a shame that your experience on the Parkway was so poor! I live just a few miles from the Peaks of Otter off of the Parkway and can assure you that under normal riding conditions, it is beautiful. We've had some pretty rough weather here recently though. A lot of the parkway was really good riding. The storm just added a wee bit of dramah to the ride This morning there were still a lot of leaves down in sections, and I could see a lot of larger tree limbs that had recently come down from trees. In Andrews having coffee the waitress tells me that they had it roll through here last night. Their cell tower is down until this afternoon some time, they had power out most of the evening... Besides, anyone who rides with me will vouch that I have a way of having the adventures follow me... Today it is high 70s and I have finally found the warmer weather. Unlike when I rolled into Timmythecop's place I actually remembered to open the vents on my jacket and am not wearing the liner (I don't think he has quit laughing at the bundled up Canuck who rolled up a few days ago... but to my defense it WAS cooler in the morning and previous days had required the layers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vfrjim2002 Posted June 16, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 16, 2011 Given your published route, if you're looking for warmer weather, you shouldn't have to wait too long. Down here, one would never classify 70s as warm. Warm starts in the upper 80s to low 90s. Right now, we're doing "HOT!" Sounds like a great trip so far. As long as you don't get hurt or go completely broke, anything else just adds to the "adventure." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Olive Posted June 17, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 17, 2011 A catch-up post on Newfoundland.... Having slept in a reclining chair – errr... make that having rested fitfully the previous night, I was up early enjoying the daylight which gave me a much clearer view of the fog. I had coffee on the boat, and had to wait for it to board before I could go down to the bike. Getting down there I re-loaded my bike and got ready to go. Looking back at the other rider, Tom, I noticed he had left one of the tie downs looped through his front tire. I removed it for him before disaster could strike – he wouldn't have gotten very far vertically if he left that in the wheel. Tom left the boat before I did, and I left a little nervous about the deck and the ramp off the ferry. Heading off I noticed him stopped at the side of the lot before the road left the ferry terminal, and waved as I went past. I went charging into the fog, thinking I would see what it was like when I got moving, and perhaps stop very early if the fog didn't clear. Having watched the crazy Canadian chick take off in the fog, Tom decided to follow me. We were the only two motorcycles on the boat the night previous, and there was only one road to follow. The highway went past a place called Wreckhouse. It was named a such because of the strong winds in the area – they had demolished every house that had been built in that location. The winds weren't too bad and the fog was beginning to lift as we headed inland from the coast. After a short while the fog cleared, and Tom and myself continued to ride together. I put on my signal to pull off the road and he followed. We stopped, had a quick discussion and decided to go for coffee. He suggested McDonalds, and I waved him ahead. He took the first exit, and then did a U-turn when the road turned to gravel as it entered a nature preserve. Returning the way we had come, we located the McDonalds in Corner Brook. The parking lot was up a fairly steep hill in a small shopping plaza. Beautiful view of the town with houses built along the shore up the steep hills. After coffee, we decided to ride together for the day. Tom explained that he was originally going to stop to gear up in some rain wear and perhaps go for coffee to wait out the fog, but when he saw me take off decided to follow. The scattered population in Newfoundland is mostly located near the water. Some areas, such as St Johns have a much higher population. The areas with higher populations had chains like Tim Hortons and McDonalds, but most places only had local restaurants. Some gas and service stations actually had limited hours posted. People go where there are jobs. Plenty of construction projects along the road were evident. One temporary bridge that diverted around a project was simply metal grating put down on a simple frame to cross the river. Not my favourite to ride on. Telephone poles supported wires along the roadway. Some of them were buried in the ground and others were supported by what looked like large wooden crates filled with rocks. I assumed that it was because Newfoundland is a large rock. (There is a reason a lot of people refer to it as “the rock”. We rode past a variety of scenery. Forests, fields, houses occasionally dotted the roadside. A lot of the land looked pristine and untouched. Garbage bins at the side of the road were painted bright, cheerful colours. Some were decorated with flowers, others with images, one even illustrated which team the occupant supported. The highway was one lane in each direction, with passing lanes opening up regularly. There was a lot of traffic coming off of the ferry, but onec that spaced out the road was little