i like to ride...

[ronin_01r1]

A few buddies and I are doing a long weekend moto trip to WV this weekend. This week was the longest week ever waiting for Friday to arrive. We leave after work today. We are planning to camp at Green Ridge Forrest in MD as our 'base camp' and then do day rides in WV during the days. These are our planned routes. Ride report soon to follow.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/1004-wv-routes/831458961_H3sdo-X2.jpg

:ride:

[Ant]

Nice. Don't forget to take pics. You always have great photos.

[ffejtable]

Camping? Not just a little cold? This past weekend wasnt too bad, but April is kinda hit/miss with overnight temps...

Anyhow I'd like to hear more about the trip, and if you have any particular routes that you liked, and would like to share (.gpx or .itn files) that would be great!

I heard a certain someone was lagging behind a bit, poor guy ;)

[ronin_01r1]

packed and ready to go.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-1/836321899_Mb3st-L.jpg

we arrive at green ridge state forest
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-4/836318753_buq6y-L.jpg

yummmm..beef jerky does a body good.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-8/836313362_Ja9s5-L.jpg

feels like home
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-14/836383920_abiiJ-L.jpg

at least one person has their priorities straight. yuengling, don't leave home w/o it.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-16/836380765_tAsDW-L.jpg

got some firewood - we only paid $20 for all the wood we could carry on our bikes. sweet!
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-15/836381892_hcyco-L.jpg

a ducati hauling firewood? you don't see that too often..
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-20/836374298_6ENbB-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-19/836375984_CDAyp-L.jpg

aerostich power net is damn strong...
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-24/836365847_UB5LR-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-25/836364204_Y8T7n-L.jpg

went out for a quick ride before dinner.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-28/836358108_JPoGs-L.jpg

dinner is served. chicken dogs wrapped in fresh cut bacon from the local shop. yumm.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-37/836345920_zSTxX-L.jpg

seneca rocks
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-39/836343316_vNiTm-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-40/836342051_YqkH2-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-41/836340354_iKkV6-L.jpg

Leaving the Midway Exxon..
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-1/837239982_MQ9Bt-L.jpg

Follow the keg.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-2/837240177_92BbF-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-3/837240296_qsKmL-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-5/837240624_78JzG-L.jpg

Found some tight backroads
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-6/837240759_faUUt-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-8/837241059_4omB5-L.jpg

Saw plenty of 20mph advisory curves.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-9/837241272_eeWxn-L.jpg

What a beautiful day to ride.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-12/837241751_27H3o-L.jpg

US219... this way for some amazing roads.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-45/836336614_rgAoG-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-16/837242343_H6EXk-L.jpg

DSH's ducati monster ahead of me.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-18/837236458_Npx3v-L.jpg

i wish the day would never end.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-19/837236792_x3Sdt-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-20/837236943_VHRzm-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-22/837237452_yWzFu-L.jpg

oops. a close call. road goes right, but everyone proceeds to go straight.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-24/837237694_TBBvN-L.jpg

time to test your emergency braking skills.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-25/837237834_VvKyG-L.jpg

...and moving on.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-26/837238016_mhP24-L.jpg

typical small town we passed through. i made sure to slow down to the posted speed limit in these areas.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-27/837238119_xFffw-L.jpg

The last day of our trip. After some Bob Evans breakfast, we head off towards home.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-28/837238291_CSCHX-L.jpg

The bikes feel so heavy compared to yesterday's ride.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-29/837238397_EL8B8-L.jpg

I'm not sure what area this is, but it was gorgeous.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-30/837238567_2P6sL-L.jpg

More nice weather, and awesome twisties. WV does not disappoint.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-32/837238867_m6cvQ-XL.jpg

Oops. Wrong turn. We are not crossing that...
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-33/837238992_5H969-L.jpg

Going up the mountain, things get pretty tight. Here's a 10mph advisory curve.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-34/837239165_idTJU-L.jpg

It's hard to know when we should pull over with so many nice roads ahead of us.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-35/837239267_soExk-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-go-pro-36/837239394_Z2M4M-L.jpg

typical tight, winding WV roads...
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-50/836329555_BJFiA-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1004-WV-moto-trip/100409-WV-moto-trip-52/836325567_K5NKC-L.jpg

Can't wait to go back. WV rocks.

:ride:

[ronin_01r1]

Camping? Not just a little cold? This past weekend wasnt too bad, but April is kinda hit/miss with overnight temps...

Anyhow I'd like to hear more about the trip, and if you have any particular routes that you liked, and would like to share (.gpx or .itn files) that would be great!

I heard a certain someone was lagging behind a bit, poor guy ;)

It was a little chilly, but not too bad if you're prepared for it. It probably dropped to the low 40s at night. Daytime temps were perfect for riding...about mid 60s, low 70s.

The best roads in WV are in the SW section of WV. Check this out: http://www.motorcycleroads.us/states/wv.html

If you're interested in joining us next time, let me know, and I'll give you a heads up for the next one. Maybe DZ will stay for the entire ride next time. :P

[DougZ]

Maybe DZ will stay for the entire ride next time. :P

Regrettable decisions are made when, 1. wife is in a panic about what turned out to be nothing, and 2. operating on about 4 hours of crappy sleep. Halfway home, I was already regretting my decision to head home.

[ronin_01r1]

Regrettable decisions are made when, 1. wife is in a panic about what turned out to be nothing, and 2. operating on about 4 hours of crappy sleep. Halfway home, I was already regretting my decision to head home.

:ohmygod:

next time, keep the phone OFF. ;)

[ronin_01r1]

Only 8 days left until we head south to Deal's Gap... I'm expecting about 2900 miles in about 10 days, an average of about 300 backroad twisty miles per day. We're planning to hotel/camp roughly 50/50. We reserved a nice cabin (with a hot tub!) in Cherokee, NC when we spend 3 nights there. I'm hoping to try my luck at the local casino too. And lots and lots and lots of BBQ joints along the way... Can't wait! :ride:

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/Southern20Route20Whole/863714858_wTYor-O.jpg

I'll be taking the KTM again. It's usually more fun in the tight twisties than my R1.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/0905-Philly-to-Cave-City-and/img9084/566887925_LU2sV-M.jpg

[ffejtable]

Woot... time to start a new thread.. as always a great ride report with great pics... My trips this year are sadly going to be limited to weekends only... Taking 3 weeks off june 25th-july 16th to visit Hungary with the wife.. First time she will be home in 7 years.. and then another week long trip to mexico in November... Maybe while we are over there we can arrange for a rental.. right now other than the dates and flight times, nothing is planned. :)

I was planning on doing a lehigh valley rafting trip in june... I had to put that on hold since the FJR went into the shop and I wasnt sure how long it would be there... Now that I hacve it back maybe I should look to schedule this for weekend of june 12 or 19th... hmmm

[Cakes206]

Damn Song...you are hard core for sure...if you guys hit up Rt.28, look for the motorcycle cabin, stop in Friendly Fields and say hello to Beth and Pat...check for the SBA stickers under the canopy.

