Wow, what a trip that was! Every time I go to the Gap I have more fun than the last time!
Soon I will post a writeup and some pictures of the redecorated rooms at the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, and I have an interesting story to tell about a Gold Wing that crashed at Gravity Cavity, but for now all I am going to talk about is the trip itself.
Gas prices are hurting everybody today, so in an attempt to offset the gas pricing I decided to make this a camping trip. I figured the money I saved on a room would make up for the increased price of gasoline.
I packed the bike up on Thursday night and took it to work on Friday. I left work early and was on the road by 10:30. My goal the first day was the Motel 6 in Knoxville.
The trip down was pretty uneventful. I had a little bit of sunshine when I first started out, but mostly it was cloudy and drizzling. The worst thing for me was that I cannot remember where I put my rainsuit! I just hoped I could avoid the rain and I would never need it anyway.
Somewhere in Kentucky I stopped for gas and noticed this:
The only thing the dealer had installed on my new motorcycle was the license plate, and it was falling off. I am so glad that I noticed it because it would have really screwed up the trip to have lost the plate.
McDonalds and the $1 double cheesburger is the poor motorcycle travellers friend.
What you are looking at here is a reasonably filling meal that costs about $3. Plus, it has the added benefit of helping you poop well while on the road. There is something about the grease in this food that just seems to lubricate your poop and help out that morning dump. Nothing starts a day of riding off better that a great big dump in the toilet.
I made good time and about 30 miles from Knoxville I figured I had the ride beat. I walked around a little gift shop to stretch my legs. When I walked back out of the gift shop and looked at the sky, this is what I saw:
My first thought was, “That looks like tornado weather”. Soon after I remembered that I was riding a motorcycle, had no rainsuit, and was still 30 miles from the motel. Holy crap. I wasted no time and jumped back on the bike and started high tailing it for the motel. I watched as the miles counted down on the GPS: 25 miles, 20 miles, 10 miles – I started to believe that I was going to make it! There was lightning all around, but I was still dry. Finally, with 3 miles left to go, the heavens let loose. It was unbelievable. Wind. Lightning. Hail. Rain. I thought I was going to die right there on the freeway with only 3 miles to go! As I am sure you have guessed by now, I lived. As the saying goes, “Anything that does not kill you makes you stronger”. It sure did not seem to make me feel stronger, but it was good to be alive.
Saturday morning I was up bright an early and on the road. The overlook was only about 50 miles away and i could not wait to get there. The day was warm and sunny and I felt rested and ready to ride!
I just can’t stop taking pictures at the overlook. It might be the most beautiful place on earth. I imagine at this point I probably have 500 pictures of this place, but every time I am there I cannot stop the urge to take more pictures.
The primary goal of this trip was to get a Dragon sticker on the new motorcycle, and i wasted no time completing the goal!
Now, finally, the new motorcycle was complete.
Dave from the rideohio board was in the area, and we got together each day and did a little bit of riding. It was his first trip to the Gap, and I was amazed at how well he rode. He is obviously a much more skilled rider than I am, and I am sure by the time he comes home I will no longer be able to keep up with him. I followed him through on his second pass and I could not believe how well he rode!
They were having a great time, and like everyone else they fell in love with the area. We took a trip out to see Fontana dam, and even though I have seen it many times before, it is still an impressive sight.
This is one of the spillways, and if you look on the stairs you can see Dave. It helps to give some perspective for how huge this thing is. It really is an engineering wonder, set in a mountain paradise.
There is no doubt when you look at this picture: they are having a great time! I really enjoyed the hanging out with them. I guess this is their first real vacation and I am so glad they are enjoying it so much. I don’t think I have ever met two nicer people!
There was a little bit of police presence throughout the weekend, but I am glad they were there. Below you see them passing out some awards for improperly mounted license plates. Truth is, these guys were not riding real clean. I heard a lot of talk of them making some risky passes, and I even personally saw them make some risky passes. I am glad the law was there to keep things under control.
The same guy talked to a Harley rider about revving his engine and making a nuisance with the noise. The Harley rider did not really appreciate the talk, but he was not given a ticket. I also have to say I kind of agree with this. I think it is very, very annoying when people with the open pipes just rev the engine to make a lot of noise. I think it is a nuisance, and I think people should have enough common sense to understand that nobody really wants to hear all that noise.
The camping thing did not work out for me. Lucky for me, room 3 opened up and Brad set me up in my favorite room. Some pretty strong storms were forcast to come through the area, so I was happy to not be in the tent. Soon I will post a writeup on the redecorated rooms, but once again I have to thank Brad, Ben, and all the people at the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort for making the stay so great. I know I say it all the time, but I have never been treated as well anywhere as they treat me there. And don’t think for a minute that I am the only one who gets treated so well there. They will all go way out of there way to make your trip an enjoyable one. I will never be able to express how great they treat people. It will be a sad day for me if Brad does sell the place, because I know nobody will run the place as well as he has.
Tuesday morning came way too soon, and I did everything I could to avoid leaving. Drank my morning coffee at the overlook. Went to the store to eat breakfast. Made a few passes on the Gap. Hung out and talked to some of the photographers. Finally, I decided I absolutely had to start heading for home. As I was riding along the lake a semi passed me heading for the Gap. The next thing you know, I do a U-turn and escort the semi through the Gap. I just could not leave! Finally, I got on the Foothills Parkway and began my return home, but by now it was nearly 1:00!
It was a long, long ride home. I found a few interesting roads to break the monotony of the freeway riding, and ran into the end of a civil war reenactment.
By the time I got to Ohio the sun was starting to set. By the time I reached Columbus it was completely dark. By this point I was completely exhausted and was having a very hard time going 50 miles between breaks.
Nothing unusual about this scenario. I have done it a million times. Way too late. Way too tired. Not having any fun anymore. Just wishing it was over. Wondering why I had not started heading home sooner. Will I ever learn and stop putting myself in these situations? Probably not.
In the end, I finally made it home at about 1:00AM. I managed to fit an awful lot of fun into 4 and a half days, and I can’t wait to do it again!