alright fair warning ... this is a rant. it is nothing more ... no substance ... not my normal "contribution", just a rant!
so i actually got out of the house today -- such a rare and enjoyable occasion -- even better when i get to without Dad. a friend of mine, one of the folks i have been privileged to go caving with lately, has a motorcycle he recently purchased. he got it for a song, but it needed work -- meaning not running but "a little TLC" will get it there.
anyhow, i went over there today and we tried to chase down an electrical issue (ugh! i STILL hate chasing electical issues). we did determine his solenoid was bad, and i'm convinced his battery is not strong enough to turn over the motor. this conclusion happened rather quickly, but being a sunday, there was little more that could be done, since the place he got the solenoid from was closed.
i spent most of the rest of daylight hours hanging out with them and enjoying their company. they even wanted me to stay for dinner. well who am i to refuse such hospitality? the food was great, the company was better.
i figured i would try to be civil and get back home before dark. not exactly an easy task since a band (filter) i have seen and enjoyed live were playing IN knoxville tonight (where i happened to be) for a low-dough show, but to keep dad from bitching too badly, i skipped it. surprisingly, upon my arrival he seemed rather calm and collected. sweet!
later on, he had an accident, and i guess he got defensive when i gave him hell for waiting so long. the progression (regression?) from there typically goes downhill. i have been party to this for a while, but after hearing the same thing enough times, you get, well perturbed! at least, i do!
one of his buttons he likes to push is "put me in a home" (only because he knows i have too much integrity to do that so he has no worries. i tell him to speak to me sober -- can you guess how many times this has happened?), the next "button" is "you will have to get a job!" he tries to use that as if he thinks it's something i *don't* want.
THE MOTHER FUCKER HAS NO CLUE!! and the timing was not good either -- which could well be why i am blowing off steam right now!
later this week the mortgage people are coming to repossess our trailer. had i been working, this would not have happened, but melissa, bless her heart, no matter how hard she works at her part-time job, cannot pay the mortgage alone. were i working, and supplementing our income, the mortgage would be paid, at least not enough to go through foreclosing -- but i "don't want" a job!
in 26 months, her and i are coming up on our 25th anniversary. our 25th anniversary was supposed to be spent together in germany. well, i'm not working. our bank account is NOWHERE NEAR where it needs to be to finance such a trip -- but i "don't want" to work!
i used to ride -- A LOT! it was typical to pull 15K miles in a year and a couple times over 20K. since having to tend to him, i get *maybe* 5K per year. i won't spend HIS money like i would MINE! there are things i *want* for my bike, that i won't ask, because i don't *need* them and ... again ... it's not "my" money -- but i "don't want" it!
i DID tell him i am fucking up my life by NOT working to tend to him, but am unsure that it sunk in, or, if it did, that the bastard even cares! sooooo fed up right now!
(sorry for the rant)
yep time for some linkin' park!!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Sunday, June 2, 2013
a Memorial weekend?
(haven't had internet so this is just NOW getting posted.)
I had a rather productive Memorial Day weekend, of sorts. I have had some
lingering issues since Tellico and I focused on lining them out..
First off, the KLR headlight was not working towards the
tail end of that weekend. I had tore into it briefly a week or two ago only to
find that it is blowing fuses. Yippee! I *love* chasing down electrical issues!
(rolling my eyes)
SO I got around to tearing off the plastic fairings and gas tank with the intention to follow the wiring harness from the fuse all
the way to the headlight. I did just that and could see no visible signs of
breakage or a short. Wonderful!
I pulled the wiring plug from the headlamps and installed
one plug, put in a new fuse, turned the key and have headlight. Okay must be
the other circuit, so I hooked that plug in and turned the key …. and have BOTH
hi and lo beam lights and the fuse is still holding.
WTF?!? all I had done was remove plastic and the gas tank.
(shrug) So I reassemble the whole thing and fire it up and still have lights.
Alrighty then! I ran it up the road flogging it a bit trying to create some
vibrations that may cause it to act up again. Pulled back into the driveway and
it is still working.
I am totally not convinced it’s fixed, but for now it’s
working. I reckon there is little more to do than wait to see if it happens
again. I guess it *could* have been that the fuse that I initially replaced was bad, but am
doubtful that that was the problem. Time will tell!
After that, I did another “band-aid” fix by placing a shingle
over the hole in the bike shed (from where the tree fell on it a couple weeks
ago). Again, not fixed, but works for now.
Then Sunday, I looked through the tractor manual to see what
type of fluid and how much would be needed for the PTO. The box blade is stuck
in the raised position and will not lower. It has been that way since Skip
helped me remove it when it was stuck.
I was so glad to get it out of the hole it had been in, I
was not too concerned with the box. However, the driveway is getting in really
bad shape and I need to get the box blade operable, so I can grade it.
While perusing the manual I found that there is a locking
knob that disables the lever from operating the PTO. I
turned the knob and voila! the lever now operates the box blade. YAY!
While on a roll, I went ahead and looked at Dad’s trailer. The lights are not working (YAY more wiring fun! [another eye roll]).
I can see that the wire is cut. Cool! a simple splice should
fix it. I did the splice and no joy! I also noticed the ground wire was frayed.
Okay so, I fix up a jumper to have ground. I now have one brake light but no
running lights. Ah well, this will have to wait.
Melissa has a lot going on right now, but she knew I have
been trying to get a ride in here lately. Originally, it was to try and meet up
with this other guy who keeps finding a reason not to go. Sunday evening she
told me – scratch that! INSISTED – I go ride Monday. She said “you need this!”
I LOVE that woman!
The weather was absolutely gorgeous! Blue skies without a
cloud present and the mercury was a a very mild 70* as of
10 AM . I figured I would head north
into Kentucky as it has been a
LOOONNGG time since I rode up that way.
The plan was to take TN-70 all the way up to VA where I
would catch US 421 for a while. I haven’t been on that section of 70 since I
was riding with Ozzie and Georgette some 5 or so years ago. 70 is great once
north of Greeneville.
The first stretch has some very fun roller-coaster curves.
Some of it kind of tight but *all* of it up and down and curved with banking.
It really feels like being on a roller coaster. Good stuff! I have a grin
pasted to my mug beneath my helmet!
Additionally, there is NO traffic. NONE! This is too good to
be true.
For the longest time, I have had confidence issues and tend
to lightly tap the rear brake prior to entry – even when I do not need to. It
is rather annoying! However, I was really tuned in to what I was doing and
noticed that I wasn’t using that security blanket except in the blindest of
curves.
Once you get about 10 miles north of Rogersville, the road
gets even better. There is a mountain pass there and this is the part of the
route I was most looking forward to running.
I hit the first couple 20 mph switchbacks a little
assertively and was feeling a good rhythm as I began the climb. About halfway
up, though, I encountered a slowly moving line of three cages on my side of the road. UGH!
The curves are *really* tight and sight lines are minimal to non-existent.
There is no way to sneak past all three in one swoop. I just
filed in line and cursed in my helmet as I painfully *strolled* through those
tasty curves.
However, *this* was the only time all day I got stuck in
“traffic”, so I shouldn’t complain. I had the roads pretty much to myself and
when I DID encounter another vehicle(s) it/they were easily dispatched. I was
averaging between 60 and 70 mph every time I looked down at the speedometer –
ALL the while on twisty roads. AWESOMENESS!!
I had to stop for gas up near Hyden ,
KY
I grabbed a candy bar and a drink and took a break. It was
definitely the only game around. It was rather busy. Oddly though, it was more
busy with four wheeler ATVs than it was cars or trucks. I saw 5 or 6 four
wheelers ride in and only 3 cars/trucks – and one of those was hauling a trailer
with 3 four wheelers on it.