traveled. We headed to Gros Morne National Park. Entering the park we stopped at the booth. I had a family national parks pass for the year, and it easily covered both bikes – it was nice to save someone a few dollars. We headed first for the Tablelands. Turning onto the road that lead for that part of the park Tom took the lead for a while. He went over the edge of a freshly painted road line. I followed suit, my back tire sliding out as I went over the slippery paint. Whups. Following the Honda ST I was amused by the bright yellow stripe on the side of the tire. The road was very hilly with a number of very steep slopes winding through wooded terrain. Approaching the shore quite a few small fishing villages opened up. Houses were perched above the road, as well as below. The driveways to the houses were paved and looked more than a little intimidating. I was very glad not to take them on a bike. The road leading up to the tablelands went around a very sharp hairpin turn, and a steep hill. Not something I would want to try in the winter. As we reached the plateau the land opened up around us. Sandy brown flat topped mountains rose on one side, and growth was very sparse. There were hiking trails available, but we stayed with the bikes. From the tablelands we did some more riding around the park checking out what was to be seen, including a few small towns. Leaving this section of the park I spooked myself on the sharp right at the bottom of the hill, deciding at the last minute to go left which didn't involve a sharp turn at low speeds. A little later in the trip (as in a few days later) I figured out why I had been feeling a little spooked on the tight right handers at low speed – the throttle rocker I use as a cruise control would impact the tank bag at a full turn, limiting the bike's agility. I moved it a little further out on the bars – problem solved. Tom and myself stopped for gas and tried to locate an air pump – one of my tires was a little low. The gas station didn't have one – apparently they had gotten tired of having air chock and hose stolen regularly, and just quit providing air. Same with other gas stations in the area. The local auto service bay had air available, but had very limited hours, only open in the morning. I wasn't that low so just continued on. Time for a quick food stop – we choose the only restaurant in town... a small place called “restaurant”. A quick bite then we were off exploring more of Newfoundland. Heading back to the ferry we encountered some strong winds. We wanted to get to the boat a little on the early side because we didn't have a reservation, and I had reservations about evening fog. Our plan was to book the boat and then do a bit more riding in the area – by the time we reached the ferry the fog was beginning to settle and Tom's teeth were chattering. Yes, temperatures dropped rapidly. We went inside the ferry building for a coffee and to warm up. Tom discovered that there were showers in the building. Unfortunately the showers didn't have a shower head or running water... there were just signs and something to taunt travelers. The boat started loading a few hours before departure, and bikes were waved on early. Behind us two Newfoundlanders had ridden up planning to spend their weekend exploring the mainland – a father and son pair of riders. One on a well beat up sport bike and leathers, the other on a more conventional cruiser. They followed us onto the ship. Parking the bike I looked around for tie-downs, finally having to ask a deck-hand. He pointed at the chains and hooks. Since he clearly didn't understand what I was looking for I asked him how I was supposed to use these on the bike – he said just hook onto the bike anywhere. Ummmm... I don't think that it is a good idea to put a metal hook on my bike, any more than a person might appreciate having a hook buried on their car. After talking to two other deck hands, the proper tie-downs were produced and I showed the other two riders how to secure their bikes as it was their first ferry journey off the rock with the bikes. In the hold even the semi-trailers were being tied down to the deck. They expected a rough crossing. As we finished making sure the bikes were well secured, three more bikers rolled up. They were on larger dual-purpose bikes and had ridden through Labrador and did the return trip through Newfoundland. The roads in Labrador are a lot more remote and there is no way that anyone in their right mind would take a sport touring road bike on them. This ferry was a little older than the one I had taken out. Facilities weren't quite as nice and the reclining seating was in a dark area without windows. I staked out a seat for the evening, and then explored the rest of the ship. Returning to the reclining seat I used my jacket as a blanket and tried to get a little rest in the chair. Some people in the area had actually brought pillows, blankets and bunked down on the floor. Technically not allowed, but nobody said anything to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer motormike Posted June 17, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 17, 2011 I'm enjoying the read from Minnesota. I recently got my first bike (just a few days ago) and road trips are something I hope to do at some point. Your six-week tour across Canada and USA is quite an ambitious trip. Good Luck with the the rest of the journey. I'll