Ride With Tank

Thistle Farms Coffee House, originally uploaded by TankOhio.

We are in Ohio now and I am about to eat a stromboli. There is much rain to the north and we are trying to avoid it. Johnny left the motel before us because he is a homo. Janice had no choice but to go with him. Mark is probably still going south.

Spending the night in Morehead KY, originally uploaded by TankOhio.

Here we are in Moorehead, KY.

Today we said a sad farewll to the Gap. As usual the folks at the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort treated us great.

We had great weather all week. Almost everyone on the road was very courteous. We only saw one wreck the entire week so it was a safe weekend as well. I don’t think it is just a coincicence that there were no wrecks and people were riding politely.

It is always a pleasure to ride with Mark and it was great to have Johnny and Janice along for the ride. They are great folks and they made the week much more fun for me.

Dave, Christy, and Tom did not ride down or back with us but they met us at the Gap. Once again I can’t imagine anyone I would rather spend a week at the Gap with. They are just great folks and I am honored that they chose to spend their vacation with me.

I also cant forget all my friends who live in the area and the new friends I made while there.

Tomorrow should be pretty uneventfull. Mostly just a freeway blast home.

0626081151.jpg, originally uploaded by TankOhio.

Today we took a ride into Cades Cove. The scenery in there is spectacular, but the traffic is just miserable. All it takes is to have one knob on the entire 11 mile route to make things miserable. I dont know why these people insist on gawking at scenery while sitting in the middle of the road.

I was texted a question about the pictures in these updates, and yes all the pictures in these updates were taken with my phone.

Yesterday the whole crew rode the Cherohola. There is some kind of slippery sand for miles on 143 as you approach the Skyway. We all very nearly died in that stuff.

The Law, originally uploaded by TankOhio.

Here I sit at one of my favorite spots watching the bikes go by. It is around one in the afternoon and two county guys just went by. They stopped Mark yesterday to have a talk with him about how fast he should ride. They took pity on him and sent him away with a warning.

0626081237.jpg, originally uploaded by TankOhio.

Today Skidplate and I rode Parsons Branch road. It was pretty adventurous for the first three miles or so, but Skidplate and the Vulcan did great and wez got through without incident. Johnny was going to go, but he is afraid of gravel so he did not go.

Late sunrise ride, originally uploaded by TankOhio.

I guess I cant call it a sunrise ride, but it is 9 and I am drinking coffee alone at the overlook so I am still calling it a sunrise ride.

The whole crew is here! Skidplate, Passinthru, Johnny, Janice, Dave, Christy, Tom, and Bit!

We arrived arount 4 yesterday and got unpacked. During our first run we were getting near the end and riders coming the other way were signalling to slow down, so I did. Next thing you know Skidplate drops it down a few gears and blows past us. We were like, “What the hell?”. So now she blows past two cops. She was not cited.

There was much drunkeness around the campfire last night. I don,t know how many nights in a row I will be able to maintain that drinking pace.

Mt. Pisgah, originally uploaded by TankOhio.

We just finished a delicious lunch at Mt Pisgah

Pain and suffering, originally uploaded by TankOhio.

Only 2 days into the ride and I am falling apart. Saturday I got stung by a wasp, then this morning I pinched my little finger between my headboard and head and I think my finger is very likeky broken. Fortunately pain has very little effect on me so my performance for the rest of the week should be unaffected.

Blue Ridge Parkway, originally uploaded by TankOhio.

Today we rode the Blue Ridge Parkway from Boone to Rt. 80. We are spending the night in Asheville and will finish off the Parkway in the morning and then we will head for the Gap.

Rain……., originally uploaded by TankOhio.

We have hit a little bit of rain. All in all the rain has not been too bad. The first time rain blew in we decided to eat lunch. By the time we were done the rain was over. The second brush with rain had us sitting in a former gas station for about half an hour until the rainbow appeared and the rain quit.

0622081702.jpg, originally uploaded by TankOhio.

Here we are at the worlds shortest tunnel. So far it has been an excellent day of riding. We took one of my favorite roads, 16 in Virginia. From there we took 58 and it was spectacular.