8 old guys and a kid do Maggie Valley

[Boomer612]

as soon as I figure out whats up with the pictures I'll try posting again....

getting error... "You are not allowed to use that image extension on this community.

 

[Boomer612]

I'm a little late with this ride report and I'm still trying to figure out why a retired guy has so little time???
This is a preview of Maggie Valley (EOM 2013) and a duplicate of last years ride with the "Knight Riders" except on
Saturday when we went east and skipped the Dragon this year (thank goodness -- gets old after a while) The "Knight
Riders" are a group of riders from church, most of whom are in the Knights of Columbus", but now we allow anyone who
wants to go. Aside from weekend rides we do one 3 days ride on the first weekend of June every year. This year we went
back to North Carolina due to popular demand. This is the 5th year I have planned and lead the ride but I enjoy doing it.

May 31st.... and we're off... leaving from Waffle House in Woodstock GA
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j356/bdbarnes36/Glide%20Ride%202013/GlideRide2013_001_zps4a00c0c0.jpg
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j356/bdbarnes36/Glide%20Ride%202013/GlideRide2013_002_zps4f75d815.jpg

Rolling up I-575.. was cloudy but we didn't have any rain the first 2 days.....
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j356/bdbarnes36/Glide%20Ride%202013/GlideRide2013_004_zpsc3b26d4b.jpg

The first butt break was in Dawsonville....
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j356/bdbarnes36/Glide%20Ride%202013/GlideRide2013_006_zps87d77931.jpg

There were 3 new bikes on the ride... Mikie has a new (leftover) 2012 Goldwing...
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j356/bdbarnes36/Glide%20Ride%202013/GlideRide2013_005_zps94980fcd.jpg

We stopped at Rt.115 an Rt.52 to pick up the "kid" who was coming from the other side of towm....
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j356/bdbarnes36/Glide%20Ride%202013/GlideRide2013_007_zps885e19c1.jpg

Stopped in Helen for a lite lunch and a little walk around.. also public restrooms....Did i menision 8 old guys...
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j356/bdbarnes36/Glide%20Ride%202013/GlideRide2013_009_zps3118d4eb.jpg
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j356/bdbarnes36/Glide%20Ride%202013/GlideRide2013_010_zpsa174718f.jpg
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j356/bdbarnes36/Glide%20Ride%202013/GlideRide2013_011_zps7720f786.jpg

Ricky is not the oldest guy in the group... he only looks it.....
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j356/bdbarnes36/Glide%20Ride%202013/GlideRide2013_012_zps7365a421.jpg


Charlie is riding a Screaming Eagle... but it's not really that loud...
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j356/bdbarnes36/Glide%20Ride%202013/GlideRide2013_013_zpsfd97d0a3.jpg

Jhon (the Kid - he is only 33) has a brand new CBR1000.... the seat is like 1/4 inch thick.... like a rock...
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j356/bdbarnes36/Glide%20Ride%202013/GlideRide2013_014_zps894654f7.jpg

and yes ... it's that new...
https://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j356/bdbarnes36/Glide%20Ride%202013/GlideRide2013_015_zps670d1619.jpg

 

[SouthernCruizer]

use the DIRECT code in each of your pictures in your photo bucket acct.

 

[Boomer612]

The direct link is what I had above - but I can't get the pictures up unless I link each one with the image button -- what a pain--
there has to be a simpler way.. any way here we go again..................

I'm a little late with this ride report and I'm still trying to figure out why a retired guy has so little time???
This is a preview of Maggie Valley (EOM 2013) and a duplicate of last years ride with the "Knight Riders" except on
Saturday when we went east and skipped the Dragon this year (thank goodness -- gets old after a while) The "Knight
Riders" are a group of riders from church, most of whom are in the Knights of Columbus", but now we allow anyone who
wants to go. Aside from weekend rides we do one 3 days ride on the first weekend of June every year. This year we went
back to North Carolina due to popular demand. This is the 5th year I have planned and lead the ride but I enjoy doing it.

May 31st.... and we're off... leaving from Waffle House in Woodstock GA

Rolling up I-575.. was cloudy but we didn't have any rain the first 2 days.....

The first butt break was in Dawsonville....

There were 3 new bikes on the ride... Mikie has a new (leftover) 2012 Goldwing...

We stopped at Rt.115 an Rt.52 to pick up the "kid" who was coming from the other side of towm....

Stopped in Helen for a lite lunch and a little walk around.. also public restrooms....Did i menision 8 old guys...

Ricky is not the oldest guy in the group... he only looks it.....



Charlie is riding a Screaming Eagle... but it's not really that loud...

Jhon (the Kid - he is only 33) has a brand new CBR1000.... the seat is like 1/4 inch thick.... like a rock...

and yes ... it's that new...

 

[Boomer612]

6 retired guys... 1 kid and 1 doctor....I'll let you figure out who's who....

We headed north on Rt. 75 and cut over to Clayton where we found Warwoman Road... it was much nicer being dry this year

Stopped at Bridal Veil Falls....

traveled on through Franklin and stopped at this little corner market for a break.. turns out just before some nasty
follow the truck one lane road work... the sound of fresh tar attaching itself to you bike.....