[CBRBob]

They took them off as soon as you left..............lol

[ronin_01r1]

Damn Song...you are hard core for sure...if you guys hit up Rt.28, look for the motorcycle cabin, stop in Friendly Fields and say hello to Beth and Pat...check for the SBA stickers under the canopy.

do you have some sba stickers lying around? i could put them up along my route and take pics.

[JimRBlue]

Looks like a great trip~!.. Great pics as always!

[Cakes206]

do you have some sba stickers lying around? i could put them up along my route and take pics.
PM me ur addy.

[carl_g]

I that keg looking thing a secondary gas tank??

[Cakes206]

I that keg looking thing a secondary gas tank??
Naa man, its to take the edge off :drink::roflmao:

[ronin_01r1]

i should have it painted like a heinekin mini keg..

i got it here: http://tourtank.com/

[ronin_01r1]

Routes are finalized...we head out tomorrow afternoon. My plan is to sample lots and lots of BBQ along the way. :moocow:

Day 1
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/Day20120-20FRI20-2022220Miles/880679125_7hfxg-O.jpg

Day 2
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/Day20220-20SAT20-2028020Miles/880679118_rmCfy-O.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/P1000684/880686740_Gc55E-L.jpg

Day 3
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/Day20320-20SUN20-2031220Miles/880679109_6ibAp-O.jpg

keep stunting to a minimum.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/1003844/880686744_83nXo-O.jpg

Day 4
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/Day20420-20MON20-2030820Miles/880679158_WYCyd-O.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/247521593583bd2b1d09/880686760_VvgZb-O.jpg

Day 5/6...We will stay 2 days near Deal's Gap.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/5000feetfinal/880691108_sCaSf-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/TailOfTheDragon/880686638_heDRL-M.jpg

Day 7
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/Day20720-20THU20-2025920Miles/880679152_NDpZT-M.jpg

Day 8
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/Day20820-20FRI20-2030020Miles/880679142_kfD5c-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/Motorcycle20Rental20Viaduct/880686748_EFvBw-O.jpg

Day 9
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/Day20920-2031020Miles/880679137_eNJvd-S.jpg

Day 10...last leg home always sucks.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/Random-MISC/Day201020-2023420Miles/880679131_sz7HS-M.jpg

[FigNewTon]

Looks awesome Song. Ride safe and enjoy the trip. Definitely post up some pics when you get back.

[ronin_01r1]

Thanks!!! Counting down the hours now...and I can't fall asleep!

[Cakes206]

Thanks!!! Counting down the hours now...and I can't fall asleep!
When you leaving again? Things have been hectic, didn't get a chance to make it to he post office.

[ronin_01r1]

First w/e ride for 2011.. Friday after work, we slabbed it on i-76 until the Blue Mountain exit. Grabbed a quick bite and warmed up a bit. Then it was off to Shawnee State Park the rest of the way via backroads.

The plan for Saturday and Sunday was about 300 miles each. Blue route for Saturday and Green for Sunday. Looking back, the Green route coming back was better than Saturday's route. In fact it was so good, that we decided to use this route next time to ride out Saturday morning and use the same route to come back on Sunday. We'll skip the semi boring Friday night ride.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Bedford-PA-weekend-ride/i-fnpSLff/0/X2/110429%20-%20shawnee%20state%20park%20routes-X2.jpg

Loaded up and ready to roll.. I ride it to work like this so I can take off directly from work.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-37hGkcr/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-1-M.jpg

Shawnee State Park

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-KXBWsnn/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-103-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-2fJCX9M/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-104-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-DZ4LBrn/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-106-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-XgZk8zH/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-8-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-nzWRwZn/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-11-M.jpg

Probably not a good idea during moto trips...or ever for that matter. lol.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-n9MzpVp/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-12-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-9JK9Nrc/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-10-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-GF34FGd/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-14-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-BnJh4tN/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-16-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-ZpJ5Hhd/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-19-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-6xV9zBx/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-22-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-Hbws9tK/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-23-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-jCtvpxD/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-26-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-rkTBGr9/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-27-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-wmSsC8f/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-28-M.jpg

Traveling piggy

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-dJ8ZZvX/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-31-M.jpg

Beautiful weather today..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-G6w5cbs/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-36-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-PNXnVMF/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-40-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-6XjVCP9/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-42-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-7zk8wmG/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-45-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-gCPj4mG/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-46-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-2hHCBdJ/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-55-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-RGVVcVK/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-57-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-96rdmM3/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-58-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-BfFnBjb/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-59-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-NmPzDss/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-61-M.jpg

Sunday...

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-QQts5Gg/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-72-M.jpg

What's for dinner?

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-xztC9z5/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-76-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-N959Lxf/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-78-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-k3zpB2x/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-85-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-Fhn2MXp/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-87-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-tBwLzK8/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-88-M.jpg

Close call.. TJ almost lowsided here.. you can see the tire marks. He felt the rear start to slide out. When he realized he wasn't going to make the turn, he stood it up and braked for a second and then slid on some gravel. From my view, his bike looked like a bucking horse that shook very hard trying to throw him off. Somehow he managed to stay up and pulled off to the side.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-vF64z8V/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-100-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-tcnwNbB/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-108-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-mnFTPN7/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-102-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-JLsVWgb/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-105-2-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-jDBjpFJ/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-107-M.jpg

And.....moving on. More nice roads.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-Q5kT4pQ/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-110-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-jkZRkfs/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-111-M.jpg

A nice break for lunch. The burger I had was great, but the sweet potato fries..not so much (they were not crispy).

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-WbZDmnp/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-113-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1104-Moto-Trip-to-Shawnee/i-Qh6Cb9B/0/M/110429%20-%20moto%20trip%2C%20shawnee%20state%20park-114-M.jpg

[Ant]

Nice! How do you plan your routes?

[ronin_01r1]

I use Garmin's mapsource. Basically set the map to 3mi view and pick the curviest looking roads and string them together. I found if the view is less than 3mi view, it picks up a lot of the small local roads (gravel, unpaved, dirt, goat paths, etc). Usually for a full day's ride (8am-7pm) including breakfast and lunch and breaks about every hour, about 275 mile route is good.

[SPRHK]

Very Nice! Saxon & I are planning a 4 day trip with the ladies down to WV. Seneca Rocks, gonna stay at the Smokehole Lodge. Heard great things about the area.

