Skyline drive and Blue Ridge Parkway

[v0lusia]

Well, I pulled out of central MA Saturday 5/30 at about 6AM for a run down south. Three other bikes in the pack. We rode down to the start of Skyline Drive (500+) miles Saturday. We rode Skyline and part of the Blue Ridge Sunday, stayed in Roanoke. Rode the Blue Ridge all day Monday down to Asheville NC. Had dinner with one of the guy's daughter. Rode on to McCormick SC (on the SC/GA border). Hung out for a couple of days and rode back home. 2700 miles, 7 days, lots of beer

+++++ pluses


* Skyline was very nice but I liked Blue Ridge better
* 200+ miles Monday morning before lunch and we counted only 11 cars on the road, more deer than cars, but we had the road to ourselves.
* I put on Avon Cobra's a week or two before leaving, I liked the tires a lot
* Good friends, great bikes, good beer

----- minuses
* Almost got taken out by a green SUV that was on my side of the double yellow as I was making a run through one of the hairpin turns on the BRP
* Rode 600+ miles in the rain over 2 of the 3 days coming home

[Yellow Jacket]

Except for the two minuses, that sounds like a great trip. I still am looking forward to riding the BRP.

[lw]

sounds like a great trip. Pictures?

[skeeter]

even with the rain, I'm jealous.

[oldbikers]

Bob when you get ready to ride the Blue Ridge give me a yell if the good Lord is willing and I have some money I'll ride with you. http://s2.images.proboards.com/cheesy.gif

[VulcanE]

Summer before last, the wife and I rode up to Front Royal Va. Got on Skyline drive, and rode it and the BRP all the way back to Cherokee NC. It was an awesome, and beautiful ride. We only had one minus, when we got home, my rear tire was worn out, and there were little pieces of the rubber stuck to everything surrounding the rear tire. The pavement on the BRP just ate it up.

[ringadingh]

The Blue Ridge Pkwy is another one of those places I'll just have to get to some day. Everyone whos been says it a good ride. I'll have to make the time someday soon.

[classic1]

Both are nice rides but I prefer the BRP also. I live where the Skyline Drive ends and BRP begins. Not a bad place to live.

[nomad561]

We rode Skyline Dr and the BRP in 07 and loved every minute of it. Daytrips to the Parkway are frequent in our house.We never get tired of riding up there.
We went camping in Cherokee this past week and rode the BRP,the Dragon and all through the Smokies. Great riding. First time taking the Nomad on the Dragon.(I have most of my floorboards left)

[jesse]

BRP is a beautiful ride. I would engourage everyone to go, just be careful of the other drivers.

[watchman]

I must concur with Jesse, Liz and I rode the BRP and Skyline drive a couple of years ago and it was one of the most relaxing and beautiful rides we was ever on. If you have not been on the parkway and get a chance to go ride it, please for your sake, don't pass it up!

Short story: The BRP has lots of stone retaining walls right along the road. Liz was leading and as we rode around a curve there was a squirrel running away from us on the wall. Just as Liz got to the squirrel he jumped across her path into the road. One or two more seconds and Liz would have had a BRP squirrel in her lap. Magic things would have then taken place! I get the giggles thinking about it.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

I definitely want to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway. Yellow Jacket maybe you and I could get up a trip over it sometime. I haven't ridden the Nachez Trace Parkway but drove it at night. Not a good drive at night, too many animals and no gas to be had on the Trace.

[04kaw1500]

The BRP thats my dream ride mybe some day. Have any of you guys ever been to little sturgis ky ? It's about 90 miles from where I live and I hav'nt been there yet .The wife said if i want to see ta-tas and act like a ass I can do that at home.

[bobhamlin]

Summer before last, the wife and I rode up to Front Royal Va. Got on Skyline drive, and rode it and the BRP all the way back to Cherokee NC. It was an awesome, and beautiful ride. We only had one minus, when we got home, my rear tire was worn out, and there were little pieces of the rubber stuck to everything surrounding the rear tire. The pavement on the BRP just ate it up.

That's very interesting. Angie and I did the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Pkwy 2 years ago. (Highly recommend to anyone)

Shortly after I got back, I noticed that my back tire was near bald. I remember thinking that I had been kind of foolish to take such a long trip (we went on to TN, KY, OH and back) with such little rubber.

It never would have dawned on me that I would have lost that much rubber on a single road, but it had to have been. Thanks for helping to clear up one of my mysteries.

[Jared]

I took a trip back east earlier in the summer and the blue ridge highway was the best riding I've ever experience.