A day of rest, and relaxation

This morning, we slept as late as we wanted.  Turned out that was around 8:30.  We made our way down to the lobby area and out to the boat dock for a ride on the resort's giant boat around Stonewall Lake.  We were there first, an hour early, and just chilled out.  That was about an hour, and so nice and relaxing.  The lake is secluded and beautiful, without even houses on the shore.

We decided to head to the nearest town for an early lunch, the town of Weston.  We ate cheap, had a little ice cream treat, then decided to head a little further out to a local winery.  Oh, and did I mention that I was the Babe on the Back?  Lol, we have an awesome front row parking spot at the resort and didn't want to lose it.  So Khaleesi stayed put, and I hopped on Mufasa with David. It was REALLY fun, his Mustang seat is the BOMB.  I wish like crazy that MY Mustang seat on my bike felt that good, but it just doesn't.  The ride over to the winery was tiny, windy, and so much fun; I was seriously missing riding my own!  But I just squeezed my honey tight and held on.




After sampling the offerings, we purchased a bottle and 2 glasses to bring home; the lady even gave us a piece of wine cake to eat during our tasting!  Very good, but very sweet.  We got "home", then changed to go to the pool again.  The pool is indoor/outdoor with a hot tub both in and out.  Since today we were in earlier in the day, the sun was out more so we stayed inside more.  The water is heated and feels absolutely, completely, 100% PERFECT. 

Went back to the room to relax for a few, then decided to rent a golf cart to ride around the course.  Yes, they let you do that!  18 holes of golf ... David and I do NOT play, but we can appreciate a beautiful course.  We must have seen about 50 deer; lots of bucks, too.  And lots of geese!  Nothing else, though.  The golf cart tour was like a golf wildlife safari, lol.  So that was great, took up about an hour.

Went BACK into Weston, right across the road from our lunch spot.  We took the best, most fun roads!  We took the "long" way for our evening jaunt and passed about another 50 deer.  Luckily, they all stayed out of the road, and we enjoyed "taco Tuesday" at the local Mexican restaurant.  Came back the interstate to mitigate the wildlife risk, and got packed up for the ride home tomorrow. 

Taco Tuesday!

So, so, so sad to go home tomorrow.  Unbelievably grateful for the time we've had, just thankful to God for a safe and fun trip so far.  Hoping for a slightly more interesting ride home tomorrow in the sense of NOT being on the interstate so much!  BORING in the sense of making it home safe and sound :):)

The top of the golf course

Out of the Eerie and into the spectacular!

Yesterday had a 1% chance of rain ... you already know where this is going!  We got up an hour earlier so we could get the heck out of dodge and get to the resort ASAP.  So we happily left our massive room with nothing in it but a bed and headed down to the creepy underground parking garage; and saw the rain just a fallin'.  :(  David checked the radar and we watched it as we waited for our window.  After about a 20 minute delay, we pulled out onto the soaking wet roads and managed to find our favorite breakfast spot; Cracker Barrel.

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast since we were waiting for a 2nd cell to pass over, and then hit the wet roads again for the drive south to Roanoke, WV.  The ride really isn't a whole heck of a lot to document.  We pretty much wove back and forth from the interstate to Hwy 19 all the way there.  We started out on 19, and even though I was actually enjoying the ride, David was getting antsy b/c the speed limit not only kept dropping down to 45 and below, but we also kept getting behind some big trucks.

The ride was not really fun if I'm being honest!  It was hot as heck; I was drowning in my own sweat.  We drove down through Pittsburgh, and I was not that much of a fan.  There was this really awesome park we saw pictures of that we wanted to go to, but parking was $13.  Seriously?  $10 to park at Niagra Falls, and you want $13?  Nah.  We went back and forth over a few bridges.  David's GPS was giving him some trouble and we had to do some turning around a few times.  My bike was whining and blowing hot air all over my leg, so I was beginning to feel cranky.  We parked just outside of PNC Park, the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and enjoyed walking around for a few minutes.  Again ... hot as heck. We mounted back up and hit the interstate.

