I have finally returned from the four day excursion to that foreign land known as western North Carolina. Not being a mountain person I get homesick real quick. My preference is to enjoy them from a distance. That said, though, the enjoyment level was high this time. We stayed at the San Ran Motel in Robbinsville, NC. The photos make it look cleaner than it is. [cough] It must have been built in the 1950s. Upon closer inspection it's obvious the owners never spent a dime on renovations or extensive cleaning. The town has bupkis by way of entertainment or eating establishments and Graham county is "dry". Next time we'll stay in Franklin or perhaps Cherokee where all the grownups are. Much more to do there.
My husband is a member of an on-line forum for CB-1100 owners. One day, these fine specimens of human kind all decided it would be grand to meet at The Dragon and hang out together for a few days. That's what brought us to the area.
Yep, that's me in the forefront! On May 28th I rode the Tail Of The Dragon At Deals Gap and lived to talk about it. My 2012 Suzuki V-Strom DL650 carried me many treacherous, nail-biting, butt puckerin' miles last week. Steve, of course, was on his red 2013 Honda CB-1100. The photo on the left shows Steve (yellow helmet) keeping an eye on my performance. After the grueling 11 miles which turned into 30 minutes or so traversing repeated switchbacks, blind curves and slow Harley's, our group stopped at a now forgotten rest area to compare notes. Steve stated that I rode like a champ. Thankfully, he didn't see the hard save I did about 10 minutes into the journey where I came perilously close to going over the edge with a sheer drop. The Dragon almost claimed another victim! I'm just thankful I wear clean underwear after that little "moment".
The link to all the vacation photos above have just been uploaded. It may take me several days to label them all. But for now, enjoy! I'll be around to visit everyone's blogs soon.
I hope you have a fantastic week.
Sounds like a great holiday on motor bikes. I must admit, I have always been frightened of bikes. Tried to learn to ride when young with little success. The bike ran away from under my legs and left me standing there !!!
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Loved seeing your photos. Looks like you guys had nice weather. The mountain views and clear streams are beautiful. I'm like you though; I get homesick quickly!
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh..that sounds way too, too exciting for me! Glad that you're still with us!
ReplyDelete@Victor ~ Aren't you glad you didn't hang onto the bike!? That could have ended badly.
ReplyDelete@Mildred ~ The weather was pleasant in the mountains. It was hard to come home to all the heat and bugs.
@Vee ~ I do need to keep that kind of excitement down to a minimum. Taking that kind of risks at my age, and with my (lack of) skill level, this could eventually bite me in the tookus. *wink*
Thanks for stopping by! ~:)
Glad you have your computers back!
ReplyDeleteYea!!
And, thankful you had a safe drive on Deal's Gap. That Dragon Tail is a doooozy
My hubby rode it on his bike. Quite an experience!
We have a home-away-from-home in Western NC in Waynesville. I don't know if you've been there, but we love it there. We will be headed there in a few weeks.
So glad that you had a nice trip.
Sending smiles to you!
Jackie
Wish you had a gopro video of that ride! I'd love to do that on a closed road on my recumbent bike...
ReplyDeleteIt is good to see you back here and glad the computers are up and running again. I am your exact opposite - I LOVE the mountains and wish I had a log cabin hanging off of one of the brows. The pictures are great, but sorry the location wasnt the best. I love Franklin and all that area. It has been a few years since we were there, but every time we go, I continue to beg for a cabin! No go, and now we are too old and feeble to move. I admire you for riding the bikes....I am terrified when I see someone riding, and just pray they dont have a wreck...silly girl I am!
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, the Dragon...been there, done that. I am glad you made it back safe and sound. Blessings
ReplyDeleteI'd be lost without my laptop and can remember when I first got this one when it crashed and they had to take it away from a week. It was as though my whole world had fallen apart! Glad you are back up to speed again, and that includes the bike! I've taken a look at your link and this looks like so much fun. I've never been on a bike can you believe!! Enjoy the rest of your week xx
ReplyDelete@Jackie ~ I didn't know your hubby rode! Way cool. Yeah, the "Dragon" is a doozy. So is US Hwy 28 leading into Franklin. We drove that one pulling the trailer. Yowza.
ReplyDelete@Monkeywrangler ~ I just remember, one of the Forum riders from Austrailia had his GoPro. I should ask if I can take a peek. They won't be back to the Land Of Oz for another week.
@Linda E ~ You're not silly. You're SMART! Sometimes I wonder about my sanity. *giggle* And I agree, Franklin is nice. It's not quite so mountainous there.
@Simply Linda ~ Didn't you feel like a survivor at the end?! I know I did. *grin*
@Chel ~ Riding is loads of fun but I think there may something about having too much "adventure". My reflexes are not as quick as when I was young. Don't wanna overwork my guardian angel.
Thanks everyone. Have a blessed day. ~:)
I'm trying to catch up with you. Sounds like fun and I'd love to visit some of those CLEAN 1950 motels with the blinking vacancy signs:)
ReplyDeleteWhoa. A dry county in a mountain retreat? Sounds like Shawshank! Keep the tires on the pavement Sparky!
ReplyDeleteButt puckers are great for lifting the rear! Looks like a great trip! My Harley buddy would take serious offense though at ur "slow" comment -LOL!
ReplyDelete@White Lace ~ I wish it had been clean too. Next time it's a Motel chain all the way. Hope the move is going well and thanks for leaving such kind comments on the photos. Always good to hear from you Bonnie!
ReplyDelete@DaBlade ~ Yeah, I know ... DRY!!?? Those mountain people ... well, don't want to offend anyone, but having kin there it explains a LOT! *giggle*
@Loralu ~Sorry, but it's true. Don't wish to hurt anyone's feelings so this is said with a smile, H-D's are always in the way or too loud. That's why I call them "Hardly Goes At All's". [Just being funny.]
Y'all have a splendid rest of the day! ~:)
Nice work, Sparky. I enjoyed meeting you and Steve in NC.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the photos; there are some good ones there. You both looked in fine form on the Dragon.
@Cormanus ~ OMGoodness, I feel like a celebrity visited my little virtual world. Thank you for the kind comment. I'm humbled. And by the way, I'm following you now on Blogger, so, you lazy git, need to start posting again! *lol* We are all enthralled by your writings. Maybe we can all meet again soon. [Steve sez "Howdy"] God bless from SE Georgia. ~:)
ReplyDelete@Sparky ~ I dunno who's the celebrity here. You're a much more active blogger than me. Follow away, but I've no plans to blog much other than the reports I write for the CB1100 Forum; I don't think I'm cut out to be a political blogger!
ReplyDeleteGive my best to Steve. I'm a big fan of old and crumbling barns and houses.