Back in the Saddle After a Too-Long Break

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I went for a ride on my Ninja earlier this week.  

I had not been out for more than five weeks.   

What was I doing?, you might ask.  

Well, there was Christmas, putting up and taking down decorations, and having family in.  Also, having fun with the presents I gave and received (no coal in my stocking this year).  Then there was the cold and wet weather.  That usually doesn't bother me, but I must be getting old or something, 'cause I felt more like staying in than bundling up for the cold.  ...and I don't ride when it is wet, unless I am caught in it.  I also went for several hikes, with friends and without, into the mountains and foothills of the Blue Ridge Escarpment not far north of where I live.  Along this escarpment, the high Blue Ridge Mountains drop dramatically to the piedmont (foot of the mountains) areas. In some places, the drop is more than 3,000 feet and is quite a sight to see. The Escarpment is why there are so many twisty mountain roads near here. 

This past Monday, the weather was about 40 degrees in the morning, and the sky was almost devoid of clouds.  So, I ventured forth.  I dressed for the weather as I usually do.  I have this pretty much down pat these days, so I wasn't cold, for the most part. 

My bike fires right up after its hiatus, and it warms up and runs without flaw.  I like that.  It having covered almost 75,000 miles, it runs as it did when I bought it with a thousand miles on the clock.   There have only been a few mechanical issues, all able to be wrenched on by me in my garage.  Fortunately, I have been able to get home each time something went wring, though the fuel pump failing was a close one, requiring me to limp back to the paddock. 

Today, I go from home in Easley to nearby Pickens South Carolina via a neat little curvy passage called Rice Road.  It parallels SC-8, but is much more fun.  Then I go to the west end of town onto Shady Grove Road, and wind my way to SC-133.  A buddy says there is a place to hike just south of SC-11, and across the road from Keowee-Toxaway State Park, so I mark the spot in my memory as I pass by for a future time out.  

As I motor along, I find that I have lost a little of my skill in curves and in coordinating shifts.  This comes back pretty quickly, though, and feel as confident as I did before the five-week pause in the action.  I have read about and talked to some other riders who have the same problem of deteriorating skills after an interruption of a few weeks.  Those who live where winter prevents riding must surely have the most trouble with this.  Fortunately, the Upstate of South Carolina has a climate where it is possible to ride almost all winter long.  I do note that the cold makes my clutch cable a little stiffer than usual, but nothing else seems much different from the way it is in warmer weather.  

I turn left on South Carolina Route 11, which is the almost-straight road that makes it easy to go from east to west along here.  I stop for a break in the picnic area at Keowee-Toxaway State Park.  I forget to turn off my GoPro, so [almost] the whole thing is documented.  

Back out to SC-11.  You have to pay attention to the speed limit on this road, because they patrol quite frequently, sometimes on motorcycles.  I putter along toward the west to SC-130 and turn right.  This road is mostly sweepers and is one of my favorites -- not too challenging, but enough so that it is fun to ride.  There is little traffic today.  I climb a bit in elevation here, the temperature is slightly cooler, and I see that there is snow in the grass along the road in the shady places.  It was a little below freezing over night, so there could be ice on the road, but I don't see any, though I am careful just in case. 

I cross into North Carolina and almost immediately turn into the Whitewater Falls parking lot.  The falls is one of my favorite places to ride because of the nice curves, the generally good road surface, and the falls that is a nice place to look at he scenery (after a half-mile walk from the parking lot).  The falls parking lot has another place to take a break, and they have very nice motorcycle rider hand warmers in their restrooms. 

There are at least three ways to use these hand warmers: On your gloved hands, on your ungloved hands, and blowing into your gloves before you put them back on.  I use methods two and three. 

I can't resist taking a picture of my ride as I come out again.  

Note that I have installed my fleece-lined Hippo Hands for the winter, over my heated grips so my tender little hands don't get cold.  The combination of these two make it comfortable to ride down to about freezing temperatures. 

I start up and go just a short distance south and turn into the Bad Creek Pumped Storage Facility access road.  Near the end, just before the gate that keeps you from continuing down to the powerhouse (don't be riding too fast -- the gate is around a blind curve), the overlook onto Lake Jocassee provides a nice place to view Lower Whitewater Falls and a good part of the lake  

I linger for a few minutes, take a few pictures, then go.  I feel daring today, so I ride right off the curb from the sidewalk instead of going back to the ramp from the parking lot. 

