Back of The Dragon, The Snake, and The Deer

[TimC]

I did a 3-day weekend trip to Virginia and Tennessee this past weekend to ride a couple semi-famous roads - “The Back of the Dragon” in Virginia, and “The Snake” in Tennessee.  Overall it was a terrific weekend, with one big caveat, as I’ll describe below.

 

I had planned for a 3-day ride, leaving Thursday morning and getting back home Saturday evening, so I’d have Sunday to rest and recuperate before going back to work Monday morning.  But things didn’t work out that way.  I changed my oil and filter Wednesday night and Thursday morning, but had issues of my own making, including overfilling the bike and just generally not having an easy time with it.  You'd think after doing this a couple dozen times I'd have it down by now.  By the time I was done it was noon I was very aggravated and in no mood to start a trip.  So I relaxed at home for a few hours, then ran an errand or two on the bike that afternoon.  No big deal to ride Friday to Sunday instead, and if I was still tired Monday morning I could just work from home.

 

Friday morning I had a call with a Michigan motorcycle dealer about a new bike I’m interested in, which again delayed my departure, but I finally hit the road a little after noon.  I had planned to take 2-lanes all the way down through West Virginia, but instead took the interstate I-77 South to make time to Marietta, OH, where I took Ohio Route 7 North to cross over into West Virginia and take WV Route 16 South all the way to Virginia.  Looked like a good road on paper.  Once I was in WV, Route 16 was pretty good.  Until it started raining.  I figured maybe a passing shower at higher elevation since I was now kind of in the mountains, but no, it just kept raining.  I should have stopped and donned my rain gear, but it wasn’t cold and I just wanted to keep moving.  I’d pay for that later with the start of a cold.  (Dumb, part 1.)  It did eventually stop raining, but my clothes didn’t completely dry out while I was riding.

 

WV Route 16 between the town of Gauley Bridge and the city of Fayetteville has some amazing turns.  There was one scenic overlook along the way, but I rarely stop for the scenery while riding, because my motorcycle trips are more about the riding than the scenery, and because when I’m in the zone (as much as I get into the zone), I don’t want to stop.  But after I passed by that overlook I caught sight of the valley below and that brief glance looked amazing.  So at the bottom of the mountain I turned around and headed back up.  I ended up riding all the way to Gauley Bridge again, then turning south again intending to stop at the overlook.  But I came into the gravel lot too hot, and just as I was hitting the brakes I spotted a big rut in the surface.  I braked hard, swerved a bit, and the bike fishtailed once, but I saved it.  (Dumb, part 2.)  Worst of all it was all for nothing.  You couldn’t see anything from that lot, as the tree line totally obscured the view.  Where I had spotted that great view was from the roadway, and there was no place to park so you could actually stop and admire the view.

 

I continued on and at some point decided my stopping point for the day would be Beckley.  I reserved a room via my smartphone and kept going without incident.  Day one total was about 330 miles, maybe a third of it interstate, a third just rural highways, and a third really nice twisties and sweepers.

 

Day two would be the big draw, as I was going to hit both the Back of the Dragon and The Snake that day.  I started on WV 16 South again, and found some really nice twisties but not too technical.  I’m not a fast rider, probably average at best, and I tend not to push too hard.  I wouldn’t say I’m risk averse, but I’m pretty content to ride 5/10ths to 6/10ths.  7/10s for me is pushing it, and even that isn’t really very fast compared to some riders.  And that’s fine.  But once in a while I push a little too hard, and it almost bites me.  And that’s what happened on a section of WV 16 south of Beckley, though I can’t remember exactly where.  I was cruising along some nice twisty section where the uphill had a truck lane, though I generally stayed in just one lane instead of cutting across both lanes.  But I misjudged by speed on what I think was a decreasing radius and ended up riding off the edge of the road, into some mud and gravel, narrowly avoiding a rock wall on the ride side.  I managed to save it again, but was pretty upset with myself.  (Dumb, part 3.  Are you sensing a theme yet?)

