2016 - Labor Day Ride - Boone NC

WOW!

That is the first word that comes to my mind when thinking about how long ago it has been that I have not updated and written a new blog of our trips. I definitely will not be able to give everyone any advice and ideas on restaurants and new roads as it has been a long time and I might not remember any of it. But I will try my best.

What will be exciting is that I have two blogs to write of rides in 2016. And 3 more in 2017.

The year 2017 was to me over as fast is it started, it was a very busy and somewhat stressful year for Jeannie and I, but I still have two smaller and one larger trip to blog about. 2017 is also the year Jeannie took her mom to Europe for 2 weeks, something her mother always wanted to do, and it was a dream come true for her. And I would not dare go on a long ride without my wife and riding partner so my rides were all local.

Now! now! enough! with excuses as to why I have not written in so long, lets get started.

My brother called me about a month (or was it a day) before the 2016 Labor Day weekend and told me he wanted to ride for a few days, but he wanted to head "up to the mountains where is cooler" and I quote. So without any doubt in my mind I thought lets take a two lane ride, and squeeze in some BRP (Blue Ridge Parkway) you all know how I love that road, up to Boone, NC. Why not? temps will be lower, elevations are high, and the roads are the best in the area, and we have a connection with Boone I sort of like, my niece, my brother's oldest, graduate from Appalachian State, so we love it up there. Homecoming for us!!

The route was planned so that we take one way up and a different way down, try to not repeat many roads and squeeze in all the great ones while at it, some roads we took because we went the wrong way, most times those are the best, some roads we took because others were closed or too busy, at the end we met with some of my friends down in Bryson City, NC and rode other great roads before coming home. So the decision was made, no BRP on the way up, we reserve it to ride from Boone NC to Cherokee NC on the way back. So below is the map of our way up, which was absolutely awesome.

Bikes are ready to go!

The route chosen for the way up to Boone was mostly on GA-400 North, GA 115 East through Cleveland GA and Clarksville GA than US 23 north to Dillard GA, than US 64 heading east from Highlands NC, and passing through the beautiful towns of  Cashiers, Brevard and Hendersonville, NC 9 took us north from Bat Cave/Chimney Rock area all the until we met US 70/I40 in Old Fort. If you have not had a chance to ride that stretch of NC 9, do it! it will not regret.

In Brevard NC we took a small detour and headed north on US 276 up to Looking Glass Falls and that was a very nice detour.

This was our first stop after leaving the house where we arrived at the Dillard's House for breakfast, unfortunately we were 30 minutes late for breakfast and an hour too early for lunch. When going up there you have to keep in mind that they have a 1 1/2 hour break between when breakfast time is over and lunch begins, but it was a nice stop nonetheless, we love the Dillard's house regardless of what meal.  We ended up stopping for a stroll and some food in Highlands NC.

Dillard's House Stop.

Highlands Stop. Who are these two guys checking phones as usual.

Well with our bellies full of some good Highlands BBQ Company brisket and ribs, it is with sadness that I write this now in 2018 and inform you all that this restaurant is permanently closed which is a shame as they had great service and very good food. But for us it was time to get some miles under us and head east towards Bat Cave/Chimney Rock area where we would take NC 9 north.

But wait, before you get to that area, you pass the North Carolina Apple Orchard country, and there is no way that you wont stop and get some super cold Apple Cider and some nice apples for later. I love this area, and it would take a whole blog to write about experiences Jeannie and I have had here in these orchards.

But wait! Before I forget, remember the little detour we took to see the Looking Glass Falls, you all thought I forgot about it huh? Nope here are some pictures of the visit, awesome place, if you go during the summer months, take towels and your swimming gear, the water has a great temperature.

Hey who's that guy down there on the blue shirt looking lost!, he might jump in the water because this was the middle of the day and we were hot!.

Now this part will be important and interesting to the motorcycle guys reading this post. While heading up on NC 9 it comes to a place where you have a split on the road, stay left and you are on NC 9, stay to the right and you end up on Old Fort Road, County Road 2791 than County Road 1103, its name eventually change to Bat Cave Road, it ends in Old Fort NC right on I-40 and sort of merges with US 70 inside town. Well this was the BEST wrong turn we took on this trip, because Old Fort/Bat Cave Road was absolutely awesome to ride, and it brought us further northeast as well as saved us from having to get on I-40 for a few miles had we stayed on NC 9 and ended up in Black Mountain.