Once I reach SC-130, I turn south again, then after a short distance, turn off to the right onto the Wigington Byway. This is a short road with a nice surprise -- a scenic overlook onto Lake Jocassee. 

After the requisite pictures of the bike and the view, I head back on the Byway to SC-130 again.  I turn right and again enjoy going through the sweet sweepers, again without much traffic to interfere with my ride. 

I turn left on SC-11, and go all the way to US-178.  I turn right and ride back to Pickens, then onto Rice Road again, and home.  There is one other two-wheeled soul out today -- the only one I have seen.  We pass one another on this stretch.  He gives a hearty wave to me as we pass.  

I like that.  I don't know him, and will likely never meet him, but I fancy the idea of being a part of a group who doesn't necessarily wait for perfect riding conditions to enjoy the roads.  By the way, his bike looks strange to me in the photo.  It almost looks like a naked sportbike with a chopper front fork arrangement.  Maybe it is the distortion caused by the GoPro lens.  ...or, maybe he is a motorcycle innovator! 

Before I get home, I take a few minutes to do some low speed turns in a cul-de-sac nearby, and some lane swerves on the road back home.   

I often do this to help keep my balance and maneuvering skills sharper.  The slow speed turns also help with clutch feathering and rear brake control. 

I reach home, look at my trip odometer, and find that I have ridden 111 miles today, and it feels good to have been out after so long a break.  

Here is a map of the ride from home to the furthest points of interest.   

Click on this link for the online map.

Mental note to Bucky: Don't wait so long to ride again.  It has been too long.  

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Get Ready for the Best Fall Colors on the Blue Ridge Parkway

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A couple of weeks ago, I took a day and rode up to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  As you know, it is one of my favorite places to ride, being only 55 miles from home at its closest point.  Here is my report of the scenery.  Look at the end of the post for my guess on the best time to visit for fall colors. 


I ride up US-178 to Rosman, NC, then further north on NC-215 to the Parkway entrance.  The sun dapples on the pavement and riding into the sun in places make it difficult to judge the curves and road surface, so I take it easy.  Once the sun rises a bit, that problem will go away, though by that time, I will be on the Parkway. 

Almost to the Parkway entrance on NC-215.
That's Bucky and his GoPro in the bottom, left.

The Parkway entrance is just beyond that overpass.

Yes!

I turn south toward Cherokee, NC.  Since it is early in the day, it is cold -- about 45 degrees, so I am bundled up and have the heated grips turned up to high.  I move along at the speed limit of 45 for most of the way.  Going in a generally south and western direction means that the blinding sun is behind me -- a good thing. 

I follow these two guys for a while.

Hello there.

Some reds are showing amongst the yellow and green.

You have to be careful of bicycles in the tunnels.

 

I pass the highest point on the Parkway, then go in several more miles and turn to go up to the parking lot at Waterrock Knob.  I take in the view and the colors here.

A nice mixture of colors -- about the best along here so far.

Also pretty.

I continue on the Parkway and discover a spur that I don't know about.  It is at milepost 458, about 13 miles from the south end of the Parkway, and leads to an entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  That paved road goes to the Heintooga Overlook.  I found out later, and I wish I had know about it when I was there.  Consequently, I didn't go that far.  (See the maps later on.) 

Heintooga Overlook.  

The road is also known as Heintooga Ridge Road, and there are quite a few hiking trails off this spur.

The one-lane unpaved Heintooga Round Bottom Road begins there. Heintooga Ridge and Balsam Mountain Roads are usually open from late May through October.  - See more at: http://www.romanticasheville.com/balsam_mountain.htm#sthash.Itr42qn5.dpuf

The one-lane unpaved Heintooga Round Bottom Road begins there. Heintooga Ridge and Balsam Mountain Roads are usually open from late May through October.  - See more at: http://www.romanticasheville.com/balsam_mountain.htm#sthash.Itr42qn5.dpuf

The road continues from the overlook as Heintooga Roundbottom Road, 14 miles to Cherokee, NC.  It is one way and is dirt and gravel.  Here is a link to some overlook and road info. 

