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Last updated on 10/10/09
Me and my 2005 Gold Wing.
This picture was taken on Arkansas State Road 7 in
the Ozark Mountains.
Deals Gap
UPCOMING EVENTS
RRMC Spring Trip 5/15 – 5/17
Upcoming plans for July 4th
Click on the picture for more information
about riding after a couple of drinks.
Every 32 minutes someone dies on our nation's roadways in an alcohol-related accident. A person is injured in alcohol-related accidents approximately every 2 minutes.
—Office of Traffic Safety
I don’t like second hand smoke.
Click on the link above to see what it is doing to you.
The James Langley Easter Ride 2009
It’s been a couple years since I made the Easter Ride. Seven of us met at the Waffle house in Madison. We left at 8am headed on a 1394 mile trip. It would last four days. Each day we cut a few miles out of the planned route due to weather and riding conditions. The planned trip mileage was near 1500 miles, so we didn’t miss much.
Friday was overcast and we skipped around the rain for much of the day. We had lunch at Ball Bat BBQ. The food was good, but the company of the owners was exceptional. They also ride and we swapped stories with them. You could throw a rock from their place to Brushy Mountain Penitentiary. We rode part of the Devils Triangle after lunch. Then the severe weather set in. Thunder, lightening, and high winds but, we made it to Big Stone Gap and checked into the Comfort Inn.
Saturday we had heavy fog and a light mist most of the day. We rode up to West Virginia and then over to Burkes Garden. The clouds were low and you could not see how big the valley really is. We finished the day riding in mild conditions and returned to Big Stone Gap. We ate at a place in Norton, it wasn’t very good so I’m not fixing to recommend it to anyone. Cold beer washed away dinner and we had a good Saturday night.
Easter Sunday was perfect. Sunshine, very twisty roads, a good lunch, more very very twisty roads. We couldn’t avoid driving around Cashiers, and that was the only place where we found any traffic. By the time we got to Sylva, the temperature was up to 71. We had a big dinner in town with fried Oreos for desert. Our waitress was a local college student and she was a pretty as the mountain scenery. Sylva has always been one of my favorite locations. It’s a clean little town with friendly people.
Monday brought a new threat of severe weather, so we headed home. Most of the roads were dry and being a weekday there wasn’t much traffic. It started to sprinkle right as we got home. A couple hours later and a tornado warning was issued. Glad we came home when we did.
It was a great ride. We laughed so hard we couldn’t talk. There were no problems and no whining. Hard fast riding just for men.
Keep on riding,
John 3
EASTER PHOTOS
click on any picture to enlarge or start the
slide show.
March 9, 2009
This was a nice weekend for riding. Doc and I went to McMinnville, TN and rode some great roads. Our trip was 350 miles.
On Sunday, Wes and I went up to Chattanooga. I took him on the best roads that I know of in that area. After lunch the wind picked up and was blowing us all over the road. I headed for the house but, we were still 70 miles away. So Wes got some good experience being blown around. We were both glad to be home. Keep on riding.
John 3
July 4th Ride
After our attempt to get the boys together for a trip to the West, we decided to settle for a five and a half day ride to the north.
Day One. We left out on Thursday afternoon and stopped in the little town of Caryville, TN. We had supper at the local Gas Station/Café. It was unexpectedly great! Spent the night in a motel with an Econo Lodge sign. Only a sign. We asked for our Choice Hotels discount and were informed that they only had the sign and are not a part of that chain. Wow, I got get me one of those signs for my house.
Day Two. We are in the mountains now! Back roads, nearly paved roads, gravel roads and , dirt roads. On a one lane road that traveled about 15 miles through a valley we found a creek coming out of a cave. The canopy above us was so thick it blocked out most of the sun light. A local farmer came by and stopped to chat. Nice young guy, said he was just headed down the road to check on his crop. I bet he was, y’all know what the #1 cash crop in Kentucky is? We had a hard time finding a motel room that night and wound up staying in Ashland, KY. Dinner was spaghetti at an out of the way foo foo type place, the highlight was Micky Dolenz of The Monkeys TV show was setting at the bar soaking up some suds, preparing for a show he was in.
Day Three, Happy July 4th! We made our way along the Ohio River and up through the western boarder of West Virginia. At Sistersville, we crossed the river on a ferry and road on the Ohio side for a few miles. At the northern most end of WV. we made a pit stop at the Pennsylvania State Line (see the picture in the photo album). That night we spent in Clarksburg, WV.
Day Four. Today the rain will catch up with us right after breakfast. Audrey’s Restaurant on Hwy 20 just north of Buckhannon was where we stopped for breakfast. Everything including the bread is home made. If I had known how good the bread was, I would not have ordered anything else. I would have gotten something like French toast. But, I had an omelet. It was huge and stuffed with good things. Robert tried to order biscuits but the waitress told him he was having toast. We all had toast. Damn, good! You have got to try this place. So now it’s raining and we are headed to the highest point in WV. Up the mountain to Spruce Knob. The road was slick as glass, and the fog was so thick you couldn’t see anything. We made it to the top, used the worst stinking out houses ever and wandered in the fog for a few minutes. Finished the day at a motel in Fayetteville, WV. Hey they had a bar and after riding in the rain all day I really didn’t care what kind of motel it was.
Day Five. A beautiful day! The rain is gone. I had to take this opportunity to take the guys back to Burke’s Garden, VA. We went there on the Easter Ride, the weather was bad, and the entire valley was covered with fog. This time they would get see how beautiful this place is. We posed for a picture by the store and the crossed the mountain on a 20 mile long, twisty, wet, rocky, dirt road. Another one of those roads that is covered by the trees and very little sun light gets through. Back out to the pavement and some of the best mountain roads east of the Mississippi River. Down through the Mount Rogers, VA. area and we couldn’t resist. We turned it on, aired em out! High speed, flat out, see you at the top, big bike adrenaline touring! Yeee Haw, we eat this sh*t up. The guys loved it.
