I have SOOO much to say, I must break it into 2 posts! Part 1 ... Devil's Triangle

First of all, I can't believe I forgot a crucial part of my last story!  Where we rode into Waynesville and played on the Rattler.  I HAVE to fill y'all in on that because it was CRAZY!  So we were racing home, trying to beat the rain.  We made it through Townsend and were about 2, 3 miles from home.  The roads were soaked.  I'm usually SUPER cautious and approach traffic lights like I'm pulling a loaded horse trailer; that means as I approach green lights, I back off the throttle, downshift if I'm up in 5th, and just see what happens.  Once I'm past that point of commitment, I go on, regardless if the light changes.  Well.  We were hauling butt and did NOT slow down as we approached the FINAL traffic light before the turn to our neighborhood ... and Murphy's Law, it changed.  I was WAY too far from it to run it, but was going WAY too fast to effectively stop, especially in the rain.  OMG.  As I stepped on both brakes, I told David in the radio, "I'm sliding, I'm sliding, I'm sliding".  My tires were fully locked down, and I was fishtailing all over that road like a snake slithering to food.  I didn't panic; I kept my eyes up, kept my hand and foot on the brake, and finally just slammed my feet down to try and stop the momentum.  FINALLY, I stopped, almost 1/4 out in the intersection.  Fortunately, there were NOT many cars around, so why that stupid thing changed, I have no idea.  S.C.A.R.Y.  Will DEFINITELY be going with ABS brakes next time, don't know what I could have done differently (other than slowing like usual before the light).

Anyways!  BEFORE last week's demo ride, David and I took an impromptu trip to Oliver Springs on Easter Sunday.  I did NOT enjoy my ride at the Devil's Triangle last time we did it.  Quite frankly, it scared me.  I felt uncomfortable, like I couldn't get in a rhythm, and like it was kicking my tail.  So, I thought maybe that had been a case of not enough technical experience to fully conquer all the twists and turns and the undulations of the mountain triangle, so we were just looking for the perfect opportunity to try again.  It's close enough to us that we get a GOOD ride to it and around it, without taking hours and hours.  I've often said, "I wish it was a better ride so we could do it more often".  Well, this time was MUCH better.

CRAZY fog blanked off Foothills this past Tuesday AM

Except for one small detail ... I got the super bright idea to tackle it without my windshield.  I try not to complain about it too much, but I have hated my OEM shield since I rode Khaleesi off the lot.  The ONLY thing it does is keep the wind off my chest.  So, for the first time since I've owned her, I rode shield-less.  Um, BIG mistake!  Speeds above 35 mph got up under my helmet (I was wearing the Marvel one for the good shield it has) and lifted it so high off my head I felt like I was getting clothes lined.  Dang, that was a TERRIBLE experience for me!  I did it because with my Mustang seat, my head was now so far above my OEM shield that the wind was being sent directly into my face/head and the buffeting was nearly unbearable.  Well, no shield is definitely worse, FYI :D

No windshield is NOT how I roll!

SO; we decided to run the Triangle opposite of what consensus says the "good" direction is.  Instead of counter-clockwise, we ran it clockwise.  The ONLY problem with that is it puts the most technical aspect of the ride at the very beginning, and also in the more difficult direction.  When you have 10 mph switchback turns, it's easier to come at them from the left because you have a wider turning radius.  And SOME people think down is easier, but I personally think up is easier, but I digress.  I was actually really enjoying the VIEW with no shield; as we began winding our way up the mountain, the slower speeds wasn't too bad.  David warned me about the switchbacks coming up, and I shook off the butterflies.  First one, I held my outside line close to the yellow line, looked hard up and around the curve, feathered my clutch to keep the RPMS up, and before I knew it, all 4 of the S's were over.  3 right, one left.  I NAILED every single one of them, it was AWESOME.  Didn't cross into oncoming traffic once. 

Little pep talk before tackling the Devil's Triangle on Easter Sunday

The rest of the ride was fun; a usual ride for us of some faster straightaways with slower curvy sections, and winding up, over, and down the mountain.  I had David put Carrie Underwood's "Champion" song set during the switchbacks.  I have literally gotten emotional TWICE now, lol ... it's just such an awesome feeling when you conquer a fear and do something WELL that maybe didn't go so well for you last time.  Here is the video of the first 22ish miles.  The Triangle is 44 miles, we tried to break the videos perfectly in half.

Devil's triangle

Literally once we got home from that ride, David had me order a new windshield ... WHAT?!  Woo hoo!  So I ordered my Freedom Shield and waited with bated breath!!  I tried the first real long ride with it today (just came on Wed) and it is freaking AWESOME!  It has a curve at the top that directs the wind up and over.  My Indian helmet I love/hate even stayed UP with no rubber band today, crazy!  I have NO wind in my face, and the usual higher speed buffeting is so much better! HIGHLY recommend this shield; when we get our Chieftan (lol) we'll get a Freedom Shield for that too.  Details from today's ride to follow soon!

Yep, THIS happened!

Oh, and I SLAYED my 10,000 mile goal!  Hit it Tuesday on the way home from work.  My bike isn't a year old until tomorrow :)

Taller and wider; got it too tall for now to compensate for when I get my longer handle bars.