This is my journal entirely from my viewpoint of my motorcycle trip around the East Coast of the US over Labor Day Weekend 2009. Everything here is factual as far as I remember and as it was documented. It wasn't intended to be formally written as it is only excerpts from my personal journal that I am sharing with my friends. If you find it lengthy or tedious, just check out the introduction and fast-forward to the photos. Thats where the most interesting stuff occurred.

I hope you enjoy!


Introduction:
Motorcycle riding has always been a passion of mine, and I have always enjoyed road trips to distant places, so it was inevitable that one day I should take a motorcycle cross-country. This past Labor Day weekend came that opportunity. After having been inspired by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman in their 4-month 19.000 mile global-circumnavigation (Long Way 'Round) (http://longwayround.com) across some of the most remote and difficult terrain on Earth, I knew that our trip could be accomplished quite easily in comparison by enjoying the luxuries of modern American life. (Paved roads, public rest stops, gas from a credit-card-activated pump, hotels, FOOD EVERYWHERE!)

Even still, I knew the ride would be long, my body would ache, and I would experience the exhaustion and stresses that rival the some of the most difficult physically-demanding situations that modern life in a developed nation could offer. But hey, Ewan didn't get into a traffic accident UNTIL he made it to the states, so don't believe that riding a pair of motorcycles across this country is entirely peaches and cream.


The Back Story:
My long-term co-worker and friend Sammie (Diemuzi) and I have another friend in common whom had to move from Pensacola, FL back to her original home in Goshen, NY. She rented a truck to move her belongings but could not drive the truck AND her car so we offered to drive the truck for her with the idea of loading our motorcycles on board for a return trip home. I, as a former New Jersey native, and Sammie, as a former Upstate Newyorker, are wanting to visit some familiar places and see people that we haven't seen in a long time, as well as take a tour through the Appalachian Mountains for some of the best (or at least most publicized) motorcycle riding roads in North America.

The Equipment:
Two 2nd generation Kawasaki Ninja 250 motorcycles
4 days worth of clothing
Motorcycle armor / Leather jackets / Gloves / Helmets
Rain Gear (waterproof jackets and pants)
Digital camera equipment
Ziplock bags for wrapping delicate electronics in case of rain
Backpacks
Various toiletries
Tie down straps / bungee cords


We were both told multiple times by other riders in the motorcycle world that a Ninja 250 is not capable of such a trip. We completely disagreed as it was not unusual for us to take a 300+ mile trip and the bikes held up just fine to the rigors, with only the typical body aches that anyone else would experience on a motorcycle ride of that distance.


Preparations:
The weekend previous to the trip, the bikes were looked over, oil changed, tires examined, filters cleaned, brakes checked and bolts snugged up. We picked up prepared and collected necessary items for our trip and I made sure that I was carrying the proper insurance required in the states we were visiting. IMPORTANT, because Florida requires no specific insurance on motorcycles.. in fact they require none at all!

Day 1 - Wednesday Sept 2nd, 2008

8:12PM CDT:
After leaving work, and picking up any remaining essentials required for the trip, all moving boxes were loaded onto the truck, along with the bikes. They were tied down snuggly against the wall of the moving truck with MANY moving blankets padding in between them. Everything looked well, so we proceeded to take a trip around the block with the truck over speed bumps ensuring that everything was tied down properly so as not to have a very sad, sad disaster some miles down the road.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_03.jpg

We all agreed to wake at 3AM and get a moving quickly hoping to avoid some of the rush-hour traffic around the Atlanta area. Everyone went to bed, but as as always, I am the last to sleep as I found myself securing my home, unplugging appliances and disabling items around the house for safety's sake.

The ducks were secured in their own space, but I have had trouble finding a suitable babysitter for them this weekend. I knew I would find someone to get in to check on them over the weekend so I made sure they had a food supply to last the weekend (just in case) with an unlimited water supply to sustain them. I hid a key to the house outside in a special place nobody would ever THINK to look, haha! Lets just say nobody would WANT to dig it out of duck poop.

Day 2 - Thursday Sept 3rd, 2008

3:45AM CDT:
We are finally awake. I found myself possibly the first to awaken, laying there waiting to hear motion. I heard alarm clocks going off but nobody getting up. I finally made the first move and got out of bed and shook everyone down. I think I have gotten about 2 hours of sleep, less than half as much as anyone else, but my body seems to fair better than others.