TONS of road construction, lots of grooved pavement, lots of pot holes, and boring, straight riding.  Lol, like I said, not that much fun!  The interesting thing about this vacation is the fact that I'm actually driving.  When we go on vacation, I do not drive, pretty much ever.  So the fact that I'm staying right up with David and tackling all these crazy city interstate interchanges is pretty cool.  We did our last stretch of 19 after waiting out another pop up shower at a gas station; it sucked.  We got stuck not only in school traffic, but also behind a bus.  As SOON as humanly possible, we jumped back on the expressway for a final book it to the resort.  Finally, we arrived!

This place is magnificent.  We checked in, jumped in the pool, soaked in the hot tub, enjoyed a gourmet meal at the on site restaurant, and enjoyed a drink outside by the fire.  Pure heaven!  Turned into bed around 11:30, anxious to see what the next day would bring.

HIghways and Skyways

2nd Saturday began the same time as yesterday; 6:48 am.  I was ready to get up because I fell asleep somewhere around 7:00 pm last night.  Sadly, I woke up with a rip roaring headache; I think a little bit of dehydration had set in.  We checked out our hotel's pathetic excuse for breakfast, then decided to go ahead and layer up and hit the road.

As we pulled a U turn at a steep hilly road to go back to the cool restaurant we spotted, I realized I was pretty overdressed.  I ordered a Sweet Potato pancake with a side of bacon.  Oh my heaven, that was SO good.  I couldn't finish it all, it was soooo huge.  After shedding my 1/4 zip pullover, we hit the road towards New York.  Today's ride became a game of "Dodge the potholes".  The road was seriously BAD.  And then once we hit the state line, it was a chewed up grooved highway.  Fun, not fun.

We veered over as close to Lake Erie as we could get and really enjoyed riding along the edge.  The ride reminded us greatly of the California coast, just without the breathtaking mountains.  Lake Erie does have some cliffs, just none too dramatic.  Traffic was non existent and we enjoyed just riding at our own pace.  Still feeling great!  No sore booties or aching backs.  We REALLY enjoyed riding through Buffalo.  It's a quaint, beautiful little city.  Luckily, David was doing some filming through the city, so I should have some fun still shots captured from the GoPro.

As we followed the GPS, we did manage to find the 'hood of Buffalo; it's like any other city ... just keep on movin' through!  Hwy 5 turned into the Skyway, but it was closed!  We had to take a long, drawn out detour around.  Before we knew it, we were at the entrance to the park.  Amazingly enough, the park is free to enter.  It simply cost us $10 to park.  After locking down the helmets and I changed into my walking shoes, we waded through the mist and the throngs of people to get to the edge.  Niagra is just awe inspiring.  A perfect example of God's handy work.  We took it all in and savored the moment, fought through the crowds in the gift shop NOT to find any stickers, and as we mounted back up, we shed down to minimum layers.  NO rain at all, even for a second, but it was pretty warm.  We both sweated today.

SO thankful I always hit my skin with sunscreen before getting on the bike.  I sprayed all my exposed skin and coated my face with the stuff.  Love riding in a jacket too.  My mesh jacket was a little warm today, but it kept the sun off me, and with the long, straight stretches of high speed interstate just a T shirt will beat me to death.  The mesh jacket doesn't flap around or irritate my skin one little bit.

Haven't had one of these since CA

On the way home, we continued to dodge the awful holes.  I found that consistently the best spot to ride was smack dab in the center of the lane.  I tell ya, the weirdest thing for David and I to get used to is people riding with no helmets.  We always ride in TN/NC and sometimes GA, and those are all helmet states.  No worries, you will ALWAYS see David and I with our brain buckets on.  I believe that the day we're born,  we have a set end date, but what happens in between is up to us.  I don't want to spend my days drooling in a wheelchair.  I choose to protect myself because if  it's not my time to leave this earth and I have an accident, I want to recover fully.  Wearing protective gear gives me the best chance of surviving intact.  So, our helmets have not left our heads unless we're going in somewhere!

Happy to get out of Erie tomorrow.  No desire to ever stay in this city again.  We'd rather stay in Buffalo next time.  Heading down to Roanoke, WV the long way.  Hopefully just a short stint on the interstate; seriously missing our curves!

I love this man!

930 miles so far

First Saturday, take 2!

