Motorcycle Touring – Sights: Spectacular Roadside Waterfall in VA

Photo-Falling_spring-VA

Falling Spring on US 220 north of Covington, VA

Located about 4 miles north of Covington, Virginia, Falling Spring has been an attraction referenced as far back as Thomas Jefferson. It’s an easy to locate, well marked pull off on this curvy section of US 220 (a.k.a Sam Snead Highway).

Jackie and I passed through here Sunday on our motorcycle ride as we explored the wealth of great motorcycle roads west of the north end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s a popular rest stop for bikers who flock to ride this great section of US 220 north of Covington. After revisiting Sam Snead Highway I’ve decided it should be upgraded on my America Rides Maps. I currently show only the portion south from the falls as being a great ride, while in truth the entire section from VA 39 south is outstanding. As much as I’d like to give it my top rating, due to the traffic load I can only feel right listing it as a “Good Connector” road.

For the casual cruiser who’s just out to enjoy the ride through the spectacular scenic countryside it’s a superb motorcycle ride. For those looking for a more spirited approach to the twisty sections, of which there are plenty, you’ll want to ride this one during the off hours and preferably during the week.

This roadside waterfall and the surrounding great motorcycle rides in the area are found on map #1 of The Complete Blue Ridge Parkway 6 Map Series from America Rides Maps.

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Wayne Busch
Wayne Busch – Cartographer
– Wayne Busch lives in Waynesville, NC, where he produces the most detailed and comprehensive and up-to-date motorcycle pocket maps of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains to help you get the most of your vacation experience. See them here – AmericaRidesMaps.com 

Video Camera Survives Drop from Speeding Motorcycle

When my GoPro video camera falls off my motorcycle I find it in pieces –


http://youtu.be/euOYb-hkhew

I’ve been shooting a lot of video from my motorcycle recently to prepare for the launch of a new program where you can get short videos about motorcycle riding in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains delivered via email. It’s pretty cool, I think you’ll like it a lot. It’s something you choose to sign up for, and you can cancel it at any time. There’s no spam or advertising, no sharing your name or info, it’s all private and secure.

I’ll be featuring motorcycle friendly places to stay (especially those that offer you a discount), sharing some of my favorite Smoky Mountain motorcycle rides, telling you about great motorcycle products I’ve tested (like my GoPro HD video cameras, Liberty Sport Motorcycle Sunglasses, etc.) and showing you different sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway to help you plan your motorcycle vacation travels and make the best use of your precious motorcycle riding time.

Image - Smoky Mountain Rider

Smoky Mountain Motorcycle Rider - It's All Here

I’ve got 8 videos in the works now and plan to launch the Smoky Mountain Rider Motorcycle Video Ride Guide in about a week. (you can sign up for it now at www.smokymountainrider.com)

I’ll be doing a more thorough review of the GoPro Hero HD cameras in one of those videos, but if you want to know more about them now go to http://gopro.com/products/ . If you want to buy one, I urge you to get the motor sports package –  (not the helmet package), you’ll get more mounts for your bike.

I’m really excited about the Smoky Mountain Rider Motorcycle Video Ride Guide, I’ll be putting a lot of effort into bringing you the most useful info I can about motorcycle riding in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains. Go ahead and sign up now.

PS – I sent this video to GoPro and they’re sending me the part I lost at NO CHARGE!  They’ve have always provided me great service.

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Wayne Busch
Wayne Busch – Cartographer
– Wayne Busch lives in Waynesville, NC, where he produces the most detailed and comprehensive and up-to-date motorcycle pocket maps of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains to help you get the most of your vacation experience. See them here – AmericaRidesMaps.com 

Asheville Lodging Bargain for Blue Ridge Parkway Motorcycle Travelers

Photo - Courtyard Marriott Asheville

Courtyard Marriott - Asheville

Courtyard Marriott and SpringHill Suites in Asheville is offering motorcycle travelers a 20% DISCOUNT on your stay and all you’ve got to do is tell them I sent you! How cool is that?

Springhill Suites - Asheville

SpringHill Suites - Carrabbas between the two inns

You know what a difference it makes to stay in a nice, comfortable, clean and quiet place where you can decompress and relax when you’ve been piling on the miles. You’ll appreciate knowing there’s something good waiting for you in Asheville, an easy-to-find place you can count on for a quality experience that welcomes motorcycle riders like you.

