EaSTOC trip report - part 3

I was a bit worried about being able to pack for the air trip and seven days on the bike. I bought some waterproof camp sacks in case I needed to bungee on additional luggage space. They weren't needed, but I brought them anyway. On the night before the flight I took the panniers off my bike and hauled them up to the third floor packing area. I had two Honda bag liners which I kept when I sold my Sabre. They are just big, silver, nylon bags with nice Honda logos on them, and they work great in the ST hard bags. However, the camp sacks would have worked just as well. Liners avoid having to remove the hard bags to carry luggage into your hotel or camp.

I got all my stuff together, started stuffing the liners, and then test fitted them in the hard bags. Seems I could pack them tight and they would fit. However, turns out I only needed one that full. The other was less than two thirds, including my hair dryer and clothes steamer. I was even able to put in everything I thought I needed and still get my backback into the hard bag. These two packed liners then went into my hard shell American Tourister with the big wheels that actually roll. I packed only two other pieces of clothing: a pair of Levi's and a T-shirt.

My other bag, a zip-up soft-side was totally stuffed by the Aerostitch Roadcrafter, helmet, and gloves. The final piece of luggage was the tank bag, a Chase Harper 750, which I used as my carry on. It had the CD player in the foam in the bottom, all the CD's, along with sets of earplugs. Perfect for the plane, and I did appreciate the CD during the night.

The luggage handling at the other end worked perfectly. Robert found me a hotel and waited about two minutes while I emptied both bags, put on the Levi's and T-shirt, and then put the soft bag and dirty clothes into the hard bag. The hard bag went to Roswell Fun Machines, where they hid it away for me during the rental. I couldn't believe I had actually planned this! And, since I was guaranteed everything would fit the rental bike, there was no need for any repacking.

Eventually I ended my dream of being the perfect packer, and found myself awake in Roanoke, in a hotel with no restaurant. As I didn't want to venture out on the bike, I only had coffee in the room. I called a business contact at Inland Motor in Radford, VA, and set up an appointment for 10 to 10:30, which should be an easy ride from Roanoke. I packed up again, perfectly, of course, and left the hotel at about 8:30.

I should mention another bit of my logistics - the navigational aids. I had bought Delorme's AAA Map-N-Go just before the trip, and had stacks of maps and instructions. At least two others at EaSTOC had Map-N-Go maps. They worked great most of the time. One of the worst things is getting it to agree to route you to exactly where you want to be. Turns out that I had had to enter the very Sheraton I was staying at as a route stop. This was not perfect planning.

I had instructions to take Hershberger Road, south, I believe, as I left the hotel. I found Hershberger Road easily, but there were, of course, no north or south signs. Knowing Roanoke a bit from previous visits, I headed the direction I knew was generally south. Soon I saw a sign saying "to US11", which was great as I was going to ride the old highway. This let to other signs saying similar things, so I figured I was going the right way. However, I started to get this strange feeling that I was headed west, and then north. In fact, I ended up looping around Roanoke on the west, and coming to US11 on the north side of the city. Once on 11 I followed it into town, and eventually came to the Shell station where I had filled up the night before. This station is on Hershberger, and is only about three miles from the hotel, being reached by driving the OTHER direction on Hershberger. First 45 minutes lost!

Now, I figured I had it made, and was well on my way. I wouldn't be too late. I followed the US11 signs downtown, but near the N&W railroad station I encountered a big, yellow detour sign. I turned and went down several tiny one-way streets, and after about a mile came back to the first street of the detour, where the sign said to turn right, puting me in an endless loop. Duh!

I took the best way out, which was to head downtown. I have enough knowledge of Roanoke to know the best way to get lost, so I was OK. I headed toward the freeway, figuring it was the safest, and fastest way out. I got on yet another version of US11S, but when I saw an I581 sign I went for it. I know they don't deliberately hide freeways. In another 5 minutes I was driving by my hotel. It was now 10 AM! Roanoke isn't big enought to get lost for an hour and a half!

Anyway, I am now on the freeway, and soon turn south on I81. It is a really heavily trafficed road, but only has four lanes. There seem to be about two semi's for each car. It wasn't too pleasant for high speed riding, as the Michleins had more wallow behind the trucks than I liked. Also, I am not used to riding on multi-laned roads, with this much traffic, and at the freeway speeds of steady 75 to 80.