That part of Kentucky
is four wheeler heaven. There were plenty of trails off the main road going
every which way. Heh, there were times I was wishing I had the KLR. ; )
After finishing my candy bar, it was time to dance again.
Cloud9 and I took off with vigor and resumed our pace. Again, the roads were
empty and this part of Kentucky
is rife with sweeping curves that offer sight lines that allow you to twist the
wrist, and that’s exactly what I did. ZOOM ZOOM!
I got to KY-66 which runs through the Daniel Boone Nat’l
Forest. This was the main reason I decided to come this far north. I *love*
this road.
It is tree-lined and parallels a river. It repeatedly wends
and winds its way through the forest … and again, NO TRAFFIC – more ZOOM
ZOOM! Fantastic!
I pulled into Harrogate , TN 7 PM , Melissa was warming me a plate of food.
Did I say I love that woman? ;)
What a fantastic day. Had beautiful weather, no imperial
entanglements, no butt-clenching moments, and 350 miles of fantastic riding! It
don’t get no better!
[update: I looked over the trailer wiring again a couple days later, I had to tip it up on it's side to see it, but there was another frayed wire along an "unnecessary" loop. I cut out the bad spot, spliced everything together and voila! All lights are now perfectly functional.]
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Playin' in the mud!
Thursday night Misti asked me if I would be up for another cave scouting adventure. Robby had heard of this cave and didn't know exactly where it was at but wanted to scout it out. I checked with Melissa and got the green light, so I was in.
Friday night Misti tells me Robby isn't going and there was a serious threat of rain and possible flash flooding forecast for Saturday and they may not be going either. Bummer!
Saturday morning the radar looked rather "clean" (read as very few light green patches in the area we would be going). Once again, all systems go. YAY! They picked Ebeneezer Cave for us to explore today.
She also told me she is going to cook up dinner for us. On the way over, I stopped and grabbed a few beers to drink with dinner. I arrived at their house about a half hour before we needed to leave.
We hung out for a bit and then headed over to pick up Christian, a 14 year old that had never been in a cave before. We met up with Gonzo and Jenny at another location and then headed for Ebeneezer Cave.
I have never been in Ebeneezer before but have heard stories about it -- and they all involve how epic the mud is. It would prove *not* to be an exaggeration.
Vince and Misti have been to this cave many times before and so we were able to go right to it. A couple of us donned coveralls and away we go.
It was slick-ery with all the mud. I felt like I was walking on ice.
Jenny had tennis shoes on and was having an awful time trying to navigate through it.
As you can see there were areas where the mud was thick. You place your foot and it sinks 6" into the muck. You just hope you still have a shoe attached when you pull your foot out. ; )
This was a beautiful cave with many pretty formations -- especially once you got to the back of it. However, to get to the back of it required crossing over
"the pit" as it was affectionately called. I was told the way to do that was to hold onto a rope as you go across this narrow strip of muddy rock, then you have to jump and slide. The pit was about a 50' chasm with a "river" at the bottom. Falling would definitely become a bad day!
We got to "the pit", and I looked over the edge. It was intimidating!
I am now concerned about this "jump" thing. I figured I would follow them until we got to the "jump" part and I would make a decision how much I really want to do it when I see how far I had to "jump".
One of the stipulations for Christian being allowed to go with us was that he would not cross the pit. His parents had heard of it and didn't want him doing it. Misti decided she would hang back and keep Christian company. Upon seeing the ledge we had to traverse, Jenny also decided she wasn't going.
It really wasn't that bad. It was a bit slick but there were some handholds and the rope to help should you lose footing. About 3/4 of the way through, where it was slickest, someone had created footholds into the rock to further assist. We got to the end and the jump and slide thing was not across a gap as I had envisioned. Instead, it was over a hump of the rock. Way easier than I had pictured! and I was okay with that!
(The picture doesn't show it well, but that "ledge" is sloped at about a 25* angle and slick. On your knees it wasn't too bad, though)
After "the pit" crossing, Vince led Gonzo and myself down to the river. Gonzo wanted to see how deep it was and went about this far before turning around.
Up above us were where Misti, Jenny, and Christian were.
As I mentioned earlier, the back part had lots of pretty formations. Here are a few ....
At the back of the cave, there is a chamber that has clay and someone took the time to sculpt this ....
From here, we went back towards the river. It had quite a current and was roaring. On our way there, Vince asked do you want to take the slow way or the "fun way". Not knowing one from the other we told Vince to pick. He chose the "fun way".
There was a slippery sloped rock and he got on his butt and slid down like a slide. Of course that's all the provocation Gonzo and I needed! WHEEEE!
Once at the river, Gonzo, once again wants to check it for depth. He found a calm spot and was up to his knees, when he went to take another step and damn near disappeared! It dropped off .... QUICK!
We had explored most of the cave by now and headed back to "the pit". Jenny told us that Misti and Christian went off to explore another part of the cave. Actually, they had been lying in wait fully prepared with mud balls to throw and were sitting in the dark waiting to ambush us.
I was last to cross and by the time I got across there was a full-blown mud fight going on between everyone but Jenny and I. Once they had gotten that out of their system, we all headed back for the mouth of the cave.
Once outside, I went to remove my coveralls (that were now COVERED in mud!). I couldn't unzip the leg zippers because of all the mud caked into the zipper. I waited until we got back to the car, removed my boots and socks so I could get out of it.
We dropped off a very muddy Christian to his mom, who promptly told him he was removing his drawers before getting in *her* truck. Heh!
Then we headed back to Vince and Misti's house. She started on dinner and refused any help. Dinner was great and the company was too.
After dinner we played this wacjt card game she had just gotten. It's a party game and lots of laughs were had. The night got late wayy too quickly and I had to head back home.
My coveralls were SOOO covered in mud, I wasn't going to put them in the washing machine until I had hosed them off. I did that, and let them dry. The hose got *most* of the mud but I still couldn't open the zippers. I set them in the wash on rinse and still didn't get all the mud off. This may take a few washings! ; )
Friday night Misti tells me Robby isn't going and there was a serious threat of rain and possible flash flooding forecast for Saturday and they may not be going either. Bummer!
Saturday morning the radar looked rather "clean" (read as very few light green patches in the area we would be going). Once again, all systems go. YAY! They picked Ebeneezer Cave for us to explore today.
She also told me she is going to cook up dinner for us. On the way over, I stopped and grabbed a few beers to drink with dinner. I arrived at their house about a half hour before we needed to leave.
We hung out for a bit and then headed over to pick up Christian, a 14 year old that had never been in a cave before. We met up with Gonzo and Jenny at another location and then headed for Ebeneezer Cave.
I have never been in Ebeneezer before but have heard stories about it -- and they all involve how epic the mud is. It would prove *not* to be an exaggeration.
Vince and Misti have been to this cave many times before and so we were able to go right to it. A couple of us donned coveralls and away we go.
 |
| photo courtesy of Misti Cardin |
 |
| photo courtesy of Misti Cardin |
Jenny had tennis shoes on and was having an awful time trying to navigate through it.
As you can see there were areas where the mud was thick. You place your foot and it sinks 6" into the muck. You just hope you still have a shoe attached when you pull your foot out. ; )
This was a beautiful cave with many pretty formations -- especially once you got to the back of it. However, to get to the back of it required crossing over
 |
| photo courtesy of Misti Cardin |
 |
| photo courtesy of Misti Cardin |
We got to "the pit", and I looked over the edge. It was intimidating!
