Immediate Danger and Politicians Keeping Us "Safe"

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I went for a ride yesterday.  I went up to Whitewater Falls, just into North Carolina -- about 45 miles from my home in Easley, SC.  You take South Carolina route 130 (that turns into North Carolina route 281), a fairly smooth road with many sweepers, to get there.  It is one of my favorite roads and favorite sights to see in the area. 

As I reach the entrance, there are cars parked everywhere along both sides of the road, even though there is no real place set up for such parking.  People are walking and standing along the road for a considerable distance.

They are in harm's way.

Why?  Simply because they came there to see what they own: Whitewater Falls is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Forest Service.

Here is a look at what they own, taken on one of my previous visits. 

But the gates are closed and locked. The usual volunteer who stays there in his camper and oversees the area is not there because the park is closed. 

Even though the park is administered under the Forest Service, they say that their "decisions [on closings] will align with local city, county and state actions to provide for human health and safety (ie. quarantine, curfew, and other social restrictions)." 

So I suppose that North Carolina's Democrat governor Roy Cooper is responsible for the closing and endangering visitors who have to park and walk along the road. 

Again I ask, why?  The reason given by leftists like Cooper is that they are protecting our health from a virus.  Remember though, that this virus is not significantly different from past influenzas.  Old people and those already sick with some other troubles should be very careful, but the rest of us should not be punished and treated like disease-carrying vermin, keeping us out of places like this one for no good reason. 

So Cooper is putting people in imminent and immediate danger along that road so they might not get a virus while they are in the wide open outdoors.  Read that again, if you will.  Does that make sense to anyone? 

Being in the indoors has now been determined to be more likely to spread the virus than being outdoors.  So closing facilities like Whitewater Falls makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?  NOT. 

Well, I note that there is a parking lot just a tenth of a mile south of the falls entrance.  This lot is for hikers on the nearby Foothills Trail.  That trail goes many places, but one of them is to Whitewater Falls right next door. 

See the immediate surroundings on this map:

So that parking lot would be a good place to park, right?

Unfortunately, since the main Whitewater Falls parking lot has been closed, and the volunteer made to stay home, people parking in the gravel lot have experienced vandalism to their vehicles.  Just two months ago, one visitor reported that they "had somebody come and knock my car window out while we were hiking. There were probably 10 other cars parked there when we first arrived and 3 of them (including me) got their windows knocked out."

So, if you can't park in the lot where there is a volunteer who can watch over it, you are subjected to vandals who break out your car windows.

You can always park on the road, remember!  Ah, yes, with cars whizzing by a few feet away from you. 

Note on the map above that the trail from the gravel parking lot has a spur that goes to the restrooms at Whitewater Falls.   Don't be expecting to use them, though, because they have been locked for months now.   You have to use the great outdoors if you need to go!


Think about how much this reaction to a virus is costing us in enjoyment, damage to vehicles, accidents, inconvenience, higher costs, and on and on?  They say that suicides and depression are on the rise, and some of the 40+ million people who have lost their jobs will never recover economically. 


Well, back to the ride today.  I manage to turn around near the entrance to the falls parking lot, but the view of oncoming traffic is poor.   Another danger. 

I go about four tenths of a mile south on 130 and turn onto the Bad Creek Pumped Storage Facility road, and follow it to the overlook on Lake Jocassee.  The view is always nice here, but there is a little rain so I don't tarry.

Instead I go back to 130 and the Wigington Scenic Byway to the overlook onto Lake Jocassee. 

A bit hazy today, unfortunately, but the rain has stopped.

Then I turn back and follow SC-130 and SC-11, then US-178 back nearly to home. 


It was a nice day for riding.  I hope they open the parks again soon.

Email, call, or write Governor Cooper to urge him to do so:

• email  
• 919-814-2000
• North Carolina Office of the Governor
      20301 Mail Service Center
      Raleigh, NC 27699-0301

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A Glimpse of Fall on a Winter Day

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The weather in South Carolina has been mild for the most part this winter.  Riding a motorcycle here is quite the treat, since you can ride almost all year long.  The roads are not in great condition, thanks to our politicians' graft and corruption, but the climate is just about ideal.

The scenery is nice too.  We live in the Piedmont -- which means the foot of the mountain; the Blue Ridge Escarpment -- so there are some nice hills and twisty roads winding through them.

In the fall, I took a short ride up to Whitewater Falls in the Jocassee Gorge area, just into North Carolina on SC-130.  It is one of my favorite destinations, as you can tell if you have followed this blog for any time at all.  The roads are good, the curves are somewhat challenging, and the falls are picturesque.

