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billyjackjimbob

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Blog Entries posted by billyjackjimbob

  1. billyjackjimbob
    Sunday around 4:30 the phone rang and it was my friend Greg calling to see if I was up for a ride on Monday as the weather was going to be great and he had several vacation days left to use this year. Knowing that I start my new job with Sherwin Williams on Thursday, Greg knew I was probably able to enjoy the day on the bike. When asked my very first response was "Deals Gap?" "I've never been..." Greg replied. He was looking for a day ride but not for what was about to transpire. We agreed on the destination as I promised him we could make it there and back without freezing or getting killed. What we didn't know until well into our ride was how wonderful the trip was to be.
    We rode US25E to the Cumberland Gap and then on to Morristown and Newport TN. If your heading to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park from I-75 north of Lexington, KY let me explain that you can enjoy some really nice riding from Corbin, KY to Gatlinburg via US25E. The route is all four lane from that point on but winds through the Cumberland mountains of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee and allows cyclists an opportunity to be entertained by good curves and beautiful views of mountains and lakes. And the route only adds about 30 minutes verses taking the slabs of I75 and I40. From Newport TN you take 321 right into Gatlinburg and bypass the mess of Sevierville and Pigeon Forge.
    Greg and I stopped in Gatlinburg at Calhoun's for a BBQ sandwich. Then we were on our way through the national park towards the Foothills Parkway and Deals Gap. To my surprise it was all deserted. I've never gotten to really ride the great roads on the park due to traffic which normally prevents speeds in excess of 25mph. Willing to risk a ticket, we opened the throttle a bit and really enjoyed the Little River Road.
    The Foothills was totally empty and provided a great pass! Deals Gap also... totally empty less a small group of state workers clearing trees in one small section and a pack of about six GapRats and Motards who, like ourselves just couldn't pass up a great day! They were much more LOCAL than Greg and I and were pretty much amazed we would make the 465 mile round trip for a few passes. OH... but what a few passes!! To get that road completely free of traffic and enforcement... that's pretty much priceless.
    Here is a video of the Little River Road pass in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Like you've never seen it!

  2. billyjackjimbob
    Carri and I had a really good time at the 9th TMAC event this past weekend. Sunday morning we were up and on the road by 8am so I didn't get to say many good bye's. We left early so we could ride nothing but back roads home to central KY and make it in time my step daughter's softball game. The route took us across NC 215, one of my favorite roads of all time. Hope you enjoy the video.


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  3. billyjackjimbob
    Yesterday I had a great day of riding. Five of us made rode the Hillbilly Triangle here in Eastern KY and I was able to get video of the entire loop. The loop is about two hours of video that I'll have to edit for some time before a video can be published. So, to keep you entertained for a while, check out my video of the DiamondBack at Little Switzerland. Look closely and you might just see yourself in some of the pictures. :) The video is from last May but the pictures are from the Bristol rally in 07, I believe it was. Great times! Great memories. Enjoy the ride!
  4. billyjackjimbob
    Last summer Kenny and I took a four day adventure through five states with only one destination planned, VA 16. Running from Tazewell to Marion The Back of the Dragon lives up to the hype and then some. The beauty of the mountains and valleys in this region are breath taking. The views simply cannot be ignored but the switchbacks are so good you will have a hard time finding a good spot to enjoy the views. One of the top five routes I've had the pleasure to experience. I hope you enjoy the ride..
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  5. billyjackjimbob
    So just before the old PC died, I had purchased a domain and web hosting from GoDaddy to start my very own site aimed at promoting my home state of Kentucky as a motorcycle adventure destination. Right now it's pretty much just a skeleton of a page as so much of the content I had planned on using was lost with the old PC. The new machine is working great and just last week a friend of mine informed me he has managed to get the old hard drives to spin up as slaves. With that my motivation soared and the basic page was created last week. Also, I got my first ride video uploaded to YouTube from a ride this year. The video is up front on the page. Stop by and check it out. There will be much more content added in the weeks to come. I welcome feedback from the group as this is my first endeavor into the world wide interwebs. Hopefully, I'll be able to lure sport riders, adventure riders, cruisers, and wingers to the Bluegrass state for new adventures.
    www.hillbillytriangle.com
  6. billyjackjimbob
    Well, as you may or may have not noticed, I've been off the air for a little bit. Work has been a little busier and my home PC decided to go the way of Buell last week. So, I'm writting you today from my new PC. I got it from www.ibuypower.com and it's a pretty sweet rig. Intel i7, GeForge 560 2GB video card, Sound Blaster Audigy SE, 8GB of DDR3 1600, 1 TB hardrive, liquid cooled in a cool tower with touch screen temp. control.
    The sadest part is that the old PC was ok, but the hard drive died so tons of pictures and a years worth of GoPro HD filming is gone. (I guess I'll have to go ride all that stuff again now.... :rolleyes: ) Anyway... I'll hope to be posting more interesting threads soon.
  7. billyjackjimbob
    Another nice day here in central KY for January and some friends and I managed to roll up about 240 miles. Our destination, the little town of Lorretta, KY. Home of the Maker's Mark distillery and the Abby of Gethsemani, home of the Bourbon Fudge Monks. We chose this area for it's rolling hills and winding roads. Nothing like the mountains of eastern KY but a very beautiful and fun area to ride.
    The day started with breakfast at in Berea at the Dinner Bell where I had steak & eggs with biscuits and gravy. Yum! There the route was discussed and once all of our group had assembled we were off and running! Nothing but back roads 100 or so miles each way through beautiful farm country with short runs of twisties thanks to the "knobs" in this part of KY. The Knobs are the results of the limestone in the area that cause the round hills which in turn call for curvy roads. Good stuff. But, with the farms come cattle and with cattle comes round bales of hay being moved and.. mud. Along with the salt from earlier in the week, the road conditions were not trustworthy of high speed riding, so a nice cruising pace was set. And seeing how we really shouldn't be riding at all on the 8th of January, no one was complaining. Here are some photos!

