SPYDER TRIP DAY 5

 “…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

                                                                        SPYDER TRIP DAY 5

After a trip like this I often reflect on the beauty and the solitude.

    The last day of the trip. Sad. But by this time I’m missing home, the family, my pets. The issue here is that I was probably going to run into rain…and I did. The objective today was just to get home, but to make the ride as pleasant as possible. I decided to get right on I 81 from Roanoke and shoot up to Stevens City where I could cut over to US 340, take that to Fredrick. Then up US 15 for a little bit to MD 26 to Eldersburg and then on the route I’ve memorized to get around Baltimore. 

    I slept in today, causing me to not get on the road until 7:45 ( instead of 7:30! ). It was a beautiful morning in Roanoke. From the hotel I got on I 581 and took it to I 81 north. Very different ride than I had experienced over the last 4 days. On the way down I did not ride an interstate highway at all. Today I rode around 165 miles from Roanoke up to Stephen’s City. Constant 70 mph plus, sometimes with sprints higher to get away from or in front of traffic. For the most part I 81 is a 4 lane highway, although there are some stretches of 6 lane highway. In the state of Virginia on a 6 lane highway they designate the right lane as the slow vehicle lane, the center lane as the travel lane, and the left lane as the passing lane. No commercial vehicles, except busses are allowed in the left lane. On a 4 land highway all bets are off. As a result when trucks need to pass slower trucks they can be in the left lane for 1, 2, or even 3 miles, usually only going a few mph faster than the trucks they are passing. The result of this is a back up of traffic until the passing truck pulls back into the right lane. I try to anticipate this situation and get in front of the truck before it pulls out. Sometimes I am not successful!

    Initially things went well. I rode with traffic from Roanoke to Harrisonburg with no problems. I often try to find a “gap” in the traffic where I am between groups of cars, riding with the cruise control on, with no vehicles near me to the front or behind me. This is the safest place to ride. As I approached Harrisonburg the sky ahead was darkening. It was apparent that I was riding into rain, and did so just after I passed Harrisonburg. Rain began appearing on the windshield, and I looked for an overpass to pull over to put on my rain pants. Some years ago I realized the riding jackets and coats should be waterproof. How waterproof are jackets, boots, gloves etc I don’t know. I have often been disappointed, but if the gear works well it take little or no time to get ready for rain. In this case by jacket and boots were supposed to be waterproof so I only had to put on rain pants. As I was putting them on a guy on a Harley pulled up behind me to put on his rain gear. He had not wind shield or other protection on his bike. The Spyder did a great job of giving me protection, with my boots getting little or no rain on them. The fellow on the Harley had a more difficult ride through the rain than I did!

    The rain was with me from just above Harrisonburg almost to Frederick MD. I was totally out of it as  rode through Frederick on US 15. Then I got on MD 26 just north of Frederick, rode that through Libertytown MD to Eldersburg where I had lunch at a Chili’s. Then I began the circuitous journey through the Maryland countryside, through Finksburg, Fowblesburg, Hempstead, Hereford, Jarrettsville, Forest Hill until I met US 1. US 1 north across the Conowingo dam to Nottingham PA. Then back roads home. In all it was a great trip. The bike performed flawlessly, was great in the rain, as well  as LOTS of fun on the curvy BRP. A 5 day trip, not a whole lot of miles on any day, and, generally, very good weather. At this time the next trip I am planning is to Montana, and Wyoming, probably in September on the Gold Wing. In the meantime lots of local riding on different bikes every day. Tomorrow, on Father’s Day, we are going to my daughter’s house where her husband’s family is up visiting from Florida. There are going to be about 7 children there, so I am planning on taking my sidecar rig so I can give kids rides around the neighborhood. Should be a fun day!

My older daughter on a trip at age 7.

This is on the BRP at the Virginia/ North Carolina border. 

Note her tedddy bear, Sonny, that she still has to this day!

SPYDER TRIP DAY 4

“…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

                                                                SPYDER TRIP DAY 4

Back up on the BRP before 9 AM

    After looking at a map I decided to take US 221 out of Boone to US 21, through Sparta to the BRP. Once US 221 leaves US 421 it becomes a better ride. Some of it is 4 lane, but much of it is a twisty two lane road with many curves, many of which are not well signed. What this means is that the speed limit may be 50 or 55, but if you are not paying attention you may find yourself coming into many corners “too hot”. You need to pay attention.

Looking over the seat into the hazy morning sun

    

    Once on the BRP off of US 21 the ride becomes sublime. It is unfortunate that the BRP is closed in places because you could spend a week of days riding this excellent road somewhat in isolation. On this trip I found traffic generally light, especially as I have gotten on the road each day of the trip by 7:30. I don’t ride at extremely high speeds on the BRP, but I do ride at a pace that is somewhat challenging. The focus becomes how well you can “operate” the machine, what gear you are in going into turns, your line through the turns, and when to roll on the power exiting the turn. Lots of fun.

Historical marker just before the Virginia border.

    I timed it so that I could have lunch once again at the Lakeview Restaurant MM 200 in Fancy Gap VA. Back on the road by 12:30. I had plenty of time to ride 75 miles to my exit for Roanoke. I found an overlook around MM 150 to take an afternoon break, during which I finished the book I was reading. A leisurely ride of around 25 miles was left, during which I saw the only two Park Rangers of the trip. As I descended into the Roanoke River valley the temperature, and the humidity, rose significantly. I pulled into a gas station to fill up and saw I had ridden 187 miles today. I took off the long sleeve shirt I was wearing for the 10 minute ride to the hotel. Checked in by 3:15, watched a movie, some news, planned to go out for dinner around 7 PM. Tomorrow will be utilitarian, as was the first day of the trip. The first 1 1/2 hours will be on the Interstate from Roanoke up to Stephen’s City where I will get on US 340 and navigate to Fredrick MD, and then onto my route circumventing Baltimore. There will be some very good riding tomorrow, through the Maryland horse country around Baltimore. As nice as some of the ride will be, it won’t be the BRP!