[ronin_01r1]

Very Nice! Saxon & I are planning a 4 day trip with the ladies down to WV. Seneca Rocks, gonna stay at the Smokehole Lodge. Heard great things about the area.

I love WV....awesome roads all over the place and minimal LEO coverage. They're mostly on the main / busy roads so mind your speeds there. We've been to the Seneca Rocks area many times. The truly amazing roads are in the SW section of WV. If you're looking for slow scenic, there's always Skyline Drive and at the end of it you can skip over to WV since you probably know VA is known for strict enforcement. Have a safe trip and a great time!

[ronin_01r1]

...yea, so I'm a little behind in posting my RRs. This one was to the Indy MotoGP from Philly, PA with my riding buddies...August 2008. Our plan was to take a *LONG* way to Indy via MD, WV, and OH twisties...and back via similar route. So, here are some pics!

On my trusty KTM 625 smc... PERFECT for twisties.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG5842/747994589_dpnmu-L.jpg

Dinner...
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG5844/747994953_uWKgu-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG5847/747995069_rA9MH-L.jpg

We stayed at Front Royal, VA the first night. We normally have no qualms about parking our bikes outside, but on this particular night, we spotted some people suspiciously eyeing our bikes..so we decided to add some more roommates to our room.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG5856/747995512_fKfQS-L.jpg

I'm surprised I didn't take more photos along the way, but we eventually made it to Indy. The worse part of the ride was the last few hours on the dreaded highway leading into Indy. Lucky for us, my buddy Alex from Indy showed up with his RV to host us for the few days we stayed. Thanks Alex!

These are from the practice sessions.. They were still hauling ass IMO. :deal

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG5859/747995927_wMHHj-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG5869/747997468_z3LKh-L.jpg

Too bad MotoGP is not so popular in the US.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG5901/748002806_S3sYu-L.jpg

The RV... smells like something burning.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6058/748029176_P2qp9-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6066/748029884_JqRVS-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6069/748030206_5NmtU-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6079/748031085_XAowm-L.jpg

Sweet..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6081/748031445_B8LjE-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6088/748032629_9tqU9-L.jpg

squid alert!

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6094/748033061_KCTtB-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6095/748033228_Bea7A-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6097/748033559_PRKVS-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6100/748034174_Hg2v4-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6117/748034708_9i3FA-L.jpg

[ronin_01r1]

Nice. $52 for a Rossi t-shirt. $35 for Lorenzo.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6120/748035222_7vbZs-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6122/748035393_Zb8J8-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6125/748035572_xbxFU-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6126/748035748_h6SsA-M.jpg

Nice use of duck tape.. personally I prefer Gorrilla Tape.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6127/748035877_SZttN-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6128/748036057_FMrhL-M.jpg

[ronin_01r1]

more practice sessions.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6186/748048337_SJEHR-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6198/748051122_vebXL-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6201/748051384_J4kq8-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6202/748051528_trjsC-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6208/748052566_sHjmz-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6211/748053271_qg2PA-M.jpg

The race begins!

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6221/748055649_3zcK2-M.jpg

We need more fans..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6283/748071669_3ZgBB-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6338/748091291_wnQyG-M.jpg

Pedrosa's bike taking a nap. It's amazing how many places he regained by the end of the race.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6379/748106702_rzjxs-M.jpg

[ronin_01r1]

So after a few days in Indy, we were excited to hit the road again.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6684/748228704_7rbqN-M.jpg

And we enjoyed some very fine WV and VA asphalt...

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6685/748229417_CZzpz-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6687/748230962_7ZJhM-M.jpg

Blue Ridge Parkway is always a blast..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/200908IndyMotoGP/IMG6689/748232145_PyXrz-M.jpg

[ronin_01r1]

6 of us decided to do a w/e in the north/central PA mountains for this w/e trip. We planned to stay in cheap cabin in Coudersport, PA.

For this trip, I decided to take my sport touring track bike R1. It's surprisingly comfortable and is as smooth as a Cadillac compared to my paint can shaker KTM 625smc. Well, it is a thumper.. Anyway, as you can see, the R1 still has track plastics. I slapped on a headlight, mirrors, signals, and tail light/plate. They were calling it a locomotive.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2326/695016545_zjYtL-M.jpg

This guy cannot live w/o his phone.. I try to use my phone as little as possible on w/e bike trips. It's my time to get away from it all.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2328/695017020_yRE7P-M.jpg

We had some unexpected roadside repairs.. Front cylinder was cutting out. The sparkplug got wet from all the rain.. Bad design for the SV. Luckily we found a Napa to fix it up in a couple hours.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2333/695020273_DprbD-M.jpg

no..we never laugh at other people's misery. we're laughing *with* you..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2335/695020987_2iGo4-M.jpg

...and finally the weather clears!

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2339/695023025_aahKk-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2341/695024418_CzLU5-M.jpg

Pit stop at the PA "grand canyon".

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2342/695025257_4AV6p-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2343/695026331_Ey85z-L.jpg

hmm...no so "grand" if you ask me. Well, I did just get back a few weekends prior from a 1 week trip to *real* Grand Canyon.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2345/695027913_9fsGR-L.jpg

Rt 6 is not the place for a spirited ride as a few of my buddies found out the hard way. They can't say I didn't warn them. Lucky for me and a couple others, we hung back enjoying the scenery. Rt 6 is not tight enough to really enjoy it unless you're doing stupid speeds anyway.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2350/695030360_WvRgR-L.jpg

Otherwise, the ride was going smoothly...until...

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2354/695035127_xGJ9m-L.jpg

We had another unplanned pit stop. One of the new guys on our ride target fixated and ran his nice shiny Ducati into a ditch going about 20mph around this turn. Luckily, it was a soft ditch on the side of the road and the damage was very minor.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2353/695033982_VgeDN-L.jp

And, moving on. We head towards Centralia, PA to check out the deserted town d/t an underground coal fire.

Having some fun in the mud in Centralia, PA....

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2359/695038417_Ww7rR-L.jpg

...sort of.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2361/695040658_UmyLN-L.jpg

Let's try that again..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2378/695054734_qth6J-L.jpg

...oops.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2380/695056710_rrQqX-L.jpg

TJ showed us this creepy memorial. It had a photo of the kid at the memorial when he was alive. MD was weirded out by it so naturally TJ snatched one of the little green toy soliders and hid it on MD's bike. LOL, seeing MD's reaction when he found it about an hour later after we left Centralia..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2404/695075566_CT7Gb-L.jpg

This w/e trip didn't go as smoothly as it could've, but it was still better than staying home.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/NorthCentral-PA-Trip/IMG2401/695073778_ATryV-L.jpg

[Cakes206]

Cool as hell Song!