I am now concerned about this "jump" thing. I figured I would follow them until we got to the "jump" part and I would make a decision how much I really want to do it when I see how far I had to "jump".
One of the stipulations for Christian being allowed to go with us was that he would not cross the pit. His parents had heard of it and didn't want him doing it. Misti decided she would hang back and keep Christian company. Upon seeing the ledge we had to traverse, Jenny also decided she wasn't going.
 |
| photo courtesy of Misti Cardin |
(The picture doesn't show it well, but that "ledge" is sloped at about a 25* angle and slick. On your knees it wasn't too bad, though)
After "the pit" crossing, Vince led Gonzo and myself down to the river. Gonzo wanted to see how deep it was and went about this far before turning around.
Up above us were where Misti, Jenny, and Christian were.
As I mentioned earlier, the back part had lots of pretty formations. Here are a few ....
 |
| This is looking at the ceiling |
 |
| This is also the ceiling. Notice all the gypsum. |
 |
| This was a "wall" that had formed columns |
At the back of the cave, there is a chamber that has clay and someone took the time to sculpt this ....
There was a slippery sloped rock and he got on his butt and slid down like a slide. Of course that's all the provocation Gonzo and I needed! WHEEEE!
Once at the river, Gonzo, once again wants to check it for depth. He found a calm spot and was up to his knees, when he went to take another step and damn near disappeared! It dropped off .... QUICK!
 |
| What a mudley crue! |
I was last to cross and by the time I got across there was a full-blown mud fight going on between everyone but Jenny and I. Once they had gotten that out of their system, we all headed back for the mouth of the cave.
 |
| photo courtesy of Misti Cardin L to R Vince, Jenny, Gonzo |
Once outside, I went to remove my coveralls (that were now COVERED in mud!). I couldn't unzip the leg zippers because of all the mud caked into the zipper. I waited until we got back to the car, removed my boots and socks so I could get out of it.
We dropped off a very muddy Christian to his mom, who promptly told him he was removing his drawers before getting in *her* truck. Heh!
Then we headed back to Vince and Misti's house. She started on dinner and refused any help. Dinner was great and the company was too.
After dinner we played this wacjt card game she had just gotten. It's a party game and lots of laughs were had. The night got late wayy too quickly and I had to head back home.
My coveralls were SOOO covered in mud, I wasn't going to put them in the washing machine until I had hosed them off. I did that, and let them dry. The hose got *most* of the mud but I still couldn't open the zippers. I set them in the wash on rinse and still didn't get all the mud off. This may take a few washings! ; )
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Here comes the BOOM!
Sitting here yesterday morning and listening to the winds howling like crazy when I heard an odd sound. It wasn't a loud crack or thud but more of a "whoosh" but it didn't sound like the wind. Melissa popped her head out the door and informed that a tree just fell over on Dad's car and the bike shed. UGH!
Believe it or not, there is a shed in this picture. It is hidden by the foliage. Here is proof ...
(sigh!) the bikes are in there! This cannot be good! I was happy to see that the shed wasn't crushed. That's one tough shed! You can see from the above picture that this was no small tree.
I went back inside put on some old "work" clothes and gathered up the chain saw and set about clearing the driveway.
I was planning to go see P.O.D. live (hence the title of this blog) later that evening, so this driveway HAD to be cleared!
There were a couple "interesting" moments as I worked the chainsaw. I am no lumberjack, and I was constantly hoping that I was on the right side of the tree to make an escape should it give. I guess luck was on my side as there was a branch that had punched a hole in the roof and had it anchored well enough I had to go up top to free the last bit to cut up.
The old work jeans I have are a bit loose on me now. I hate wearing a belt when working, but I may have to start to or find "new" work jeans. I practically walked out of them on one of my trips to the garage as they fell to my knees. I felt like a thug all day as they were very low on the waist. I reckon it's a nice problem to have, though, as it indicates HOW MUCH weight I have lost over the course of the last year. ; )
After 5 hours of chainsaw work, it was done. I was able to get into the shed and survey damage.
Again, that's one well-built shed! I am grateful too, because the bikes were just fine. The shed took the brunt of the damage (as you see I have some roofing work to do, but not too bad) and saved the sheet metal caport, and the car that resides under it.
This could've been MUCH worse! If the wind had been blowing in the opposite direction, it would have hit the house. Counting my blessings!
This cleared me to be able to hit my concert too. YAY! I had plenty of time to get a shower and knock out some chores that needed doing prior to leaving.
I was supposed to be at Sean's at 7-ish. I got there right AT 7. Sweet!
We managed to find the place without issue and were there about 20 minutes before the opening act took the stage. This place is a "hole", actually a "hallway". It's TINY! There was room for about 15 people across and maybe, MAYBE 30 deep.
The opening band called themselves The Resolute. They weren't too bad. Along with their own work, they did two cover songs. One of The Foo Fighters and really made it their own by putting a slow spin on it. Then they broke into a Rage Against the Machine song.
The very idea cracked me up. They had a female vocalist that was good, but showed no signs of being able to pull off singing (rapping?) like Zach does. However, she did a very admirable job and showed that she was versatile.
After their set, the stage hands broke down and had P.O.D.'s equipment tuned and ready really fast. The anticipation was building as the fans started chanting "P-O-D ... P-O-D ...." ... this is going to be a good show!
And it was! There crowd showed a great energy level and P.O.D., as always, lit it up! There was a great vibe between the band and the crowd! I LOVE it when that happens!
It's so great to see a band up on stage having a good time, enjoying what they do. Even moreso, when it's a band that has been together and doing this for so long. You could see the guys smiling and having fun all throughout the show.
This was the third time Sean and I have seen them live. Since he has seen them the other two times I have, I was able to ask if it was me or if he thought this was the best we had seen them yet. EACH time we have seen them, they have OWNED the stage, there's no debate there, but was curious if he thought this was the best of the three. He agreed that it was.
What a show! can't wait until I get to see them for the fourth time!
Believe it or not, there is a shed in this picture. It is hidden by the foliage. Here is proof ...
(sigh!) the bikes are in there! This cannot be good! I was happy to see that the shed wasn't crushed. That's one tough shed! You can see from the above picture that this was no small tree.
I went back inside put on some old "work" clothes and gathered up the chain saw and set about clearing the driveway.
I was planning to go see P.O.D. live (hence the title of this blog) later that evening, so this driveway HAD to be cleared!
There were a couple "interesting" moments as I worked the chainsaw. I am no lumberjack, and I was constantly hoping that I was on the right side of the tree to make an escape should it give. I guess luck was on my side as there was a branch that had punched a hole in the roof and had it anchored well enough I had to go up top to free the last bit to cut up.
The old work jeans I have are a bit loose on me now. I hate wearing a belt when working, but I may have to start to or find "new" work jeans. I practically walked out of them on one of my trips to the garage as they fell to my knees. I felt like a thug all day as they were very low on the waist. I reckon it's a nice problem to have, though, as it indicates HOW MUCH weight I have lost over the course of the last year. ; )
After 5 hours of chainsaw work, it was done. I was able to get into the shed and survey damage.
 |
| here is where the branch came through |
 |
| 1 set of rafters knocked down and are split at the top |
 |
| the impact knocked one of the rafters OUT of the shed |
Again, that's one well-built shed! I am grateful too, because the bikes were just fine. The shed took the brunt of the damage (as you see I have some roofing work to do, but not too bad) and saved the sheet metal caport, and the car that resides under it.
This could've been MUCH worse! If the wind had been blowing in the opposite direction, it would have hit the house. Counting my blessings!