be reading. PS. I like your new avitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDO-VFR Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Ah yes, losing air in Newfoundland, been there, done that. In fact had full fledged flat up in Red Bay Labrador actually. Found a rusty bucket gas station 'manned' by this sweet old lady that helped me fix the flat. Those Newfoundland women are a hardy bunch. I guess they got used to the men being away on the fishing boats so much, they ended up doing everything themselves. I now pack a 12V air pump and flat repair for pretty much any ride greater that 20km from home. Keep on trucking...err...biking... Brian ...mis-adventure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 ...mis-adventure... Miss Adventure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Muff Posted June 17, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 17, 2011 With anticipation and envey I have read you post. Thank you for sharing these reports from the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BonusVFR Posted June 17, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 17, 2011 Keep it up. "Miss Adventure" I like that better. Only been on two ferrys on a Motorcycle. Once in BC where we did not chock/secure at all. Last summer, I spent three days on an Alaska Ferry. We brought our own tiedowns and some soft ties to help secure our bikes. In the future I will bring my own if a Ferry ride is on the schedule...not that expensive and does not take much room. Ride safe. Please outline a general plan if you can with your estimated dates in various areas. Maybe we can help more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Olive Posted June 17, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 17, 2011 Ah yes, losing air in Newfoundland, been there, done that. In fact had full fledged flat up in Red Bay Labrador actually. Found a rusty bucket gas station 'manned' by this sweet old lady that helped me fix the flat. Those Newfoundland women are a hardy bunch. I guess they got used to the men being away on the fishing boats so much, they ended up doing everything themselves. I now pack a 12V air pump and flat repair for pretty much any ride greater that 20km from home. Keep on trucking...err...biking... Brian ...mis-adventure... I have a full fledged pump and repair kit on the bike (always carry it). The reason i didn't use it was because my battery charger wasn't attached (not enough room to attach both that and plug for heated vest to the bike battery). If I needed to I could have pulled the seat and battery cover and wired it in within a few short minutes, but was looking for air with a little less hassle. I wasn't down enough to really worry about the tire pressure, just at the point where I wanted to top off a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer NorthernVFRDave Posted June 18, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 18, 2011 How long where you on The Rock? Reading the report sounds like it was just a single day trip, I know its a small Island, but the whole thing in one day? Glad the weather has warmed up, look forward to these updates everyday.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Olive Posted June 18, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 18, 2011 Atlanta area group ride tomorrow. Meet up at Riders Hill at 9:15. *If you are planning on coming please PM me. I will be getting together with a few people in the area I know, and if we are not expecting others to join us we may just head out straight. (I do not want to miss anyone if they are coming). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Infidel Posted June 18, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 18, 2011 Always enjoy the reports. Ride safe out there!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Olive Posted June 20, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 20, 2011 I am really falling behind on proper updates, so a quick one just to let people know where I am at. I spent the weekend in Atlanta visiting people I know. It was very funny to note that all of them ride, but they all showed up on four wheels or we headed out on four wheels. Sunday on the ride I organized was the first time I actually saw anyone I knew in Georgia on a bike. That ride was bad timing for a lot of people because it was Father's day. Right now I am headed south to Florida, and am happy to report that I have left the snow, rain and cold wind behind me... I hope more later! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LookingHard Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Olive, In case you are out of the news loop, be aware that the southeast is in the middle of a heatwave that might not break until the weekend. Really muggy out there right now. LookingHard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Olive Posted June 21, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 21, 2011 Last night I camped at Laura S. Walker State Park. it was very odd to pull in and find the campground deserted. There wasn't even a campground host in attendance. I read all of the notice boards and learned about the fire ban and procedures in place in case of tornado. I also discovered the note on the office requesting campers to return to the office after 8am to register. The fact there was no gate attendant on duty didn't worry me overly much given the