[Racerboy]

Looks Like a Carolina Burrito.....

Thursday morning and it appears that Leon and Casey made it home OK but no one in the house seems to be getting up very early. I was up at 7:30, Harold a few minutes behind, Casey somewhere after 9 and then eventually Kelley at 9:20. Mikey and Leon are still slumbering away and breakfast is already done and awaiting to be served. Just simple food this morning, Eggs, Potatoes and Toast. Where we’re heading is going to be split between three groups. Casey is going golfing so his day is set. Leon and Kelley are heading up to Deals Gap to go play on the Dragon….still with hopes they will run into CrazyKel who is down here with the crew from Canada. Mikey, Harold and I decided we would go to Blood Mountain. We pulled out about 11 am and headed into Robbinsville, then to Topton onto Route 19/74 and cruised the super slab down through Andrews and into Murphy. We took 60 Spur to Route 60 basically the reverse route to get here from Atlanta. Once past 515, we gassed up, took a breather and then headed through the good twisties towards Suches past Route 180 to Two Wheels Only Resort. That stop was only a few minutes as there was really no one around so we used the facilities and headed towards Turners Corners, the beginning of Blood Mountain. We told Harold what to expect and then started up the 19/129, the Blood Mountain Pass.

The weather was flawless, in fact a bit chilly which made for an even better ride up the mountain. The entire trip there were only two other cars on the roadway so it was all us. Heading up its mostly two lanes so imagine, if you will, there are 24+ feet of roadway to use so you can get some seriously great knee drag going on, extreme speed yet if feels so comfortable, almost second nature to go that fast and get so low. Once at the top it narrows to a single lane but the speed doesn’t end there, its quite the shot going down as well. If you get the chance to come up here, this is a road which makes the trip complete!!

We arrived at the bottom and into Blairsville at about 3pm and cruised on into KFC, for some reason we ALWAYS stop here…not that it’s the best place in the area for food, but its consistent and en-route to our next destination. The cashier was not all together very bright and she certainly tried to be nice….her only comment to us was, “Ain’t ya’ll hot in those things? You’s is wrapped up like a burrito” The break was great after some hard riding and about an hour later, we headed back onto 19/129 to the super slab and on our way back to the house. Total mileage was over 250 but well worth every bit of it. An 800 mg Motrin will be in order later on tonight, I am sure.

I stopped at Engle’s in Robbinsville for some additional breakfast items we would be needing which we had unfortunately run out of a few days early and while I was there, Casey pulled up to get some extra’s he needed for his Port Tenderloin Dinner he would be creating a few hours later. He took all my stuff home so I could ride back without having to haul stuff which was a nice way to end the day.

Arriving home here we found that Kelley and Leon were still out and had been at the Dragon all day. Kelly actually DID get to meet up with CrazyKel, they posed for some pics and I am certain they will be posted in the picture thread (or in this one) somewhere down the line.

Dinner tonight is a Dry Rubbed Pork Loin, Grilled Honey Butter Carrots and Roasted Garlic Potatoes. Nice!! Tomorrow will most likely be leftovers so this will be a great meal to close out the day.

The Devil Wears Red…..

While at the Engles Grocery Store, a little girl looked at me and said to here grandma, “Nanna, that man’s wearing red…..Only The Devil Wears Red!” I don’t think I have laughed so hard, ever!

Friday morning has arrived, the last of the days to ride. It’s going to be an early day and an even earlier night as we are going to load up before heading to bed so the Saturday morning check out with be as smooth as possible. Breakfast this morning consisted of Strawberry and Banana Waffles with Vanilla Whipped Cream, crisp Bacon and lots of strong coffee.

We were a bit more lethargic than I guessed and we ended up not getting out of the house until 12 noon, no where near as early as anticipated but at least we finally made it. This will be our final day running the Gap and we want to make it count.

The Harley’s were out in force today. When Casey and I pulled into the Cross Roads, there were at least 100+ Harley’s and most of their owners were walking around holding a 24 oz beer…oh great, just what we need on the Dragon at the start of a holiday weekend!! Casey was not happy to say the least.