After a bit it started raining, and I made a bad move. I pulled over to the side to pull on my glove covers. I discovered why they have those signs saying not to pull over: it's damned hard to get back on! I eventually saw a small traffic break in front of a semi, and with the bike going balls to the wall I worked my way back onto the road at about 75. Another thing I hadn't thought about was the amount of old truck rubber bits on the shoulder. I figured the next time I had to make attire adjustments on the freeway I would take an exit, no matter how long it took, or else just ride with wet gloves.

Eventually I made it into a very wet Radford at about 11, but now I was coming in from a direction different than I had told the contact. His directions were now in question. When I hit US11, I figured a left turn was best. I rode south to the end of town, turned around, and rode back to the north. No Inland Motor, so I stopped for directions. Seems I had been gived bad directions. Properly aimed I showed up a bit after 11:30 - respectably late. I had a nice informative vist at Inland. They make the special drive motors for our telescope, and I felt that I had to see, up close and personal, how a motor could cost $25,000 ($25K, no typo). I know more now, but that is still an awesome price. So is $5K to $11K for a repair.

I left there at about 2PM, and took my originally planned route on US11. There was one good curvy section, but since it was the main highway 30 years ago, it is pretty tame.

Eventually 11 merges with I81, and I split there to ride the back roads. I took VA100 and VA607 to get to US52. These small roads don't have great signs, and my maps weren't a great help either. I turned right on US52, and rode about 10 miles with absolutely no traffic, until I encountered a bridge out. This wasn't on my Map-N-Go on-line download, which I had checked before leaving. I reversed, passing the point I entered the road, and eventually came to where there was a detour sign for US52. Seems they didn't think anyone entering from that little road would have to be told about the detour.

I followed the detour until I got back on my route, turning onto VA94, and then VA619. This got me through the town of Cripple Creek, which I thought was thousands of miles west. I got thoroughly lost in this area, but didn't worry too much. I kept taking roads that looked good, and found myself entering Wythville. I turned around and headed south until I got to VA614. I followed this road, and VA695 through Speedwell, Sugar Grove and Trout Dale, until I got to Volney. All of these were nice country roads, with nothing bad, and nothing spectacular. Just pleasant country riding. The conditions were cloudy, with very little rain.

At Volney I turned west on US58, which would take me all the way to Abingdon, my night's destination. Leaving Volney there are huge billboards warning that US58 is an absolute no-no for trucks. I thought this might be interesting! Turns out the road is fantastic. It is just about the equal of Deal's Gap, in fact. There were a couple of downers, but it is one good ride. There was a lot of gravel on the entry to many of the right hand turns where the cages drop wheels off the pavement. They were paving part of the road, and in some places only one lane was paved. The fresh asphalt looked very slippery, especially where the surface had a bit of water. I was cautious, but still had a great ride. This is a very curvy road, in the forested mountains, with a lot of climbs and drops. There's probably 20 miles of the good stuff, and the new pavement should be done and aged by now.

The road straightens out a lot at Damascus, and the traffic increased correspondingly. The ride into Abingdon was much tamer, but it was getting dark and cooler. I checked into the Empire motel, cleaned up, and then set off to visit my mother at the retirement home. We had a nice visit, and I promised to stop by on my way out in the morning. On the way back to the motel I fed at Shoney's. Later that evening my brother drove up, and we also had a good visit. Wish I could have been with them longer, but when you have to GO RIDE, you have to GO RIDE.

The next morning, Wednesday, it was dumping rain when I headed out. I had breakfast at the motel restaurant, getting several stares as I had not taken off my 'stitch. I filled up at the station by the motel, and noted it took 5.94 gallons to do the last 254 miles, for 42.6 MPG. Guess the freeway riding took its toll.

I bought a can of 3-in-1 oil at the station. On the mountain riding the day before I was having a lot of trouble modulating the front brake. It was very digital in operation, and I figured it was the lever binding on the little actuator button. Two drops of oil later and I knew I was right. The brakes worked very smoothly, and I knew that this would be a necessity to do Deal's Gap right. I also took this store opportunity to replenish my Kleenex Handy Pak stockpile. Consumption was up even more, and stops were often called for no other reason that the need for heavy duty nose blowing. Also got more cough drops.

Because of the rain I decided to blow off the visit to my mother's place as I would create a total mess. I sent her a card later explaining. Much of this day's ride was in the rain, which varied from merely aggravating to full dump. This took out a lot of the potential fun as I rode through the coal fields of VA and KY.