[ronin_01r1]

The road is calling me once again...and I must obey! :ride:

We leave in just one more week...! This is the planned route for my next motorcycle ride. Hopefully the weather cooperates and the pavement is smooth. I hear there are some beat up roads from the harsh New England winters. Most days will be about 250-275 miles of twisty back roads over 9 days and about 2500 miles total.

We’ll ride up from Philly to Danbury, CT Friday night after work, then head north through the Green Mountains to the Canadian border and head east through the White Mountain area of NH. We’ll check out Mount Washington and stay there for a couple days to do a little sightseeing. Next we’ll head back west via the famous Kancamagus Highway and back through VT towards the Adirondacks where we’re renting a lake front house for a few days. Then we’ll continue south through the Catskills and camp for a night there at our usual spot near Big Pond (free primitive camping spot). Then we’ll ride home from there through some nice north Jersey roads.

:ride:

http://2wheelslittletime.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/WholeTrip.jpg

[ronin_01r1]

10 days, 3000 miles on my 2006 KTM 950SM. :clap

This year, our crew (Mike, Tony and me) will head south in search of the best roads possible along the Appalachian....from Philly, PA to Asheville, NC and back.

It's only 3 of us this year (normally it's about 5-6 of us) so we're changing things up a bit. Instead of making reservations at certain spots where we'd spend 2-3 days at a time riding locally, this year, we've made one giant route with no preplanned stops for the night. We'll just find a cheap motel when we feel like stopping. In the morning, we'll get an early start since we won't have tents to take down/repack, have breakfast and ride most of the morning, hopefully find something interesting to stop and check out during the middle of the day, and then ride most of the mid/late afternoon through early evening until we feel like stopping and/or find something good to eat. Hopefully we'll be able to find some good BBQ.

I'm in Western Massachusetts so I'll be high tailing it tomorrow night after work to meet up Mike and Tony in Philly. This is the route we have planned.

PA though a bit of DE, then MD, and glorious WV...a bit into VA (although I'm not really fond of most of VA), and then back into WV....:D

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-MC-Appalachian-Twisties/i-NQChghH/0/O/1.jpg

We will continue through western WV....some of the best twisties I've seen along the east coast. We continue along the yellow route south..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-MC-Appalachian-Twisties/i-7pQ5Fxp/0/XL/2-XL.jpg

We will cut through VA....amazing roads all thoughout this area. We've been through this area before. If you're in the area, look for War, VA....nothing but tight twisty roads.

We'll continue south towards Ashville, NC through TN and back into NC... Then we'll follow the pink route back north, hit up the Blue Ridge for awhile and then back through VA where we'll just have to pass back through War. :D

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-MC-Appalachian-Twisties/i-8RMJZXB/0/XL/3-XL.jpg

Can you tell we are fond on WV yet? We'll continue north following the green route through WV.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-MC-Appalachian-Twisties/i-FJ5rmX3/0/O/4.jpg

Just in case we run late, I made the route towards the end near the interstate, although our goal is to avoid the interstate whenever possible. Tony has been known to nod off on the bike while droning down the interstate so for his safety, we'll have to comply. :D Anyway, we'll ride east along PA's country side toward Pottstown, PA.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-MC-Appalachian-Twisties/i-6WXfq8p/0/O/5.jpg

From here, Mike and Tony will continue east towards Philly, PA and I'll continue heading north (pink route) back towards western Massachusetts through eastern PA, Catskills NY, and then finally MA.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-MC-Appalachian-Twisties/i-3GzHV3N/0/X2/6-X2.jpg

This'll be my setup for the 10 day trip. Since we're not planning to camp at all, my luggage is much lighter. Tony say he wants to find the dingiest cheap ass motels, which is fine by me, but I just hope we don't pick up any bedbugs! If we do, I might have to burn all my stuff before I go home.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-MC-Appalachian-Twisties/i-4Z2t7F5/0/XL/IMG20120420121249-XL.jpg


10 days / 3000 miles of twisty asphalt, good food, and the company of great friends...a perfect combination for an epic moto trip. :deal


Stay tuned for pics..

[ronin_01r1]

Trip officially starts for us.. It was supposed to be 3 of us, already down from our usual crew of 5-7 regulars for our annual week long MC trip...but I was disappointed to see our 3rd having to drop out d/t work, life, the usual bullshit that gets in the way, sometimes. This year it would be just Tony and me. I'm posting some pics Tony took...you can see his ride report and pics here, great moto site. Check it out. http://2wheelslittletime.com/?cat=5

First, I'd like to say I installed ADVMONSTER's LED lights...and boy am I happy I did. Check it out.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-rSrdLDM/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-20-M.jpg

OEM lights
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-NBzkjmh/0/XL/IMG20120527210659-XL.jpg

With LED on low setting...i'm guessing about 30%
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-LXmr5P2/0/XL/IMG20120527210717-XL.jpg

OEM and LED on high beam / full power....wow is all i can say. the high beam bypass relay is absolutely worth it. i had someone merge too close to me on the highway one night. i flicked the highbeam and s/he immediately got back into the original lane.. that sold me right there.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-nSHnrrN/0/M/IMG20120527210726-M.jpg

Saturday morning, bright and early, we head off. Not many pics this day as we are making our way through to the promised land...West Virginia.

Yea, I can't wait to hit the road too.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-79xSKKV/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-3-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-s38mHvw/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-4-M.jpg

first break
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-jg2R7N8/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-7-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-qXnTfXz/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-10-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-p9bzmjj/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-9-M.jpg

lunch time.. chicken was awesome.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-pQhMBwK/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-13-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-6cDHWf5/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-14-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-7hFgMj9/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-16-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-pnZvJVb/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-18-M.jpg

West Virginia...finally.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-XmT8DJV/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-19-M.jpg

Dinner
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-p5Fjr73/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-22-M.jpg

Dirt cheap but tasted great. I think it was about $12
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-psHkjkm/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-24-M.jpg

Tony noticed my rear sprocket was a bit worn and my chain loose.. This would soon become my nightly ritual.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-C8Qf6BT/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-25-M.jpg

...but I wouldn't be the only one. Tony discovered an oil leak, which luckily turned out to be minor.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-cG5cPx9/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-30-M.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-nq2nn6z/0/M/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-33-M.jpg

End of Day 1...and some much needed rest. An awesome start to our trip. Stay tuned for more. :D

[ronin_01r1]

weather was amazing. low/mid 70s!!! wish everyday could start like this.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-tWX2fzL/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-42-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-xjb3WZs/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-48-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-DdgKgpg/0/XL/IMG20120603082211-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-NtBxNCk/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-46-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-xPLvpNK/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-50-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-rkMgtpK/0/XL/IMG20120603091444-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-hhzwDwX/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-54-XL.jpg