The others finally made it and we started our first run up the mountain. The Harley traffic was overwhelming. Not only were they out in force, drinking like fish but they flat out would not allow us to make a pass on them!! Leon and I finally pulled over to give a little gap and then we would restart. The next issue were the police. They were everywhere!! One passed us while we were sitting on the side of the road….then another was on the side of the road up at mile marker 6.5….very close to a group of the photographers…..this was going to cause a serious dent in my riding as the posted speed limit is just 30 little miles an hour. BORING!!

We made it to the top and took a brief break before heading back down, knowing where the cops were stationed was a good thing, as long as they don’t decide to switch it up while we were at the top, all would be OK. I followed Mikey down and he was really riding well, hauling ass actually!! Once at the bottom, we took another break and got some liquid into our bodies and chatted up a bunch of different riders, many who were Gap Virgins and a ton of questions.

Before we knew it, it was 3pm, time to grab a bite so we chose the Cross Roads Restaurant since we were there and had yet to eat there all week. Its kind of a grease trap and not what you need in your system when riding hard and its hot out.

Another couple of runs and our time at the Gap was done. We relaxed on the grass and talked with Anhony, Chris and Rob. Rob had a little spill....well not quite so little….and he near totaled the new CBR1000 he was on. 9 days old and its totaled. Great. Thank goodness he has complete insurance! He tells us it was caused by a truck and trailer combo which came across the yellow line and ran him into the ditch. Unfortunate but it’s what happens when you play hard.

Arriving back at the house, we loaded up the bikes and a good portion of the truck and I started dinner….warmed over leftovers left over from the last time they were warmed over. Ziti & Meat Balls, Meatloaf, Roasted Pork Loin, Salad, Carrots, Rice. Nice and easy!! I called Chris to see if he and the guys wanted to come over for our left over night but they never answered their phone, I assume they were out eating already somewhere else.

Later, after dinner, I tried to call once again to see if they might want to do the whole caravanning thing back home with us once again but this time the phone was busy on several calls….probably Anthony having good phone with his girl back home. The remainder of the night was spent relaxing until it was time to hit the sack and get as much sleep as possible before our 14 hour return flight home.

The Nature of the Beast

Saturday morning, 6am came earlier than I hoped. We got about 6 hours and now its time to make the final breakfast so everyone is nourished for the drive home. We left at about 8am and with any luck, that will put us back home somewhere around 10pm Saturday evening at Leon’s. As with all good things, we need to get back to the reality we call our lives in South Florida.

The initial start of the trip was uneventful but as the time rolled along, we entered the nastiness of the weather system Florida had been experiencing for the wee we had been gone. Every idiot and his brother was out on the roadway this weekend and when the rains hit, they all were rolling along at sub-par speeds with their flashers on, hovering in the left lane like it was their own personal hitching post from the 1850’s. What’s up with Florida drivers? Frickin’ Morons!!

Casey’s driving skills are much like his riding skills, aggressive and exciting. Certainly no match for the yee-haws in their Hyundai’s and Civic’s all afraid of the water droplets and in no way prepared for a 42’ behemoth of a truck and trailer to come by them at 75 mph while they site idly text messaging their best friends about the rain.

We made exceptional time so far….leaving at 8:10 am we were in Orlando by 5:30 pm and if we can keep pace (now that the weather has cleared a bit) we will be home in about 3 more hours. We still need to unload the bikes and get to our own respective homes but I won’t be long before we can all sleep in our own beds once again.

To summarize the trip, for those who really didn’t read the above daily reports, we had a fantastic time! Good Weather, Great Food, Fun People, and Excellent Daily Rides!!! I highly recommend you make it up there as there are few places in North America to do the things we did and for as little money as we spent. This trip gives me the peace of mind to stay sane and keep from going Postal for yet another 11 months and 3 weeks until next years event!! I hope you all enjoyed it vicariously via my writings and ramblings. Cheers!!