277 Miles today, mostly in Ohio.  We've never touched tires to Ohio, so definitely a different experience today!  We enjoyed a generous breakfast at our hotel, then rolled north on Interstate roads.  I'm telling y'all; you'd better keep your eyes open.  The interstate has way too many killer pot holes.  Some of them, I feel a motorcycle would very probably suffer some real damage, possibly even wrecking.

277 miles today

All was just fine, and the first 100 miles clicked on by.  Then we saw the Indian dealership!  We darted off the interstate, circled around to the store, and enjoyed our little break browsing bikes.  We even got to lay eyes on a Jack Daniel's edition bobber.  Just like the Elite, that bike is much more beautiful in person.  The attention to detail is really spot on.  I hate the black/gold color combo, but if presented with the opportunity, I'd definitely own one!  We picked up a pair of dealer shirts, then began the task of skirting/dodging the light rain in the area.

David kept one eye on his map and one eye on the radar, and we managed to miss all but the very lightest of drops.  Our legs got a little wet from the wet roads, but overall we stayed dry.

Light rain didn't affect us, but got Khaleesi FILTHY :(

Ohio is flat with a hand full of rolling mountains.  The rain dodging adventure allowed us to take in the local towns.  Such beauty!  Many neighborhoods of picture perfect vintage homes all lined up along a tree lined street; like something out of a storybook.

A much needed pick me up!

The Scout performed beautifully.  If anyone is wondering whether a Scout Sixty can handle all terrain, I'm here to tell you it CAN.  Yesterday was 90% mountain roads, both up and down.  I was easily able to maintain speeds of around 70 mph with no issues.  Being passed by semi trucks was no big deal, and we cruised in comfort now for 2 days.  They key is to set up your bike to fit YOU.  I've changed the seat, windshield, and the handle bars.  I've gone through 2 sets of tires now, and currently am on my 3rd front one (the front tire seems to wear more quickly).  This Michelin tire makes a WORLD of handling difference.  148% better than the stock Kendas AND the Dunlop I replaced the stocks with.  She turns smooth as butter and glides through the curves simply by you thinking about them!  Very happy with my current set up.  Stock pipes/exhaust system.  Pipes will be the LAST thing I go with, after floorboards.

688 miles ridden thus far in 2 days.  No, we're not iron butting it, but we're pulling some pretty serious miles for us.  Currently in Erie; I am NOT impressed with this city.  We walked a little bit and we both felt very uncomfortable.  The hotel is worth exactly what we've paid for it.  It's not nasty, but it's not half as nice as the one we stayed in last night.  We'll be here tomorrow night as well.  Looking forward to skirting the lake tomorrow up to Niagra; hoping for a safe and smooth ride.   Praising God for the smooth, easy ride to date.  Again, traffic was non existent.  No complaints at all!

Day Zero

Originally, our vacation plan was to go check out West Tennessee.  We've been to Nashville a few times, but never to Memphis or beyond.  And we've never ridden the bikes out that way, so we started looking.  One night in Memphis turned into 5 nights not in Memphis!

David and I are so in tune, we both said instead of Memphis maybe ... Michigan!  But as the hubs began to investigate that idea further, the trip morphed into Niagra Falls.  And Lake Erie.  We've never seen ANY of the Great Lakes, so excitement quickly began to set in.  The toughest leg would be the first one; we both had to work, and we had to skedaddle about 8 hours north into West Virginia.

This morning dawned the coolest it's been since about April.  It felt GREAT!  David's bike was loaded down last night, and he was going to meet me at my work and we'd just hit I-40 from there.  One MAJOR difference with this vacation vs. others we've done is the fact that we're riding to a destination PLACE vs. riding to destination ROADS.  Last August, it was the Back of the Dragon and the Snake.  In April, it was the Diamondback, the Devil's Whip, and the Sidewinder.  This time it's places, and we kind of have to get there the most efficient way since we're covering the most miles we EVER have in a single trip.

So as soon as David pulled into the parking lot, I finished up and jumped on the {new and improved} Khaleesi.  She now has reduced reach handle bars and a new front tire.  WOW, what a difference!  That tire has made the handling so smooth and controlled; the bars are sooo much more comfortable; as I lie here blogging, my back isn't even tired.