US 70 took us further northeast until we merge with US 221 directly north to Linville Falls. Every time I come through here, it is towards the end of the day, with Boone NC soon approaching with a hot shower and a nice meal waiting for us, so we never stop. But I truly advise everyone to stop and check out Linville Falls, from the parking lot you can take a picture of the falls, but apparently the hike down to the bottom is worth it. We will someday make a point of stopping here with enough time for both. In the mean time you can explore and find out more about the area in this website:
Linville Falls

From here we looped around a bit on NC 183, than on NC 181, back on US 221 and eventually on to NC 105 which takes you directly to Boone approaching the city from the southwest.

We stayed right off of NC 105 at the Comfort Suites, this is our second stay in this hotel, we had a little issue after checking in and heading to our room, our AC unit was not cooling, and because this was Labor Day weekend there were no hotels anywhere else, but I will raise my hat to the Hotel, we stayed in the room, we showered, we changed, we headed out for a wonderful dinner right next door to the Hotel and when we returned a maintenance person had come by, swapped the entire unit, and our room was nice and cool, the only thing was a 12 inch round water spot next to the AC with water, probably from the condensation of the unit that was removed, otherwise it was new, fully operational and NICE AND COLD!. Kudos to the Hotel I will stay there again.

So about dinner, since we were all tired from a long day riding, we did not wanted to get back on the bikes to go eat, downtown Boone with all of its bars and eateries is about 1.2 miles away, which Jeannie and I have walked the distance and its quite nice, but we all decided to stay right there, next door is a Italian restaurant that I highly recommend called Casa Rustica, click on the link and check them out yourself.

THE WAY BACK!

Well the way back was easy, Boone NC to Cherokee NC on the BRP, Blue Ridge Parkway, this is Jeannie and I favorite road and we can't have enough of it, specially when we are showing it off to friends and family, it was Labor Day weekend and it was pretty busy as we approached Asheville NC, and from there all the way to Cherokee was pretty busy, but we made the best of it. When we reached Little Switzerland we had to do the famous Diamond Back loop before hoping on the BRP again, check out these links for info:

NC 226A and NC 226A - The Diamond Back

Little Switzerland

Our Wonderful riding companions, my brother Franklin and his wife Suzan, always two-up on his trusty Yamaha Super Tenere.

We were a bit scared that day, the rain clouds were all around us, but it never rained, the clouds kept the sun at bay, and the day cool.

We stopped at Craggy Gardens on the BRP which is right before Asheville NC , I love stopping here the views are beautiful, I tell Jeannie all the time that I don't mean to sound morbid, but I will end my days on this earth in these North Carolina Mountains, I just love it up here.

Here is a nice picture of the gang, this was all on me testing my new selfie stick, yes I bought one, its even Bluetooth.

Our ride back into Cherokee was as I said early busy, we stopped in a few more overlooks and the weather got nicer, the plan was to stay in Cherokee for the night, where my wife can have her Casino Fix, and try to teach my sister-in-law the tricks, while Franklin and I just sat around the bar, he tried in vain to make me like Bloody Mary's (barrrfff!) and I tried to convince him that an BMW R1200GS Adventure was a better bike for him and Suzan over his Yamaha Super Tenere, and off course I failed, but while at it we downed some drinks enough to gasp at the bill, which was still smaller than the one the wives were racking up on the slot machines..... LOL!

The next morning we met some of my friends in Bryson City for a ride up to the Dragon, then down home at the usual roads. The group got bigger, 5 bikes now, but we rode on to the Dragon. It was busy but OK when we all went up. The day was nice, the ride was nice, the company was even better.

I can't wait to write about our other adventures of 2016 and the ones for 2017 where the Bastos brother's (and significant others off course) meet again for an awesome ride in the great state of Pennsylvania. There was even a river boat crossing on this one! Stay Tuned!

I end this with a few pictures of that day. Till next time folks.......... Charleston SC is coming!

2017 - Pennsylvania - Shamrock Tour

2017 – Quick Announcement

One may try to find excuses as to way they stop to write on their travel blog, or stop editing movies they make, I have no excuse, life, I guess. Well, here we are is 2020 and I have not updated the Blog in a very long time, good news is you get to check out trips we took in 2017, 2018 and 2019, as well as 2020. So please make sure you check the updates on each section of the blog.

2017 – State College Ride

As long as I can remember I have been a subscriber to Road Runner Magazine which is absolutely the best Motorcycle Touring publication out there right now in my opinion. They have something called the Shamrock Tours, and yes it’s basically a Shamrock, you stay in one location and take day trips around the area in different directions every day, 4 or 6 or 9 days is completely up to you how many leaves your Shamrock has.   This was our first attempt at one and we choose the State College area of the great state of Pennsylvania. 

Why? Well honestly Pennsylvania is one of the most beautiful states, the history is so vast you can spend a lot time riding the state and not cover everything, in every corner is history, I love it. State College is centralized allowing you to foray North, South and East and West. Now we all know PA is a West to East state so there is only so much you are going to cover from State College.

