Ride

Prior conflicts mean I’ll not be able to make the Blue Ridge Campground ride at the end of August.  So, I’m planning to get my summer Blue Ridge Mountain “fix” either August 2/3/4 (possibly) or August 16/17/18 (more likely).  The snapshot below shows the route I have in mind. Basically, I’m thinking to head out early the first day to High Country Motorcycle Camp in Ferguson, NC [Red - 330 miles], the following day heading back to Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground in Canton, NC [Blue - 200 miles], then heading home on the final day [Cyan - 190 miles].  If you think you might like to join in, let me know .

Mark
1993 R100R

Mark,
I would be interested in the August 1/2/3.

Ian

Jonathan S and I have finalized the planning for our High Country Camp/Blue Ridge Camp ride in August. See notes below. Happy to have company.  Just let me know.

The objective for the ride is enjoy some of the great roads a little further northeast along the Blue Ridge Mountains than within the normal club weekend event program.  Means it’s more riding that a typcial weekend trip which means getting going and pressing-on Friday and Saturday is important.

Other commitments mean the target weekend is now Friday 9th/Saturday 10th/Sunday 11th (means we'll miss the club Bigun's Barbeque Ride-to-Eat on the 10th - can't be helped). If this looks like being a very wet weekend then we’ll postpone for one week.

I’ve made two related tweaks to the original route outline. What was routed as Friday and Saturday riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway is now all on the Friday - traffic should be lighter and progress a little easier. This created the opportunity to increase the twisities quotient for the Saturday leg by adding a loop via Roan Mountain, Bakersfield and Spruce Pine.

The map embedded below shows the route.  The download links below give the GPX file and a larger version of the map.

Day 1 Depart Jefferson at 9:00AM [Red]

Designed to offer a relatively quick 120-mile route from RaceTrac Jefferson to Hendersonville/Asheville with interstate riding limited to 40 miles. It’s followed by 25-mile urban Hendersonville/Asheville gas/lunch section. Thereafter it’s 110 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway (punctuated by stop for gas in Blowing Rock) and a further 20 miles from the parkway to the High Country Camp.

Dining is limited at High Country Camp. Might make Saturday dinner a camp stove packet meal.  However, there’s the option of a late afternoon dinner as part of the gas stop in Blowing Rock or a little further on at the Blue Ridge Diner in Boone, the latter about 25 miles before getting to the camp.

Jefferson to High Country Camp 285 miles | 6 hours 45 minutes plus stops.

Day 2 Depart High Country Camp 9:30AM [Blue, with short cut shown in Dark Blue if weather poor, or an added 10 mile loop kink to Marshall towards the end of the day that's not shown if weather and time is on our side]

Twisties, with less than 20% of the day’s miles riding on anything approaching a straight or “main” road. Notable interesting sections are long parts of NC194 between Vilas and Elk Park, TN143/NC261 from Roan Mountain to Bakersfield, NC226-Alt “Diamondback” through Little Switzerland, NC80 from Lake Tahoma to Micaville, and NC197 from Burnsville to Barnardsville.

High Country Camp to Blue Ridge Camp 224 miles | 6 hours 30 minutes plus stops.

Day 3 [Cyan]

Common route back to the Atlanta area. The first 60 miles before joining SC11 near Salem has character, albeit tempered by the 9-mile stretch of US64 past Lake Toxaway. Thereafter it’s higher-paced roads on home.

Blue Ridge Camp to RaceTrac N Gainesville 143 miles | 3 hours 30 minutes plus stops.





Mark
1993 R100R

Wish I could do this with you. I have to be in town on the 10th. Hope to catch you on the next one.

Ian, Understood.

All, Others still welcome.

Forecast is for good weather, so this is 99% a sure thing for this coming weekend.  Daytime highs should be mid to high 70’s.  Nighttime lows around 60.  Mostly dry, with a slight threat of a thunderstorm during the day Saturday.  About as good as a NC summer riding gets.

Mark
1993 R100R

Ride Report

Friday. Rode as planned for 98 miles from Jefferson then added a 5-mile twisties deviation through Caesar’s Head Park and Dupont Forest (destinations for club rides in September) then east to original route in Flat Rock. Gas and lunch in Hendersonville. Towards the Blue Ridge Parkway an 8-mile stretch of US25 through Fletcher in stop-go urban traffic was not fun. Light traffic on parkway from MM 389 to MM 277 with a drop into Blowing Rock at MM 292 for gas. 7 miles in 4 sections of ongoing and recent chipseal-type repaving on the parkway slowed progress due to varying levels of loose chippings. High Country Campground was quiet with only one other camper and a few folks in cabins. Sunny and comfortably warm all day.  335 miles. 7¼ hours ride time. 3 hours stopped for gas and dining.

Saturday. Started as planned but did not stay that way. Just before Banner Elk on NC194 the clutch slave cylinder on Jonathan’s R1150GS failed meaning he had no way to operate the clutch. After reviewing options, Jonathan elected to ride home clutchless. We picked out a route to limit the number of stops, and consequential bunny-hop type starts he’d have to make, that was basically via US19E/I26/SC11/I85. Steady progress was interrupted by thunderstorm cells and further malady for Jonathan. Three of the storms required us to pull over for a total of 2¼ hours to wait them out. Then just outside Westminster, SC we stopped as Jonathan’s bike front tire had started to lose air pressure. No obvious debris in the tire, just a small cut. Decision time again. Jonathan chose to inflate the tire (using the trusty 12v compressor he carries as part of his gear) to its 42psi maximum with the intention of seeing how it fared.  A few miles and a gas stop a little later confirmed it was a manageable slow leak, and we switched the TPS system from my bike to his so he could monitor the tire pressure in real time. No more drama on the way home. 340 miles. 6¾ hours ride time. 5¼ hours stopped for maintenance, rain, gas and dining.

2-day total: 675 miles and 14 hours ride time.

The riding we did complete this weekend reminded us that North Carolina’s mountain scenic byways offer some of the finest riding available to us if we’re prepared to put in those extra few miles past Blue Ridge Camp and Ironhorse to reach into the area. I’m hoping to reschedule a trip like that originally planned for later in the year.  Watch this space.

Mark
1993 R100R