We took I-40 out to I-81.  Tennessee turned into Virginia.  We got off the Interstate onto Hwy 119.  Virginia gave way to Kentucky and the landscape turned to massive rock encrusted mountains.  As our tires hit West Virginia, road construction became the norm, but amazingly enough we hit virtually no traffic.  We pulled into our fabulous hotel just after 8:00.  A lightening quick check in got us up to our room in no time.  I traded my boots for my sneakers, and we stepped outside to walk up the sidewalk and soak in the absolutely perfect weather.  This hotel is VERY similar to our one from last year; it's a beautifully preserved and restored historic hotel.  We walked down to a local Parkersburg brewery and enjoyed a KILLER burger.  411 miles today, a personal record for both of us!  Now to enjoy a nice rest and arise tomorrow for the day's adventures!

The ride up to Hartford ... oh, what an adventure!

The weekend began after work on Friday.  I rode all the way out to Knoxville from Seymour so Mufasa could get a front tire and an oil change.  We then headed right back out from where I'd come from because there was a new back road to ride ... and a mountain to climb.  As we dipped and leaned through the tight Sevier County back roads, David pointed out a mountain and said he wanted to go to the top.  So we did!  The path got more and more narrow and soon the yellow line disappeared.  I always feel fortunate to tackle these roads on a bike vs. a vehicle so that we can stay a safe distance from oncoming traffic.  The road had a few corkscrews but was pretty level and the camber wasn't too bad.  It was a typical tourist/vacation cabin type road; I couldn't imagine actually living on it, as I can imagine it would get quite iced in during the winter!

See that view?  Breathtaking!  And tall!

We actually received a last minute invitation Friday night to ride down south with a friend from up north, but David had already planned and mapped out a ride up north.  We were PLANNING to head up to KY and maybe hit the Aces and Eights ride.  Upon further investigation, the ride was just going to be too far to tackle in a day, so we picked our 2nd favorite, the Rattler.

Tired of our "helmet hair, don't care" yet?

As Saturday morning dawned, plans morphed yet again as David wanted to head up towards Hartford and some of the roads we'd driven for the Foothills Wine Trail.  We headed around towards Douglas Lake and enjoyed the views at the dam.  The GPS directed us along the general route we'd used in the truck, and we ended up stopping for gas IN Hartford, which is a little rafting town close to the NC state line; State Route 32 is close to there which is the road we hit on our way home from our epic Diamondback/Sidewinder/Devil's Whip ride and I almost cried, lol.  We opted NOT to partake of that particular adventure, and I spotted a sign for the Martha Sundquist State Forest and thought it would be a GREAT idea to go check that out.  Hah!  Friends, if you EVER ride with us, be prepared for ANYTHING, haha.

Yeah, do yourself a favor and visit this place in a TRUCK.

The gravel ON the road quickly turned TO a gravel road, and as the weather was nice with no mud, we opted to see where it would take us.  I hit a few ruts and rocks that literally took my breath away, they were so hard.  About 4 miles in, we came upon a V in the road; up or down.  I was beginning to just think we needed to turn around b/c the road was getting more and more narrow, and the weeds were growing up thicker in the center of the road.  The rocks were looser, the ruts were bigger, and the uphill climb was looking somewhat washed out.  And then David exclaimed in my ear, "OH SHI&!"  I thought it was maybe a log across the road or something, but turns out it was a bear.  Yep, a very large bear.  I only saw the butt, David saw the whole thing.  It loped off about 30 feet, then stopped just to the edge of the woods.  Um, yeah, we turned around.  THAT was fun.  I started to park the bike and get off and let David finish turning her around.  He DID get off and stand in front of me b/c I was terrified I was going to drive right off the edge b/c did I mention this road was uphill?  And rutted out loose gravel?  And my motorcycle is a STREET BIKE??  

I'd rather be on pavement

Irritability was beginning to set in, which happens when I act like a puss, lol.  I was also having trouble with my sunglasses b/c I was wearing just my short sleeved shirt b/c it was sooooo hot I didn't even want my jacket.  So, nowhere to put my glasses, and I was having trouble reading the road b/c it was so shadow riddled.  I finally got them situated, and we made it back out the way we came ... and promptly turned down a paved road riddled with loose gravel and MASSIVE potholes.  I'm pretty sure I was complaining, lol.  Fortunately, the bad conditions improved, and we ended up on a short jaunt up Foothills Parkway ... NOT the one I've ridden a hundred times, the other one.  It was super short, but it had the same breathtaking views.