Saw this at one of our stops.. and no, it was not a pet store. Seems the only smart one is the one in the back.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-fNQdnDr/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-58-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-JVfhSbg/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-62-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-TQsfDXt/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-66-XL.jpg

these are the roads we seek on these trips. a sign of good times to come.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-FW42dp2/0/XL/IMG20120603130950-XL.jpg

Was surprisingly good, although I was famished.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-xkhmV7Q/0/XL/IMG20120603134448-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-9mk9DFL/0/XL/IMG20120603134708-XL.jpg

back on the road! we covered about 300 miles a day. the skies literally looked like this all day long. temps steadily climbed to about the low 80s by mid/late afternoon. the awesome views, the cool breeze going through my jacket, smooth twisty pavement, and little to no traffic to speak of.. we were a bit worried before the trip about the usual hot steamy weather this time of year. it's hard to believe how lucky we got on the first week of june. i think we hit Virginia tomorrow...
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-9BdqxFG/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-77-XL.jpg

Can't wait for Rt 16 South, just before Hungry Mother State Park in Virginia.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-CnqVNHh/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-85-XL.jpg

Took a break here to check out this mystery hole.. no cameras inside so no pics. it's worth checking out. i learned there are only 4 kinds of poisonous snakes in the US. we got in with the last tour of the day.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-xHjvQ7F/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-88-XL.jpg

i wonder how long this was here...
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-9JM4tTK/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-87-XL.jpg

back on the road!!
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-XntDmcj/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-92-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-7Z29XKD/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-93-XL.jpg

has nice rooms and great views
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-HrshgMx/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-s3t27dT/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-99-XL.jpg

powdered organic wheat grass. 2x per day. good stuff.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-wNHncNj/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-8DXDSKp/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

hawk's nest lodge restaurant. it was about average.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-3MDDbwm/0/XL/IMG20120603193857-XL.jpg

like i said, amazing views from our balcony.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-JjXp4rz/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

End to another great day on the road..

[ronin_01r1]

Day 3

Just minutes from the lodge and we're back onto some sweet roads
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-VVwLp48/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-KfLcBtL/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-5bPgSdm/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

I've been here once before. Across this bridge, if you turn left, it goes through some seriously gnarly trails where it looks like only jacked up 4x4s have been. It's also where our group got split up. Anyway, this year, we turn right. ^_^
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-MZhM5mH/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

On our way to one of our scheduled stops...a ghost town.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-HtRVJ4k/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-vzmhZmw/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-hK3ZTPm/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

looks like an outhouse
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-3KRWJHg/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

...but upon closer inspection.. wtf??
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-nQmMJS2/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-XQgchKg/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-qqkR473/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-CzB4vXs/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-9GQGd2c/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-XJM84wZ/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

later, we came across this random little building with all these signs
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-ZTQRFMr/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-d636J8L/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-WnqtTXF/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

next stop...coalwood. not much to see here.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-wpgHxz7/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-gdQWrSF/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

on our way towards war, wv.. there are some awesome roads down by here. skip va, and head towards southwest parts of wv for great roads, very little to no traffic, virtually no leo.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-PR4BvHV/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-5Xh5SSc/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

dinner! finally some bbq.. unfortunately it was not very good, especially by the local standards around here. it was called smokey mountain bbq & grill in bristol virginia (i think). it was a long day and we were starving so it was better than some fast food joint.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-8M47ngw/0/XL/IMG20120604171949-XL.jpg

time to adjust my chain again and pass out for the night.

[ronin_01r1]

Day 4...Bristol, VA to Ashville, NC. A good day of 350 miles.

http://2wheelslittletime.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Track-Day-4.jpg

We hit up IHOP for some food. I don't often have pancakes but when you're at IHOP, it almost seems like a sin not to.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-vwCR4V4/0/XL/IMG20120605074804-XL.jpg

Yet again, another beautiful day...as you can see in the photos.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-Mvstq8b/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-v5ZVPVq/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-cscts9R/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-HrK9sNw/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-gG9bw9Z/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

and we soon come across a road we have never traveled, although we've ridden around this area many times. Route 421. It is awesome.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-dmh52Mv/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-bw6nX6m/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

simply gorgeous...i love it.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-CVMFSnf/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-JjnKxXH/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-225rRfZ/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

notice, they have no ethanol in their gas! perfect. i wish more stations would at least offer this. i'm sure many riders would pay for it.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-kP7VnZc/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-gPB7n8S/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

wanna race?

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-wnSG4L6/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-pVGCPDQ/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

couple random Indians at the country store.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-xdnpBww/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-8r2Hzjw/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

our next stop.. i just could not get over how awesome the weather was this week. first week of june in TN/NC and we were having low/mid 70 temps, slightly breezy, and thousands of friendly clouds. doesn't get better than this.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-j9v6pR2/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-M9QLPBj/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

we found a little note left for the 2 of us.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-fXSW2Rr/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

209 south is AWESOME...very tight, very twisty, and very smooth. no traffic. i didn't get a chance to take my camera out on this section.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-vT8tqM8/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-C2cbgj9/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

these tires have amazing traction, and were wearing very evenly...

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-7sDJsWT/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-8Bps3jD/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-TT7LxVG/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-6Mm4mGF/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Disappointment. It was Tuesday.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-9FHxNcH/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

that sucks.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-6hGGxTq/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Oh, well. No biggie...because we were heading to the Blue Ridge Parkway next...one of my favorites.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-7XcjsvB/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-7CSZ4fr/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-QWsdc5M/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-4cGLsPs/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-njj8dw5/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-54wgc77/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

here we take a break and regroup. Tony thought I was riding a tad bit too fast; I thought I was riding reasonably (fast in the corners and within 5mph of the speed limit in the straights). We settle on him taking off a few minutes before me so I can catch up later. Works for me.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-xdsX4K7/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-Z33cSsp/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

There should be more of these signs on the roads we often travel.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-SbBghGL/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

since we didn't go through Deal's Gap this year, Tony took an action shot of me. Too bad by the time I came back around, there were cars driving ahead of me. Notice my awesome LED lights. They were flawless.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-JNGmR9D/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

OMFG....dinner time, finally. We are absolutely starved. We settle on this little joint.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-sXQ8f66/0/XL/IMG20120605184617-XL.jpg

my mouth is watering just thinking about this meal. they were the absolute best hush puppies i've ever had, and I've had quite a few during the years living in Atlanta, GA.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-9JRW295/0/XL/IMG20120605184731-XL.jpg

it was so good, I decided to have another. yea I know, a bit excessive, but it all made sense in my mind at the time.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-SGPCNFD/0/XL/IMG20120605190754-XL.jpg

and now, time to finally head back to the little motel, adjust my chain (again), and pass out for the night. what a great day of riding today.