The other reason, well Penn State is Jeannie’s Alma Matter, and she was thrilled to go back, stay a few days and also ride around the area, since while in school she did not have the time (or time $) to do it. 

Well wait there is another reason, my brother was on a toy show in Philadelphia area and found himself with some off days afterwards for a ride   so he joined us there. Great area, great riding and with family to top it all.

We decided to trailer the bikes up to State College in order to save us some time since we drove up in one day, but would take two days had we ridden, that allowed us to have more time in Pennsylvania.

Memorial Day - BRP Ride

Well Labor Day Weekend is upon us, Jeannie and I are starting to talk about and plan a ride, and I have not updated the blog with our Memorial Day Ride. This is more work than I expected. :)

Memorial Day is always a good weekend for a nice long ride, the weather is nice, not too cold and not too hot yet. But we planned on heading up the Blue Ridge Parkway with the elevations up there the temps can change radically, This is also the time of the year where rains start to creep in on us. We almost cancelled this trip due to lots of rain in the forecast but luckily enough we only caught about 2 miles of rain before reaching our final destination in Roanoke VA.

So for those of you that do not know the BRP (Blue Ridge Parkway) go check this out to learn more about it, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ridge_Parkway and those of you that have not driven/ridden it, you are in for a treat, the road, the views, the BRP is a national treasure for us. I drove the BRP some years back returning from Washington DC, the BRP officially starts in Waynesboro VA (Rockfish Gap), and ends in Cherokee NC, but you can actually start your ride in Front Royal VA at the Skyline Drive https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_Drive through Shenandoah National Park, the two roads today are fully connected you only know you are about to enter the Skyline Drive because it actually requires you to pay a fee, where the BRP is free.

My first time on the BRP on a motorcycle was with Jeannie in our Goldwing, when we rode to DC to watch the fireworks, we returned on the parkway, we did not complete the entire ride since we were short for time so I left the BRP around Roanoke VA and headed south on Interstate 81/77. Shortly there after we completed the ride North from Cherokee, to Roanoke two up on our K 1600 GT.

Here is a picture of two years ago when we rode it two up:

But this year there was a big difference in our ride to the BRP, the difference is that Jeannie would be riding it on her own bike, so we could not pass the opportunity. Off course I will ride the Parkway multiple times a year, I don't care I LOVE IT!

So weeks before Memorial Day we started planning a ride, we would leave home on Friday afternoon after work and ride up to Cherokee NC, Jeannie likes to have some fun at the Casino and we can start fresh on Saturday morning at the southern end of the Parkway and head northeast. The plan was to ride to Boone NC the first night (Saturday), than ride north to Roanoke VA the second night (Sunday) than take off early in the morning back home on Monday, using the Interstates in order to cover more ground faster. One has to realize that the speed limit on the parkway is 45 MPH, and its well patrolled, so much the crotch rocket hooligans stay away from it, so whomever rides or drives the parkway is there to enjoy it. 55 MPH is "tolerated" for motorcycles but honestly you will not find the need to go any faster than that, because if you do you will be missing so much.

So here is the route for Friday afternoon, Saturday, Sunday and Monday:

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday return home:

Friday afternoon proved very nice with great temperature and no rain in the forecast. The only issue we had was dealing with Friday afternoon traffic out of Atlanta, I used to think getting out of Atlanta heading south, when my parents lived in Columbus GA, was bad, well heading north these days is just as bad, we eventually made it passed the madness but it took a long time, forcing us to ride at night for the last 45 minutes, something Jeannie and I have been trying to stay away from. But we arrived safely in Cherokee. Now its time for a nice shower, some nice evening clothes and head to the Casino, she plays I watch, one day I guarantee you security is going to kick me out unless I stick $20 in a machine, because all I do is walk around. :)

Ready for departure: (this time we posed the bikes for a proper picture) and yes for those who know me and are wondering why my truck is parked outside, well I have too many bikes inside the garage, shame on me! :)

Day 1 on the Parkway 

On Saturday we were up early, I think between my excitement to ride the BRP, and Jeannie's somewhat limited uneasy feeling, since it was her first time, balanced things out and we ended up having a wonderful day. The BRP is a very technical road, for most of its length there is no "paved" shoulder, in some places the forest grows right up against the road, you have to pay attention on what you are doing, specially on a motorcycle, but you also have to enjoy the views and try to absorb as much of it as possible while not making mistakes and staying within the speed limit. That is why it takes most of the day to cover a little under 200 miles, its slow paced and you will stop a lot.