This cleared me to be able to hit my concert too. YAY! I had plenty of time to get a shower and knock out some chores that needed doing prior to leaving.
I was supposed to be at Sean's at 7-ish. I got there right AT 7. Sweet!
We managed to find the place without issue and were there about 20 minutes before the opening act took the stage. This place is a "hole", actually a "hallway". It's TINY! There was room for about 15 people across and maybe, MAYBE 30 deep.
The opening band called themselves The Resolute. They weren't too bad. Along with their own work, they did two cover songs. One of The Foo Fighters and really made it their own by putting a slow spin on it. Then they broke into a Rage Against the Machine song.
The very idea cracked me up. They had a female vocalist that was good, but showed no signs of being able to pull off singing (rapping?) like Zach does. However, she did a very admirable job and showed that she was versatile.
After their set, the stage hands broke down and had P.O.D.'s equipment tuned and ready really fast. The anticipation was building as the fans started chanting "P-O-D ... P-O-D ...." ... this is going to be a good show!
And it was! There crowd showed a great energy level and P.O.D., as always, lit it up! There was a great vibe between the band and the crowd! I LOVE it when that happens!
It's so great to see a band up on stage having a good time, enjoying what they do. Even moreso, when it's a band that has been together and doing this for so long. You could see the guys smiling and having fun all throughout the show.
This was the third time Sean and I have seen them live. Since he has seen them the other two times I have, I was able to ask if it was me or if he thought this was the best we had seen them yet. EACH time we have seen them, they have OWNED the stage, there's no debate there, but was curious if he thought this was the best of the three. He agreed that it was.
What a show! can't wait until I get to see them for the fourth time!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Tellico Spring '13 -- part I
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Skip rolled in about 2 AM due to some issues he was having with his trailer. It turned out that it was just slop between the hitch and the receiver, which was fixed by a shim, but noises had him stopping a few times and checking stuff out, which delayed his arrival. Nonetheless, I was up and pouring him a beer as he pulled into the driveway.
After quenching a thirst, we unpacked a couple things including this bounty (coincidently, I had nearly the same amount of interesting brews in the kegerator) ....
We enjoyed a few more beers and caught up some before shutting down around 4 AM. Heh! at least we didn't watch the sun come up this time.
THURSDAY
Today would be spent trying to get the tractor unstuck, then we would load up and head to Hunt's Lodge. I had got it in some mud and wound up slipping down a hill a bit and it had been stuck there for a few weeks. I had no luck doing it myself, so Skip generously offered to help me get it out of there.
The process was to jack up the tractor, pile wood up under the wheels, lower the tractor, raise the jack up higher off the ground, jack up the tractor, add more wood, and so on. This needed to be done for the two left side wheels to get some weight onto the right side wheels.
Once we had got the tractor to an almost "level" (with the horizon) plane, we hooked a tow strap to a winch, which was attached to a tree and between winching it and letting the tractor drive out, we finally got it unstuck. VICTORY! I was sooo happy, thanks again Skip!
After we got done with that, we loaded my KLR up on his trailer, packed the cooler full of beer, and were Tellico-bound. We arrived two hours later to an empty campground. Apparently, everyone had gone out to eat dinner. They returned about half a beer later and many laughs were had.
Skip and I decided to drink one final beer before heading into the cabin. I think I took my hat off or something (my memory of details by this point are pretty clouded). Anyway, we had a beer and then headed off to see if we could snore poor Curtis out of the cabin.
FRIDAY
Upon getting up, I had a hard time locating stuff. I had apparently emptied out my pockets prior to lying down. However, I didn't put all the items in one place. That was a bit of a pain trying to locate stuff. As I just mentioned I had taken my hat off and left it outside at some point.
Overnight, it poured! I mean cats-and-dogs downpour. I believe Chris Pope asked if I had lost my hat. When I told him I had he mentioned that there was one very wet "black" (it's actually blue, but it looked black due to it being *saturated*) hat on the ground in front of his cabin. Okay, thanks.
Folks paired up and headed off to breakfast, and I typically don't do breakfast, so I passed on it. I figured I would just hang out until Skip and Curtis returned and we would all go play when they got back. Well, most everyone had returned from breakfast, but Skip and Curtis still had not.
The morning rain was getting a bit chilly and it really showed no signs of letting up. When I heard Jack Smith say Chris, Alf, and he were going to go to the Lost Sea, I asked if I could join them. They permitted this and we left within a couple minutes.
The Lost Sea is a HUGE cave with an underground lake. It was well worth the $20 cost of admission. Quite impressive, indeed! plus there were some neat formations as is typical with a wet cave.
Once we got back into Jack's posh diesel Dodge, his info panel told him he had a low tire. We stopped at a gas station with a compressor and as he was filling, he noticed a nail in the tire. There was a tire store right next door, so we went over there and they patched it up for him at a price he was happy with.
Then they started talking about getting lunch. We hit a Krystal and watched the manhunt for the Boston bomber on their TV. By the time we got back to the campground, Skip and Curtis had already left.
I talked to Jack Hunt a couple minutes inquiring about Witt Road and how I could get there. I figured that would be tame enough I could handle it alone and not have any major problems. I have seen video of the road and other than one water crossing it didn't look too bad.
He informed me that if I went right I would go to Conasauga Falls. To stay on Witt, go left. Well, I wanted to go to the falls. I figured I could play with the camera some, and besides with all the rain we got this morning, there should be a good flow there.
I found the parking area/trailhead without issue and began walking down the mountain. I stupidly forgot and left my water bottle in the bike. By the time I realized this, I was most of the way down. I wasn't going after it now.
The fall was indeed roaring and I did play with the camera a little bit ...
Then I started walking back up the hill. I had to stop for a breather a couple times.
It didn't look that bad on the way down -- no real quick change in altitude, just a long steady walk. I was *hating* the fact I had left my water at the bike.
I proceeded along Witt Road and made it through the first water crossing without issue. I could see the bottom and easily chose a line that caused me no problems. However, the second one gave me some pause.
I stopped and surveyed it. It seemed to be about 30' across and I could not tell how deep. It was muddy (due to all the rain we had the last few hours) and had a pretty good flow to it. I couldn't tell what the bottom was, if there were any big rocks to contend with, ledges, dropoffs, who knows?
I sat there for a while, wrestling with what I would do. I'm alone. If I drop it, this could be bad.
I was really hoping someone might come along and I could see how bad it was when they went through. I encountered a pickup truck earlier. Alas, no one came and discretion got the better part of valor as I whimped out.
The section of Witt I had just done wasn't bad, and now I knew what to expect so I hit that with a little more vigor -- especially that water crossing!
I had a good head of steam coming into it. I hit that water and a flume of water went OVER my head. It ... was ... AWESOME!
Right after the water crossing, the road has a bunch of rock outcrop sticking up through the sand/gravel road. I just stood on the pegs, goosed the throttle, and let the bike bounce. Good stuff!
I headed back to the campground and by then Skip and Curtis had returned and were quick to rub in all the fun that I had missed out on. Ah well, I will be with you boys tomorrow!
Curtis and Alf were generous enough to setup an order and retrieve pizza for dinner for those of us too lazy to go out. That meant I could stay and have another beer. Sign me up!
They got back and a gaggle of maggots made short work of four large pizzas. Beers were consumed, lies told, good times had.
Russell pulled in around 2:30 ... chilled to the bone. It *was* cold! There were four or five of us still up and stayed up another couple hours then headed off to bed.
It *had* to be cold! I have never had problems being cold overnight when camping. I have a 30* sleeping bag and line it with a nice blanket.