 

After that section, I was so angry with myself that I turned around to run that section of road again to fix my mistake.  And in so doing, at one point on the return trip or going south again I crossed my first double yellow in a long, long time, this one on a blind right-hander.  (Dumb, part 4.)  Thank God there was nothing in the opposing lane.  Other than almost touching a double yellow somewhere later that day, that was my last riding mistake the rest of the trip.  At least I managed to ride that decreasing radius left-hander cleanly the second time around.

 

The Back of the Dragon is Virginia Route 16 from Tazewell to Marion.  It’s 32 miles and over 300 curves.  It’s not as challenging as the Tail of the Dragon, but it’s no cakewalk either.  After making those mistakes on WV 16 that morning, I had slowed my pace a little so as not to screw up again.  And my run went very well.  I had much of the road to myself and went at a quick but not fast pace – quick for me anyway.  This road has some sweepers, switchbacks, and hairpins, plus many changes in elevation.  It's a really great road, but long.  After that, I slabbed it the hour or so to Bristol, TN, where The Snake begins.

 

The Snake runs from Bristol to Mountain City, TN, on US Route 421.  It’s about 23 miles, and overall I think I like this road better than the Back of the Dragon.  It's similar to the other roads, but It just flows better for me and my pace and style of riding.  It was a really enjoyable 30-40 minutes of riding.  If it hadn’t already been mid-afternoon, I might have turned around the did it again.  I had written a route that would take me further south to the Blue Ridge Parkway, where I’d head north for a while before stopping somewhere for the night, probably near Roanoke if I got that far.  Instead, I headed north from Mountain City.

 

At one point I had a choice whether to head east or west on (I think) US 58.  The sky to the west looked kind of gloomy, but east looked better, so I headed east.  I ended up in Marion, VA, again, so I rode the Back of the Dragon again back to Tazewell.  I thought going back north on the road made for a bit more demanding ride, but it’s great in either direction.  I ended up staying at the same exact hotel in Beckley, WV, that night, but not before encountering a brief, unexpected rainstorm on the interstate about 5 miles from my exit.  Ugh.  Motorcycle gear never dries well enough in a hotel room.  Day two totaled almost 400 miles, most of it excellent 2-lane roads.

 

When I talked to my wife on Saturday night I told her I think I’d had my fill of twisty roads, and just might slab it all the way home on I-77 North from Beckley.  But come Sunday morning I felt pretty good.  The weather was clear and in the mid-60s.  I decided to take WV 16 North back toward Ohio, then maybe Ohio 800 North towards home instead of slabbing it from Marietta, OH.

 

I had WV 16 pretty much all to myself most of the ride, and when someone did hold me up, there were enough passing areas I could get by easily.  You know how it is when you’ve been riding really challenging roads for a couple days – you get pretty comfortable going a little faster than you might normally ride.  If a sign says 25 mph, and I’d normally take that curve around 35, by day three of this trip I’m easily taking that curve at 40.  (Again, I know I’m not fast.  This is reasonably quick for me.)  Feeling really good, and thinking while I’m riding.  They say there’s a reason you never see motorcycles parked outside psychiatrists’ offices; this is our therapy.  Riding clears your head.  I also often sing instead my helmet.  I’m not listening to music, just singing some songs by a few of my favorite bands to pass the time.  But I’m also thinking, and for some odd reason on Sunday morning I thought of this phrase:  People make plans, and God laughs.  (Paraphrased from the old saying, “Man plans, and God laughs.”)  I don't know why this popped into my head, as I haven't thought of it in many years.  And it's not a phrase I ever say.