Photo - Corporate at Marriott

Lynn Prater, John Zellers, Christy Shamp, Teresa Taylor sincerely want your motorcycle business

Marriott Hotels honestly want to serve the motorcycle traveler and show you a good time in one of the top destination cities in the southeast – Asheville, North Carolina. Just 5 minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway exit at US 70 just south of the Folk Art Center, it’s s straight shot and easy ride to outstanding and convenient accommodations.

Photo - View from the SpringHill Suites

View from the SpringHill Suites

Thank Sales Manager Christy Shamp for the favor. I met her at the Asheville Bikefest as she and her crew spent the long hours staffing a table next to mine promoting a charitable cause. We got to talking during our breaks and she was quite enthused about the motorcycle riders she was meeting at the event as well as the Yamaha factory crew they hosted at the SpringHill Suites. Christy’s corporate team was coming to town the following week and she asked if I’d come by and tell them about what I do.

Photo - Firepit at the Courtyard by Marriott

Firepit at the Courtyard by Marriott

So I spent a few minutes with corporate, toured both inns with Christy, and saw what they had to offer the motorcycle rider. I’m convinced they sincerely want your motorcycle business. Here’s what I found:

  • It’s barely 5 minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway and a straight shot to get there
  • Both the SpringHill Suites and Courtyard Marriott sit well back from the road away from the noise of the traffic. Nor does the back of them border the highway. It’s pretty quiet for such a good location on the edge of downtown.
  • Level paved secure easy parking – can accommodate trailers
  • There’s a Carabbas between the inns, a Starbucks, and plenty of great places to eat nearby.
  • It’s about 2 minutes to get on I-240 to scoot around the city and just as easy to get downtown to enjoy what makes Asheville such a popular destination.
  • Enjoy a nice view of the mountains on the horizon from your room, the pool, or the outdoor fire pit.
Photo - Parkway exit 70W

Use the US 70 West exit on the Blue Ridge Parkway and just follow the road.

Everyone I met was happy, enthusiastic, and accommodating which pretty much describes a visit to Asheville. It’s consistently in the top 5 US travel destinations and continues to win awards (Beer City USA 3 years in a row!). A presidential visit is no longer out of the ordinary, a few movie stars reside on the surrounding slopes, and the Blue Ridge Parkway hugs the east side of the city. In a word – it’s easy.

Here’s a strategy to try when you visit Asheville– ride downtown and find a place to park. Walk a block in any direction. You’ve most likely arrived at or passed some excellent dining. It’s hard to find a bad meal in Asheville and you don’t have to go far.

Courtyard by Marriott
SpringHill Suites by Marriott
phone: 828-252-5831
fax: 828-281-1069
email: ashevillessc@mckibbonhotels.com
www.courtyardasheville.com
www.springhillsuitesasheville.com

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Wayne Busch
Wayne Busch – Cartographer
– Wayne Busch lives in Waynesville, NC, where he produces the most detailed and comprehensive and up-to-date motorcycle pocket maps of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains to help you get the most of your vacation experience. See them here – AmericaRidesMaps.com 

 

Riders Roost Restaurant – Motorcycles stop here on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Image - Riders Roost Restaurant sign

Riders Roost Restaurant - watch for this sign

Joanne finally got the new Riders Roost Restaurant signs up after a car took out the old ones on the icy winter roads leading down from the Blue Ridge Parkway at Soco Gap (US 19) near Maggie Valley (LINK TO MAP). Just a little more than a mile downhill from the Blue Ridge Parkway exit heading east, the Riders Roost Restaurant offers the motorcycle traveler and good meal in a beautiful setting convenient to your travels.

I’d hoped to catch Joanne in the kitchen, but with such outstanding weather over the weekend, she was out on her Harley enjoying it like the rest of us. Can you blame her?

Photo-Riders-Roost-Restaurant

Riders Roost Restaurant - Great food, Great view, Great location

I highly recommend you grab a nice bite to eat and maybe a cold brew on the back porch with it’s commanding view of the mountains. It’s one of my favorite places when the fall colors come, they’re spectacular from the porch.

In addition to the Riders Roost Restaurant, Joanne has her Fireside Cottages available just downhill. Such a nice package – a great place to stay with good food  just minutes from the best section of the Blue Ridge Parkway surrounded by more outstanding motorcycle riding. What could be better?

