Another year, another week of hanging out with degenerate motorcyclists and Miata bros. I only had 4 days with the crew this year, but it was still great. Instead of daily blogs, I have random stories and pictures. You're welcome lol.
Tuesday I was following the crew out to Fontana Dam when I made a wrong turn. I decided to just go with it though, and did 200 miles out across the Skyway, where I visited Bald River Falls. At this point I was hot and sore from riding, and decided to just chill out in the river for a bit. This turned into climbing the rocks at the side of the waterfall, which then turned into helping some rafters haul their raft up the waterfall. And then, well, this happened:
Wednesday I woke up very sore so I did a shorter day, hitting the Tail, the dam I missed yesterday (It has massive spillways that are very very tempting), and the parkway - which was repaved, empty, and glorious. When we got back to the house we discovered my front tire was dangerously worn. I'd been keeping tabs on it, but an afternoon of hucking it around the mountain pushed it to the end of it's life. But that can be tomorrow's problem, now it's time to eat, drink, and watch the thunderstorms roll in with the crew.
Thursday morning I called a local bike shop to see if they could sort out my tire. He said he had an opening if I left immediately, so I threw the bike in the van (no time to pull off the wheel), and left for his shop. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the old-timer who ran the shop felt compelled to give the bike a complete once-over after replacing the tire. Tire pressures, suspension alignment, chain tension, lubrication points, and he advised me on where rust was starting and what may need attention in the future. I took copious notes and tipped generously, and after lunch (and waiting out a rainstorm), I set back out to run the tail. It was so much better, I should have visited PJ as soon as I got to the Tail. The bike now dove into turns instead of being requiring me to force it into turns, and it was now relaxing and fun instead of a full-body workout.
But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows: an old civic locked up their brakes, slid across the double-yellow, and hit one of our crew. They both bled off a lot of speed before impact, and his bike was in one piece, but unfortunately his wrist wasn't. His wife took him to the hospital while some of the guys went back with a pickup to grab the bike. Meanwhile, the rest of us went for a swim in the lake, jumped off bridges, paddleboarded, and just generally chilled.
Friday, my last day, it was time to really get into the Tail. That was my plan at least. I had a great trip out across the Tail, went to see the bottom of the Dam, and then headed back to the Tail to take another run. But the road went from full sunshine, to some damp spots, to full downpour over the span of a mile. So I ducked into the gas station to hide from the rain. I met up with some of the crew and once the rain let up we went down to the resort at Tapoco for lunch, pausing to snap a few pics while the fog settled on the river. It dried out while we ate lunch, and then it was back to ride the tail again! I made it several miles into the middle of tail this time before the road did it's dry-damp-downpour trick again, so there was no escape for me. I accepted being soaked to the bone and causally rode back towards home.
Once I made it over the crest of the mountain and to the overlook, it had stopped raining. So I pulled off to chill and chat with motorcyclists from all over the world. Baltimore, Quebec, Amsterdam, Mississippi, New York, Florida, and locals who live 5 miles down the road. After giving the road an hour to dry out, I went to take one last run. A few miles in the road was back to being damp and I felt my front tire slip just a bit... but I decided I didn't want to play those game again. So I headed back to the house for barbecue night, and spent a few hours trading stories with an emergency surgeon who climbs, motorcycles, and wrenches in his free time.
Saturday was just packing and the drive back. It was great to see everyone come together for our injured brethren, loading his vehicles, smoker, coolers, everything - onto his truck/trailer, before he even finished his morning coffee. Turns out there's a lot of expertise in rigging in a motorcycle club. And then, just for good measure, it rained the whole way home. Thank God for audiobooks.
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