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Doc's Gonna Do the BRP!

Well this trip started off totally different than I originally posted. Talked to my wife some more Saturday night and she said she'd rather I leave earlier and get back by Wednesday.

So, instead of leaving Monday AM like I planned on, I rolled out of town at 9:30 this morning (Sunday) after a quick DD breakfast with my wife and oldest daughter, who were then heading for the airport.

Rode 520 miles (a personal record for me, by the way) through Chattanooga, Knoxville, and then I81 all the way to Lexington, VA, north of Roanoke. This gives me easy access (less than an hour) to the BRP entrance in Waynesboro. I'll have to save the Skyline Drive portion for another time.

Weather started out hot and humid! Stopped every half tank to top off and chug water. After lunch in the Bristol area, I had about an hour and a half of continuous light-moderate-heavy rain. It would just sprinkle for a while and then it would rain cats and dogs for 10 minutes and force me to put on my flashers and slow to 50MPH or so. Then from 5:00 on it was perfect.

Don't know how far I'll go tomorrow - a lot depends on the weather again. I'm shooting for Mount Airy or Boone, NC but if I fall short of that it's no big deal since I don't need to be home until sometime Wednesday.

Good Night!
 
Man Doc, here I sit in an office with no windows and you're riding the BRP. I will travel the length of the BRP starting July 22 with two other guys. We plan to do 1500 miles over 4 days. I am really looking forward to getting away and enjoying some great riding. Been reading a mag called BlueRdige Country and looking at the pictures makes me want to leave tomorrow.
 
Monday - Day Two

Left the hotel at 8:00 and got to the north entrance of the BRP at 9:00. Let me just apologize in advance but there aren't going to be many awe inspiring photos from this trip! I stopped a couple times at scenic overlooks but it was real hazy and it was pretty much the green hillsides you'd expect. I'm not trying to downplay the beauty of it but I just didn't feel like my digital camera would do it justice. Someday I'll get a nice digital SLR with a set of lenses!

I also wanted to minimize my stops and try to get in a lot of miles in the AM while I knew the weather would be good. Sure enough, right after lunch the rains hit. I immediately pulled into an overlook and put on all my rain gear so of course the first shower ended 10 minutes later. Alternated drizzle with just clouds for about an hour and then a steady rain started again. I pressed on since I already had my rain stuff on. Man, minutes later the skies literally opened up. Glasses instantly fogged up, face shield pelted with huge raindrops. I ended up raising the shield a bit so it acted more like a visor and cracked the glasses down my nose a bit to clear them up and actually got some OK visibility back.

Then the wind started just as I had to cross a bridge with absolutely no protection from the trees. I'm amazed I was able to see enough and fight the gusts to keep it in my own lane but somehow I did. Common sense finally took over and I pulled into a ranger station (noone home of course) and hid on their porch for about 30 minutes while the wind howled and thunder rumbled.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. Only wildlife I saw was some turkey and a box turtle.

Spending the night in Boone, NC.

If anyone following this thread is planning to ride the BRP, I averaged right around 30MPH for the day, including the weather delay, lunch, and several rest/water breaks. I did not spend much time at the overlooks or reading the markers so if you plan on doing this, your average will go down.

Sorry to drone on so long but I wanted to share what, for me anyway, was quite the hair raising experience!
 
My Wife and I rode it last year in fog so thick, we couldn't see any of the scenery and just barely the road. We stayed in Boone too, and thought that was nice.
 
As long as you have fun and get home OK, the pictures will be burned in your memory:D
 
Tuesday - Day Three

Decided to leave even earlier to take advantage of good morning weather. Rolled out of the Boone Best Western at 7:00, gassed up, and was on the Parkway by 7:15. Weather was perfect again for the entire morning. The detour for Parkway closure west of Asheville added about 50 minutes but I still exited the Parkway in Cherokee, NC around noon. Of course as I got off, it started sprinkling and I could hear thunder not far off.

Ate lunch in Cherokee and kept looking out the window at black clouds but it never really got too bad. I finally decided I'd had my fill of getting drenched by the afternoon storms so I got the green light from home to stay the rest of the day here in Cherokee and leave real early tomorrow for Woodstock. Of course now I'm sitting on the computer at the hotel looking out the window at partly cloudy skies and no rain! I keep telling myself it wouldn't have been like this if I'd kept riding.

Thought I'd share some random thoughts I've learned on this trip. If you're a veteran tourer, you can skip this part.

1. Wear sunscreen on all exposed skin. I did not and I now look sort of like a racoon with a pinkish-red nose and cheeks and white everywhere else. I even have red hands from riding a bit without gloves because of the rain - I neglected to reglove when the rain stopped.
2. If it's summer and they're forecasting even 20 or 30% chance of afternoon storms, get up early and maximize your miles in the morning.
3. If travelling on a road with limited services, like the BRP, try not to get too far below a half tank of gas. No fun at all getting off and wandering around with your fingers crossed trying to find a gas station. Luckily this happened to me on a previous trip, not this one.
4. When approaching a tunnel, if you can't already see the light from the exit, slow down, slide your sunglasses down your nose, and turn on your brights. Most of the tunnels on the north end of the BRP were pretty short and no big deal. Some of the ones on the south end are long and dangerous. If you don't act accordingly, you will be blind in the tunnel.
5. The BRP actually changes personality as you go north to south. In Virginia it's mostly rolling green hills interspersed with farms and meadows. North Carolina becomes more mountainous and rocky with tighter curves.
6. This should be obvious but you will see more wildlife in the morning than in the afternoon. Never saw a bear but saw some deer, a turtle, and hundreds of turkeys. What do those turkey find so interesting on the side of the road anyway? That's where they all stand just staring at you as you go by.

That's it unless something interesting happens on the way home tomorrow. Ride safe everyone!
 
Dr. Doolittle said:
Tuesday - Day Three
Click to expand...

What do those turkey find so interesting on the side of the road anyway? That's where they all stand just staring at you as you go by.

Maybe the turkeys are Eagle wanna-be's, and are just waiting to pay homage to passing Harleys.
 
Doc, even though the weather has been a challenge, it sounds like a FABULOUS trip! I think any time on a bike is great. You ALWAYS make memories....... great memories! Thanks for all your tips too!
 
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