The pictures along the road show the fall colors well.  Those colors were to be gone just a few days afterward, and they will not return again for several months.

Here are some highlights.

This fellow coming the other way reached our so far that I almost could have touched him if I had been a little further to the left in my lane.  

 He seemed particularly enthusiastic about his ride that day.  It was an ideal time to be out on two wheels. 
 

Since that ride of just over a hundred miles back in early November, those leaves have fallen, but the temperatures have been very warm on many days -- sometimes into the mid 60s!  I have ridden quite a bit since then.

Unfortunately, there has been a great deal of rain in January and early February, and now the temperatures have taken a dramatic turn downward.

Take a look at today.

We don't often get snow, but it is now 32 degrees and the low is to be about 28 tonight.

No riding for a few days, I'm afraid.  

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Still Winter -- and Still a Good Time to Ride the Blue Ridge Parkway + Some Nostalgia

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Even through it is winter; we have had some very warm days here in South Carolina.  I took advantage of one of those days on the 21st of March to venture up to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I had not been there since October of 2016 because of the threat of cold temperatures and possible ice and sand on the roads.  The fall colors on that day were spectacular, by the way.  You can see them in the blog posting linked above.

On the most recent trip there, it was to be in the low 80s on the flatlands where I live, so it would be maybe 10 degrees cooler than that on the Parkway due to its higher elevation.

I checked my tire pressure, the oil level, and generally looked over the bike to make sure nothing was about to fall off.  I check my lights every time I ride, so I did that too.  It is always good policy to look things over so you don't have trouble on the road.

I put on a thin layer of fleece under my riding suit, guessing that it would be warm enough, but not too warm.


I finish dressing and get rolling.  The GoPro is on for those times when there is something interesting on the road -- good or bad.  In fact, just after I start out, a woman begins to pull out from a side street and into me.  She ignores my headlight modulator and a few anticipatory blasts of my horn.  There are several feet to spare, but I swerve away from her in case she is a lead foot.  Fortunately, she missed.

I continue on US-178 from Pickens to SC-11.  I continue following 178 through the most twisty parts to the north until I reach Rosman, NC.

There are a surprising number of bicyclists out today in the mountains.  Their leg muscles bulge as they labor up the hills, but they are rewarded on the downhill sections -- and some of them go faster than I dare on a few of those downward slopes!  They trust those little tires a lot, I think.

Here are four of the cyclists today.  

Yes, four.  There is one more behind one of the visible ones. 

Just beyond Rosman, I take a left onto a short stretch of US-64, but turn right almost immediately onto NC-215.  This part was paved a few years ago and remains in good condition.  It is quite curvy, and I am taking it easy in case there are any leftovers from the cold weather.  I don't see any gravel, sand, snow, or ice here.  Good. 

It is a little over 43 miles to the Parkway from Pickens.

Click here for an interactive map.

Both US-178 and NC-215 are favorite motorcycle roads for local and no-so-local riders.  Many of the motorcycle forums have postings from riders a good distance away who discover these roads.  We are indeed fortunate to live where there is this much beauty and challenge to be had. 

Right about at the place pictured above, just before the entrance to the Parkway, the temperature changes abruptly downward.  I can feel a chill that I had not felt so far on the way up.  This thermocline is quite pronounced today for some reason.  Still, I am not cold, fortunately. 

One of the picturesque overpasses that are a signature of Parkway construction comes into view.  The Parkway entrance ramp is just beyond it. 

I head to the north, and stop for a break at the first parking area.  This one says that there is a view, but the trees are so thick no view is visible.  A chainsaw might remedy that, but the tree huggers would get mad, I suppose. 

After searching for the illusive viewpoint, and as I am walking back to the bike, I notice that the red "record" light is still flashing on the front of my Go Pro.  I forgot to turn it off when I stopped.   My consternation with myself is visible, I'm afraid; within the candid video it was taking while sitting there, otherwise idle. 

I proceed along the Parkway at the speed limit of 45.  I am still watching for anything on the road that might be a traction problem.  In this stretch, I see not only another biker, but some ice left over from the cold weather.  It is present on the north side of a few rock cuts.  There is also the possibility of ice in the several tunnels because of water seepage and cold temperatures, but I don't see any today.  Fortunately, in fact, I don't see any sand or ice on the entire ride today. 

That other rider is making time, and I wonder whether he knows that the speeding fines here are north of $300.  I'll stick to the speed limit, I think. My wallet isn't that thick. 