This time the blog will have a lot more pictures with a little description of what they are since the BRP is about the views and the pictures, so ENJOY!!

Our First stop, Mount Pisgah Inn and store.

The Rhododendrons (man!! this is a funny word, I can say all day and laugh while saying it) where in full bloom.

There are 26 tunnels on the 469 miles of the parkway, most of them are in the North Carolina side, they usually have overlooks before and after them so you can take pictures, but traffic was a little busy at this stop so we just hung out and took more pictures.

As we approach our destination for the day, Boone NC, we always make a point to stop in Little Switzerland, this community has been here for 100 years, and there are two interesting facts about this area, the first is that is the narrowest point of the parkway because of a law-suit filed back in 1960 by the community, complaining that the road was going to take a large portion of their land, they won!!, and because of that win the second interesting fact is that it is the ONLY commercial entrance on the parkway that is not National Park Service, which is the entrance to the Little Switzerland Inn.

LS is an unincorporated community and it was founded in 1909 by a North Carolina Supreme Justice, that liked coming up here on his time off, he bought the land and started the community.

It is also interesting to note that the John Mack Oboe Camp is held here every summer.

We arrived early in Boone NC, we have a connection with this place since my oldest niece came to school here, it feels familiar every time we come, and because of it being a college town there are a lot of good bars and restaurants to chill out from the long day's ride.  There are plenty of accommodations in Boone as well. and most of them walking distance to many of the bars and restaurants mentioned above. There are no hotels on Main Street downtown, but mostly because of the school, but one can take a short walk and be downtown, its a college town with a mountain feel, very nice, very cozy.

Next morning it was time to head up the Parkway to our second destination Roanoke VA, I like this town, to the north is Interstate 81 and to the south you have the parkway and also US 221. We stayed in the newly renovated Hotel Roanoke and although slightly pricier than the franchises its worth the stay for its historic beauty.

Day 2 on the Parkway

Day 2 started a little wet, it was not raining but it had been raining for most of the night, with the bikes dried out, and luggage loaded we headed out of Boone, heading south back towards Blowing Rock in order to catch the same entrance to the Parkway that we exit from the day before. The Parkway was wet, not splashing wet, it made it for a cool, naturally air-conditioned couple of hours but as we entered Virginia in Fancy Gap the road was dried and temps were up. You know when you ride the parkway that you entered into Virginia, yes the road is not as nice as in North Carolina, but as funny as it is the vegetation and geography change, Virginia has more rolling hills and the parkway passes through some beautiful farms and farming communities. On the second day you also look forward to passing by Mabry Mill, a watermill right off of the parkway, build by Edward Mabry in 1903 as a blacksmith stop but eventually was used as a water grits mill. This spot is claimed to be the most photographed location in the continental US. Not sure about that, but it is sure in an awesome place because it will be lunch time when you stop by, the food is country but very good and a nice place to take a little over an hour break as you can walk over to the mill, go inside and visit the little museum that shows how these mountain folks lived up there than. Worth the stop!.

We also made our stop at the Devils Garden overlook., if you noticed the picture of 2 years ago when Jeannie and I went up there two up on the same bike we took a picture on this same overlook, so it has become a tradition to stop here.

Bull Run knob is another place we like to stop, its a large overlook with a nice area between the overlook and the road that gives you a nice sense of privacy, off course there are many overlooks on the parkway we have a tendency on stopping on some of the same ones also because it is when we get tired and need a break.

As I mentioned earlier in the post, the last 2 miles of the ride before arriving at the Hotel Roanoke it is when it started to rain on us, pretty hard, we rode on and reached the hotel which for lack of better words is absolutely gorgeous inside and out, world class service and greatly decorated rooms, I enjoyed staying here and would do it again when we are up this way.

They were also nice enough to let all us motorcyclists to park under an area that was at least for a bit covered from the rain, Jeannie and I were the first ones to arrive, 30 minutes later there were well over 10 bikes parked there. Very nice of them to let us do that.

Downtown Roanoke is literally over the tracks from the Hotel, the big glass walkway you see to the left on the picture above, or the inside of it on the picture below, walks you over the large railroad area and directly into downtown. By the time we made it out of the room was a bit dark and raining again but you get the idea :)

The next morning we left around 7:30 am, we headed southwest on US 221 out of Roanoke and rode all the way to Hillsville VA, where we hit Interstate 77 and rode south all the way to Charlotte NC, where we caught Interstate 85 down into GA.

This was another amazing trip, although any trip that involves The Blue Ridge Parkway will be. Happy that Jeannie rode it on her own. Happy that we had the chance to do it and do it safely. And cannot wait to head up again, this time my brother will hopefully join us.

Till next time!!. Thanks for keeping up with us.