I turn back to the main Parkway road and continue toward Cherokee.   I turn right at the end of the Parkway, just to see what's there.  Great Smoky Mountains National Park starts there.  It is only about 34 miles to Gatlinburg, NC, that haven of tourist traps.  That's the direction my new friend Robert took a few months ago on his epic journey. 

I don't want to get into that much traffic, so I turn back toward the town of Cherokee.  I fuel up, in the too-busy town, then hurry back to the relative calm of the Parkway.

This time, I go further than NC-215 where I first entered.  I continue on, past Mt. Pisgah, where there is a good restaurant and hotel.   Further still, I reach the outskirts of Asheville, NC, and route NC-191.  There, I leave the Parkway and take I-26 and US-25 back home.  It is fast to come back that way, but the concrete joints are a punishment to my back.

There's my turn. 

Too many uneven slab joints on I-26!

And too much traffic.

All together I have ridden 270 miles today.  Although the leaf colors are not at their peak, the ride is still beautiful and this is still my favorite road. 


Here are some individual maps, and an interactive map of the trip from Pickens, SC to Cherokee, NC, about 89 miles.

• Pushpin A - Pickens SC
• Pushpin B - Rosman, NC
• Pushpin C - Parkway entrance from NC-215
• Pushpin D - Waterrock Knob
• Pushpin E - Entrance to Heintooga Ridge Road
• Pushpin F - South end of the Parkway

Here are some more individual maps, and an interactive map of the trip from Cherokee, NC: to Asheville, NC, about 77 miles. 

• Pushpin A - South end of the Parkway
• Pushpin B - Entrance to Heintooga Ridge Road
• Pushpin C - Waterrock Knob
• Pushpin D - Parkway entrance from NC-215
• Pushpin E - Pisgah Inn
• Pushpin F - Entrance to Parkway at NC-191

By the way, to answer your question about when is the best time to see the colors.  Well, I'm guessing that the best time to visit the Parkway for fall colors is

....NOW!....

So get moving, or you'll miss it! 

An Alternative Destination in the Same Neighborhood:

A close-by attraction I could have gone to instead is in Maggie Valley.  The Wheels Through Time motorcycle museum.  Highly recommended. 
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Fields of the Wood

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Ever see anything like this?

See: Exodus 20:2-17

Neither had I until this week.  The weather forecast for the week showed rain, rain, rain, except for Monday.  So, I took the day and went to a pretty neat place up near Murphy North Carolina.

That's where I took the photo above.  The gigantic Ten Commandments are on a hillside at a place called Fields of the Wood Bible Park.  All you have to do is go in and look around.  It is free for the asking.  (More about that later.)

The place covers some 210 acres, and includes dozens of concrete markers with information and inspiration from the Bible.  It is almost as though you are walking through that precious book as you explore here.  The place is a ministry of: the Church of God of Prophecy in Cleveland Tennessee. 

I found out about it way back in October of 2011 on the Carolina Rider Forum.  The tall guy who used to post quite a bit there, Stretch, had set it as a tag, but nobody went after it for some reason.  


Well, I finally took the time to go there.  Better late than never, I'd say.

It is 256 miles round trip, without diversions.  With diversions, it can be as long as your hind end can stand your saddle, since there are some nice curvy roads there and about. 

[So.  How do you get there, Bucky?]

I took the most direct route, using Harley-Davidson Ride Planner.  (That's the website that works so much better than Google Maps and the one that downloads your custom route directly to your GPS if you want it to.)  I wrote about how it works back in April or 2015.

Here is the route:

Click here for a Bing interactive map

Major towns and road names starting in Easley, SC, on the right side of the map:

• US-123 S, 34.0 mi
• Clemson, SC
• Seneca, SC
• Westminster, SC
• Brasstown, SC
• US-76 W, 25.6 mi
• Long Creek, SC
• Enter Georgia
• Clayton, GA
• US-23/US-441/US-76, 0.3 mi
• US-76 W, 31.2 mi
• Macedonia, GA
• Hiawassee, GA
• Hwy 17 N/GA-515 E, 1.1 mi
• Enter North Carolina
• Hayesville, NC
• NC-69 N, 3.5 mi
• US-64 W, 13.5 mi
• Murphy, NC
• US-129 S/US-19 S/US-64 W/US-74 W, 8.0 mi
• NC-294 W, 9.9 mi

Arrive at Fields of the Wood, 10000 NC-294, Murphy, NC, 28906


There are some nice sweeping curves on the road between Brasstown and Clayton and between Clayton and Macedonia.  There are also some between Hayesville and Murphy.  The rest of the roads are mostly less challenging.  There were almost no areas of less-than-excellent pavement that I saw, and the traffic was light. 