  8. billyjackjimbob
    Got some riding in today and anytime you can start a blog in January like that, living in Kentucky, well it has been a good day. Today's 60 degree high was a far cry from the 42 car pile up due to ice and snow on Monday. And after a few chores this morning, and lunch with Carri, it was time to get some cruising on the VFR done.
    Called up Kenny and some other riding buds to see who else was up for a ride. With UK playing at 4:00 many here in the bluegrass state were already a pitcher in at Gillum's so it was only Kenny and I. But, we had seats saved for the game at our favorite sports bar, so the calls were not for not.
    With the snow earlier in the week riding up in the mountains was out due to salty roads and poor conditions. So, we decided to just cruise around Madison county on local roads. We managed to roll up about 60 miles of back roads which normally wouldn't be very blog worthy, but did I mention it is Jan. 7th? And we were riding in jackets!
    Got to Gillum's in time to get an order of hot wings before the game started. With several friends, all who ride, sitting around watching what would turn out to be an easy win for the Wildcats, plans for another ride tomorrow were laid.
    It won't be an epic ride except it will be a ride in January... Which is epic.
    After the Sun set, the VFR was indicating 37 degrees on the 15 mile ride home leaving a cold burn in my legs by the halfway mark. I don't mind riding in the cold as long as I know I can get warmed up. Kinda makes you feel alive to feel a little bite from the cold. Tomorrow, will be a bit cooler but still in the 50's and I am looking forward to riding again.
    There is also talk of a group effort installing the HIDs on my VFR. Should be a great day!
  9. billyjackjimbob
    Good Tuesday morning to ya! Cold morning here in South Central, Kentucky that is... Jan.1st it was 57 degrees and sunny. I worked in the yard and cleaned out the garage with only a sweat shirt. But the thing about Kentucky weather, if you don't like it wait an hour and most likely it will change. Yesterday moring the low was about 40, which turned out to be the high. Winds from the North East picked up and the temps dropped like a Led Zepplin. (great band not so great means of transportation) By 9:00am it was snowing but not sticking. By the 5pm rush hour chaos had set in! With absolutely zero pretreatment to the highways KY were gridlocked. Major highways and I-75 were ice rinks with crashes from Williamsburg (south) to Dry Ridge (almost Cincy) where they had a 42 car pile up.
    Top the day off with a natural gas line explosion and fire about 20 miles from my house that lit up the sky like sun rise at 7PM (reminded me of the "Fire" episode of M.A.S.H. where the Col. replies to someone "Only the Sun doesn't come up in the North.") The low level clouds from the snow squals lit up like the scene out of Raiders of the Lost Ark, when the Ark is opened and the piller of fire shoots to the Heavens. Only, our show lasted for over two hours. It was a very eerie feeling watching the sky. It wasn't just a glow, you could actually see the entire sky pulse like the flicker of a fire place in a dark room, but this was as far as you could see. One report stated the fire at it's peak shot flames to an estimated 1500ft! Luckily, it was in a remote area and no one was hurt.
    With the temps dropping like they did I got to try out the new Eddie Bauer coat this morning. Loving it. But, it's really no suprise. It's one of the multiple layer deal that are all the rage right now. Particularly the North Face brand is in vouge. You know the jackest with the black liner jackets that are a windproof shell that go under the outter layer? Following me? I knew they technology worked very well as I've been sporting my FirstGear Killimagaro wind jacket/liner/insulation layer as a solo jacket since 2005. Now the rest of the world has caught on. I finally broke down and got a new version as my FirstGear liner/jacket has about had the lick. But, when I was looking at the new coat, all along I was thinking how well the EB liner will work with my Killimagaro! So, I'll get double use out of it.
    Everyone wants to be as cool as us motorcyclist (who probably stole the technology from the ski bunnies) but we are just too far ahead of the curve. Oh, and if your a redneck like me but don't want to take your Carhart coveralls to the ski slopes, you can always wear the full Killamgaro suit. Very functional and doesn't look TOO out of place. :) Stay warm my friends! Oh, and it's going to be 55 again on Thursday. Remember what I said about Kentucky weather? Haha!
  10. billyjackjimbob
    2012 here we go! Things I am looking forward to in 2012.
    1. Getting married. Feb 18th!
    2. Watching my 49ers playing in the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. Don't think anyone is favored to beat the Packers, but can't wait to see what we can do.
    3. Episode 3 of Caliparri's Cats! Should be another final four run for my Kentucky Wildcats but again thats the beauty of March Madness. You never know.
    4. TMAC. Hoping to see lots of old friends and share the event with local friends as well.
    5. Getting my website up and running to promote KY as a motorcycling destination. Be on the lookout for www.HillbillyTriangle.com.