Once in awhile you just get lucky and wind up at the right place at the right time. This was our time. After making a stop for tonight’s liquid refreshments, someone pointed us to Shatley Springs on NC. Hwy 16. There you will find a restaurant that serves food family style. They bring out big bowls of food and you eat what they serve you. It was great. Delicious. Then we rented a cabin from them. No A/C, No Phone, No Kitchen. 4 bedrooms, one bathroom, and a screened in front porch. $45 for the night, split 4 ways, $15 each. After about a million miles between the 4 of us, we finally found the place we have been searching for. Sit on the porch, drink beer, and save the world. Yep, no one does it better than that. The next morning we were blessed with exceptionally thick mountain fog, allowing us the opportunity to eat breakfast right there.
Day Six (“nothing to good ever last too long”). As we headed to the house we had to take a moment to hit the Blue Ridge Parkway for photos at Mt. Mitchell, the highest point in the eastern US. Back into familiar territory in TN. and eventually home. This was our longest day, it was a little over 500 miles.
My odometer says, 2203 miles in five and half days. My next project; figure out how to make a living do this!
Keep on riding,
John3
July 4, 2009
Photo Album
Click on any picture to enlarge
We’re back! It was a good trip. Rode 820 miles the past 3 days.
It started Friday morning at 7. Wes and I, with Robert and Rita crossed Fort Mountain and made our way to Sweetwater via Tellico Plains. We had lunch at Nut N Fancy and it was all that we expected. Great food.
Saturday morning we were joined by Doc and James. After a minor road side repair to put Wes’ chain back on we rode 300 miles of fantastic twisty mountain roads. 60% chance of rain and we completely missed it. Stops at Deals Gap and Hellbender Racing for t-shirts and back to the motel.
Sunday we woke up to rain. I announced we would take the alternate rain route straight to the house. Outfitted in rain suites we took off. About 30 miles later the rain cleared. What luck. The radar showed heavy rain all over the area. We rode home on dry roads. The route was immediately changed to include many of our favorite roads. Everyone was home by 2:30. This was Wes’ first real trip with the club. He fit in fine. Rides well enough to hang with the best of them. He said he had a good time, and is looking forward to the next one.
Keep on riding,
John 3
May 15, 2009
We’re out of here! If it’s past 7AM on Friday, Wes and I are on our way to Sweetwater, TN. 20+ of the RRMC are also on the way. Saturday, I am taking Wes on his Ninja 250 to the Foot Hills Parkway, Deals Gap, and across the Cherohala Skyway. We will be home on Sunday.
Have a great weekend and, keep on riding,
John 3
May 3, 2009
Totally unexpected, but definitely a welcomed opportunity. Wednesday night the Madison County School system announced that the schools would be closed for 2 days due to the swine flu scare. As a result it was time for a ride.
Thursday Wes and I had to wrap up some loose ends at work, then get a new rear tire for his bike, and by 2:30 we were headed to the mountains. We rode by Fall Creek Falls State Park in TN., and then on to Tellico Plains. We rented a cabin at the KOA and went to supper.
We pulled into a place that I had not seen before called Nut n Fancy. The owner met us outside and informed us that they had closed for the night. I asked what he recommended for the area and he just sort of stood there looking at us. What happened next was quite a surprise. He told us to come in, showed us where to set, introduced us to our waitress, and told the cook to fire up the grill he had two more customers. They close at 8 and this was about 8:15. Wes and I enjoyed two of the biggest (14 ounce) bacon cheese burgers we ever had, and at a price about half what you would expect to pay for that much food. I am going to recommend this place to everyone that visits Tellico Plains. It takes a few minutes longer to get your food but it’s all made from scratch.
Friday morning we woke up to thunder storms. After checking the weather on Wes’ blackberry we decided to head back to the northwest. No route in mind. We ran out of the rain in about 20 miles. For lunch we ate at Ball Bat BBQ in Petros and headed south towards home. By the time we got to McMinnville we had ran back into the showers. It was very hard rain. I offered a motel and pizza but Wes wanted to push on. After two hours of riding slow in the pouring rain Wes finally gave in. We got our room and pizza in Manchester.
The next morning it was still coming down hard. But we were dry and rested so off we went. Only about 70 miles from the house, we made it in two hours. We had breakfast with RRMC and made it on to the house. Here it is Sunday afternoon and the rain still has not let up.
We traveled 650 miles. 400 in cloudy but dry conditions on sweet twisty mountain roads and 250 in a massive thunderstorm.
Wes has now ridden over 2000 miles on his Ninja.
Keep on riding,
John 3
RIDE TO TELLICO PLAINS, TN
April 27, 2009
The winning numbers are #86 and #690. It got up to 86 degrees this weekend and we road 690 miles.
Saturday there was a small change in the planned route, and one section of the road turned into 30 miles of dirt road with a few water crossings. Only one was not useable so we turned around and back tracked out. 370 miles in the bag.
Sunday we went on a right left right trip. Sort of following that pattern at the end of each road. We covered 320 miles. Only one minor problem. Wes had a flat tire. We found the leak, plugged it with my repair kit, inflated it with my compressor and completed the last 160 miles of the trip. The tire repair took about 10 minutes. That’s the best $14 dollars I ever spent.
After adding things to this site for a couple of years, I got my first feedback from my daughter. She says it’s useless. There isn’t one thing about how to clean your bike and which products to use. Well, that’s not what I had in mind when I started this. But just for her, I will add a few items on my Bike Maintenance page that work well for me.
Keep on riding,
John 3