I see much more beautiful sky and enjoy the road, turn by turn. This is one of the best roads I know of, both because it is curvy and because it is beautiful even in winter when the trees and other flora are not very colorful. 

Here is a wide-angle view from Pounding Mill Overlook at milepost 413.2, elevation 4,700 feet above sea level.   For reference, the highest point on the Parkway is 6,047 feet at milepost 431.4 (the other direction from where I entered the Parkway off of NC-215).  Easley is at 1,079 feet, so the climb has been a net 3,621 feet from home so far. 

It is hard to see in the photograph above, but the Parkway continues near the top of the distant mountains, and the upcoming route US-276 falls back down the escarpment. See the black line and white line, respectively in the copy of the above photograph below.

Here is another panorama from Pounding Mill Overlook, to the right of the view above.

You nature lovers will be pleased to know that this overlook is one of the best places to see monarch butterflies as they migrate to Mexico in early fall.

You should also note that from milepost 412, where US-276 crosses the Parkway, there are several places you can visit.  To the south:

• Forest Heritage Scenic Byway is US-276 and several other roads of interest to bikers and tourists,
• Pisgah National Forest, 
• Pink Beds Hike (4 miles), an area of pink-blooming rhododendrons and laurels,
• Cradle of Forestry (4 miles), where they chronicle the science of forestry,
• Sliding Rock (8 miles), a place to slid down some huge shoals in the river,
• Looking Glass Falls (10 miles), visible right next to the road, and 
• Brevard, NC (18 miles). 

To the north:

• Waynesville, NC (22 miles).  

But for today, I continue on my way north, staying on the Parkway. 

I'll bet you didn't notice the view of Biltmore House, the largest private residence in the United States, in the above photograph.

Although it is the largest anywhere, it is several miles from here, so I've circled it in the copy of the same picture below.  Look just above the guardrail and to the left of the motorcycle cowling. 

It is so far away that it looks like a toy, but it is a grand place to visit.

I exit at milepost 393.6, elevation 2,100 feet, the French Broad River access to NC-191.  Located near here are:

• The NC Arboretum 
• Bent Creek Mountain Biking and Lake Powhatan Camping.  

You could go a little further north on the Parkway to visit a couple of other places:

• Milepost 388.8, where US-25 crosses, then travel north three miles to Biltmore Estate 
• Milepost 384, the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center.

I follow NC-191 for a few miles, then cut over to 1-26, then US-25 to get back home. 

It is superslab most of the way, but I cut off onto Gap Creek Road, a narrow two-lane, and wind my way to SC11, SC-8, SC-135, and on to Easley. 

I stop at Wildcat Falls right next to SC-11 for a few minutes. 

You don't really have to get off the bike to get this view. 

The pool at the bottom of the falls is a favorite place for families to bathe in the summer. 

Too soon, I am back in Easley, crossing the busy Norfolk Southern tracks to get home.

I am a bit nostalgic at the end of the ride today for some reason.  Looking back, my first time on the Blue Ridge Parkway was in April of 2008, just seven months after I bought this Ninja 650R, the only motorcycle I have owned thus far.  If you have been following my blog, you know that I started riding in my 57th year, and doing so was a significant departure from my otherwise nerdy life.

I'm still pretty nerdy, I admit, but I seem to come out of my shell a bit more with each passing year.  I can actually carry on a conversation with other adults on occasion.  By the time I am 90, I'll likely be a full-fledged extrovert!  I do note that I am much more extroverted than before, and motorcycle riding has helped that. 

I looked back and counted the number of times I have visited the Parkway on the bike.  It turns out that I have been there more than 50 times since that 2008 date, including several times to the Ridgecrest Conference Center Rally to Ridgecrest in Black Mountain, NC.  Perhaps that is why I have some feelings today about riding the Parkway: It is a beautiful road, and a joy to ride.  I am lucky to live close enough to go there often. 

There are also times near the end of an especially enjoyable ride, that I feel as though I don't want it to end; that the day isn't long enough for all I want to see and do on two wheels.   I have written about this before, and I sometimes still feel that way at the end of a ride.

Some day, when I am in my rocking chair at the nursing home drooling on my bib, I'll remember these days and these feelings. 


Well, it has been a nice day out.  I only went about 162 miles, but it was a warm-winter-day treat on some great roads.

Here is the whole route for today.

Click here for an interactive map.

More Parkway Information

• A longer trip from 2014
• A website covering attractions from Milepost 294, Moses Cone Park, to the Parkway's southern terminus at milepost 469.1, Great Smokey Mountains National Park

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