drdubb
Site Supporter
Have fun at the wedding...do a little dancin'
Heading to the Land of the Dragon.
- Thread starter drdubb
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The reception will be at the local American Legion in their ball (?) room. Dancing will only be done if any of the single ladies want to dance with an over-weight, mid-life crisis, grumpy old man 
. Drinking on the other hand will be done.
. Drinking on the other hand will be done.
drdubb
Site Supporter
Drinking is what gets this Old Fat Guy dancing.
drdubb
Site Supporter
Just a week away. Would still love to see some of you at the Kickstand lodge in Stecoah, NC. My plan is to mostly ride the N. Ga. Mountains. Not too late, grab a tent and a sleeping bag and come on up.
drdubb,
Problems:
A) working all week
B) working the weekend, too
Sounds like great fun. I wish I could join you, but at least I'll be there in June.
Problems:
A) working all week
B) working the weekend, too
Sounds like great fun. I wish I could join you, but at least I'll be there in June.
drdubb
Site Supporter
Ready to go...
RetroRob
New Member
Ready to go...
Have a great trip Dubb! It was great to finally meet you at KSL4 and hope to be back again (although not this year) with my NC. Safe travels!
drdubb
Site Supporter
Thanks...retro...next year?
RetroRob
New Member
drdubb
Site Supporter
Had a good time.
Three days, only got wet once.
Rode about 1200 miles, 600 getting there and back, the rest on excellent twisty roads. Did the "Rattler", the "Gauntlet" and "Moonshiner 28". Skipped the "Tail of the Dragon" this year.
Reunited with 15 good friends and Mo the proprietess of the Kickstand Lodge. Attend one time and she will remember your name forever.
Ate lots of good food. Gained 5 pounds over the weekend. My favorite was the cinnamon role with cream cheese icing at a coffee house in Cashiers, NC.
Burned up one tire. Hit the wear bars at 1500 miles.
I'll do a better write up with pics later, maybe a touch of video. I was having so much fun I kept forgetting to start the go pro.
Three days, only got wet once.
Rode about 1200 miles, 600 getting there and back, the rest on excellent twisty roads. Did the "Rattler", the "Gauntlet" and "Moonshiner 28". Skipped the "Tail of the Dragon" this year.
Reunited with 15 good friends and Mo the proprietess of the Kickstand Lodge. Attend one time and she will remember your name forever.
Ate lots of good food. Gained 5 pounds over the weekend. My favorite was the cinnamon role with cream cheese icing at a coffee house in Cashiers, NC.
Burned up one tire. Hit the wear bars at 1500 miles.
I'll do a better write up with pics later, maybe a touch of video. I was having so much fun I kept forgetting to start the go pro.
drdubb
Site Supporter
I wasn't sure how this year's annual Kickstand Rally would turn out, but I was determined to have a good time and ride where I wanted to go. Since posting a date and sending out the invitations, there were few takers. Yes, everyone said they should do it, only a few actually committed and then some of them dropped at the last minute. I imagine that a less than stellar weather forecast discouraged some riders. Even two of the trustworthy Old Pokes dropped out at the last minute. It might not be the rally of the past, but it would be enough for me.
I set out on Thursday morning, picking up RobbieAG in Greensboro and MikeFooteUSA in Hickory. We bounded up the interstate until we reached Asheville. Riding on the Interstate seems like such a waste of time to me, so I suggested we leave the slab and get in some twisties. I had heard that Highways 63 and 209 to Hot Springs were inspiring roads. Robbie and I had visited Hot Springs a few years ago, but from a different direction, and because of that visit, we knew of a decent cafe. Lunch sounded like a reasonable reason to head off the beaten track.
As we traveled to Trust, NC, we enjoyed sweeping curves, tight switch backs and wonderful views of mountains and valleys. The roadside was also peppered with unique old architecture that begged for shutters to open, but we didn't take the time to snap photographs, the road was calling.
Lunch in Hot Springs was a delight, I enjoyed a pimento cheese/fried green tomato BLT and boy was it good. While we were eating, we spied a group of VFR's sitting outside as their riders also enjoyed a few calories. We also passed a few dual sports on the road. There was Rick's Rendezvous taking place in the area. This is a huge annual dual sport rally that is based nearby.