[ronin_01r1]

Day 5...

This is as far south as we go this year. From Ashville, NC we start heading back north and eventually end at Pineville, WV. Another glorious 350 mile day coming up..

http://2wheelslittletime.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Track-Day-5.jpg

But first, we grab some breakfast.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-tZmZcL8/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Really, I don't eat pancakes this often...but hey, I'm on vacation!

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-pHpVfB7/0/XL/IMG20120606082222-XL.jpg

And we head back to one of my favorite roads...the Blue Ridge Parkway.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-bTnGt4r/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

So many thick clouds, it started to remind me more of the Smokies than BRP..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-dRVJWPV/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

As you can see in the breakfast pic, the pavement is dry. It was cloudy today, and at the elevations of the BRP, we're basically riding in those clouds, and hence the 100% humidity turned the roads wet.

Yea, it got thick in some parts. And yes, that's a car in front of us. Kinda hard to pass when you can't see past the car right in front of us!

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-qcGHH8S/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Still, it was a great view at one of the overlooks we took a break.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-jc9grtN/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Damn...it's like a wall.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-HNdtXkq/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

The other side of the overlook...we could literally see the clouds moving through.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-ZPDkrSB/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-QBnPGJw/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

We decide to give it another go and hope it clears up soon....but we find otherwise. We didn't come up here to do LESS than the speed limit...this was getting ridiculous.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-vKLqHpJ/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

And now, it was starting to rain. First rain of the trip, so we put on a rain jacket and cover our gear.

It's nice to be parked on *THIS* side of the LEO. Seems every year I end up finding myself having a [not so nice] chat with an LEO, but I'm happy to report this year the streak has been broken! It's about time. Here we met a nice couple heading back south (Alabama I think) from their trip up north. Nice Honda, although the newer one looks butt ugly IMO.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-2SZ3jKH/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Soon, we decide to head off the BRP (sadly) in search of dry pavement. And sure enough, once we got off the Blue Ridge, it was dry.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-gnv56wf/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

random bumper sticker I saw at a gas station.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-PqkpdN5/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-4fJNK7c/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-RmGrQxC/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

lots of nice smooth pavement.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-HHcWjc2/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-QScQ2cc/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

cloudy but dry. good enough for me.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-LtPhmSS/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Truly, this is what MC trips does for me. My religion.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-2fcjxBC/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-pSHKqCP/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Hell yea, we love Rt 16 by Hungry Mother State Park so much that our route back home goes through it again.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-Nz6T4zf/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Gorgeous. I could hang out here all day, going back and forth on this section of Rt 16...but we must continue north.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-Mbqmh6B/0/XL/IMG20120606180026-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-9KtTCWH/0/XL/IMG20120606180034-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-KMG2Nvb/0/XL/IMG20120606180030-XL.jpg

We finally make it back to War, WV looking for a hotel for the night. We hope to find a room at the War Hotel... little did we know, it turned out to be the worst piece of crap run down hell hole half way house wanna be building. Seriously, it was bad. I wish my camera battery didn't run out by this point bc I would've loved to take some shots of this place. Obviously, we decide to head up the road to find another place.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-rbqS9LN/0/XL/IMG20120606185535-XL.jpg

last picture of the day. the next hotel was something like 70 miles, as the crow flies, according to the GPS. we ended up riding another 130 something miles after we were already quite tired when we got to War, WV. Oh well, good thing my ipod hadn't run out of juice. We settle on a 2nd floor motel above a commercial building with a subway downstairs, which we had for dinner. It was about 10pm at this point. We inhaled our food basically, and then I proceeded to lube and adjust my chain again. By this point, I was getting pretty good/quick about it.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-vkvbP2c/0/XL/IMG20120606185542-XL.jpg

Through it all, another great day. :nod2:

[ronin_01r1]

Day 6. Today we travel 275 miles from Pineville, West Virginia to Arnoldburg, West Virginia. It's always a great day when you can spend the entire day riding in WV.. As you can see, we try to avoid big cities and interstates like the plague...even it if takes us the long way around.

http://2wheelslittletime.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Track-Day-6.jpg

As I mentioned earlier, we were holed up in a dingy motel above a Subway, so that's what we had for breakfast too. I wasn't too excited about it, but we didn't have many choices. It was this or the gas station across the street. Their breakfast sandwich was surprisingly good.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-w7MvksX/0/XL/IMG20120607085224-XL.jpg

Time to hit the road..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-b25gq5c/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

we traveled through man country. weird name. we didn't stop to find out why.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-DLvLFRC/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

One of the roads was going through some resurfacing. No one was around so I rode the left side most of the way. i think this went on like this for about 3-4 miles.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-RVRsS3w/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-8shDr95/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

lots of these on the main roads from all the coal mining going on around here

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-WhfBCXn/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Seriously, how can the weather be so awesome for so long during the first week of June!?!?? I don't know and I don't care. I'm just thankful.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-kb5JsB8/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

The roads in this section were awesome. Houses were scattered about every so often, but the pavement was smooth and very grippy, very little traffic and no speed limit signs (just turn speed warnings). state speed limit is 55 so no worries.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-MNPLrR2/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-hCKnqKf/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

yes, please keep the kids fenced in and out of the road.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-bzqjFxF/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

we've never been on this road before. it just seemed to go on and on and on...

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-TQdDkF8/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-5KhtGMd/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-jsMBVfC/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

and on...and on... this stretch went like this for about 20-30 miles!

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-96xPntW/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-BK88jPb/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

We finally take a break at a local 'have everything' store. it was a grocery store, deli, hardware, auto parts, lumber, and anything else you might need in a pinch kind of store. I asked to use the bathroom and was directed to the storage/employee-only section of the store. Nice friendly people. You don't get hospitality like this (usually) anymore...too bad.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-4rgmfv4/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

later we hit up some tight side roads. it was a nice change as the temps started to climb to the mid 80s. yea, we were spoiled by the mid 70 temps.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-hSsz5Z4/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-fLXgXQF/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-kbrw2W4/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Route 16 is a damn fine road.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-3f9KKDL/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

It about about 7pm by now, and we could see some dark clouds moving in ahead of us. Luckily, we came upon this Y intersection in Arnoldburg, WV. We saw some cars and bikes parked in the center of the intersection and hoped this meant there was a restaurant nearby...and sure enough, there it was....the Y Restaurant.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-LWSQgkm/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

