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 4^th

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.

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

May 18, 2009

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

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

April 25, 2009
TODAYS RIDE!

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
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slide show.

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