Mike has no idea what all those buttons are for..... ejection seat????

We arrived at the Ridgetop Motel (Bryson City) at 5:30pm and setteled in.. made a run for adult beverages....

 

[Boomer612]

We found this resturant run by a British fellow and the suggested dinner was fish & chips.. UK style..
they were very good....

We got back to the motel and solved most of the worlds problems... except tar snakes....

and dropped the sun on another day....

7:30 the next morning found us at the golden archs......

We ran north on Rt.19...

a 45 minute ride got us to Maggie Valley just as the Wheels thru Time Museum opened at 9am...

 

[Boomer612]

Dale was at the front door...

With the 1914 Pope he rode to work... 3 1/2 HP... sounded solid when he started it....

Car with Harley engine found on American Pickers show was sitting out front...

and many others....

I found the coffee right away... like a bloodhound....

they started this Crocker while we were there.. and a couple others....

This place goes on and on... 2 hours is not enough time....

 

[Boomer612]

I loved the old pictures... here's something you don't see every day...

and a 12 foot high Brando picture...

Ricky, Dave and Mike had been to the Museum 3 weeks eariler so they went on a 2 hour ride and met us back in the
parking lot... they found this... I have no idea what it is???

We all met up in the parking lot and headed up Rt. 19 toward Asheville...

We took Rt. 151 up to the Blue Ridge Pkwy (BRP).... that was the funnest road on the ride... and ended up at the
Pisgah Inn for lunch....

 

[Boomer612]

Being a Saturday be had to wait 30 minutes for a table... I'm sure thats lemonade...

We had a great lunch and headed out on the BRP for Cherokee....

Of course we stopped at the Highest point for photo ops.....

I think those pants make me look bowlegged.....

Billy has a V-Strom 650 -- smallest bike in the group... 3 harley's, 2 Suzuki's, 3 Honda's....

and 1 great looking Yamaha......

Ricky's Harley was the other new bike on the ride and believe it or not.. nothing fell off of it........ really!!!

One fine FJR road shot...

 

[Boomer612]

One more stop on the way to Cherokee...

according to the sign you can see Deals Gap from here...

When we got to Cherokee we stopped here to buy overpriced Harley T-shirts...(not all of us)

and then cruised back to Bryson City along the river..

Out of Bryson City we went in search of the "Road to Nowhere".. and found it.. a nice ride up into the mountains
on a non-maintained road that ends at a tunnel in the middle of nowhere... for more info see
www.westernncattractions.com/the-road-to-nowhere

 

[Boomer612]

Figure about 2 HP.....

For those brave enough to ride into the tunnel... it was very muddy in there....motel has a bike wash station...

and off to get some refried beans to go with the beer....

Smile....... or not...

and so ends day 2 already.... around 9pm a soft rain starts falling but all was right with the world.....

As day 3 awakes there is no sun today....

and the rain is covering a large area so we decide to eat breakfast and take the fast way home instead of the
fun way home.....

We left Bryson City at 9:15am and I was home at 1pm... we rode through a thunderstorm in the Nantanhala Gorge but I
had no fear as I was now wearing my waterproof Fieldshear pants... but things were getting wet down below... alis, I
left both zippers open in the back... wet seat.. operator error....

Bottom line is 2 beautiful days of riding and a laid back, no stress group to ride with is what it is all about..
on a scale of 1 to 10 it was definately a 10....

I'll be back up there for the EOM...

 

[Panman]

Sounds like a good week end and a good mix of folks, thanks for sharing.

 

[Mihalis fjr]

Great report & pictures!!

Thanks for sharing!!

 

[user 28803]

Thanks for the RR! I read it while taking a morning walk (gotta get out of the truck now and then). A couple of times I actually remembered I was out walking, not riding around NC and GA.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Gotta love the VStrom rider. "What? This isn't rain, it's barely sprinkling, let's go find some muddy unpaved roads. Guys.....guys....where'd everybody go?"

Don't know why your linking didn't work in your first post. The IMG closing tags are missing their /'s. The IMG link should have put all of that in your clipboard to paste into your ride report so long as you turned off the button in the top left corner of the editor. This guy ->

 

[Boomer612]

I had tryied the closing IMG with and without the /'s

but I didn't know about the external link button..... thanks

 

[gixxerjasen]

Yea, the button kills the automated formatting and lets you paste code directly in. Makes it easier when you have the code, turning on the button makes it easier when you don't.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Ricky, Dave and Mike had been to the Museum 3 weeks eariler so they went on a 2 hour ride and met us back in the
parking lot... they found this... I have no idea what it is???

That ^^^ is the Masonic Marker. It is located just a few miles north of the BRP and is the site of an annual gathering of Masons. It is built of stones donated from Masonic lodges from all over the world.

Good report Boomer. I like the way you provide plenty of pics to tell your story but you have just the right words to make the report perfect. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Top_Speed1]

Sounded laid back and relaxing, Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed your report even though it took over a month to get the film developed