RA Rally 2013

This year I went to the RA Rally (BMW Riders Association) that was held on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. I wanted to go for many reasons - great riding, lovely spot for a rally and I lived in Asheville for a year without a motorcycle so it was redemption time. I contacted my friend Nancy in New Jersey asking her if she would come along for the ride. She said yes. Fun and exciting.

Posing on the Taconic, NY

With a loaded Blackie I headed out from my home to Nancy's house in southern New Jersey. I took the long and scenic way as long as I could. The Taconic, the Bear Mountain and the Palisades. Then it started to get late and I jumped on the Jersey turnpike. Yuck! But sometimes you got to do what you got to do. It was dark by the time I arrived at Nancy's.

The next morning we set out early to try and beat Baltimore traffic. It wasn't too bad and we stopped somewhere in western PA for breakfast before heading to the Shenandoah's and the Skyline Drive. It was humid but overcast. We had most of the skyline drive to ourselves and we were not successful in keeping to the speed limit. So many turns, twists, curves and one more breathtaking view after another. We drove through fog and mist but were rewarded with sunshine and blue skies on the other side. We logged close to 500 miles that day and treated ourselves to a hotel room, dinner and a nice glass of wine before hitting the pillow.

Nancy and I on the Skyline Drive, VA

After a good nights rest and breakfast it was time to hit the road again. Besides a bad decision on my part, thinking we would have a good windy road but instead it lead us through a town with traffic congestion, we had some great riding and very little traffic. In the early afternoon we rolled in to Asheville and the BMW dealer where registration was set up. Nancy was pre-registered, I was not. Everything was quick and shortly thereafter we were at one of the fields on the Biltmore Estate setting up our tents. It was hot and humid. The cold beer tasted very good. We had separate plans for the evening. I was meeting up with a former co-worker (actually, my former boss) at her house. Too my delight and surprise she had gathered a few of the girls I used to work with as well and it was a nice evening. It has been five years since I lived in Asheville and worked with them but t was like no time had passed by.

I hardly ever sleep well the first night camping and this was no exception. Felt a little sluggish when I got up and a few cups of coffee later I was human again. My day was going to be a ride over to the Tail of the Dragon and I was meeting up with Dave, a fellow Yankee Beemer member. We took the highway for a bit and then got on the Moonshiner (route 28). It was a rewarding ride with a great road full of twists, curves, hills and valleys. Not to mention some of the views. Only twice did we have to pass some slow pokes.

I ain't afraid of no Dragon - US 129, NC/TN

We arrived at Deals Gap. There was more chrome than one could count. And lots of white sneakers and cut off t-shirts. After a quick stop at the store and some photos it was time to "Slay the Dragon". 318 curves over 11 miles. Yew-haw! It was more fun than I can explain and such an adrenaline rush. At one point we passed a whole bunch of bikers and left them in the dust. Everyone had warned me that when you come out on the straight there are usually cops. Sure enough they were sitting there waiting. Luckily we were doing the speed limit then... After a stop by the lake there was no debate, we were doing it again in the opposite direction. This time it was even more fun and feeling much more comfortable I really let loose. Whoa! All I can say is that 11 miles has never felt so short! We rode back to Asheville and got to the Biltmore just in time for the rally closing ceremonies. In all the haste I had forgotten my door prize ticket so I have no idea if I was one of the winners. Oh well. After a nice evening I crashed as soon as the head hit the pillow.

Blue Ridge Parkway, NC

Nancy and I were parting ways as she was going to see her nephew and I wanted to ride part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. After a quick tour of the Gardens at the Biltmore Dave and I rode together for part of the way until he had an "oopsie" and dropped his bike in a parking lot and then we parted ways too. I decided to ride all the way home in one swoop, more or less. It was hotter than hot through parts of the Carolinas and Virginia and at one point I stopped at a welcome center and hung out in the shade for an hour. I picked some secondary roads through West Virginia and slept on a bench at another rest area for two hours in the middle of the night. It is amazing how well you can sleep when you really have to. Took the highway through Pennsylvania and rode between trucks so I would be somewhat shielded and safe from any deers crossing the road. It worked! Morning traffic in New Jersey was horrible so I took smaller roads through some nice country side. By the time I hit the New York border I just wanted to get home so I got on the thruway and gunned it. Rolled in to my driveway 23 1/2 hours after leaving Asheville and would have qualified for a 1K ride if I had recorded it.

Five days and over 2,200 miles of riding. Another great trip to add to the diary.

Sunset in West Virginia