Lunch was followed by a retracing of our route as far as Trust and then the exploration of the other section of 209. At the end of that stretch was a sign indicating that we had just enjoyed the "Rattler". I guess I should've gotten the T-shirt, but we rode on to KSL to be greeted by the ever pleasant Mo.
Camp was made and we visited with a few folks already in place. No other Nighthawkers were about so, Mike was the only official Nighthawk in house. We met some new folks, one, a fellow from Czechoslovakia and the other a Canadian who just lost his job after 30 years with the same company. There were one or two other Mo adoptees hanging about.
Mo wasn't cooking that night so we took the short jaunt to the Stecoah diner for some good fried food. I ended up with the country fried steak and white gravy. Yum.
That night I attempted to sleep in a camping hammock for the first time. Not too bad of an experience. I had lots of adjusting to do, but I did manage to sleep until about 4 A.M. which is not bad for me. Using the pee bottle was the most difficult skill to master. When asked about that task, my honest reply was that "I need more plumbing".
Friday morning found the Old Pokes up and about by 6:30, so we decided to go to the diner for breakfast and get on the road early. Al, who came in from Georgia on a mint 500cx was fixing breakfast. He was a little miffed that we were skipping Mo's hospitality, but we all agreed that getting out early was a good decision.
Our goal that day was to head to Georgia and run the "Guantlet". We zipped through Robbinsville and motored down towards Murphy. There, we picked up Old 64 to Brasstown (home of the 'possum drop) and then over to 19 on a thoroughly delightful valley romp of Brasstown Road. We then headed down into Georgia on absolutely gorgeous twisty roads. We stopped briefly in Suches to check out the reinvigorated "Wheels over Suches" campground and then motored on.
Helen, Georgia was host to a VW rally so we sighted a variety of Volkswagons, many lowered so that they could not pass the smallest of speed bumps. These vehicles were piloted by the obligatory hipsters.
During the day, Mikes' Nighthawk became more and more reluctant to start so as leader, I avoided stopping during the latter section of our journey. We did stop for Mike to pull a fuse, disabling his headlight in order for all remaining juice to flow to his four spark plugs. In Robbinsville, we ate a little lunch while Mike went on an unsuccessful search for a trickle charger. All eventually made it back to KSL in order to partake of Mo's excellent chicken soup, slaw with apples and BLT's.
During dinner, other folks arrived, including Sonny on his Duc, SCguy and his VFR, SlimJim & Z1BeBe and their color coordinated Nighthawks all pulled into camp. Mo called them all by name, which amazes me. Jay, also known as Ninjarocket was there with his tricked out trailer and his new Ninja 1000. He gave us a tour of his trailer and I must say, he travels in style.
Saturday found the Old Pokes following the same starting routine as Friday, with a quick breakfast at the Stecoah Cafe and early start on the road. Jay elected to join us, even though I warned him of our slow speeds. At the cafe, there was a VStrom with his bags off and seat removed. He told us that the bike just died up the road and he had coasted to the diner. Robbie checked the voltage on his battery, which was subpar, and then the VStrom rider walked down to KSL with his battery in search of a charger. Once there, Mike became the hero, heading into town on his wounded bird to purchase batteries for them both. Despite the fact that all of us were sure Mike's battery was toast and we had convinced him to purchase a new one, he discovered loose terminal connections when he installed the new one. Sorry Mike, for the bad advice and Huzzah for being the VStrom's hero.
We then rode Moonshiner 28 down to Franklin and then picked up Ellijay road towards Cullowhee road. What a set of twisties! There were some seriously tight switch backs which gave us all a workout. Jay decided he didn't want to be held back, so he zoomed to the front. Being the gentleman that he is, he waited at convenient spots for us to catch up. The Old Pokes traveled those roads last year and wore out one of our guest riders. I do admit, last year's cold rain did put a damper on the fun.
We then traveled back towards Cullowhee on 107 in order to pick up 281. This was a more relaxed ride with open road and fast sweepers. Robbie joined Jay as the fast bikes, with us agreeing to meet up in Cashiers for lunch. I gave some incorrect directions, but we managed to meet up for a fine lunch at Buck's coffee shop. The clientele of Buck's definitely indicated the upscale nature of the neighborhood. We ignored the dress code and had some fine sandwiches. I had the turkey with cranberry and a hot cinnamon roll covered with cream cheese icing for desert. Oh yes...twas fine.
