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. 

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!

Sandy and I

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?