hour. Although it was really weird to be the only person in a campground in prime camping season! I did spot a couple walking through the park. I stopped to talk to them. Locals out for an evening walk. They also found it really weird that the campground was deserted - even the volunteer campground host was gone. After a bit of deliberation I decided to just pitch the tent. Since there was nobody to pay when I left this morning I got my nine square feet of dirt last night for free. Riding out this morning I encountered thick smoke on the highway to the south in a few patches. Really weird to ride through. The sun did it's best to illuminate the scene, a dim red ball ominously hanging in the sky. With access to a WIFI I decided to see if I could find any news on the fires in conjunction with Laura S Walker State Park. Found this: http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2011-06-18/story/not-enough-rain-help-douse-southeast-georgia-fires It is from a couple of days ago, but I had a chuckle at the following at the bottom of the article: "Chinooks were filling up at Laura S. Walker State Park on Friday where, Assistant Manager Wade Huffman said, the lake has been closed for days because the water was too low for boats. The park has smoke warnings on its website and warnings that it could be evacuated. It is nonetheless open albeit with a single camper. “I did everything I could to scare him away,’’ clerk Jen Dyal said, including warning him the window-shaking Chinooks were dipping water from the lake. “He said, 'That ought to be fun,’’’ she said. There is no fun inside the swamp as Okefenokee Swamp Park, Suwannee Canal Recreation Area, Kingfisher Landing and Stephen C. Foster State Park are all closed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFRSuperfreak Posted June 21, 2011 Share Posted June 21, 2011 Last night I camped at Laura S. Walker State Park. it was very odd to pull in and find the campground deserted. It is from a couple of days ago, but I had a chuckle at the following at the bottom of the article: "Chinooks were filling up at Laura S. Walker State Park on Friday where, Assistant Manager Wade Huffman said, the lake has been closed for days because the water was too low for boats. The park has smoke warnings on its website and warnings that it could be evacuated. It is nonetheless open albeit with a single camper. “I did everything I could to scare him away,’’ clerk Jen Dyal said, including warning him the window-shaking Chinooks were dipping water from the lake. “He said, 'That ought to be fun,’’’ she said. oohsnapp!! And you camped there? Great balls of fire! Got any shots of the smoke ride? Yesterday here (in mex), a friend was all panicky because she got an alert on her smartphone from the US embassy (I guess she's registered at some emerg. alert resource), the alert said there was high probability of hurricane rain and to look for shelter. Maybe there are some services like this that you could sign on to? Not sure what you're using but most Android OS phones have the ability to give you location-specific resources. PS; It just rained a little here (250kms from the Pacific, but last night hurricane Beatrizdid close Acapulco, Manzanillo and Zihua. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Infidel Posted June 21, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 21, 2011 Olive you be safe riding out there in all that mess. Love the reports but would rather NOT get a report of you getting hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer oyama Posted June 21, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted June 21, 2011 Olive have arrived to Daytona Beach, FL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Olive Posted June 21, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 21, 2011 Pictures still on the camera. Need to get caught up again! Met Oyama for lunch in Daytona Beach (thanks for lunch!), then headed onwards in the Florida Sun. Yes, that smoke today was very thick. People living in Jacksonville couldn't have been too happy about it. But it is all part of the adventure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Olive Posted June 22, 2011 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 22, 2011 Spent last night at the Vero Beach Kamp Campground. It isn't actually on a beach, but I had my own private creek that was covered in some form of green algae and came with an abundant supply of no-see-ums who found the white Canadian liberally seasoned with Deep Woods Off to be an irresistibly tasty appetizer. It was a secluded corner of the campground so I opted to sleep in the tent without the fly. That allowed for more air flow. I kept the fly inside the tent in case of rain - it would be easy enough to throw it on the tent, and that would save me a trip out to the bike to locate it if needed. I haven't had much time recently to fully blog about some of the riding experiences, but will be catching up in full as time permits - although some of the stories may follow the trip. I have a lot of photos that I need to go through as well. My biggest problem is that I have a mental conception of what a "proper" trip report looks like, and I want to publish it properly. This trip is ultimately going to be published in book form - at least that is my plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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