The "other" Foothills Parkway

That dumped us out onto I-40, and we rode a few miles up and down the windy, breathtaking hills and curves.  There's nothing quite like taking a wide, sweeping curve at 75 mph in 5th gear on a smooth riding bike.  This was one of the first times I can remember actually enjoying the ride, as the road was completely dry, AND there wasn't a wall of semi trucks.  There were a few, but they were easily passed.  By sheer accident, we ended up in Hot Springs, NC.  Lol, we honestly did not head towards the Rattler on purpose, but we ended up there anyway.

NEVER ENDING gravel road

We again ate at our favorite Irish bar on the river, then flew across Hwy 209, AKA the Rattler.  I again led the ride, as I do really enjoy that road.  By the time we completed it, we were both pretty dang tired, so we hit the Interstate to go home.  It was a BEAUTIFUL day, full of lots of adventure and amazing views, tight, corkscrew 15 mph turns and high speed, 75 mph curves.  We had bears, birds, and gravel.  I have SUCH an amazing time with my other half, I can't say enough how much I love and appreciate him.  He always watches out for me and takes care of me, but he also doesn't put up with any crap, lol.  He pushes me safely out of my comfort zone just enough that I grow as a rider every time I throw a leg over.  I'm so thankful for my life, and can't wait to reveal what's coming up in a mere 6 days!!!

Douglas Dam

Another epic weekend

Our next 2 rides dawned ... wet!  There's this law that states the farther in advance you PLAN any sort of outdoor activity ... the higher the chance of rain!  My in laws organized and "promoted" a quintessential East Tennessee ride, coming up from GA, staying in Pigeon Forge overnight, then back down to GA the next day.  She asked us to ride, and David volunteered to lead.  The plan was head south towards Ocoee to meet up, then ride over to Cherokee, through the National Park to Pigeon Forge, then we head home.  Sunday, get up and start in Pigeon Forge, then wind down to Foothills, the Tail of the Dragon into Robbinsville, over the Cherohala, then through Tellico Plains back down to Ocoee at which point we left the GA peeps and headed back home.  David and I tried to get some of our friends interested, and the in laws tried to get some of THEIR friends interested, but sadly the wet weather scared everyone off.  The ride was definitely a mixed bag!

Love my twin 

Saturday, just David and I headed south to Ocoee.  We met up no problem with the GA peeps, found us a fabulous little hole in the wall "cafe" to eat at, then proceeded out to Cherokee.

During the ride out there, we stopped off at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, which is a hub for outdoor rafting stuff.  We took a much needed break to feel the (ice) cold water, kick our feet up, and horse around a little bit.  LOTS of people out and about enjoying a day on the river; it was fun to watch.

Super fun; all of us!

All was well.  It was hot, but the rain was holding off.  That was a ride the in laws had done once or twice, so no big deal at all.  From Cherokee, we headed through the National Park up to the overlook for a rest and a view.  Slower tourist traffic kept the pace on the slow side, and we pulled up to the overlook with no issues.

Building clouds

The in laws wanted to go THROUGH Gatlinburg to get to PF.  Ugh.  This is where things began to tilt slightly south, lol!  We knew the traffic was going to suck.  And it did.  My clutch hand cramped up, and my right leg was catching on fire from the hot engine.  Khaleesi's fan kept whining and the temps of the engine crept up to around 210.  My Father in Law's bike decided to seriously protest by the time we finally made it into Pigeon Forge, and it began to actually over heat and spit coolant out.  As we sat in the hotel for my Aunt and her boyfriend to rest and tend to the FIL's bike, the clouds began to loom ominously.  We left the Aunt and the MIL/FIL came with us the backroads back to the house.  David kept it pretty straightforward without much curve so we could just get HOME.  By this time it was getting pretty dark, and upon hitting 411 next to my work, a serious storm was kicking up.  David and I sort of left the in laws in the dust.  His reasoning was they knew their way home, and we ride at night a lot.  We thundered into the garage SECONDS ahead of the downpour.  The in laws were a few minutes behind, and David got an ear full for running off.  I definitely see both sides; we didn't want to get wet!

