Continued scouting!

Hey guys, Brian and I made a one day scouting trip to the Smokeys. Did 335 miles. The roads were in great condition. Some sand and salt, but ice free and gravel free. The temps hit 64 degrees. Dry falls, near "Bridal Veil Falls" where we stop for pictures, is now open with a fine parking lot. It would be a good place to stop with a sack lunch to eat by the falls. Here's a few pictures.

Possible last ride of the Season?

Doug, I, and Matthew Powell made it out this weekend. We met on the BRP and then wended our way to Kentucky. We departed at 7am Sunday and the temp was 31-37 (depending on where you were). We climbed a hill into the Sun and the temp rose to 55 in the course of about 5 minutes. I was "macho" and went without the heated jacket and the Sun was great. Then, we decended into the valley again and it dropped below 40! This put a chill in me that I could not shake without stopping for coffee. Note to self: "You haveheat: use it!".

On a back road, this 18 wheeler flat bed shot out in front of us and was just tearing up the road. He was doing 25-30 in the corners and hitting mid 60s in the straights. If a guy can drive a truck like this dude,there's no excuse for a car not being able to go the speed limit! When the truck got to a stop sign, he waved us by. He was a great guy, and I was kind of sad because it was an experience following a truck that could move like this. He must drive the road all day long.

On the BRP Friday, I hit a deer. It was on my right and started running in front of me, parallel, on my right. I braked hard to about 40mph, then it turned left on a dime in front of me. I continued to brake, and swerved, and mentally calculated (in that subconcious split second brain way) that we would pass without incident. Well, I was a hair off and clipped her left hind leg. I don't think I hurt her, but it felt like running over a 2x4. Maybe she suffered a broken leg, which would be fatal, but at the time I was busy with my end of the deal. No damage at all to me or the bike. There are A LOT of deer out now. I'm seeing them all along the roads, dead and alive. Maybe we'll get one more ride in before January.

Rob

Isn't it amazing how I just get more handsome every year? Done vomiting yet?...OK. Doug and I made a ride this October. It was cold and rainy, but with heated bikes and heated gear, it was no big deal. I made it back down to Suches area which I have good memories of as it was my first big trip on the new BMW with Lisa, John, and Bob Newman and the roads were fantastic.

On the way back, we crossed the summit of the Cherohala (Cherohaulass). At the top, it was 25 degrees (from the BMW computer) and mostly clear with a snow flake here and there. We stopped at the summit to have a drink and enjoy the icy beauty and snapped this picture.

We proceeded and found an ice covered tree that fell across the road. Then, we approached a spot with about 100 feet of ice where a couple of Harley riders flagged us down. They hit the ice and their bikes went down. It was nice of them to warn us. We probably would have seen it, but still, if we hit it at 20 mph we would likely have gone down too. Instead we paddled across at low speed.

It ended up being a fantastic ride. I love the new Metzler Z6 interact tires and highly recommend them to all of you with Sport Tourers. [edit: I withdraw my recommendation! The tires are great but I wore out the sides in 2000 miles--they suck--back to regular Z6 for me]

MotorDad's Pics

Hi All-

Thanks for another great time! Jean and Mona, the food was fabulous again and I almost had to pay baggage fees for the weight I gained. The rental Goldwing worked okay but I'm glad to be back on my ST1100. It feels small now but nimble. The atlas cover in this series is a book highly recommended by my taxi driver- he's a long-time local with a son who rides a Ducati. I ran into truly ugly stop'n go on the way to returning the rental but still made the flights okay. It absolutely killed me that I couldn't legally split lanes in TN to make time. I love California! Still, the riding was beautiful and I had a great time visiting with everyone. I will send the videos to Rob (hard to post 8 GB). I appreciated that several other riders interested in a more 'sightseeing' pace like myself next time. Hope I can make it...I'm considering cross-country again on the ST to save some $$ and have a bike that corners better.

More pics, 2009 PLUS one of my hubby's new bike (Whew!)

Smoky Mountian Ride 2009 Pics

Smoky Mountain Ride 2009!