An overlook just before Roanoke that features a classic primitive log cabin

SPYDER TRIP DAY 3

 “…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

                                                    Spyder Trip Day 3

Morning stop on the BRP

    The ride from Roanoke to Boone should be an all day ride on the BRP. Unfortunately that is not what happened. The day started out well, again on the road by 7:30 or so, with temps in the low 60s to high to mid 50s. I had the perfect gear along so I was comfortable. Early on I had the heated grips and seat on low for a while, but soon shut them off. As with most motorcycles (trikes?) you need to ride them for several days to understand how they perform in various situations. As odd as the Spyder looks it handles quite well. If you use all of the “gears” it can move right along. What this means is that I spent most of the morning rolling along “quite well,” enjoying the curvy road. My morning stop was around MM 210, which allowed me to go back to MM 200 for lunch at the Lake View Restaurant ( I have yet to see a lake any where around it!). This is a place where the locals eat, and it’s not gourmet. Mostly I enjoy listening to the people talk, getting a feel for life in that area. The food is okay.

The first time this Spyder has crossed the NC-VA border

    After lunch the plan was to ride to around MM 260 and find an overlook. What happened instead is that the BRP was closed around MM 230. I followed the detour the rest of the afternoon until I got within 10 miles of Boone ( my destination! ). I got back up on the BRP, and found an overlook to relax, read, and enjoy the view. I bet the detour took an hour, and the ride was not fun. GRRRRR…

Afternoon break…enjoying the journey

      Out to dinner at a restaurant I’ve been going to for over 30 years, The Peddler. After dinner back to the hotel to do my blog, and think about the ride back to Roanoke tomorrow. I don’t want to follow that detour again. I looked at the map and I think I’ll ride US 421east until it meets I 77, then north until I get off and go to Fancy Gap. From then north on the BRP to Roanoke. Fingers crossed!                                                     

Spring 2023 Spyder Trip Day 2

“…it’s about the journey, not the destination…”

                                                                 Spring Spyder Trip Day 2

MM 88 Skyline Drive…VERY different weather day 2

    I slept well last night, but woke up at 6:30, excited for today’s ride. On the road by 7:40 it was a little chilly with temps in Harrisonburg in the mid 60s. That meant it was going to be in the mid to upper 50s up on the mountain. 

At an overlook with the curving road north in the background 

    I did run into some construction on Skyline Drive as they were repaying it, but only delayed 15 minutes or so. When I got to the end of Skyline Drive it was around 10:30 so I rode down to Waynesboro for lunch. After lunch I rode back up to the entrance of the Blue Ridge Parkway and started south. The exit for Roanoke VA that I like is around MM 125, so I decided to start looking for a place to stop and read around the 65 MM.

Yet another beautiful view, in this case eastward from the BRP

    I stopped and read for a while, enjoying the weather and the day. Back on the road by 2:30 I arrived in Roanoke by 4 PM. The total mileage for the day was around 211, and I had just gone on reserve. Stopping for gas I put a little over 5 gallons in the tank, which has a 7 gallon capacity. Checking the mileage the bike got 39.4 mpg. Not bad for a bike that weighs over 1000 lbs, and has 3 wheels. Checked into my room, had a nice dinner, now relaxing in my room. Tomorrow is going to be one of the best motorcycle rides in the east: MM 125- MM 290 to Broone North Carolina. Can’t wait!

                                               

 “…it’s about the journey, not the destination…

                                                        SPYDER GET AWAY JUNE 2023

2012 Can Am Spyder Limited

     I have been very remiss in not keeping up with this blog. No excuses. Lots of stuff goes on in everybody’s life. Of motorcycle note I bought a 2012 Can Am Spyder in 2020 since, at 70 years old, I wanted to ensure that I could keep riding. The bike was pretty clean, but it show signs that it hadn’t always gotten the best of care. When I bought it I put aside $4,000 to get the bike “in shape.” Over the next two years I put a lot more into it than that, and the bike was often in the shop. The last time I put it in for repairs my dealer told me they were not going to work on this generation any more because they often needed repair and it was becoming very difficult to get parts. Not good news!

2021 Can Am Spyder Limited

    Late December 2022 I went to the shop to see how the repairs on my bike were going. The head mechanic, Joe ( a GREAT guy! ) said he wanted to show me something. They had a 2021 Spyder with a custom paint job that they were going to put on the internet, and were willing to make a deal because of the paint job. The bike had 6,200 miles on it and, other that the “art work” was in excellent shape. I went home that night and told my wife about the 2021, and she said why don’t you tell them you’re interested. Long story short they gave me a decent trade in on my 2012 Spyder and on January 12 2023 I bought the 2021! I’ve put over 4,000 miles on it since then.

Skyline Drive on a damp day

    Back in April I was supposed to go on the annual Spring Trip with my college roommates, but instead ended up in the hospital for a week. DON’T ASK!!! The result of this I never got to ride my “new” Spyder on the Blue Ridge Parkway…hence the current trip. I left home this morning at 7:30 and did not run into rain until Warrenton VA where I had lunch. Discretion being the better part of valor I stayed on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge on US 15, to US 29 until it crossed US 33, which goes over the Blue Ridge to Harrisonburg VA. I did get to go up on the Skyline Drive for about 4 miles until I ran into some more rain. Again showing my maturity I turned around, rode back to US 33, and rode into Harrisonburg and my hotel for the night. Currently at 7:27 PM it is sunny with blue skys! Should be a great next few days.