4:32AM CDT:
On the road! We are leaving quite a bit later than we wanted too, but I am glad we are out the door now. I feel guilty leaving the ducks behind without a caretaker, but I have my cell phone with me and will begin to call some of my other Pensacola friends to see if they can watch them. They are constantly in my mind, a bit of a worry.


9:00AM CDT:
We've mad a few gas stops, and I've been drifting in and out of sleep before now. We've passed through Brewton, Montgomery on I-65 on the way to Atlanta on I-85. The sun has come up and I have begun calling some of my friends to check the ducks. I am still unable to get a hold of anyone.

10:40AM EDT:
Sammie has been driving and is exhausted, he pulled off the interstate on some old county road with enough traffic and not enough room to accomplish a proper U-turn. Unlucky I guess, its just one of those Murphy's law sort of things. He finally did get the truck turned around but not without a bunch of foolish drivers coming out of nowhere blocking the road making the K-turn manuever that much harder to accomplish. I have relieved Sammie of driving the truck, this is just 20 minutes before we hit downtown Atlanta. He fell sound asleep in the passenger sleep within minutes, completely oblivious to all of my shouting profanities at the poor drivers causing me issues. Sometimes I wonder how just ANYONE without any logic or consideration of others can get a driver's license.


11:52AM EDT:
Another gas stop just north of Atlanta in the city of Norcross. As I am approaching the station I find it is across on the left on the corner of a VERY busy intersection. There is a police officer there just watching the traffic and constantly talking into his radio on his shoulder, he has no radar or laser device. We are uncertain what he is up to, but if we looked to the right into the distance we can see several more police officers in the street flagging down other cars. I was careful to obey all signs and traffic lights, but not without the officer watching me quite closely. Interesting... I thought to put on my press credentials and ask a couple questions, but because I wasn't dressed that nicely and probably wouldn't have the best credibility so I passed up on that.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_10.jpg

Gas was filled!

Sammie felt well-rested and chose to take over driving of the truck again, it is a pleasure of his. He loves driving large vehicles, I couldn't tell him no!

We seem to be making good time on this trip, we are about 20 minutes ahead of schedule as compared to what Google Maps has estimated us, and the GPS is showing several HOURS faster at reaching our destination


12:00PM EDT:
FUDDRUCKERS! I haven't been to a Fuddruckers in years! We say a sign of one coming up, so I shouted LUNCH! We stopped and tore up some delicious burgers.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_25.jpg


3:00PM EDT:
I've drifted in and out of sleep again over the past few hours. I remember seeing the giant peach on the top of the hill at the SC/NC border on I-65, I believe that Abbott's farm is there, along with several old classic VW farms that can be spotted from the interstate. Classic Volkswagens are another passion of mine.

I also can't tell you how many Fuddrucker's signs we saw. I wish there was on in the Pensacola Bay Area.

I am still trying to reach one of my friends at home to watch the ducks.

We're close to Charlotte, NC.

5:30PM EDT:
We crossed the Virgina border about an hour ago, the mountains are BEAUTIFUL! Everything is so lush and green! The sun is a bit of an golden amber color cascading over the vast farm fields with mountains as far as you can see. Beautiful! Sammie and I have been joking about unloading one of the motorcycles to ride through the moutains.


9:00PM EDT:
It seems to be taking forever to cross Virginia as we're traveling cross-ways on the tallest part of it. The roads are very windy through the mountains and the scenery is beautiful. The sun has gone down, and the moon has risen. The sky is completely clear, the mountains appear purple. I tried to photograph this but unfortunately in the moving truck it is practically impossible to get a good shot.

We should be crossing the West Virgina panhandle soon.

I have still continued to call my friends back at home, I got though to a few of them, but they aren't in town either! My phone battery is running low...


10:00PM EDT:
I blinked my eyes for a nap, and we crossed through West Virgina, oops! We seem to be in Maryland and will be crossing through into Pennsylvania shortly.


11:30PM EDT:
We stopped at a McDonald's for something cheap and easy to fill our stomachs. I can tell we are in the Northeast as there is a massive culture shift since the Virginias. The teenager sweeping the floors is one of those emo-types and the cute girl behind the register is a Puerto Rican transplant. I noticed immediately that when they spoke they sounded a lot like me!