And literally next door, the Y Motel. The waitress told us that if no one was at the office, to simply use one of the rooms with a key still on the door, which meant no one else was using it. Move the room number off the board and pay the lady later. This was a first for me. The owner later told us that she has never had anyone use the room and run off w/o paying. They recently had a couple dirt bikers from Canada come through here who were riding all dirt roads/trails from Canada and only getting off to get gas, food, essentials. Sounds cool. I've never done that kind of dirt biking trip, but I put it on my bucket list. We're need to keep this on our route for next time.

http://2wheelslittletime.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/120602-Dixie-Dreaming-MC-Trip-147.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-kGgFn5g/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-ZZfLgVp/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

but first, we get some much needed food. the bbq pork sandwich was not the best in the world, but for just a couple bucks, it's worth a try. i'm usually not a salad-appetizer kind of guy.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-C39j8LH/0/XL/IMG20120607182122-XL.jpg

the steak dinner was a whopping $12..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-gmz7swx/0/XL/IMG20120607182646-XL.jpg

Tony basically brought a tankbag worth of clothing on this trip and he ran out of clean socks. After washing them in the sink, he hung them up to dry. I suggested he try microwaving the wet socks to steam the moisture out of them vs. drip dry (read: wet socks in the AM). pretty funny seeing hot steaming socks come out, but it worked!

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-sGhRkxF/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

After adjusting my chain yet again, it was time for some much needed rest. Life on the road is awesome.

[ronin_01r1]

Day 7...almost over.

Friday, June 8. We leave Arnoldburg, WV and make our way to Bedford, PA. This would end up being our longest day of the entire trip. When it was all said and done, we did 455 miles this day. We headed back to the Y Restaurant for a quick breakfast and hit the road. I think it was about 8:30am. The biggest downside to the entire day had to the be that middle section of the route that's a straight line.. it went through all these towns and we had the unfortunate luck to hit it about 4:30pm.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-JSwmZGR/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Great way to start any day..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-zV5Hxzq/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-BBf2t3p/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-hmQB28D/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-FhWLw5W/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Why did the turtle cross the road?

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-x3CR3Vk/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Another gorgeous day

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-FCrNSV8/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

Unfortunately, we saw too many of these..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-hbsj5Kw/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

some crappy road food.. the iced tea was the highlight of the meal.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-FDK5kmX/0/XL/IMG20120608162638-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-nFqSrhh/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-6Gn7TBW/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

That'll buff right out.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-xVqt2wc/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

As the sun starts to set on my left, we continue to ride..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-r4z397Q/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-4L69Lw8/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

This was not a good food day. We're going to have make up for it tomorrow.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-PqFs6cj/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

[ronin_01r1]

Day 8...[unexpectedly] the last day of the trip for me...read From Bedford, PA to Saylorsburg, PA

This is Tony's gps route. We basically split up about half way. He continued towards Philly and I made my way northeast towards Saylorsburg.
http://2wheelslittletime.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Track-Day-8.jpg

Today's our last day together on the same route. I think we were both starting to feel the miles and looking forward to our own beds. I had another day of riding scheduled before I would make it back to Northampton, MA.

Tony remembers when this OJ was a normal serving at restaurants. This was their "small".

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-TxKRP53/0/XL/IMG20120609094846-XL.jpg

the regulars

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-dkfbG7w/0/XL/IMG20120609100933-XL.jpg

A proper breakfast.
http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-3gcFQCK/0/XL/IMG20120609100309-XL.jpg

Nice eye candy, but I'd hate to be behind a line of these Sunday drivers.

http://2wheelslittletime.com/?p=787
http://2wheelslittletime.com/wp-content/gallery/2012-dixie-moto-trip/120602-dixie-dreaming-mc-trip-161.jpg

After a good night's rest and a hearty breakfast, it's finally time to hit the road again. We head west through the backroads of PA..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-Z9nsD4q/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

more downhill twisties coming up. i prefer downhill over uphill.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-5GFF4sj/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

there was rain in the forecast for this general area, but somehow we were able to skirt around it the entire way.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-4XK86T8/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-2spn3gL/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

I finally make my way to Saylorsburg, PA where I would spend the night. I planned to ride one more day from here to western Mass...but my rear tire would dictate otherwise.. at first I thought I might be ok for another 200 miles...

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-rMfWcnv/0/XL/IMG20120609194508-XL.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-Nt8jgvC/0/XL/120601-Appalachian-Twisties-XL.jpg

BUT, i thought better of it, when I noticed THIS:

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1206-Appalachian-Twisties/i-PK5mrD6/0/XL/IMG20120610103317-XL.jpg

I considered myself lucky to have made it this far and did not want to test my luck any further. I would have to u-haul it back the rest of the way a few weeks later.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Other/phone-pics/i-GrXqhMh/0/XL/IMG20120704130704-XL.jpg

overall, this is exactly the motorcycle trip format that i prefer....select the best possible roads as top priority, then see if there are any potential interesting stops along the way, avoid any sight-seeing detours that alter the best route for a lesser quality route, and have a good mix between camping and hotels, occasional stealth camping if possible, and try to eat at only quality local restaurants. try to avoid chain restaurants and fast food places. no preset reservations for hotels, campsites, etc so we can set our own pace/distance. to account for delays, we routed the last leg of the trip somewhat parallel to a major highway/interstate so if needed, we could book it back home.

all in all, it was a great trip. it's not often that i'll return from riding so many days and so many miles, and find myself daydreaming about being back on the road on another trip. usually, these bike trips beat me up a bit and the rest is welcomed. this year was quite the opposite. i think the 950sm is the perfect sport touring machine for me.

well, that's all folks! hope you enjoyed the report!

[Ant]

That was amazing! I love your ride reports. It's like living vicariously through you. lol

You should make a coffee table book about all your trips. Too amazing to not share with a bigger audience.

[ronin_01r1]

That was amazing! I love your ride reports. It's like living vicariously through you. lol

You should make a coffee table book about all your trips. Too amazing to not share with a bigger audience.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

[ronin_01r1]

This is RR long overdue..finally getting around to it. Better late than never. This was our annual week long spring ride. Normally we head south towards WV, VA, NC and TN...but this year (2011) we decided to switch it up and check out New England.