However, I was cold under the covers in the cabin. Skip and Curtis echoed that the next morning when we all decided to get up.
Skip rolled in about 2 AM due to some issues he was having with his trailer. It turned out that it was just slop between the hitch and the receiver, which was fixed by a shim, but noises had him stopping a few times and checking stuff out, which delayed his arrival. Nonetheless, I was up and pouring him a beer as he pulled into the driveway.
After quenching a thirst, we unpacked a couple things including this bounty (coincidently, I had nearly the same amount of interesting brews in the kegerator) ....
 |
| Skip must be here ;j |
We enjoyed a few more beers and caught up some before shutting down around 4 AM. Heh! at least we didn't watch the sun come up this time.
THURSDAY
Today would be spent trying to get the tractor unstuck, then we would load up and head to Hunt's Lodge. I had got it in some mud and wound up slipping down a hill a bit and it had been stuck there for a few weeks. I had no luck doing it myself, so Skip generously offered to help me get it out of there.
The process was to jack up the tractor, pile wood up under the wheels, lower the tractor, raise the jack up higher off the ground, jack up the tractor, add more wood, and so on. This needed to be done for the two left side wheels to get some weight onto the right side wheels.
Once we had got the tractor to an almost "level" (with the horizon) plane, we hooked a tow strap to a winch, which was attached to a tree and between winching it and letting the tractor drive out, we finally got it unstuck. VICTORY! I was sooo happy, thanks again Skip!
After we got done with that, we loaded my KLR up on his trailer, packed the cooler full of beer, and were Tellico-bound. We arrived two hours later to an empty campground. Apparently, everyone had gone out to eat dinner. They returned about half a beer later and many laughs were had.
Skip and I decided to drink one final beer before heading into the cabin. I think I took my hat off or something (my memory of details by this point are pretty clouded). Anyway, we had a beer and then headed off to see if we could snore poor Curtis out of the cabin.
FRIDAY
Upon getting up, I had a hard time locating stuff. I had apparently emptied out my pockets prior to lying down. However, I didn't put all the items in one place. That was a bit of a pain trying to locate stuff. As I just mentioned I had taken my hat off and left it outside at some point.
Overnight, it poured! I mean cats-and-dogs downpour. I believe Chris Pope asked if I had lost my hat. When I told him I had he mentioned that there was one very wet "black" (it's actually blue, but it looked black due to it being *saturated*) hat on the ground in front of his cabin. Okay, thanks.
Folks paired up and headed off to breakfast, and I typically don't do breakfast, so I passed on it. I figured I would just hang out until Skip and Curtis returned and we would all go play when they got back. Well, most everyone had returned from breakfast, but Skip and Curtis still had not.
The morning rain was getting a bit chilly and it really showed no signs of letting up. When I heard Jack Smith say Chris, Alf, and he were going to go to the Lost Sea, I asked if I could join them. They permitted this and we left within a couple minutes.
The Lost Sea is a HUGE cave with an underground lake. It was well worth the $20 cost of admission. Quite impressive, indeed! plus there were some neat formations as is typical with a wet cave.
Once we got back into Jack's posh diesel Dodge, his info panel told him he had a low tire. We stopped at a gas station with a compressor and as he was filling, he noticed a nail in the tire. There was a tire store right next door, so we went over there and they patched it up for him at a price he was happy with.
Then they started talking about getting lunch. We hit a Krystal and watched the manhunt for the Boston bomber on their TV. By the time we got back to the campground, Skip and Curtis had already left.
I talked to Jack Hunt a couple minutes inquiring about Witt Road and how I could get there. I figured that would be tame enough I could handle it alone and not have any major problems. I have seen video of the road and other than one water crossing it didn't look too bad.
He informed me that if I went right I would go to Conasauga Falls. To stay on Witt, go left. Well, I wanted to go to the falls. I figured I could play with the camera some, and besides with all the rain we got this morning, there should be a good flow there.
I found the parking area/trailhead without issue and began walking down the mountain. I stupidly forgot and left my water bottle in the bike. By the time I realized this, I was most of the way down. I wasn't going after it now.
The fall was indeed roaring and I did play with the camera a little bit ...
Then I started walking back up the hill. I had to stop for a breather a couple times.
It didn't look that bad on the way down -- no real quick change in altitude, just a long steady walk. I was *hating* the fact I had left my water at the bike.
I proceeded along Witt Road and made it through the first water crossing without issue. I could see the bottom and easily chose a line that caused me no problems. However, the second one gave me some pause.
I stopped and surveyed it. It seemed to be about 30' across and I could not tell how deep. It was muddy (due to all the rain we had the last few hours) and had a pretty good flow to it. I couldn't tell what the bottom was, if there were any big rocks to contend with, ledges, dropoffs, who knows?
 |
| muddy! |
I sat there for a while, wrestling with what I would do. I'm alone. If I drop it, this could be bad.
I was really hoping someone might come along and I could see how bad it was when they went through. I encountered a pickup truck earlier. Alas, no one came and discretion got the better part of valor as I whimped out.
The section of Witt I had just done wasn't bad, and now I knew what to expect so I hit that with a little more vigor -- especially that water crossing!
I had a good head of steam coming into it. I hit that water and a flume of water went OVER my head. It ... was ... AWESOME!
Right after the water crossing, the road has a bunch of rock outcrop sticking up through the sand/gravel road. I just stood on the pegs, goosed the throttle, and let the bike bounce. Good stuff!
I headed back to the campground and by then Skip and Curtis had returned and were quick to rub in all the fun that I had missed out on. Ah well, I will be with you boys tomorrow!
Curtis and Alf were generous enough to setup an order and retrieve pizza for dinner for those of us too lazy to go out. That meant I could stay and have another beer. Sign me up!
They got back and a gaggle of maggots made short work of four large pizzas. Beers were consumed, lies told, good times had.
Russell pulled in around 2:30 ... chilled to the bone. It *was* cold! There were four or five of us still up and stayed up another couple hours then headed off to bed.
It *had* to be cold! I have never had problems being cold overnight when camping. I have a 30* sleeping bag and line it with a nice blanket.
However, I was cold under the covers in the cabin. Skip and Curtis echoed that the next morning when we all decided to get up.
Tellico Spring '13 -- part II
SATURDAY
Saturday morning, Curtis was good enough to make a run up to Hardee's and grab us some breakfast sandwiches to get us going. After a chilly night a warm sandwich sounded perfect. Thanks, Curtis.
He sure tolerates a lot. Skip and I snore up a storm all night long and he still goes and gets breakfast for us -- what a guy!
After a LOT of deliberation and looking at a map, we finally got underway. It was pretty much decided we would do the Gravelhola (gravel route that parallels the Cherahola) and avoid trail riding since it would likely be too muddy. I was bummed, but it made sense.
We got on our first road, but upon coming to a fork, Curtis led us up Belcher Loop, because he saw that on the map and Mike and Tina had recommended it. Okay. On our way up here come Mike and Tina from the other direction. A quarter mile or so later we saw why they turned around.
There were two large trees lying across the road. The first one was passable, but the second one was nearly 3' in diameter. Upon seeing it, Curtis was ready to as well, but Skip and I convinced him we could manage this. The idea was to pick up the front wheel over the tree, then the rear. There were three of us, this shouldn't be too bad.
After huffing all three bikes over the trees we took a couple minutes breather. We got back to rolling and very soon afterwards the "game plan", once again, got scrapped.
There was this trail off to the left that looked dry and intrigued me. I stopped and looked at it. Skip was behind me and had the same idea.