It was great seeing all of you and meeting several. Here I've posted several pics from the trip, but feel free to throw up some more of your own that you feel may better represent your experience. As John and I were talking this morning, it became clear once again that men and women think very differently. As we were going through the shots, he asked me where the photo of his bike was. I hadn't taken one. (BIG oops!) I explained that women are more interested in people (so my shots tended to be of people) while men in this situation would be more interested in the machines. What is embarrassingly absent are photos of the "pit crew" and the wonderful food. So to Jean and Mona, I apologize profusely. The food was excellent and I greatly appreciate the tremendous effort.

Again, Zoe John and I had a very nice time, as short as our stay was. I hope Saturday brought great riding for all and you all have a nice trip back home. See ya again next year, if not sooner.

Motordad enroute...

On the way to TN again- waiting @ SFO for my redeye. I got tethering from my WM device to work and video-skyped with the kids and Shaleah over 3G, after fixing the home side via LogMeIn. I feel very accomplished! I'm debating the Lynchburg run after I pick up the oldwing in Knoxville, but after the redeye (and considering forecasted thunderstorms) that might be crazy. Plus, I might miss dinner. Rocky Best was kind enough to drive me to the airport after we finished Maui class today. On the way I talked with Bob Newman- he plans to meet Johnny Cooper in Jackson MS and ride up for dinner at the cabin- something about Mulligan Stew and beers? Too loud to make it out as we returned Rocky's Hertz car.
Seeya soon!

Track Day at VIR with Cornerspeed

I finally got out and took the cornerspeed school at Virginia International Raceway. I passed the written and now I can get my WERA racing license. I plan to do it, but no way do I expect to race; these guys are FAST. I also got to ride on the back of Scott Harwell's bike. He's a retired Pro AMA racer and it was fantastic. Wheeling down the straights, hitting 150 mph, braking forces like you can't believe, accelerating in the corners and leaning over to the grass was really amazing. I'll never be that good.

Rob C.

3d Annual May Smokies Ride

We are on of course for May 14-17, 2009. We have so many people this year we've reserved 3 cabins (the Lodge and two smaller cabins). We have 2 babies going (they can only drink light beer and ride pillion). Now just 3 weeks away and I'm peeing my pants in anticipation.

Robo

Abe Lincoln Custom Bike

While working in Springfield, Illinois a few weeks ago I visited the Lincoln Museum. This place is top notch. Very awesome exhibits. Considering this is the 200th anniversary year of his birth, I thought it would be a good thing to see. Interestingly, they had this custom bike on exhibit. If you look closely, you can see all kinds of details like pennies in the wheels and a hatchet mounted on the left side (see photos below). I thought it was pretty cool.

What you missed!

Seems like we had a lot of last-minute no-shows who figured we'd be dodging raindrops today. Not so! Mike Vosberg (Consumables Mfg, 500 Bldg) and I made the run to Alice's for lunch today. The roads were slightly damp in the woods, but the clouds were pretty and it was a good day for riding. Note the sign in the restaurant: "No Whiners". Let's do an encore next month- although March may be hard for me to get away and I can only tell a few of you why. The 12-13 or 26-27 may work, I'm up for suggestions. I got a lot of good ride video too. See motordad.blogspot.com for it. The video is a little cloudy, probably because I didn't have Matt and Rob around to clean my windshield this time. Better luck next time, and great riding with you Mike!

The new girl

I finally did it. I got my track bike. This is a 2007 Honda CBR600RR. This thing is scary fast. It redlines at 15,000 RPM, screams like a prison rape victim, and wheelies w/o thinking. Perfect for a 46 year old wimp....

Nice weather in NC

We in NC were gifted by the weather gods and had some mid 60s in the western NC mountains. Brian and I spent Friday night in a hotel in order to maximize daylight on Saturday. We hooked up with Eric and Doug in Highlands around noon. The temps were fantastic, but the roads had some snow and ice at the cols as well as a lot of salt and sand. Against my better judgement, I will have to wash the salty mojo off the RT. Doug reported that the Dragon was an icy handful in the AM hours, too. Some high lights:

1) Brian did his best imitation of "Wild Hogs" by colliding with a bird! I've never witnessed that before. The bird took a good hit.

2) We all had many nervous moments and skids in the salt and sand. Sometimes, especially 441 over the Smokeys, had patches of ice and snow.

3) Once into Tenessee, the roads were fantastic, but the day was about over.