Photo - motorcycles at the Riders Roost Restaurant

Biker friendly Riders Roost Restaurant is obviously the place to be!

Riders Roost Restaurant

Fireside Cottages

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Wayne Busch
Wayne Busch – Cartographer
– Wayne Busch lives in Waynesville, NC, where he produces the most detailed and comprehensive and up-to-date motorcycle pocket maps of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains to help you get the most of your vacation experience. See them here – AmericaRidesMaps.com 

Motorcyclists – Help Support the Blue Ridge Parkway with Bling

Image from Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation - http://brpfoundation.org

End-to-Ender decal - get yours online when you've made your ride. I'll be shipping them as a bonus with BRP orders as long as they last

I enjoyed lunch yesterday with Houck Medford from the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. He’s a great guy with ties to Waynesville – where I live. We talked about the Blue Ridge Parkway of course, as well as local hiking and motorcycle related subjects. Houck had seen my post about my “Blue Ridge Parkway in a Day” motorcycle ride, and sent me my End-to-End Rider packet. It contained a nice certificate, a pin, a decal for my bike, info and stories. I was impressed and glad to have it.

If you’ve made an end-to-end ride of the Blue Ridge Parkway you too can get your package by filling out the form here – http://brpfoundation.org/end-to-end/ . Leave your story, read of others travels, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation web site has a lot of good info.

Ok, so the pin is not what you’d call “hefty bling”, though North Carolina motorcycle riders and Blue Ridge Parkway enthusiasts can get a Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation license plate for your ride and/or car and help support the good work of the foundation.  It’s so easy, you do it online right from this link –http://brpfoundation.org/tag-program/

Houck wants you to help support the Parkway, share your stories and enthusiasm, and has given me a supply of end-to-end Blue Ridge Parkway rider decals which I’ll be shipping with every Blue Ridge Parkway Series map order as a bonus for as long as they last.

Image from Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation - http://brpfoundation.org

Blue Ridge Parkway License Plates available for your car or bike and easy to order online.

Hmm, Jackie’s bike is due, this might just make a very nice gift!

Show you appreciation at http://brpfoundation.org/

PS – don’t leave home without your America Rides Maps – ride the Blue Ridge Parkway and much, much more. Free decals with orders.

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Wayne Busch

Wayne Busch - Cartographer

 

– Wayne Busch lives in Waynesville, NC, where he produces the most detailed and comprehensive and up-to-date motorcycle pocket maps of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains to help you get the most of your vacation experience. See them here – AmericaRidesMaps.com

 

Motorcycle Touring the Blue Ridge Parkway in One Day – What was it Like?

On Thursday I rode the Blue Ridge Parkway on my motorcycle from the start at Waynesboro, Virginia, 469 miles to the southern end at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. As I progressed I paused to snap photos and posted them on Facebook and Twitter. Here’s a recap of the experience;

Photo - sign at start of Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway starts where the Skyline Drive ends near Waynesboro, Virginia.

I chose to start at the north end as I knew I’d need to leave at daybreak. The morning fog has been so heavy at the southern end I didn’t want to chance it slowing me down or making for pictures of nothing but white mist. I spent the previous night in Richmond and left before 5 AM to make the 1 1/2 hour ride to Waynesboro in the darkness.

Photo - sign at the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia

I took these photos the previous day as I expected it would be too dark to take them on the actual trip. I was right.

I fueled up in Waynesboro, grabbed a cup of coffee and a pack of doughnuts to sustain me, and headed on my way. It would be the last time I stopped to eat or drink. 469 miles is a long way at the 45 mph speed limit. I had no time to waste. At least that was my attitude early on.

Photo - morning at the lake on Otter Creek

The sun comes up at the lake on Otter Creek. Easy ride so far.

I had the road to myself in the early morning twilight. Within a few minutes I’d seen both deer and turkey. The road starts a gradual climb to elevation here though nothing like the heights reached further south. With no other traffic on the road, my speed crept up a bit, something I’d fight the remainder of the trip. As you get comfortable and into the rhythm of the road, the temptation to take things at your more comfortable pace is always there taunting you. Knowing how far I had left to go didn’t help.

Photo - Above the clouds approaching Roanoke

I paused at this overlook to top up on oil, lube what was left of the chain, and take a few moments to savor the views I was rushing by.