The food was terrible, I guess thats one thing always same in McDonald's no matter where you go in the world.


2:00AM EDT:
Finally we are beginning to see signs for cities in NY. We are almost at our destination. I am already SO tired of sitting in this truck!


2:30AM EDT:
Arrival in Goshen! We promptly unload the motorcycles. We look them over and discovered that my motorcycle had shifted a little bit and somehow put a small scratch onto Sammie's exhaust. Its no big deal as one wouldn't notice it unless someone pointed it out. My clutch lever also rubbed a dull spot in his red paint, I can buff that out. No worries!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_14.jpg

We started the bikes, found all lights and machinery to be properly operational!

We headed to a local Hampton Inn in Middletown, NY.

3:30AM EDT:
Finally going to bed, plugging in my cell charger to try and call some more of my friends tomorrow for watching the ducks. We agreed to be up by 8AM to get riding, tomorrow we are going to visit the Tuetuel family's business- Orange County Choppers!

Day 3 - Friday Sept 4th, 2008

9:30AM EDT:
Just finally awaking now... oops! Ran downstairs to get the free breakfast before it was too late!


10:30AM EDT:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_31.jpg

Finally on the road, first stop, Florida!

Didn't we just leave there?

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_32.jpg

Yes, thats right, there is a town of Florida in NY state. The same as there is a town of New York in FL.. which also happens to be just outside of Pensacola.



10:30AM EDT:
Next we are headed East to Orange County Choppers!

Once we arrived, we got lost a little in town, I saw some of the trains that I was infactuated with as a child. That horn, the rumble of the engine, the clackety-click of the wheels as they pass... it all came back to me, coupled with the beautiful Upstate NY scenary, I was in love yet again. The trains that pass through Pensacola aren't the same at all.

The Orange County Choppers building was amazing! It was huge, and glass! Some REAL money went into construction of that place. I was shocked to see OCC is a Ducati motorcycle dealer, too. The Ducati bikes looked really out of place. Even though Ducati is extremely overpriced as compared to their Japanese cousins they are still cheaper than any of the of the custom OCC bikes that you can buy from there!

I love their work area! I peeked through the window into the shop that you see on the TV show. There are a lot of nice tools and projects in there, no sign of Paul Sr, Jr or Mikey anywhere though.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_04.jpg

We got back onto the bikes, and went onwards to New Jersey!



12:30PM EDT:
We arived in Mahwah, NJ. I went to middle school there, and the first 2 years of high school. I checked out the schools, they look the same. The library was moved from the other side of town to the now flattened wooded area that was between the highschool and middle school. No special surprises there.

Traveling across town following my former bike route to school... most everything looked the same as I remembered it 15 years ago, until we got to my old neighborhood. The trees all grew so big! They filled out, you can hardly see the sky anymore! Even the house I used to live in "grew," there was a massive addition put on top of it. I was so surprised that the rest of the town stayed so much the same, but the neighborhood I lived in had changed so much!

My grandparents (mom's side) are in the next town over in Saddle River, we will be paying them a surprise visit. They don't know I am coming yet.

I finally got through to one of my friends! She will be looking after the ducks! YAY! That is something else to ease my mind back at home. Its good to know that my little duck-monsters will be ok.

3:00PM EDT:
I can't believe I remembered the back roads way to get to my grandparents' house. When we pulled in the driveway, the garage was open implying they were home so I called. I heard the phone ring inside but nobody answered, then the door opened! My grandfather didn't recognize me at first in all my biker gear and outfitting.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_05.jpg

My grandmother had some knee surgery and has some trouble climbing stairs so my grandfather did most of her running around. They were in great spirits, and seemed to be doing quite well. My grandfather is a smart man and planned ahead years ago and built a ramp up to the back property behind the house in case he couldnt get up and down the stairs in his later years. It seems to be exactly what they need now, but hopefully she should be getting well soon.

We caught up on discussing "the farm" which is a very large piece of land near Walton, NY. It was a place we used to go every summer and a place he hunts with his friends and our family every autumn. I love that place! Its a shame we didn't make the trip later. I would have loved to visit there again.