Our planned route: Ride up from Philly to Danbury, CT Friday night after work, then head north through the Green Mountains almost to the Canadian border and then head east through the White Mountain area of NH. Check out the Mount Washington area and stay there for a couple days to do a little sightseeing. Next head back west via the famous Kancamagus Highway and back through VT towards the Adirondacks to stay at a lake front house for a few days. Then continue south through the Catskills and camp for a night there at our usual spot near Big Pond (free primitive camping spot). Then finally ride home from there through some nice north Jersey roads.

http://2wheelslittletime.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/WholeTrip.jpg


Friday, we meet up after work in central Jersey.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-32VcPbk/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-1-L.jpg

Morgan's bike. At least one girl noticed this during our trip...she honked and yelled at my buddy "I like your monkey!!!" But he didn't hear her with his ear buds and music on.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-BCgnqtG/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-2-L.jpg

my usual piggy passenger

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-n6mzCsv/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-5-L.jpg

just taking a quick break... we start on some nice NY roads.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-wrLLFzW/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-8-L.jpg

dinner at a diner near our first night's hotel...new colony diner. good food, fast friendly service.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-D4WRbkL/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-14-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-pxgHVqN/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-11-L.jpg

Day 2....!!

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-Stc26WB/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-12-L.jpg

but first, a little breakfast..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-nDCnzxp/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-15-L.jpg

nature calls.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-StMWMTF/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-18-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-hzHNvGs/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-19-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-62MwB3H/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-20-L.jpg

perfect weather.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-GX7tRPj/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-22-L.jpg

we make into Massachusetts... this area has some of the finest, tightest, smoothest roads I've ever ridden. there were many bicyclists riding pretty damn fast down hill.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-zK5DkSG/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-2-2-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-K4fD7nh/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-24-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-2spnHjV/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-26-L.jpg

vermont already..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-dbdhKc7/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-29-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-PSL8jsN/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-30-L.jpg

matt's keeping up pretty well with his KLR.. we only have to wait a few minutes before he caught up to us.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-JJB3PWM/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-31-L.jpg

riding is finally done for day 2... we settle in at a state park.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-PtJpjW8/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-34-L.jpg

we were too lazy to set up tents...

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-SZjQ6WH/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-37-L.jpg

[ronin_01r1]

Good morning Day 3...

We got shushed out of the campground by some grumpy lady for being too noisy in the morning, and starting our bikes up to warm them up. Funny thing is, she was with a huge group of bmw bikers. I think most of them trailered their bikes to the camp ground. It was pretty lame one of the guys couldn't come over and ask us to keep it down, instead having one of their old ladies come over to bitch us out. Anyways...we didn't have much to pack up so we headed out not too long after that.

This is just down the road from the state park we camped..we talked about eating a quick breakfast but they didn't have much options and we were still a little irritated by the grumpy old lady so we said fuk it and started our ride for the day...and it's a good thing too because we would soon find one of the best breakfast diners ever. It was another beautiful morning to ride.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-rZXw27j/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-42-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-h9ZrGjt/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-43-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-BHtLc7c/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-45-L.jpg

time for breakfast..

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-T2tgbgL/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-46-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-PwXRRHd/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-47-L.jpg

i didn't get their waffle, but one of the other guys did and said it was the best damn waffle he's ever had in his life! so good that he ordered a second one!

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-qBQx6x6/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-49-L.jpg

a quick pit stop in a small VT town.. any guesses what this is??? lol.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-S5dThNf/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-52-L.jpg

we parked here a bit since we had to make a turn and was waiting for couple others to catch up. we were soon advised by the local leo to move along, that we shouldn't be parked on the sidewalk like that. i guess we were still in the philly parking mode...as long as pedestrians can pass, sidewalk parking is OK.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-3xX4HtX/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-53-L.jpg

roads are not too shabby for having such harsh winters up here.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-GQ75VSH/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-54-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-sQPVsVm/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-59-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-PkLL8QZ/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-61-L.jpg

dinner time! we don't see much of these anymore. pretty good food, excellent service. we're in NH now.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-cMR8VX3/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-62-L.jpg

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-jB8ncp4/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-63-L.jpg

we stayed at KOA tonight...we rented this caboose. it was an uneventful night. no campfire explosions this time.

http://songyi.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/1106-MC-New-England-Tour/i-Brp74Bh/0/L/110603%20-%20MC%20New%20England%20Tour-65-L.jpg

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[ronin_01r1]

Day 4...

Morgan was messing around with my camera last night. He has a habit of messing around with camera settings and not putting them back.

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breakfast.. steak cut fresh to order. he cut me an extra thick slice.. all this for about $7...!!

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oh yes...just what we're looking for..

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mt. washington!!! it was very warm down here at the bottom. the nice ticket lady advised of the speed limit, and no passing... we nodded to acknowledge. 8 miles to the summit.

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it's gorgeous up here!

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Capt'n Morgan..

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some parts were under repair..

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it was pretty damn cold up here...still leftover snow around the platform.

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time to head back down...

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one of my favorite photos Tony took on this trip. I have it blown up and hanging in my office. Good memories.

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back to the KOA for dinner on the grill..

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some potatoes too

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omg this caboose started to stink up with our boots off...lol.

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end of Day 4... with each day I ride my KTM 950SM, i love it more and more. such an awesome bike, perfect for the kind of riding i enjoy.

[ronin_01r1]

Day 5. back on the road..

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he's paranoid about running out of gas so he tops it off all the way to the brim.

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bridge repair.. lucky for us there's a ferry and not some lame ass detour.

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our cabin for the next few days.

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lcoal place for dinner. the adirondacks are a little run down in some parts.

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I think this is Day 6 now. Funny how the days seem to go by so quickly while on the road.

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dinner at home. some working harder than others. ha.

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probably still drunk from last night. not a pretty night for captain morgan. that's all i say about that.

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Day 7, i think.. after a long night of drinking, most of the guys were still groggy and wanted to bum around the cabin. i think they ended up watching some hbo movie about the stock market crash and crooked traders. no one wanted to ride so i went out solo.

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saw a few others along the way.

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most do not wave back. oh well, safe travels for you anyways.

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didn't really need the radar out here, but just in case.. i've received enough gifts from local neighborhood officers.

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almost the end of my loop.

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dinner time!

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nice little spot.

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really nice way to break up the middle of a long trip with some r&r. but, it's time to ride again, i'm looking fwd to hitting the road again.

[ronin_01r1]

Day 8... the end of our trip is near.

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i like this bag, but it's little too big for what i tend to pack. it can expand even bigger from what you see. i try to pack light and bring only what i need for my moto trips. i ended up trading this for a smaller size, which is perfect IMO for week long trips.

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unfortunately, one of us had an emergency back at home, so he had to break off and highway slab it back. matt head back with him to keep him company.

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3 of us ride on to our usual primitive camping spot in NY.

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really feels like home, we've been here so many times.

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dinner at the lazy beagle. great little restaurant.

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Day 9... it's a deary day, and rain was in the forecast. not bad for being on the road all this time this is the first sight of crappy weather. this combined with one of having very close to bald tires... we decide head back home...only a day's ride from here. a good trip overall. it was a nice change of pace from our usual trips with 300+ miles per day of twisty backroads of the south.

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