I was also facing the challenge of not knowing if my chain would last the trip. It was already shot before I left, adjusted to the end of the swingarm, far beyond the normal limit. It now sagged precariously and was making noises that had me wondering when it would snap. I’d never seen a chain smoke when lubed before, and I took advantage of opportunities to slather it with lubricant whenever my concerns peaked. I prayed it would not jump the sprockets when carving through a turn and catapult me into a rock face or over a precipice.

Photo - me and my bike along the Blue Ridge Parkway

A fellow biker snapped this photo of me at a rest stop. Riding from Florida to Maine and back, he and his wife were enjoying the parkway on their return.

Traffic remained surprisingly light through the morning with few holdups to pass slower vehicles. I watched the parkway wake up, the rangers and maintenance crews come to work and start their labors. Finding cell phone coverage to post my photos was always a challenge. You never know when it will be available, sometimes there in what looks like the most unlikely spots, other times absent where you think it should be a strong signal.

Photo - near Doughton Park

By mid morning there were plenty of other motorcycles on the road. This photo was taken somewhere near Doughton Park.

My first stop for gas necessitated a detour into Floyd, VA. Knowing where the nearest gas stations are is one reason I map the area so throughly. You can waste a lot of time looking for them if you don’t know which way to go. While in Floyd I popped in for a minute to see Derek at the Hotel Floyd, one of my favorite places to stay.

Photo - Historic cabin on the Blue Ridge Parkway

There are a few historic cabins along the road in southern Virginia.

As I crossed into North Carolina and entered the high mountains I knew cell phone coverage would be much more limited. The curves tightened up bit and the road was often wet from spotty showers. It would be another day with temps approaching near 100 in the valleys, but at elevation things remained tolerable so long as I was moving. I somehow avoided all but a slight peppering of rain which felt wonderful at the time.

Photo - Grandfather Mountain

Passing Grandfather Mountain I felt I was back on home turf though still a long, long way to go.

Delays had been brief so far, and I planned my next fuel stop to coincide with a quick stop to say hello at the Switzerland Inn in Little Switzerland, one of my favorite places to eat or overnight. I fueled up in Spruce Pine. It was tempting to get a good meal, but I forced myself to press on. The real hold ups came as I approached Asheville. Tree crews and road construction caused significant delays and I hit the “commuter section” during evening rush hour.

Photo - French Broad River Overlook

It was a great relief to finally cross the French Broad River southwest of Asheville and begin the climb to the highest and most scenic section of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The sun was drawing near the horizon as I carved my way along the high ridge tops of the section of the Blue Ridge Parkway I consider my back yard. Thunderheads lurked and the road was wet in places, but my luck continued.

Photo - at the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Reaching the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I knew there was less than 40 miles to go to reach my goal.

I reached the southern end of the 469 mile ride with daylight to spare and took a pause at the Oconoluftee Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I grabbed a few photos but found the battery was now dead on my cell phone. Here they are now –

Photo - start of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina

The Southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Oconoluftee Visitor Center.

While my Blue Ridge Parkway in a day adventure was completed, I still needed to get home. Noting the evening traffic, I chose to avoid going into Cherokee and got back on the Blue Ridge Parkway now headed in the opposite direction. I rode through to Soco Gap, then passed through Maggie Valley to finally get to my home in Waynesville.

Photo - sign at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway

Go through Cherokee or back the way I'd come? I chose to return home via the Blue Ridge Parkway of course.

My chain lasted the trip. My rear tire is bald. It’s time for some service on the engine. New parts are on order and it will take this week to get the bike roadworthy again. Next week? I might just poke into east Tennessee. I’ve too long ignored the area between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville. If I can locate at least a dozen good rides there it will warrant a new motorcycle pocket map. I discovered some great roads along the Virginia / West Virginia border on this trip, several of which will be added to existing America Rides Maps. It will take a few more trips north to determine how the map of that region will lay out but it will come. For now, it’s catch up on the work I left, update the existing maps with the new rides I discovered, and make preparations for the roads ahead.

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America Rides Maps – the best motorcycle pocket maps money can buy

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Wayne Busch

Wayne Busch - Cartographer

 

– Wayne Busch lives in Waynesville, NC, where he produces the most detailed and comprehensive and up-to-date motorcycle pocket maps of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains to help you get the most of your vacation experience. See them here – AmericaRidesMaps.com