I started on US58 again, and then turned onto VA63 to go through my birthplace of Dante, and VA83 to go through Clinchco, where I spent my first two years. At Pound I turned south on US23 and took it and US421 to Harlan, Kentucky. Somewhere along here it mostly quit raining, and the ride got more pleasant.

From Harlan I took US25 to Cumberland Gap, where they appear to be making a monster tunnel through the mountain. They road here zips out of KY into VA for about one mile before it goes into Tennessee.

Once in Tennessee I got on TN63, and found myself going through Speedwell again. Must be a popular name. The roads got progressively flater, straighter, and less fun, although there were some good riding pieces. I eventually worked my way to Oak Ridge, and holed up at a Day's Inn on the main drag. The cold seemed to have abated somewhat, and I was starting to feel human again. As it was only about 4PM, I went out for a long look-see ride and to gas up the bike for an early start the next morning. I was getting a steady warning light when I got to the station, and put in 6.4 gallons. The day took 295 miles, for a mileage of 46.0. You can really tell a difference between the mountain and freeway days.

For the gluttons of our group I must make an obligatory restaurant report. A couple of years ago my daughter and I toured Oak Ridge and found this place. I remembered it well enough to look it up again. It's a corny steak house called the Sagebrush, and is right on the main drag, near my motel. I had a filet mignon which was absolutely superb. Also the blackberry cobbler is to kill for. Beer wasn't bad either. You might also want to order a foot or half-foot of onion rings. Do stop here if you make Oak Ridge. If you like museums, and/or are a WWII or atomic energy nut, Oak Ridge is a must stop.

Too soon I woke up to the final day of my trip. I did the continental bit at the motel, and was on the road by 9. I was dressed much lighter today, as I was sweltering the previous day on my arrival. I only had on Levis and a T-shirt under the 'stitch.

The roads leaving Oak Ridge were mostly straight, and the few curves were big sweepers. I took TN95 south to US414, and then TN336 to hook up with US129. Somewhere along the way I passed a really big TVA dam.

Route 129 was fairly interesting for the first bit. It seemed to be a very old road, taking the easiest road through the hilly terrain, which means a maximum of curves. For a while it got a lot easier, and appeared to have been rerouted long ago when a TVA dam probably flooded the original route. Right after the road leaves the lakeside it goes totally ballistic. This is the start of Deal's Gap.

So far, in my riding experience, I must say Deal's Gap is the best. US58 had been very, very good, but Deal's Gap seems without peer. For the most part the road surface was good, with only a few fallen leaves, and only a few of those were wet. I'd stay away from there during max leaf fall time. There was almost no traffic, and virtually no gravel on the road. I don't think there are any roads or driveways entering the whole twisty section. The warning signs go from 10 to 25 MPH. Not sure what the speed limit is, but don't think it really matters. A lot of the turns had good visibility, which does great things for cornering speed, at least for me.

I had an absolute ball riding this road. I still don't know how I didn't scrape parts, and I'm sure I would have done a lot of foot dragging if I hadn't modified my riding position. I saw a couple of sport bikes stopped, but didn't meet anyone riding my way. There were a couple of other bikes coming the other way. I only had to pass one cage, and this had to be on the double, as there was no other way. I rode the whole thing in second gear, which would have been perfect if the rental had had any power down at 2500. That was as low as I ever got, which means I never went below 25 MPH. Top was about 6 to 7 K, on some straights (very short), which says I hit 65 to 70, which I can't really believe. Some road!!!!!!!!!!

I rode past the Crossroads of Time Campground at the town of Deal's Gap (pop. 6), and there were several bikes there. This is just a mile or two into NC, and is the only building or turnoff on the whole good part. I went on down the hill to the big dam, and stopped there to reflect. The part past the campground had been chip sealed, and had lots of loose gravel, ruining the ride. Also, the Pink Floyd which had been blasting on the Gap trip had expired, and I was in need of new tunes.

My reflection led to the thought that I might never come this way again, and I really had a strong obligation to ride the Gap again. Damn the bike return deadline! I turned around and rode the Gap the other way, stopping at the place where the sportbikes were staging. This time the Gap was more mellow as I listened to Creedence. Music on a road like this is really a groove. Highly recommended.

I waited a bit at the pull off, but no one stopped. A couple of bikers were riding through hard on a Ducati and a VFR, and there was one slower Harley Glide and a Wing. I pulled out behind the Wing, and had soon overtaken him. Later on the ride back I caught up with a standard bike, but am not sure where he came from. I don't know if my speed was up much, but I was getting a lot smoother by the end. I only slid over the double yellow once, and that wasn't even on a good turn. Just inattention. You must keep full concentration going for about 30 minutes for each pass.