 

Here’s some background to put the rest of the story into context:  I’m very close to seeing 100,000 miles on my VFR’s odometer.  I’d hoped to see it during this trip, but fell short by about 150 miles.  I didn’t ride very much for a few years (2016-2018), averaging just 1,500 miles per year.  I’ve been wanting to buy another bike, but if I wasn’t riding much it really wasn’t worth the money to buy something else.  I resolved in early 2019 that if I rode more I’d buy another bike.  I rode 5,000 miles last year and rediscovered my joy for motorcycling, ending the year with over 92,000 miles on the bike.  This year I’d already done over 6,000 miles before this trip, with a main 2020 goal of seeing the 100k mark on my VFR.  But all along I’ve been shopping.  I almost bought one of my dream bikes, a BMW R1200R, back in January, and I really wish I had.  It was a good deal on a low mileage bike that already had a couple mods I wanted, included the OEM hardbags, and had a great finance rate.  But I passed it up and I haven’t seen nearly as good a deal since.  I've regretted it for months.  But Friday morning I struck a deal for a different bike.  I'm very excited about this new one.

 

By the end of this season, my VFR will be due for a bunch of routine maintenance (fluids, etc.), but it also needs bearings in a few key places, and maybe a new rear brake disc, as the existing one is grooved pretty good.  The bearings should have been done a couple times by now, but I just never got around to replacing them.  So do I put the money into the VFR and keep it as more of a dedicated sport-tourer (because the bike I’m planning to buy isn’t really suited for touring), or sell it as-is to someone who would love to have a great running project bike?  I still love my VFR.  I’ve owned it for 14 years and have put over 95,000 miles on it.  And riding it this weekend, I thought I could keep it and put the work into it, even if it costs me several hundred dollars just for the basic maintenance I can't do myself.  And it’s worth more to me than the money I’d make selling it.  The ergonomics are just getting a little too sporty for my fat 51-year-old body.  I'm not interested in changing it, because I like it the way it is.  I just want something a little more comfortable for everyday riding.

 

So as I’m riding up WV 16 North and having a fantastic time, I’d pretty much decided to keep the VFR.  I'll do what I can myself, let the shop do the rest, and I'll have two sweet bikes in the garage.  But man plans, and God laughs.

 

I was heading up a hill, doing maybe 50 mph, maybe even a bit faster, and while looking ahead at the next turn, I see a deer leap out from my right onto the road, maybe 10-15’ in front of me.  On the left is a drop-off, but on the right is a short rock wall and brush, so there was no way I could have spotted the deer before it jumped out into my path.  The deer, a young buck I think, as I’m pretty sure I saw a small set of antlers budding out, came out of nowhere.  I was about in the middle of the lane, and maybe about in the left third of the lane.  Visibility was excellent, and there was no oncoming traffic.  The nearly full-grown deer really just appeared out of nowhere, and within a split second I’m on it.  I instinctively grabbed both brakes (and I think the clutch) very hard, but not to the point where I’d skid and crash.  My bike is non-ABS, but thankfully I’ve never needed it to save my hide.  It all happened in the blink of an eye, and in that split second I think my eyes might have closed.  I can’t say I really recall seeing the deer hit my bike and me, but I think I saw a very brief flash of brown fur meeting Italian Red.  The deer hit the right front of my VFR and my right lower leg, and then I was past it.  The bike stayed upright and kept moving.  I think I had the presence of mind to check the mirror but didn’t see anything.  I heard a quick crunch when I hit the deer, so I figured there was probably some damage, but as the bike was still riding okay I hoped it would make the trip home.

 

You know how it is on mountain roads.  There are very few and far between places to safely stop on a level surface of the side of the road.  I continued a few hundred yards up the road, and stopped off the right side at a gravel drive.  I managed to find a fairly level spot, turned off the bike, dismounted, checked myself for injury, and went around to check out the damage.  My right calf stung a bit, like somebody had whacked it with a 2x4, but I wasn’t injured.  The rest of the day my leg felt a little funny, and I think it’s possible my leg got jammed backward a bit into my hip, but the calf pain was gone within an hour, and I’m fine today.

 

As for the bike, the right turn signal/marker light was dislodged, sitting low and inside the right side fairing.   (The photo was taken after I'd taped it up later.)  The upper cowl was broken, snapped just about where it meets the right fairing.  The right side frame slider looked a little odd to me, so I checked it versus the left side one, and sure enough, it was bent backward.  In the photo below, that slider is supposed to be sticking straight out.  But really, I marveled at how little damage there was.  The adrenaline rush of what had just happened hit me right around then, but only for a moment.