4) We had one, maybe two, solid radar saves--Radar detectors RULE!

5) I made a moron move. I was taking the small loop road under Bridal Veil falls and found the exit blocked by snow. Instead of starting my U turn on the low side of the narrow road, thus using the engine to go uphill and gravity for reverse, I started on the high side. Once my front tire was pointing downhill, I needed Brian to grab the RT rack and pull me back up to complete the turn. MORON!

6) We only had a cell phone with us as a camera, which sucks, but here's a picture of Bridal Veil Falls from last year and the one from this trip. Look at the ice curtains!

ABioBikers West - 1st Ride to Alice's Restaurant

Well, the first ABioBikers West Ride to Alice's didn't go exactly as planned. We ended up at Alice's, but unfortunately our ride was a rental Camry. Don't ask. Scott, myself and Meredith (a totally awesome chic and forensic customer) drove up on Thursday, Jan. 29th and hung out with the bikers. It was a gorgeous day. The place was packed with the leather and tattoos folks eating some pretty bad food. But that's not why you go. It was quite nice in spite of the 4-wheels up and back. Thanks, Scott! Better luck with the next planned ride.

ABiobikers West Alice's Lunch 29Jan09

Hi All-
It's hard to believe it's January elsewhere in the world. Last weekend's weather reminded me of why I moved to CA in the first place, and a phone call to my brother in Minneapolis confirmed it. My condolences to those of you keeping warm indoors while your bike hibernates.
In CA, it's time to go riding! This Thursday's forecast is sloppy weather, plus we need to give Jeff time to get a new battery and install it. How about the 29th? If the weather looks bad again by next Tuesday, I'll postpone. I ride rain or shine, but that doesn't mean it would be fun to do a lunch ride that way. Let's plan to meet in the Building 351 parking lot (where the gym is) at 11:30. Plan on the ride taking a half-hour each way, plus an hour for lunch. See you then!
Preview of the destination:http://alicesrestaurant.com/
My route is 92 W > 280 S > 84 W.
Email to nelsonsd@applera.com if you'd like to join us.
Thanks for your responses!
Keep the shiny side up!
-Scott

3rd Annual ABioBikers Smoky Mountain Ride

Hello All,
The 3rd Annual ABioBikers Smoky Mountain Ride is scheduled for May 14 - 17th. It's great to see that the group has grown to such an extent that we now need two cabins! I look forward to seeing everyone again this year. Hey Chris--will there be new shirts this year?

Put a fork in it, it's done!

OK, the board seems to have gone dead. I will make this my last post (unless it miraculously revives). I figure since this was about riding, a last few pics of the ride are in order.
Rob

Wakey wakey!

Morning coffee and prepping for the day's ride

The East-West Connection

Hi All-
The bike is ready, I'm about as ready as I'm going to get, and I hit the road tomorrow morning. You can track my progress at motordad.blogspot.com. I'm looking forward to riding the Dragon with you!
-Scott

After the falls...

Dirtbike Gang - March 22, 2008

Ben after a few times on the trail. After a lot of rain in NC this week, the trail included numerous mud holes.

Rob gets a feel for the Honda 230.

Here's me and Ben at the beginning of the day--nice and clean, getting ready for the intro and warm up.

Here's the gang after a long day of dirtbiking this weekend at the Speed Compound Motorcross Park in Bear Creek, NC.

On the bike again...

if only as a rider. After almost a year and a half I found myself on two wheels again. A couple of nights ago I hopped on the back of the VFR with John and went for a short ride around town. It was early evening and the weather was perfect--clear, slightly cool. We took I-20 to 378 and headed off down Corley Mill Rd. Tall pines and small ponds flanked the winding road on either side. At one low point in the road I could see swampy areas on both sides. My nostrils filled with the odor of earth. Further along I smelled burning leaves, or wood. At the end of Corley Mill we turned right and headed across the Lake Murray dam. Off to the left the sun was setting and the sky was filled with so many colors that I couldn't name them all. We continued on and jumped back onto I-20 for the homestretch. I was starting to feel the chill. I was surprised that the seat was so uncomfortable. (I'll have to let John get that Corbin seat, afterall!) When we got home I was feeling very satifsfied. It was nice to be on a bike again.