4:30PM EDT:
On the As soon as we left not but a few blocks away from my grandparents's house a wasp, or a hornet flew into my helmet and stung me in the eye! He got me once above the eyebrow and once on the inside of my right eye. I tore off and thew my glasses down as I skidded to a halt in the road. I can't begin to tell you how much that hurt. I have a mild allergy to these types of stings and worrying my eye would swell shut we ran QUICKLY to the Allendale A&P grocery store and visited a pharmacy across the street for some antihistamine. I have to be careful not to take too much as then I can't ride safely, but not so little that my eye swells up like a baseball. The pharmacist was SOOOOO helpful and easy to deal with, I have to thank him again. I wish I got his name I would mention him here.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_06.jpg

We're going to hang around for about 30 minutes and watch the swelling before we return to the road.



5:00PM EDT:
On the way down to Fair Lawn/Paramus Two other cities that I formerly lived in, again taking the backroads and remembering them all. We passed Glen Rock, and the massive rock monument in the road.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/0000rock.jpg

Fair Lawn was next, this town changed so much in the 15 years that I have lived elsewhere. 7 years ago it was still recognizable, but now its almost entirely a new city. There are new shops and stores built everywhere, massive amounts of houses have been knocked down and rebuilt into bigger taller more beautiful construction. The property value there has to of skyrocketed as there isn't a bare tract of land available ANYWHERE. The old house I used to live in had an addition put onto the upstairs of it 14 years ago, but I couldn't find it because everything around it had changed, too!

It was good to see the pizza place (Bella Vita Italian Restaurant) I worked at as a teenager was still there. I was going to stop to eat but I doubt any of the original staff was still there as the owners were semi-retired when I visited 7 years ago.

I called my grandmother (father's mother) to see if she was up for a visit as I couldn't remember her address. We decided we would pay her a visit this afternoon.

We headed out on Route 4 East to take the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan...a motorcycle ride only for the sickest of individuals (unless you live there, then you're sick by default.) Once arriving at the $8 toll, we were happy to discover that motorcycles get a discount... only $7 each... OUCH! On the tour through Manhattan I couldn't believe how quiet it was, 7 years ago everyone was holding down car horns like crazy. It has become illegal to hit the horn unless you are in danger (this is also the across the river in my grandmother's city of West New York, NJ.)

We saw only 2 other motorcycle riders there, neither one had any protective gear other than helmets on, and both of them had a deathwish wrecklessly darting between cars at high speeds.

Upon arriving at the World Trade Center site, I was amazed at the progress of redevelopment and how clean and new everything looked. The new Freedom Tower has the framework of the first 10 floors or so are now protruding from the ground.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_12.jpg

I asked Sammie who was in awe of the size of the city if he knows what a tourist in NY looks like. He said no so I demostrated by mimicking him by tipping my head back and looking up at the massive structures with my mouth hanging open. I got called some names for that one, haha.

Unlike traffic elsewhere in the world, bumper-to-bumper traffic in NYC actually moves. NOBODY wants to be "that guy" sitting in the road obstructing things.

All-in-all we had no problems on the roads in NYC, and I was rather surprised how timid NYC drivers had become once they were neutered of their car horns.


8:30PM EDT:
We got a little mixed up coming out of New York City and went a little too far south on I-95, some high speed exciting driving around there! Woooo! One wrong move and you're gonna get flattened. We found our way over to Hudson County and into West New York. Navigation there is rather simple as the streets are numbered and most are one-way. Just as we arrived, we found my grandmother taking out the trash to the curb, she is a very strong individual for any age! She is energetic, silly, and as smart as ever! In a few more years she will be 90 and that woman can run up 4 flights of stairs without even thinking about it or stopping for a breather. I'm very proud to be composed of such strong genetics.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_27.jpg


11:00PM EDT:
I never did much driving around the Hudson County area so a lot of the roads aren't all that familiar to me, but we toured along River Rd and looked at the nighttime New York skyline from the NJ side of the river. Its quite beautiful. It also looks like NY has restored the spotlight from to fill that space in the skyline where the World Trade center used to be. We started to head back to Bergen County to where I am more familiar with and find something to eat.

Every diner that I used to remember was gone, and everything else like IHOP was closed! ACK! We were so hungry finally we found a 24 hour NJ diner that was fairly new and upon walking in again receiving a flashbacks of the multi-cultered atmosphere I remembered. The Empress Diner in Fair Lawn is one such place. The bus boy was russian, our waiter was puerto rican and the business owner was a nice arab genntleman, they were all really great but looked at me like an alien when I walked in the door with my Battlestar Galactica-looking motorcycle armor on, as did the rest of the patrons!