Then VROOOOMMM -- there he went. Curtis was ahead of us but saw me stop and did the same. As soon as Skip took off, I could imagine him screaming obscenities in his helmet. ; )
I don't recall how but at some point, I was now leading on this trail. It is a great mix of mudholes, rock outcrop, etc. I had found a rhythm by now and am scooting along at a good pace just letting the bike bounce all over.
There was a mudhole up ahead and I picked my line, kept my throttle and momentum up because I wasn't sure how deep it was. It was about 5' long or so. There was a log laying just in front of the puddle.
Again, I had my speed set and my line chose. I hit that log and when the wheel came back down it must've been slightly crooked and I got pitched off the left side of the bike. Somehow earlier on that trail, my right side mirror had come loose, so I took the opportunity while stopped to try to fix that.
I was having a problem removing the rubber boot on the stalk and just decided to remove the mirror altogether. So we took another break.
Mirror now removed, time to get the wheels rolling! There wasn't much more to it and the trail exited onto some road. The rest of the day we would have no idea where we were. We even somehow or another managed to find ourselves right back on this trail a half hour later.
More fumbling around on roads ensued. We would come to an intersection, all look at one another, and shrug. Eventually, one of us would just pick a direction and hit the throttle.
Skip and I so enjoy the single track stuff that our heads are always on a swivel looking for something to explore. We don't go around gates or on POSTED private property, but if there is a trail that doesn't look forbidden we have no problems taking it.
Skip was leading and he hops off the road we were on, up this trail. Curtis promptly follows, as do I. This one was a bit more technical. There were some steep grades to climb and some of it is slick.
One such hill (which was the worst we were on) was about 45* or more. It was real steep and sort of slickery in spots. I damn near made it up it. However, about 5' from the crest my front wheel washed on me. I panicked and grabbed the brake.
I'm screwed now! I have NO momentum and the bike starts sliding backwards. I made it about 3' before drop #2.
The picture does NOT do the angle justice. It looks like a level pathway -- FAR FROM IT! it was nuts!
There was no way I could pick up the bike by myself on this grade, so I just waited for them to come back. Skip's suggestion was to take it back down and get another run at it, because there was NO way I was going to be able to get enough traction to get to the top.
I am NOT on board with this idea and suggest to see if the three of us can muscle it the last 10' or so while working the throttle. We have nothing to lose, so we try it.
This worked. I was damn glad because I didn't want to try that hill again! LOL However, we were all a bit winded after that and took another break.
That was the worst of it and really the toughest section of the day. We found ourselves back on gravel again -- just long enough for Curtis, this time, to spy a trail. We came to a stop sign and the plan was to turn around and take that one.
This one is no longer a trail. It USED to be at one point, but it has become rather overgrown. Many low lying tree branches and trees within the trail itself. This was great stuff! I enjoyed this one immensely.
We were rolling along ducking and dodging trees and tree branches. THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! was all you could hear and feel as branches are bouncing off the helmet. It was great.
There was one part where a tree had fallen over and you had to kind of lean over to get the bike under it. Skip was in the lead with me second and Curtis bringing up the rear. Skip got through fine. For me, it was a little more labored, but I got through.
Curtis had something go amiss and the bike fell on him pinning his ankle. I got the bike off him and he was okay.
Then the trail branched off and Skip chose the left fork that went, of course, uphill. He has a penchant for going up hills. ; )
The trail quickly degraded and when we got to the top, we stopped and discussed a plan of action. While we were sitting there figuring it out, I lost footing on my right foot and drop #3. Curtis decides he is going to help me and just before parking his bike, he drops his. (sigh)
We go back down the hill and find some logging roads. The order was the same and Curtis had fallen back so Skip pulls over and we both wait and wait ... and wait. I ask Skip to cut his engine and you can hear Curtis winding out his throttle. He had got stuck. Then you hear him moving, so he was able to free himself up.
A little further up this logging road, it came to an end. I took the wrong approach to doing a U-turn and it got interesting for a moment but I was able to avoid drop #4.
Curtis was less fortunate. While turning he lost footing and drop #2 for him. He got it righted, and I'll be damned if he didn't drop it again -- drop #3.
He was exhausted and, I imagine, a bit frustrated as well. When I saw him lying there, I *had* to take a picture. It was too funny. Curtis was kind enough to allow it.
However, there was no way I could get my kickstand down because of the grade we were on. I laid up next to the bank, and Skip did the same with his so at one point all three bikes were "taking a nap"
Once we got out of there, we wound our way over to TN-360 and decided to find a gas station to lay out the map and determine a plan. The hunger bug was starting to nip at me and Skip was also ready to eat. We just went to Tellico Beach for some sustenance.
From there we took the road directly across from it that dumps you out on TN-68, then back to camp for some drinks and lies.
Curtis wanted a picture of the three KLX250s lined up and Tom Blum was willing to cooperate so here for your viewing pleasure ...
Lori had dinner catered in and it was great! What was better is how much easier this SME must've been for her and her crew. She didn't have to try and feed a gaggle of 30+ maggots, much less, clean up afterwards. Beer, food, and lies were the order for the rest of the night.
Oh, and an explosion.
Curtis wasn't content with just 3 falls for the day and had to top it off by adding another at the bonfire.
I am not sure what I found more amusing. The fact he had fell or how hysterically he was laughing after he had. Give him credit though, observe the position of his beer bottle. ; )
Apparently, four falls wasn't enough, either as he managed to low side that same chair again a few minutes later. It was again followed by him laughing hysterically.
Sunday
Skip didn't have to be back to work until Tuesday, so we planned on riding a little Sunday before loading up and heading back. We went ahead and grabbed breakfast at the square.
When we got back, we conned Jack Smith into joining us. Skip wanted to take Trail 82. It is right off of TN-68 about 15 or so miles south of the campground.
Trail 82 is a single track through the woods. There were some spots that were still a bit slick from Friday's rain, but nothing unnavigable. There were some rain breaks that beat me up. I am *SORE* from yesterday's 90 some mile thrashing through the trails and repeated lifting of bikes.
The track was even a little tight in spots. There was little room for much more than your wheel between the cliff and the mountain. There is one place along the trail where there is a big chunk of rock that furhter minimizes the space you have.
I decided to ride over the rock rather than chance getting too close to that edge. The rock had enough drop that the KLR got stuck momentarily. It kind of bottomed out. I was able to push it forward enough to get the wheels to get me moving, but it was interesting for a moment.
The rest of it was pretty easy, but I was poking along. I was really hurting and those bumps were kicking my ass.
When we got to the end Skip said he was going back and doing it again. Jack was headed back to camp. I bailed on Skip because I was hurting. Whatta wuss, eh?
Skip recorded his run and you can watch it here if interested ... http://youtu.be/73REN0gqy4E
Jack and I swapped bikes for a bit. I *like* that DR350. I had it as what I want in my stable next for riding trails as that would be much more capable than my overweight, underpowered KLR is. After riding Jack's, that want was validated.
We pulled into the campground driveway and he told me of a housing development that has only been sectioned off but no real construction had started yet. He said he was going to check it out and asked me if I wanted to. I did and off we go.
It wasn't anything that held our interest so we go back. Instead of going in the driveway, Jack goes up the hill next to the campground. I followed. I had never taken that "entrance" before. I've seen Skip and others take it, so it was my turn.
The hill wasn't difficult. At the top there were two wheel tracks that were nothing but mudholes. Jack went for the center but had street tires and he was a bit heavy on the throttle. A big crash ensued sending him over into the mudhole slinging mud EVERYwhere! He was okay though.
