Saddle Sore + CFO + EOM

[user 28803]

How many total miles for the entire trip?

4559 by the bike's odo.

I'm about to go through photos now so I can put together the rest of the ride report. GREAT trip and some good riding with good people. :good:

 

[FJRBandit]

+1 to all. Awesome trip!

Enjoyed riding & hanging with ya Rooster. See ya again soon.

 

[user 28803]

+1 to all. Awesome trip!

Enjoyed riding & hanging with ya Rooster. See ya again soon.

No doubt. I had a great time riding with my "regular" riding buds and meeting a few new ones. We'll do it again soon!

 

[user 28803]

Great shots and RR. What kinda of camera are you using for taken while riding shots?

Most of the time I use my little Nikon Coolpix (the Wisconsin farm shot, rain shots thru the shield). I keep it in the tank bag and it's tethered in case I drop it.

Sometimes I put my "good" camera in or on top of the tank bag (Olympus E-500) and snap shots at slower road speeds (those above in Kentucky).

For still shots (well, shots when I'm still) I use the Olympus.

 

[fljab]

As it happened, fljab's route converged with mine there so we split a room Sunday night.

WooHoo! My jacket showed up today! I thought it was a goner.

FYI to all, I had my Gerbings heated liner on the back of the bike when I came in, but couldn't find it in the morning when I got ready to go. Searched everywhere twice, thrice, no luck, so left name/contact info at the desk and they called me when we were below Lansing that a guest had found it; I must have dropped it somewhere along the path to/from the room. Dang, I would have hated losing that one!

 

[user 28803]

WooHoo! My jacket showed up today! I thought it was a goner.

FYI to all, I had my Gerbings heated liner on the back of the bike when I came in, but couldn't find it in the morning when I got ready to go. Searched everywhere twice, thrice, no luck, so left name/contact info at the desk and they called me when we were below Lansing that a guest had found it; I must have dropped it somewhere along the path to/from the room. Dang, I would have hated losing that one!

I'm glad it showed up! Talk about a bummer :glare:

It was great meeting you Jim and great to ride with you. We'll have to do it again. If you ever make it thru my neck of the woods be sure to give me a call.

 

[user 28803]

Here we go again.

Day 8 of my 12 day trip was Wednesday and I think I took the most photos that day. I left the Motel 6 in Kingston, TN headed for Hendersonville, NC by the a scenic route. I'd upload a map of my route but I don't know how. Sorry. I'll figure that out another time. I basically rode to Deals Gap then picked up the Dragon route from the EOM site and did the first half in reverse. Clear? I thought so.

Warning to truckers (unless you're a trucker on a bike like me)

Fort Loudoun Dam near Lenoir, TN

Carmichael Greer Bridge (over the Fort Loudoun Dam)

Deals Gap after riding The Dragon ~ I made it in one piece! And enjoyed it even more than I expected.

After Deals Gap I rode some great roads and saw some great sights including Cheoah Lake

This was a fun road. I think I was on parts of it two or three times by the time I went home.

Christmas Tree Farm

Happy Trails indeed!

Pit stop

An entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway isn't a place for trucks

A pull out on the BRP (I rode the BRP a couple of days later, this was just a quick turn around)

And settled in for the night in Hendersonville

 

[user 28803]

Great shot Jesse!!!!

Thanks!

 

[user 28803]

Somehow I missed this thread until tonight. Great write up Jesse. I'm also interested in how you got the shots while riding.

I enjoyed our rides and conversations at CFO and wished I could have done EOM also. Your SpotWalla map was also fun to follow.

Hope to see you next year.

Tom

I enjoyed it too, Tom. I'm planning to make CFO next year. I had a great time there and met a lot of nice folks.

 

[user 28803]

Ok, here are the last of the photos. I won't bore you with a blow by blow report. On days 9, 10, and 11 I rode all over western North Carolina, most of the time with Georgia Roller and a few hours with Pegsparks and FJRBandit. Among other roas we hit the Cherohala Skyway, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and The Rattler. Then on day 12 I rode home along with Winewhisperer, Pegsparks and FJRBandit.