While hanging out in the in Buck's parking lot, I noticed the advanced state of wear of my rear tire. I was deep into the wear bars and there was only the shadow of tread in the middle of the tire. At that point, the NC only had 1600 miles under its belt and I began to worry about having enough tread to get home. The others were reassuring, but the worry monsters crawled out from under the rocks and into my head.
We left Cashiers, heading south for a Rendezvous with Highway 28. Jay and Robbie dashed ahead, while Springator and I took our time to smell the trees and enjoy the sights. At 28, we turned north for the climb into Highlands. Heck of a piece of road. Entering Cashiers revealed a 1 percenter riot. The streets were full of expensive cars and diamond crusted ladies. We quickly moved through to enjoy the delights of 28. Springator was riding his Yamaha XT 225 and that bike was perfect for the conditions. Cornering was quick and easy and he had plenty of power of the short stretches of straight road.
As we ran through Franklin, I noticed a dark cloud ahead and hoped we would miss any precip. Despite my wishes, the curvy sections were accompanied by an ever increasing rain. It seemed like we would emerge any minute, but the rain did not stop until we approached the intersection of 74. I do savor one moment when we passed a group of pirates huddled under a porch overhang while we proved our superiority by powering through the rain.
Camp was dry, so we changed into our relaxing clothes and Springator took us over to Robbinsville for a latte. I'm really liking that new tradition. Jay and Robbie went to the Cherohala for more curves and we returned to camp for some relaxation.
Bobby spent all day smoking ribs under the new pavilion of Mo's diner. I enjoyed reading the past graffiti of the Nighthawk crew. Mike had the honor of ringing in dinner and the ribs were soon consumed. I had the opportunity to spend most of the evening speaking with Slm Jim and Z1Bebe. Despite the fact that they have attended most of the rallies, I've never really spoken to them. Great folks and I enjoyed getting to know both of them.
Sunday morning dawned with light rain and the threat of more. I convinced Robbie and Mike to leave early and have breakfast down the road. The weather map showed clear weather east of Asheville, so I wanted to get my bald tire into the sun as quickly as possible. The ride home was mostly uneventful, except for meeting some VStrom riders at a rest stop. I recognized their Mule Pack panniers from the DR650 forum and soon found out I was talking to the designer and manufacturer. (great design and bulletproof) Fine folks. Apparently there was a VStrom rally at the Iron Horse. That explained the high number of Stroms we spied in the mountains.
While this rally didn't have the drama or yee haw factor around the campfire, it was a mellow event in which we did some great riding. I came home satiated, but ready to return in the future. The rally, may no longer really be a Nighthawk event, but it is still a wonderful time in which you renew old friendships, make new friends and see the greatness of ordinary people . Yes...a good rally.
I set out on Thursday morning, picking up RobbieAG in Greensboro and MikeFooteUSA in Hickory. We bounded up the interstate until we reached Asheville. Riding on the Interstate seems like such a waste of time to me, so I suggested we leave the slab and get in some twisties. I had heard that Highways 63 and 209 to Hot Springs were inspiring roads. Robbie and I had visited Hot Springs a few years ago, but from a different direction, and because of that visit, we knew of a decent cafe. Lunch sounded like a reasonable reason to head off the beaten track.
As we traveled to Trust, NC, we enjoyed sweeping curves, tight switch backs and wonderful views of mountains and valleys. The roadside was also peppered with unique old architecture that begged for shutters to open, but we didn't take the time to snap photographs, the road was calling.
Lunch in Hot Springs was a delight, I enjoyed a pimento cheese/fried green tomato BLT and boy was it good. While we were eating, we spied a group of VFR's sitting outside as their riders also enjoyed a few calories. We also passed a few dual sports on the road. There was Rick's Rendezvous taking place in the area. This is a huge annual dual sport rally that is based nearby.
Lunch was followed by a retracing of our route as far as Trust and then the exploration of the other section of 209. At the end of that stretch was a sign indicating that we had just enjoyed the "Rattler". I guess I should've gotten the T-shirt, but we rode on to KSL to be greeted by the ever pleasant Mo.