When it came to my turn, I was going a bit slower and figured I would take the center too. Bad idea! it was slick as snot.
My rear wheel got a little squirrely and it got into the rut on the left side. I am not exactly sure how it progressed from there. I didn't dump the bike, but it was now 90* to the route of travel.
Additionally, I couldn't put the kickstand down because the rear wheel was buried in the deeper rut and the front was in the more shallow one.
It wasn't coming out on its own power. I tried to push it but that berm I am standing on, was too slippery for me to do any good.I tried pulling from the forks and wound up with the same result
I basically just stood there until Jack came back. Jack Hunt was with him and immediately pulls out his phone so that he can Facebook me.
The three of us were able to push it backward and then I was able to maneuver it out. *THIS* time I took the rut the front wheel is in.
Saturday morning, Curtis was good enough to make a run up to Hardee's and grab us some breakfast sandwiches to get us going. After a chilly night a warm sandwich sounded perfect. Thanks, Curtis.
He sure tolerates a lot. Skip and I snore up a storm all night long and he still goes and gets breakfast for us -- what a guy!
After a LOT of deliberation and looking at a map, we finally got underway. It was pretty much decided we would do the Gravelhola (gravel route that parallels the Cherahola) and avoid trail riding since it would likely be too muddy. I was bummed, but it made sense.
We got on our first road, but upon coming to a fork, Curtis led us up Belcher Loop, because he saw that on the map and Mike and Tina had recommended it. Okay. On our way up here come Mike and Tina from the other direction. A quarter mile or so later we saw why they turned around.
There were two large trees lying across the road. The first one was passable, but the second one was nearly 3' in diameter. Upon seeing it, Curtis was ready to as well, but Skip and I convinced him we could manage this. The idea was to pick up the front wheel over the tree, then the rear. There were three of us, this shouldn't be too bad.
 |
| Success! |
There was this trail off to the left that looked dry and intrigued me. I stopped and looked at it. Skip was behind me and had the same idea.
Then VROOOOMMM -- there he went. Curtis was ahead of us but saw me stop and did the same. As soon as Skip took off, I could imagine him screaming obscenities in his helmet. ; )
I don't recall how but at some point, I was now leading on this trail. It is a great mix of mudholes, rock outcrop, etc. I had found a rhythm by now and am scooting along at a good pace just letting the bike bounce all over.
There was a mudhole up ahead and I picked my line, kept my throttle and momentum up because I wasn't sure how deep it was. It was about 5' long or so. There was a log laying just in front of the puddle.
Again, I had my speed set and my line chose. I hit that log and when the wheel came back down it must've been slightly crooked and I got pitched off the left side of the bike. Somehow earlier on that trail, my right side mirror had come loose, so I took the opportunity while stopped to try to fix that.
I was having a problem removing the rubber boot on the stalk and just decided to remove the mirror altogether. So we took another break.
Mirror now removed, time to get the wheels rolling! There wasn't much more to it and the trail exited onto some road. The rest of the day we would have no idea where we were. We even somehow or another managed to find ourselves right back on this trail a half hour later.
More fumbling around on roads ensued. We would come to an intersection, all look at one another, and shrug. Eventually, one of us would just pick a direction and hit the throttle.
Skip and I so enjoy the single track stuff that our heads are always on a swivel looking for something to explore. We don't go around gates or on POSTED private property, but if there is a trail that doesn't look forbidden we have no problems taking it.
Skip was leading and he hops off the road we were on, up this trail. Curtis promptly follows, as do I. This one was a bit more technical. There were some steep grades to climb and some of it is slick.
One such hill (which was the worst we were on) was about 45* or more. It was real steep and sort of slickery in spots. I damn near made it up it. However, about 5' from the crest my front wheel washed on me. I panicked and grabbed the brake.
I'm screwed now! I have NO momentum and the bike starts sliding backwards. I made it about 3' before drop #2.
 |
| Ms.Chif takin' a nap |
The picture does NOT do the angle justice. It looks like a level pathway -- FAR FROM IT! it was nuts!
 |
| Skip is taking this from the top. I am pointing to where I made it to. |
There was no way I could pick up the bike by myself on this grade, so I just waited for them to come back. Skip's suggestion was to take it back down and get another run at it, because there was NO way I was going to be able to get enough traction to get to the top.
I am NOT on board with this idea and suggest to see if the three of us can muscle it the last 10' or so while working the throttle. We have nothing to lose, so we try it.
This worked. I was damn glad because I didn't want to try that hill again! LOL However, we were all a bit winded after that and took another break.
That was the worst of it and really the toughest section of the day. We found ourselves back on gravel again -- just long enough for Curtis, this time, to spy a trail. We came to a stop sign and the plan was to turn around and take that one.
This one is no longer a trail. It USED to be at one point, but it has become rather overgrown. Many low lying tree branches and trees within the trail itself. This was great stuff! I enjoyed this one immensely.
We were rolling along ducking and dodging trees and tree branches. THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! was all you could hear and feel as branches are bouncing off the helmet. It was great.
There was one part where a tree had fallen over and you had to kind of lean over to get the bike under it. Skip was in the lead with me second and Curtis bringing up the rear. Skip got through fine. For me, it was a little more labored, but I got through.
Curtis had something go amiss and the bike fell on him pinning his ankle. I got the bike off him and he was okay.
Then the trail branched off and Skip chose the left fork that went, of course, uphill. He has a penchant for going up hills. ; )
The trail quickly degraded and when we got to the top, we stopped and discussed a plan of action. While we were sitting there figuring it out, I lost footing on my right foot and drop #3. Curtis decides he is going to help me and just before parking his bike, he drops his. (sigh)
We go back down the hill and find some logging roads. The order was the same and Curtis had fallen back so Skip pulls over and we both wait and wait ... and wait. I ask Skip to cut his engine and you can hear Curtis winding out his throttle. He had got stuck. Then you hear him moving, so he was able to free himself up.
A little further up this logging road, it came to an end. I took the wrong approach to doing a U-turn and it got interesting for a moment but I was able to avoid drop #4.
Curtis was less fortunate. While turning he lost footing and drop #2 for him. He got it righted, and I'll be damned if he didn't drop it again -- drop #3.
However, there was no way I could get my kickstand down because of the grade we were on. I laid up next to the bank, and Skip did the same with his so at one point all three bikes were "taking a nap"
Once we got out of there, we wound our way over to TN-360 and decided to find a gas station to lay out the map and determine a plan. The hunger bug was starting to nip at me and Skip was also ready to eat. We just went to Tellico Beach for some sustenance.
From there we took the road directly across from it that dumps you out on TN-68, then back to camp for some drinks and lies.
Curtis wanted a picture of the three KLX250s lined up and Tom Blum was willing to cooperate so here for your viewing pleasure ...
Lori had dinner catered in and it was great! What was better is how much easier this SME must've been for her and her crew. She didn't have to try and feed a gaggle of 30+ maggots, much less, clean up afterwards. Beer, food, and lies were the order for the rest of the night.
Oh, and an explosion.
Curtis wasn't content with just 3 falls for the day and had to top it off by adding another at the bonfire.
 |
| photo courtesy of Chris Pope |
I am not sure what I found more amusing. The fact he had fell or how hysterically he was laughing after he had. Give him credit though, observe the position of his beer bottle. ; )
Apparently, four falls wasn't enough, either as he managed to low side that same chair again a few minutes later. It was again followed by him laughing hysterically.
Sunday
Skip didn't have to be back to work until Tuesday, so we planned on riding a little Sunday before loading up and heading back. We went ahead and grabbed breakfast at the square.