The pony is eager to get going!

The next morning was gray.  And wet.  As we went up through Townsend and Wears Valley Road to head to the Old Mill for breakfast, the wet roads soaked the front of our shins.  We arrived in good time, and as we went in to get seated, we were told they refused to seat us until our full party arrived.  Ugh.  So, the day started out not so great ...the Aunt isn't much of a morning person, and one of the peeps was a friend of David's that was not responding to texts/calls to even let us know if he was coming.  So, the grump began early, lol.  

HOW many of this particular pic do I have??

After an overpriced breakfast, we picked up the Aunt/boyfriend and headed back the way we'd come back into Townsend, then took the FHP across to the Dragon.  It was off FHP that my brave friend L met up with us.  We stopped to make our usual pow wow at the lake before tackling the Dragon.  David gave his usual speech about riding your own ride, and we'll all meet in Deal's Gap for our usual walk across the street to the Killboy shed.  Us and L got a bit ahead of the GA peeps, and wouldn't you know it, but it began to sprinkle.  We cut the speed down a TON, and then got stuck behind a rude group that refused to move over at ALL ... and they were literally going 15 mph.  It was ridiculous.  Ride your own ride, but freaking let people around.  We do it all the time for the crotch rockets that want to ride 65 through the curves.  Anyway, we safely made it, and there was plenty of bikes to be seen at the Gap.  The GA peeps were about 2 mins behind us, and they all safely pulled in as well.  After that pit stop, it was the short-ish drive to Robbinsville and the Hub (Yes again.  It's awesome!)

3 Hondas and the Indisaki!

It was at this point the frustration began.  As the leader, David has a responsibility to not leave his group.  But I do think since the "group" consisted of his parents, he felt they should keep up with him.  In his defense, he was truly only going either the speed limit or 5 over.  But the 55 mph speed limits have wide, sweeping curves ... and he rolls ON the throttle through those curves, not off.  The GA peeps aren't used to that type of speed on those types of roads, and fell behind.  The Hub is just right off 129, so he didn't pull over anywhere and wait, he just went to the restaurant to wait.  The MIL called him a few minutes later and asked where he was.  He told her, and they got there.  Understandably, they got off the bikes and were a bit frustrated.  Understandably, David was also frustrated and they had some cross words.  Poor L.  On the bright side, we spend a LONG time at the Hub b/c David was watching the radar and we waited out a SHOWER, a big one.  L and I got some wonderful conversation in; that's hard to do when you're riding together!  

The Hub

David and the parents calmed their frustrations down, and we finally headed out towards the Cherohala.  It was intermittent rain all the way there, and as we started our trek upwards, the mist shrouded us to the point that David said all he could see in his rear view was my headlight; no body! 

What visibility?

 He was going so slow I kept bogging down in 2nd gear, but it was sort of keeping the in laws in sight.  We finally did get a little ahead of them, but the Skyway is just a straight (curvy) shot.  We put more clothes on, and dealt with the fog/light misty rain that came down.  We all had a slow and safe ride back down to the bottom, and L left us to head home.  We cut off an entire section of ride because of the rain, and the GA peeps headed back south as we headed north.  It rained on us a few more times as we headed home, but thanks to L, I was wearing rain gear!  David and I booked it up 411 straight home, and made it safely into the garage with our filthy bikes.

CHILLY.

I guess the moral of our story is to ride with well matched riders.  Our riding style is just very different from the in laws.  The mantra of "ride your own ride" doesn't really work when the rides are totally different.  I'm sure they have had more fun when they didn't feel pressured to ride hard.  We've had more fun when we didn't feel pressured to take it easy.  A better ride for all of us may be when we go down to GA b/c they know the roads down there, and the curves/mountains are non existent.

Swapped our swag ... my future girl, Arya.

HUGE plans coming up next week!  SOOOOO EXCITED!!!  Y'all will just have to wait and see what we have planned.  Sorry the blog is behind, I'll try and catch up the other rides before next weekend; we have 2 epic rides we did that require the play by play :D

I was DRY!  David got wet, lol!