Camp was made and we visited with a few folks already in place. No other Nighthawkers were about so, Mike was the only official Nighthawk in house. We met some new folks, one, a fellow from Czechoslovakia and the other a Canadian who just lost his job after 30 years with the same company. There were one or two other Mo adoptees hanging about.
Mo wasn't cooking that night so we took the short jaunt to the Stecoah diner for some good fried food. I ended up with the country fried steak and white gravy. Yum.
That night I attempted to sleep in a camping hammock for the first time. Not too bad of an experience. I had lots of adjusting to do, but I did manage to sleep until about 4 A.M. which is not bad for me. Using the pee bottle was the most difficult skill to master. When asked about that task, my honest reply was that "I need more plumbing".
Friday morning found the Old Pokes up and about by 6:30, so we decided to go to the diner for breakfast and get on the road early. Al, who came in from Georgia on a mint 500cx was fixing breakfast. He was a little miffed that we were skipping Mo's hospitality, but we all agreed that getting out early was a good decision.
Our goal that day was to head to Georgia and run the "Guantlet". We zipped through Robbinsville and motored down towards Murphy. There, we picked up Old 64 to Brasstown (home of the 'possum drop) and then over to 19 on a thoroughly delightful valley romp of Brasstown Road. We then headed down into Georgia on absolutely gorgeous twisty roads. We stopped briefly in Suches to check out the reinvigorated "Wheels over Suches" campground and then motored on.
Helen, Georgia was host to a VW rally so we sighted a variety of Volkswagons, many lowered so that they could not pass the smallest of speed bumps. These vehicles were piloted by the obligatory hipsters.
During the day, Mikes' Nighthawk became more and more reluctant to start so as leader, I avoided stopping during the latter section of our journey. We did stop for Mike to pull a fuse, disabling his headlight in order for all remaining juice to flow to his four spark plugs. In Robbinsville, we ate a little lunch while Mike went on an unsuccessful search for a trickle charger. All eventually made it back to KSL in order to partake of Mo's excellent chicken soup, slaw with apples and BLT's.
During dinner, other folks arrived, including Sonny on his Duc, SCguy and his VFR, SlimJim & Z1BeBe and their color coordinated Nighthawks all pulled into camp. Mo called them all by name, which amazes me. Jay, also known as Ninjarocket was there with his tricked out trailer and his new Ninja 1000. He gave us a tour of his trailer and I must say, he travels in style.
Saturday found the Old Pokes following the same starting routine as Friday, with a quick breakfast at the Stecoah Cafe and early start on the road. Jay elected to join us, even though I warned him of our slow speeds. At the cafe, there was a VStrom with his bags off and seat removed. He told us that the bike just died up the road and he had coasted to the diner. Robbie checked the voltage on his battery, which was subpar, and then the VStrom rider walked down to KSL with his battery in search of a charger. Once there, Mike became the hero, heading into town on his wounded bird to purchase batteries for them both. Despite the fact that all of us were sure Mike's battery was toast and we had convinced him to purchase a new one, he discovered loose terminal connections when he installed the new one. Sorry Mike, for the bad advice and Huzzah for being the VStrom's hero.
We then rode Moonshiner 28 down to Franklin and then picked up Ellijay road towards Cullowhee road. What a set of twisties! There were some seriously tight switch backs which gave us all a workout. Jay decided he didn't want to be held back, so he zoomed to the front. Being the gentleman that he is, he waited at convenient spots for us to catch up. The Old Pokes traveled those roads last year and wore out one of our guest riders. I do admit, last year's cold rain did put a damper on the fun.
We then traveled back towards Cullowhee on 107 in order to pick up 281. This was a more relaxed ride with open road and fast sweepers. Robbie joined Jay as the fast bikes, with us agreeing to meet up in Cashiers for lunch. I gave some incorrect directions, but we managed to meet up for a fine lunch at Buck's coffee shop. The clientele of Buck's definitely indicated the upscale nature of the neighborhood. We ignored the dress code and had some fine sandwiches. I had the turkey with cranberry and a hot cinnamon roll covered with cream cheese icing for desert. Oh yes...twas fine.