When we got back, we conned Jack Smith into joining us. Skip wanted to take Trail 82. It is right off of TN-68 about 15 or so miles south of the campground.
Trail 82 is a single track through the woods. There were some spots that were still a bit slick from Friday's rain, but nothing unnavigable. There were some rain breaks that beat me up. I am *SORE* from yesterday's 90 some mile thrashing through the trails and repeated lifting of bikes.
The track was even a little tight in spots. There was little room for much more than your wheel between the cliff and the mountain. There is one place along the trail where there is a big chunk of rock that furhter minimizes the space you have.
I decided to ride over the rock rather than chance getting too close to that edge. The rock had enough drop that the KLR got stuck momentarily. It kind of bottomed out. I was able to push it forward enough to get the wheels to get me moving, but it was interesting for a moment.
The rest of it was pretty easy, but I was poking along. I was really hurting and those bumps were kicking my ass.
When we got to the end Skip said he was going back and doing it again. Jack was headed back to camp. I bailed on Skip because I was hurting. Whatta wuss, eh?
Skip recorded his run and you can watch it here if interested ... http://youtu.be/73REN0gqy4E
Jack and I swapped bikes for a bit. I *like* that DR350. I had it as what I want in my stable next for riding trails as that would be much more capable than my overweight, underpowered KLR is. After riding Jack's, that want was validated.
We pulled into the campground driveway and he told me of a housing development that has only been sectioned off but no real construction had started yet. He said he was going to check it out and asked me if I wanted to. I did and off we go.
It wasn't anything that held our interest so we go back. Instead of going in the driveway, Jack goes up the hill next to the campground. I followed. I had never taken that "entrance" before. I've seen Skip and others take it, so it was my turn.
The hill wasn't difficult. At the top there were two wheel tracks that were nothing but mudholes. Jack went for the center but had street tires and he was a bit heavy on the throttle. A big crash ensued sending him over into the mudhole slinging mud EVERYwhere! He was okay though.
When it came to my turn, I was going a bit slower and figured I would take the center too. Bad idea! it was slick as snot.
My rear wheel got a little squirrely and it got into the rut on the left side. I am not exactly sure how it progressed from there. I didn't dump the bike, but it was now 90* to the route of travel.
It wasn't coming out on its own power. I tried to push it but that berm I am standing on, was too slippery for me to do any good.I tried pulling from the forks and wound up with the same result
I basically just stood there until Jack came back. Jack Hunt was with him and immediately pulls out his phone so that he can Facebook me.
The three of us were able to push it backward and then I was able to maneuver it out. *THIS* time I took the rut the front wheel is in.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
On again -- off again -- nearly all day!
A friend of mine, whom I haven't seen since High School Daze (technically my sister's best friend, but I always got along with her too), was coming up to Asheville for some vacation time. Asheville is a short hour and a half from the house. After a little corresponding, we setup a time and place to meet. I was supposed to meet her and her fiancee at a bar at 6 PM.
Since I am getting the opportunity to get out, I decided I would take the Bandit out to play. I was going to ride it last weekend, but thought better of it due to the expired tag. Well, I didn't think better of it this time, because it was WAY past Cloud9's turn to get out and play.
I have been on the Bandit only twice since October. It had a bad rear tire and was parked until February. Since February, it has been parked again. The KLR hasn't gotten much more time, but it has gotten more than the Bandit.
Anyhooowww .... I figured I would chance not getting caught with an expired tag because she needed to be run. As soon as I got on it and made the first turn, it felt weird; almost as if it were resisting a turn-in. Odd! not sure if it is more that I haven't been on the bike a while or if something new was going on. Maybe she was just mad at me for having to sit dormant for so long. I dunno!
I would be plagued by an unsettled feeling on and off for the rest of the day. I left around 10 AM and set a route that would be around 6 hours of curvy roads repeatedly crossing back and forth across the TN-NC border. That would give me a 2 hour cushion -- even *I* should be able to make that! I figured I would play with the camera some to burn up some of that excess time.
The weather was tailor-made for riding. Forecast was for clear, blue skies and temperatures in the mid-70s.
The first 50 miles I know like the back of my hand and am hit-and-miss in the turns. Still trying to figure out why the bike is "fighting" turn-in.
I started getting into a rhythm along NC-208 which mirrors a river and just twists and bends with great sight lines. From 208, I hit NC-212, which I have also been on before (it has been a while, but i know it pretty well too). I am still in a pretty decent rhythm and come up on a pickup truck hauling a horse trailer.
It is rolling along at 25 mph and as soon as I got close to it, the driver decides to ensure there was no way for me to get past as he is now straddling the center line. I keep looking and waiting for an opportunity to get past, but the way he is driving, I don't trust him even if I did get that chance. FUGGIN' IDIOT!
A couple miles later he pulls into some driveway and I made a point to crank the RPMs up to let him know the disdain I had for his antics. Well, attempted to, anyway. With that big ol' silencer on the exhaust, it probably raised a whole 2 dB. If I had the 600 Bandit, the noise would have been deafening.
Once again, I am struggling in the curves. I *had* a rhythm going prior to that redneck making sure I couldn't slip past him. I am braking prior to entry. I am thinking about, instead of reacting to, what I faced. Just off!
I crossed the state line again, and TN-352 is wonderful and got me back to reacting and riding with some confidence again. From there, US 19-W gets really tight and technical. Good stuff!
This crosses a mountain and the asphalt borders another river that cascades down the mountainside. I stopped and played with the camera some.
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| fun awaits! |
I got back on the bike and resumed my "carving" up of 19W. Before long I came up on a couple Hardleys rolling along, but they were not going that slow. Granted, I could have easily scooted on past them, but just filed in behind instead.
I wound my way over to US19-E and then NC-80, with the intent to take 226-A between Little Switzerland and Spruce Pine. 80 was riddled with small gravels and kept my already dwindling confidence in check. Then when I hit 226-A, NC-DOT has drizzled the whole damn road with tar snakes. Again, not doing much for my confidence level.
What a bummer! this road is soo much fun -- well it USED to be!
At the top of 226-A, I picked up the Blue Ridge Parkway. Nothing like the BRP, to help regain some confidence. I noticed the gas light flashing at me and jumped off at NC-80 and headed for some gas. On the way down the mountain, I noticed that there are now photographers over there too. Here is a link to pics of me as I went through (and go to #92) ... http://blindkenny.photoreflect.com/store/Orderpage.aspx?pi=1VLV00780A0084&po=84&pc=135
I topped off the gas tank and refilled my own fuel tank with a quick stop at Subway and now have managed to successfully "burn off" the excess of that two-hour cushion. I wound my way back up to the BRP and had intended to take that all the way into Asheville.
That is, of course, until I got to Mount Mitchell to find that the road was closed beyond that point -- sending me 25 miles back to NC-80. (SIGH) back down the mountain ... AGAIN! and that backtracking has cost me significant time and is going to make me .... you guessed it ... LATE! even with a two-hour cushion, I can manage to be late.
I found the place I was supposed to meet them at and drove around a couple minutes looking for a place to park. I finally decided to feed a parking meter and go in to see if they hadn't left yet. I am about 45 minutes late by now and wouldn't be surprised had they left.
Luckily, they had not and we got to spend an hour or so catching up and enjoying one another's company. Good times!
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| Sandy and I |
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| Me, Sandy, and Bob |
I got home twelve hours after leaving and just in time to allow Melissa to head off to work. I logged a little over 300 on again-off again miles. They weren't all quality miles, but I didn't wreck and anytime in the saddle, right?
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