And remember that Deal's Gap, and the Tail of the Dragon are only about 58 miles from Murphy on this route. 

[What else can I see there at Fields of the Wood?]

Well, here is the entrance:

And the arch just beyond it: 

The arch and the road beyond it:

These things can also be found:

• ClimbTen Commandments Mountain
• ExperienceThe All Nations Cross, a giant cross with flags of the nations of the earth flying from flagpoles on its perimeter
• MountainPrayer Chapel
• SeeOr Get Baptized In The Baptismal Pool
• SeeGolgotha the rocky place where Jesus was crucified, having the appearance of a skull
• GoInside Jesus' Tomb where He was buried for three days before arising from the dead
• VisitThe Psalms Of Praise
• HikeThe Nature Trails
• ClimbTo The Top and Pray Atop Prayer Mountain where you can read monuments all along it with Bible passages pertinent to many of life's struggles and situations
• DeliciousBurger Mountain Cafe
• HiddenTreasures Gift Shop
• ViewEach Picnic Area
• ViewThe Duck Pond

A satellite view:

At the top of the Ten Commandments mountain, is a 30 foot tall open Bible. 

It is open to the passage in Matthew 22:37-39, where Jesus replied [to an expert of the law who was trying to trick him, asking, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"]: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."  A lot of people don't know that there are many more than ten commandments, and these are two of them.

A closer view of the open Bible:  

View from the top of Prayer Mountain, looking through the trees, and across the valley at the Ten Commandments:

It is quite a hike to the top of either Prayer Mountain or the Ten Commandments, but there is a road to get to the top in each case, too.

View from the top of the Ten Commandments, showing Golgotha with the three crosses in the center, the baptismal pool at far left, and Jesus' tomb between the two:

Here is a view from the same vantage point, showing Prayer Mountain just left of center, Psalms of Praise in the center, and a light plane in its shelter at the left: 

The plane was part of a fleet of planes that was used from the 1940s, possibly through the 1960s to distribute Gospel tracts.  It was called the White Angel Fleet, and was based on the airstrip at the site.

Here is an aerial drone tour that takes you through some of the exhibits (without the climbing):



By the way, the free entry -- for the asking -- has some great parallels to the only way you can get to heaven and live forever after you die and leave this earth.  You must believe in your heart of hearts what the following words of the salvation prayer say: 

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness.

I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.

You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess the Lord our God and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved.

Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved.

Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself.

Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.
Amen.

It is important to note that you don't have to work your way to heaven.  All you have to do is sincerely believe the words above -- it is free for the asking!  Once you do that, then you will want to do good works for others as a result. 


As I am winding down my visit, I notice that the Tennessee state line is a little less than four miles away to the west.  I have only ridden in three states so far -- South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia -- so going there would increase my state count by a whopping 33 percent.  I go for it, but I would later regret taking the extra time to dash over there and to try out a few very curvy roads nearby.  

Coming back from Tennessee, it starts sprinkling.  Then it starts to rain.  Then it starts to rain hard.  Then it starts to pour. 

Poor Bucky doesn't have his rainsuit along, either.  There is no choice but to continue. Since I am heading east, I should eventually ride out of it, but it takes an hour and a half to do so.  That's why they call them scattered showers, I believe.  I dry out mostly by the time I pull into my garage.

All together, with my little side excursions, I have ridden 302 miles, my longest single-day ride so far.  Surprisingly, I am not all that tired, even after riding in the rain.  (Maybe the rain invigorated me. Who knows?)  I am a little stiff in the legs the next day, but not bad for an old guy.

I'll tell you about the other curvy roads in a future posting.  Don't miss it. 
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