    6. States I plan to ride in 2012:
    Kentucky, TN, NC, VA, WVA, GA.
    7. Collecting and riding more "named" motorcycle routes. Last year I did:
    Deals Gap aka Tail of the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, Blue Ridge Parkway, Foothills Parkway, The Snake aka Shady Valley, The Diamondback at Little Switzerland, The Back of the Dragon (in VA), The Moonshiner or Hellbender (NC 28), and The Devil's Triangle.
    8. Put together a Fall Rally in KY.
    I hope everyone gets to ride more than last year. Hears to a happy and safe new year!
  11. billyjackjimbob
    It's the last work day of 2011 and I'm trying to leave early.. why? Hell, I don't know why. No one else is here maybe?? Anyway..
    It's warm day for the end of December, but my 45 mile commute just isn't welcoming to early morning rides in the 30's. So, maybe I can get home in time to take a spin around the back roads outside of Berea before dark. Some friend that are off for the holiday are taking a trip to Iron Pony mega-store in Columbus, OH. Wishing I was with them. If you've never been pretty much imagine an old Wal-Mart store turned into a motorcycle distribution center for their web business where the public can shop also. It's huge and the close-out deals they have are insane. Got Carrie a First Gear Killimagaro jacket last year for $25, new!
    Might try to install the HIDs this weekend too. If I do I'll take lots of pictures so I actually have something to post in one of these blogs. HA! Well, be thinking of your New Years resolutions.. or not like Jimmy Buffett says, "Make a resolution, to never make another one..."
    Hope you all have a safe and happy New Years!
  12. billyjackjimbob
    As 2011's death rattle can be herd in the not so far off distance, I found myself bored at work. Which lead to surfing and to the enlightenment that VFD has not been block by the IT Nazis. So, why not start a blog!
    Let me start off by saying that 2011 was a year of highs and lows but ended on a good run of highs. Any of you who have me as a friend on Facebook may or may not remember that the first half of the year I was stuck working 7 days a week 70-90 hours a week. This does nothing good for any part of one's life, espeically if you are a salary employee like me. Then out of the blue a recruiter found a three year old resume of mine on Careerbuilder.com and called me for a job interview. Long story short, I took the job in August and life has been good again since. I am now the Materials Manager for Hearthside Foods in London, KY where we make all kinds of goodies from Oreos to Teddy Graham's and nearly every breakfast bar on the market. It's a pretty good gig!
    My riding in 2011 was really limited due to the work schedule but I did manage three good trips this year. The first was a weekend get away with my girl to Deal's Gap. It was her first ever overnight trip on the bike and she did great! We had a very good trip and spent the weekend chasing waterfalls in NC. Good stuff.
    The second trip was one of those where me and a fellow rider, Kenny (KCPhoto on VFRD) took off for four days with no real plans other than to ride The Back of the Dragon in VA, and make the rest up as we go. If you've never done a trip like that let me say you haven't lived! The Back of the Dragon, it's great and everyone should add it to your MUST list. Don't confuse it with The Tail of the Dragon which we found ourselves playing on two days later. HA! We road the Blue Ridge Parkway for a bit and then some great roads in the Natahala forest and wound up in Franklin,NC where we would then run the "Cooler Run" down to Helen and back accross the Cherohala and Dragon to spend the night at the resort. They had a room so what the hell! The last day of the ride we hit the Devil's Triangle and some great riding in KY on our way home through the Danniel Boone forest.
    The third trip was an impromtue adventure with one of my buddies who rides a big old Harely, Ryan. He had planned a trip to Deal's Gap to stay at the Pumpkin Center just north of the Gap on US129 and long story short several folks bailed on him and he had a cabin. So, turns out everyone bailed on him... So it was the two of us again with very little planning but that's cool. When riding with a cruiser it's a little different, but Ryan used to have an FZ1 so, he knows how to ride the curves and for two days we rode around the mountains of NC and TN at a relaxing but not boring pace. Very good trip!
    I managed to get some pretty good recordings with my GoPro HD in 2011, but not nearly what I wanted. Guess I have that to look forward to in 2012. Also, getting them edited and published on the web like I want, but my dinosaur PC doen't play well with HD recording so editing is out until a new laptop arrives.
    Finally, 2011 found me in the best relationship of my life and in September I popped the question and she said YES! So, nine years after my first attempt at marrige, I'm diving back in. Carri and I will we Feb. 18th in Gatlinburg. Guess it will be a little cool to make that a bike trip, but expect it will be great anyway!
    Look for more blogs to come in 2012 and Happy New Year!
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