 

I wondered whether I had seriously hurt or killed the deer, and walked down the road a short spell to look, but didn’t see anything.  I walked back up the incline to my bike and looked at the damage again.  Curiosity got the better of me though, as I thought, “I wonder if I can bend that frame slider back.”  (Dumb, part 5:  The finale.)  What a stupid idea.  As I pushed on it, the bike rolled forward, off the sidestand, and fell over onto its left side.  The left side hardbag took the brunt of the fall, getting scratched to hell on the gravel.  (The right bag was already scuffed up several years ago when I brushed up against a guard rail near Detroit when I was stopping to check my map.)  The bike isn’t worth that much anyway, being 16 years old, near 100,000 miles, and now damaged, but I was pretty ticked at myself for being so stupid.  Worst of all, I couldn't pick the damn thing up, as it was too heavy, and the right tire couldn’t get any surface grip on the gravel and dirt drive under it.  I even took off the right side bag to make the bike a little lighter and I still couldn’t pick it up.  Thankfully, several minutes later the first passing motorist saw my plight, and turned around to check on me.  I said I was fine, but I asked if they could help me pick up my bike.  (Thank you, Lord, for nice people.)  I asked if they’d seen a deer lying on the road since they came from the direction I’d been going, but they said no.  I wouldn’t be surprised if I broke a couple of its ribs, but I’m sure it lived.

 

Once the bike was upright, and after profusely thanking the good Samaritans for their help, I loaded up and headed north again.  I went kind of gingerly at first.  I was still a little spooked, but more worried about whether there was any unseen damage to the bike which might affect its handling.  I was also a little concerned about whether anything broken might fall off the bike and hit my wheels, causing a crash.  (That would be ironic, wouldn’t it?)  After 10-15 minutes, I was satisfied the bike was okay.  I stopped at a Family Dollar store in the next decent sized town to buy some clear packing tape to secure the right front light housing and upper cowl.  I didn’t think until later to check whether the light still worked, but it did!

 

Once I crossed the bridge back into Ohio, I headed toward I-77 and slabbed it toward home.  I was very tired at that point, and pretty much spent from the weekend’s hard riding.  I stopped for a couple breaks and fuel, and just as I was getting to Canton, it had to rain on me a little, of course, just for good measure.  Thankfully, the rain was brief, but still really freaking annoying.  I made it home by mid-afternoon.  Another 330 miles for the day, 1,060 miles for the trip, two nights, a few meals, tons of amazing twisty roads, and one deer strike.  I was exhausted.  I put the bike on its centerstand in the driveway and sprayed chain wax on, then went inside, undressed, and just sat in the air conditioning and rehashed the ride and the deer strike with my wife.  I didn’t even have the energy to go back outside the put the bike in the garage.  I finally brought the bike in this morning and unpacked it.

 

After I got back on the road, post-deer encounter, I thought of that phrase again:  Man plans, and God laughs.  Earlier Sunday morning I had I smiled at the thought of keeping my VFR a while longer.  But now I wondered how much a new upper cowl would cost.  I was already going to have a bunch of work done to the bike, and now it would cost me even more to get it back to 100%.  The quote I got last week from the local shop was astronomical, but not everything really needed to be done, and some of the maintenance items would overlap, meaning I’d only be charged labor once for two different repairs.  But I checked an online parts company this morning, and a new 6^th gen upper cowl is $598.  Mine is snapped, not smashed, so I might be able to plastic-weld it back together instead of having to replace it.  Hell, for what it is I could just try some superglue and wrap it in a few layers of packing tape.  I suspect the turn signal/marker light housing is broken, maybe where it mounts inside the fairing, so that may have to be replaced.  If the bike wasn’t worth much pre-crash, it’s worth even less now.   So do I put the money into an now-damaged older, high mileage bike, or sell it as-is?  I’m going to take the next few days to decide.  Thinking about it those last few hours coming home, I was relieved I’ve already made a deal for a new motorcycle, so either way I’ll still be riding.  And if I sell the VFR, the proceeds will pay for some of the mods I’m already planning for the new machine.  (I’ll reveal the details about the new bike when I actually get it home this weekend.)