The trip map: https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=55ac504d47190a5f8

Delayed on the way to met GoergiaRoller in Murphy, NC

It was a foggy morning

GeorgiaRoller and I tried our luck on a Forestry Service Road. All's well that ends well.

Me at Bald River Falls

Hooker Falls in Dupont State Forest

Triple Falls in Dupont State Forest

Lunch at Mountain Fresh Grocery in Highlands, NC

GeorgiaRoller, Pegsparks, FJRBandit and earthrooster on the BRP

Graveyard Fields

Lower Falls at Graveyard Fields

Following Pegsparks, FJRBandit and Winewhisperer toward home

Washing 4559 miles worth of bugs and grime off the bike

And the obligatory photos killboy.com photos. The first two are on The Dragon and the last is on the Cherohala Skyway

What else can I say? It was a fantastic trip. I hung out with old friends and made new ones. I'm especially looking forward to returning to CFO and the friendly folks up there.

Signing off until the next adventure.

~earthrooster

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

AWESOME!!! :yahoo:

 

[wheatonFJR]

AWESOME!!! :yahoo:

+1 :clapping:

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Me at Bald River Falls

Signing off until the next adventure.

~earthrooster

I want you to know that I find this photo especially offensive. The reference to Bald River Falls with your ahhh haircut is just a little over the edge. Since I am Follicly Challenged (Bald) I am so upset that I will have to boycott all your future posts.

NOT! That is awesome! I have heard so many "bald" jokes when I come home with pics of that area! Oh, they named the falls after you? And all those mountains that are called Bald.

It is unfair to make comparisons, all posts should be enjoyed for what they are, but your time with the Georgia Roller has been well spent. Your photography is excellent, your reports are wonderful. I have enjoyed this entire report and all the pics. I thank you for sharing this.

Do I understand that Killboy is taking pics on the Cherohala also now?

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

Do I understand that Killboy is taking pics on the Cherohala also now?

Yes...Click Here

 

[user 28803]

Me at Bald River Falls

Signing off until the next adventure.

~earthrooster

I want you to know that I find this photo especially offensive. The reference to Bald River Falls with your ahhh haircut is just a little over the edge. Since I am Follicly Challenged (Bald) I am so upset that I will have to boycott all your future posts.

NOT!

LOL, yeah, I know about that particular ailment. A few years ago I decided that balding wasn't sexy. I've shaved my head since.

It is unfair to make comparisons, all posts should be enjoyed for what they are, but your time with the Georgia Roller has been well spent. Your photography is excellent, your reports are wonderful. I have enjoyed this entire report and all the pics. I thank you for sharing this.

Do I understand that Killboy is taking pics on the Cherohala also now?

Yes, they are. I was surprised to see them.

And thanks. GeorgiaRoller and I had planned to ride together for a couple of days. We've ridden together before but always with other people. As it turns out we have almost identical styles and goals. Have fun on great roads, find interesting places, stop and take photos whenever the mood strikes. And we like the same sorts of natural places.

And he gave me a tip (using a neutral density filter) which enabled me to take decent waterfall shots even when the natural light wasn't great. Some of my waterfall shots (Triple and Hooker Falls) were with a naked lens but at Lower Falls I borrowed his filter since it fit my lens. he was kind enough to share (Thanks again!)

As for my photos, Nature did most of the work.

 

[CraigRegs]

Jesse, you've got a great eye. Beautiful photos!

 

[user 28803]

Jesse, you've got a great eye. Beautiful photos!

Thanks Craig. It was great meeting you at CFO.

 

[Fontanaman]

Great RR and pics. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Fontanaman]

Great RR and pics. Thanks for sharing.

 

[user 28803]

Great RR and pics. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks! It was a great trip.