petenomad's rally route

[petenomad]

Ann and I left Thursday morning from our home in Overland Park, KS. (Just outside of Kansas City) Our plan is to ride to Front Royal, VA to start at Skyline Drive and ride most of the Blue Ridge Parkway down to Maggie Valley. Given time constraints, we had to cover lots of ground in a hurry. We went 530 miles on Thursday and spent the night in Louisville, KY (5 states in one day - KS, MO, IL, IN, KY). We got a late start and I had forgotten about the time change, so it was 8:20 when we pulled into the Super 8.
Met lots of Harley riders as the KY state HOG rally opened yesterday right there in Louisville with the host hotel was just across the street. As usual, all the guys and gals we talked to were nice as could be. Saw some really nice bikes including "Olive" a nice green softail springer. I think all of these guys were amazed anyone could ride that far in one day.
We did about 500 miles again today. We stopped for the night in Staunton VA, about 80 miles south of Front Royal. We were very fortunate with the rain - only getting hit once, but we drove on a lot of pavement that was still damp. The zumo kept giving me warnings about rain and there were isolated storms. We saw some pretty strong lightning strikes and then the sky opened up on us. We had been riding on wet pavement and I had stupidly taken off the highway bar chaps due to the heat. My jeans were soaked and dripping into my boots just from the splatter off the pavement. When it did start raining we were absolutely drenched in less than 5 minutes. I was able to take an exit almost right away and get to a truck stop. As soon ase we pulled under the awning, the rain stopped. We just decided to have lunch and hope for the best. Luckily it worked out for us. We'll see about tomorrow.
We got to Staunton at around 7:00 tonight and were able to walk around the old downtown area and have an incredible dinner at a local bistro. (Chirizo and veal meatloaf is highly recommended - as is Port City Porter. Ann had some other stuff that she seemed to like. :) )
Now the ride to get to the ride is over and tomorrow starts the relaxing portion of our trip. We have a bit more interstate to get to Front Royal and then should get to enjoy Skyline Drive.
Looking forward to seeing the familiar faces and meeting new friends in MV on Monday.

[jesse]

Ride safe Glen, see you soon. Be careful, watch for animals and other bikes on the parkway, both can be dangerous.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

Sounds like a lot of miles in a short time. Thanks for keeping us posted. Be careful and enjoy.

[BudMan]

You two are really on the move. Glad to hear your to the relaxing part. See ya'll soon.

[Cajunrider]

Be careful Glenn and Ann. Your trek sounds like ours going to any KawaNOW event. They are always a long ride from home. See you guys Monday.

[ringadingh]

Five hundred mile days are pretty good, especially with a passenger. Ride safe and see you soon.

[Griz]

Glad you have made it to the fun part of your trip Glenn, keep us updated, ride safe and enjoy! Sure wish I was riding with you.

[petenomad]

Yesterday we made it up I-81 to Front Royal and pulled off to get gas. While we were fueling I noticed another Nomad sitting off to the side. Ann went and talked to him while I finished gassing up. Sure enough, we found another Kawanow member headed to the rally. Charlie was there waiting on his brother Rich, so we waited and joined them for a late breakfast. After lunch we headed down Skyline Drive. We made it about 50 miles before our good luck with the weather ran out completely. We had to pull over and wait it out for about 1/2 an hour - but we had plenty of company.
We got separated from Charlie and Rich, but knew where to meet up with them later. We headed out an finished the Skyline Drive. Charlie had told us there was fuel at the end, but we missed it. Then came the fun part of trying to find gas. My trusty zumo gave me some options. I chose one, but when we got to the turn it was 11 more miles on gravel, so we skipped that one and headed further. We found a spot that was on 56 highway (Talley River Turnpike). This turned out to be an extremely steep grade with lots of blind 20mph curves. Not really a great ride, but we needed the fuel and pushed on. When we got to the "gas station" it didn't even have pumps any more. We were in a small town and saw somebody getting in their truck so I pulled into their driveway. Ann hopped off and told them we needed fuel desperately. He said we were only a mile or two from 81 and there were lots of truck stops. We put 4.4 gallons in at a place we had fueled up the day before.
It was about 5:30 so we decided to head down the interstate to get to the Peaks of Otter lodge where Charlie and Rich were spending the night. Assuming that they were in front of us. There was also another pretty serious looking storm brewing and that looked like the best way to avoid. When we turned off the interstate to head back to the parkway, we saw some really ominous signs warning trucks and RVs to turn back and not to trust their GPS routes. :) They were not kidding. This was no place for trucks. We made it to the parkway and made it North to the lodge around 6:15. We had missed out on about 30 miles of parkway. :( But it was the best decision for us. The lodge had no cell service and no wifi so couldn't update last night.
When we got to the lodge Charlie and Rich hadn't checked in, but they made it in about an hour. They had also been caught in the rain and had to hunt for gas. We enjoyed a nice dinner with our new friends - but had different plans for Sunday and so we parted ways Sunday morning.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

You were lucky that you had enough gas to make it to the station. With the exception of the weather sounds like a great ride for the two of you.

[petenomad]

Yesterday we made it the 105 miles of Skyline drive and ended at mile marker 85 of BRP. Today, we ended up in Boone, NC.
The day started out with a bad omen. We had bought a new camera after our vacation last year and this morning it pushed the lens out, but got stuck somewhere along the line. We were definitely not going to finish this ride and the rally with no camera, so we packed this away to deal with at home and found a suitable replacement at a Wal Mart. We got back on the parkway and enjoyed terrific weather once again. We had lunch at the Mabry mill at mile marker 175. Of course, once we got about 3 or 4 miles down the road, it started looking cloudy again. We got the rain gear on and back on the road. Within a few miles, it was raining and today it really didn't stop.
We made it to the detour section and went into Sparta and Laurel Springs. (Whoever said those roads weren't good for motorcycles was just a bit more adventurous than me.) This was a pleasant little drive and still plenty of curves - and gave us a nice opportunity to refuel. We made it back to the parkway and the rain just wasn't letting up. We decided to call it a day and head for shelter. We found a nice Comfort Suites hotel in Boone and got a room with a whirlpool tub - Just what we needed after an unpleasant day. Don't get me wrong, the roads were good, the scenery was fantastic, but the weather was just too much.
Tomorrow, we'll skip the rest of the parkway and head to Asheville to tour the Biltmore before coming on to Maggie. We'll ride more of the parkway with the rally routes.
See ya'll tomorrow.

[revmrq]

Glen thanks for the updates.

[Griz]

Thanks for the daily reports Glenn, sorry you and Ann have had some problems with the weather. Please keep us updated.

[petenomad]

On our way home now. Went through Cherahola Skyway and onto Metropolis, IL (just past Paducah, KY). Pulled over just east of Nashville to put on the rain gear. the big stuff moved East of us before we got there and we ended up with just a few sprinkles. Should make it home tomorrow weather permiting - looks like thunderstorms in the forecast.

[AlabamaNomadRider]

Thanks for the updates. Hope you have pictures to post later. How many miles will you have covered when you get home?

[petenomad]

We are stuck at the hotel this morning - weather is nasty out there with thunderstorms and high winds (60mph). Hope to be able to leave around 10. Still 420 miles to go. By the time we get home we should have just over 3000 miles total.