 

As for hitting that deer, well, I have to say I feel very fortunate.  We all know folks who hit deer and ended up with hospital stays and with pins, plates, and screws in their limbs.  I got off light, and I know it.  A fraction of a second either way, and I either clear that deer easily, or I broadside it, killing the deer, getting myself seriously injured, and absolutely totaling my VFR.  A crash like this, even a minor one like mine, could put some people off riding forever.  But not me.  Not this time anyway.  I didn’t do anything wrong, and in fact I think I reacted well, saving myself from a more serious impact and probable crash.  Also, this was the middle of the day, not a time when deer are normally very active, so this was unusual in my opinion.  I purposely avoid rural roads at dusk and at night.  I used to take more risks, riding home on 2-lane roads at night on purpose, because it’s so peaceful.  Not anymore.  But again, this wasn’t really very risky.  I think if you ride rural and mountain roads long enough and for enough miles, you’re just eventually going to hit a deer.  I’m thankful my own incident didn’t cause serious damage to me or my motorcycle.

 

Of the other photos here, the scenic overlook photo is from the northern part of the Back of the Dragon, near where the really good twisties start (or end, depending on which direction you're going).  It’s a gorgeous sight.  Just below this, ivy lines both sides of the road, I’m guessing covering guard rails, and it’s a beautiful sight by itself.  Times like that I wish I had a GoPro mounted on my bike.

 

I don't tend to eat well during my motorcycle trips.  Part of it is doing a trip on a budget, and part of it is I just don't take the time to stop and eat decently.  But I’d seen signs for Biscuit World many times travelling through the South, and had always wanted to try it.  Yesterday I finally did, stopping in Fayetteville, WV, just before getting on WV 16 for the trip home.  I had the “Ron,” a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit, and it was good!

 

The big abandoned houseboat is sitting along the river, just off WV 16.  I spotted it while heading south on day one, and it just intrigued me.  I passed it on the way home and decided to double back and get a few photos of it.  I also took a closer look.  The inside is gutted and it just looks sad, with debris here and there.  It will probably just sit and rust away, but I bet when it was newer and decked out it was pretty awesome.

 

So, overall it was a great 3-day trip.  If not for hitting that damn deer I’d say it was a fantastic trip.  I did end up with a cold following that ill-advised wet riding without my rainsuit Friday afternoon, though it might actually be more serious than that, as I have a few symptoms which could indicate COVID.  I’m getting tested tomorrow morning.  I’m feeling okay though, and certainly not at death’s door at the moment.  Regardless, unless I get very sick this week I’m going to ride that last 153 miles in the next few days to see 100,000 on my VFR’s odometer, come hell or highwater.

 

[Sparkie]

Man, I love Tudors biscuit world!  Glad you are ok.  If you want, I can help do just about all the work that you would take it to a shop for.  

[Dutchy]

Ahhh.......  you did a "Terry Light"!!!!  

(PM him; he may still have some of that red ducttape left....)

 

Some events during a road trip suck big time...................  but make for a great story! 

Glad you are ok, the rest is plastic and metal....

[Sweeper]

Great story! Glad you are unscathed from the adventure.

[MaxSwell]

Tim! I was a little shocked when your great story contained a Deer Hit! It's been a long time since I've seen a deer from my mc seat so my deer encounters have faded from my memory. I can certainly empathise with that adrenaline rush. I am so glad you remained up right and able to continue on. And, except for that close call, I really enjoyed your writing and weekend adventure. You put me right in your saddle and had me leaning in my chair.

 

As for repairing your bike, I can relate to your repair or sell dilemma. Your VFR has carried you through a lot of adventures over the years. I'm eager to see how this story turns out.