On the way back I stopped at the campground for a bit to eat, to buy the mandatory Deal's Gap T-shirt, and to chat with some bikers. The Wing couple pulled in, and we ate together. They were riding to Maine, or some other unlikely point, and had launched from Missouri several days earlier. It was their first Gap ride, also.

After the Gap I decided that my mapped route would have to be altered or I would never get back to Roswell by my 7 PM deadline to return the bike. The road from the Gap to US19 was compromised by lots more of the chip seal, and by lots of groovy (this doesn't mean good) overcoated pavement. At US19 I turned right instead of going over a bunch of forest roads.

Somewhere on this very easy road I had another interesting occurrence. I was going at about 70 into a very easy right hander, and for some reason, probably looking the wrong way, messed up the corner entry and had to brake hard and then get back into the corner. Around the curve was a very slow pickup truck pulling a big equipment trailer and it was going about 25. Just like the LOL in Galax, if I had been going full speed ahead it would have been a lot more interesting. I know that not all of my flubs have such good endings, but this one was welcome after I saw that trailer.

After Blairsville route 19 was largely 4 lane, and good for making time. When I got to GA180 I headed over a very good mountain road to Suches, and then took GA60 back to GA9 and on into Dahlonega. This was the scenic cutoff that Pete Wells had recommended for my ride to Cruso and it was well worth the extra time. Surprisingly good mountain roads in what I thought was pretty flat country.

Dahlonega was an interesting town, and turned out to be the model for several other Georgia country towns. All roads seems to converge on the courthouse square, which is made up of very tiny streets. In every town the traffic pattern and signs varied, but invariably you had to make many stops and tight turns to go around two, three, or even four sides of the square.

The ride on to Roswell was uneventful, except for having the gas light on for the last 40 miles. I hit Roswell during evening rush, and had more stop and go traffic. The engine started making the knocking sound again. I must have gone about 15 miles in this traffic, and hadn't seen the Honda place. Of course there were no gas stations on my side once I decided I needed both gas and directions. I was well on my way to Atlanta before I got turned around. I had overshot by 12 miles. And, how was I to know that it was behind Sonny's Barbeque!

Finally I pulled into RFM at 15 minutes to 7. NO PROBLEM! I think they were just happy to get the bike back in one piece. The rental guy, Jon, was a bit interested in the radar detector, however. They didn't check miles, gas, condition, or anything. Total trip miles were 1612, which I think is very good for an easy seven day drive. Maybe a "Baby Butt"?

I even got an offer of a ride from Jon, if I would hang around until he closed up. I couldn't refuse as I really had no idea how I was going to handle my return to the airport. Jon brought out my bag, and I did a very quick unpack and repack. Jon was held up as he had to close a deal on a new BMW R850 sale. I spent the time looking at Beemers, a Royal Star (ugh!), and a Valkyrie. Eventually we got into his pickup and took off. He suggested the best thing would be to get a hotel near the Marta rapid transit stop, and I concurred. Turns out a Marriott is the closest, and I didn't balk at the $129 tarrif. I had probably saved well over $40 on taxis.

Also their hot tub was worth a lot of that for what it did for my tired bones. Yes, I did get the dreaded back ache for the last part of the last two or three days. However, I believe the Corbin helped a lot in almost totally eliminating butt ache, and maybe even helped on the arms, due to the lower seating position. I didn't have any wrist problems, like I have on my bike.

The next day, after a leisurely (and expensive) breakfast at the Marriott, they delivered me to the train station, and I took the $1.50 ride to the airport. Probably the best transit value in the US. I hung around the very nice Atlanta airport for hours as my flight was late. Then it was back in the air forever as I winged to Honolulu.

There I was picked up by my daughter and her friend and hauled off to their place for the weekend. That included a ride on his Intruder, which was a blast. Such a tiny thing compared to an ST, yet I think it's 1500 cc's. And of course I kept trying to put my feet back onto the pavement instead of out front on the easy rider pegs.

William L. Cruise                             cruiseXXX@cfht.hawaii.edu
Electronics System Supervisor                   FAX:    808 885-7288
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope                  Voice:  808 885-3122
P.O. Box 1597                     http://www.cfht.hawaii.edu/~cruise
Kamuela, HI   96743                              
STOC #94   '91 black  ST1100 "Cruise Missle"
STOC #xx   '91 silver ST1100 "Cruise Missle II"