While hanging out in the in Buck's parking lot, I noticed the advanced state of wear of my rear tire. I was deep into the wear bars and there was only the shadow of tread in the middle of the tire. At that point, the NC only had 1600 miles under its belt and I began to worry about having enough tread to get home. The others were reassuring, but the worry monsters crawled out from under the rocks and into my head.
We left Cashiers, heading south for a Rendezvous with Highway 28. Jay and Robbie dashed ahead, while Springator and I took our time to smell the trees and enjoy the sights. At 28, we turned north for the climb into Highlands. Heck of a piece of road. Entering Cashiers revealed a 1 percenter riot. The streets were full of expensive cars and diamond crusted ladies. We quickly moved through to enjoy the delights of 28. Springator was riding his Yamaha XT 225 and that bike was perfect for the conditions. Cornering was quick and easy and he had plenty of power of the short stretches of straight road.
As we ran through Franklin, I noticed a dark cloud ahead and hoped we would miss any precip. Despite my wishes, the curvy sections were accompanied by an ever increasing rain. It seemed like we would emerge any minute, but the rain did not stop until we approached the intersection of 74. I do savor one moment when we passed a group of pirates huddled under a porch overhang while we proved our superiority by powering through the rain.
Camp was dry, so we changed into our relaxing clothes and Springator took us over to Robbinsville for a latte. I'm really liking that new tradition. Jay and Robbie went to the Cherohala for more curves and we returned to camp for some relaxation.
Bobby spent all day smoking ribs under the new pavilion of Mo's diner. I enjoyed reading the past graffiti of the Nighthawk crew. Mike had the honor of ringing in dinner and the ribs were soon consumed. I had the opportunity to spend most of the evening speaking with Slm Jim and Z1Bebe. Despite the fact that they have attended most of the rallies, I've never really spoken to them. Great folks and I enjoyed getting to know both of them.
Sunday morning dawned with light rain and the threat of more. I convinced Robbie and Mike to leave early and have breakfast down the road. The weather map showed clear weather east of Asheville, so I wanted to get my bald tire into the sun as quickly as possible. The ride home was mostly uneventful, except for meeting some VStrom riders at a rest stop. I recognized their Mule Pack panniers from the DR650 forum and soon found out I was talking to the designer and manufacturer. (great design and bulletproof) Fine folks. Apparently there was a VStrom rally at the Iron Horse. That explained the high number of Stroms we spied in the mountains.
While this rally didn't have the drama or yee haw factor around the campfire, it was a mellow event in which we did some great riding. I came home satiated, but ready to return in the future. The rally, may no longer really be a Nighthawk event, but it is still a wonderful time in which you renew old friendships, make new friends and see the greatness of ordinary people . Yes...a good rally.
drdubb
Site Supporter
Some of the routes
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2013
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Thanks for sharing. I would have planned on attending; however, daughter's wedding took precedence. This coming weekend (Memorial Day), I am heading to the Natchez Trace and riding it from Nashville, Tn to Natchez, Ms (on my bucket list).
drdubb
Site Supporter
Have a big time on the trace. I rode it a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Make sure you ride some of the Old Trace.
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If there is a sign for the Old Trace I will. Never ridden it so everything will be new. No plans, no reservations made, just going to head down and start riding the Trace. It will take me 4 hours superslabbing to get to the Trace and then 479 miles to Natchez MS. Going to be a long day...... 16 hours at least... zoom zoom.
drdubb
Site Supporter
Took us two days to ride the trace. There is 45 mph speed limit. There is one free campground.
- Joined
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Thanks I dont camp and I usually ride long distances-I am not much of a stop and sight-see kind of guy-ride, stop to refuel the bike and potty break for myself and go. I will ride until about 7pm; decide if I can make it to Natchez by nightfall; if not, start looking for places close to the trace which might have a motel.
Fuzzy
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Trace goes through a lot of towns, so shouldn't have a problem finding a motel if needed. Leisurely ride with little traffic, good pavement and low speed limit. Riding steady and not stopping to see the sites you can do in a day. I took a couple days and wish I had allowed more time to stop and see the history.
The old trace is marked when you cross it and is off pavement riding.
The old trace is marked when you cross it and is off pavement riding.