As in any other kind of sit-down restaurant in NJ, they bring you glasses of water without asking, and you always get butter and bread. Its an unusual custom that I had completely forgotten after having lived in the south for so long.


12:00AM EDT:
We found a cheapish hotel room at the Ramada Inn in Rochelle Park just behind the Garden State Plaza shopping mall. The manager running the counter was from Pakistan complete with accent. (I was well-behaved and didn't do my tech support impression.) I forgot how much I appreciated the cultural and ethnic diversity in NJ.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/NYC_RARP-exter-1.jpg

Off to bed, hoping to wake up early the next morning.

Day 4 - Saturday Sept 5th, 2008

9:00AM EDT:
We're awake some what early for a change, today we're going to take a trip down the Garden State Parkway. Coincidentally the parkway entrance is right next to the hotel so that makes things convenient. I explained to Sammie to have some cash ready for the toll roads, as fumbling it when you're waiting in line only gets you yelled at and honked at by the people behind you.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/nj1.jpg

10:00AM EDT:
We're going down the shore... to Seaside Heights, NJ!

12:00PM EDT:
Upon arrival at the shore, we locked up our equipment, fed the parking meter and started to walk south from the north end of the boardwalk. We couldn't believe the number of hard bodies that we saw there. There was hardly anyone with any weight on them, everyone looked great! Thats not something that I remembered, but I supposed something that was taken for granted when I lived there. Men and women, everyone looked good! It was labor day weekend, the last weekend for the shore points to have any real guests before they start closing things down for the weekend.

My real quest: to find a good piece of NJ pizza... and I did! 3 Brothers from Italy, a small shop on the boardwalk serves up pieces of pizza as large as a single pizza in the south. Their whole pizzas are about 4 feet across... and I can still eat the whole thing! $25 later I was stuffed, Sammie seemed to enjoy it too.

http://cache.virtualtourist.com/4549372-Three_Brothers_from_Italy_Seaside_Hts_NJ-Seaside_Heights.jpg

Back to the motorcycles we wobbled with full tummies.

2:00PM EDT:
As I was unlocking my bike and putting on my gear a black helicopter appeared overhead, and circles immediately above us. It then hovered directly over me, I don't know what was going on, but it was causing quite a commotion on the ground.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_34.jpg

People were all coming out of everywhere wondering what was going on, like kicking over an ant hill. Some guy was trying to back his truck into our parking spot before we even got on the bikes yet, and coincidentally right at that moment a police car pulls up next to us and him boxing in all traffic. The cop says over the loudspeaker, "What are you guys doing?" That and the helicopter overhead had me quite concerned that we had inadvertantly done something wrong.

Well the guy in the truck was just another stupid driver, the cop was annoyed by him and was directing attention AT HIM... the helicopter was recording something for a film, all unrelated, we weren't in trouble after all. But for about 5 seconds the hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end.

I just received a call from my ducksitter, the ducks are well and everything at home is OK.

I called my highschool friend Chris just before we left, I found he was living in Philadelphia now, that happens to be a straight shot across the state of NJ... so on the bikes and across the state we went to visit Philly!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_07.jpg

4:00PM EDT:
After crossing the Ben Franklin Bridge (only $4 from each of us, the same as charged on a car, OUCH!) we arrived in Philly, and navigated to my highschool friend's house. He looked pretty much as I remembered, but covered in tatoos. Last I remember seeing him back in 1995 he was super skinny and the same height as I was. It seems I grew LOTS more after highschool, or he shrunk!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/BenFranklinBridgesm.jpg

My eye is also doing much better! Its swollen and sore, but some Visine seemed to do the trick to clear it up. I'll be ok.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_28.jpg

6:00PM EDT:
Sammie and I got some authentic Philly Cheesesteaks (which are the same as everywhere else) for dinner and did 15 years of catching up with Chris, it was amazing, he has a wife and 3 kids, and turned into a drummer, and a gearhead. He has a classic Corvair which he is in progress of rebuilding, but it looks GREAT!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_08.jpg


8:00PM EDT:
Back onto I-95 to on the way to South Carolina to visit Sammie's cousin whom he hasn't seen in 15 years!


11:00PM EDT:
We've chosen to ride as far as we can tonight as we didn't have any stops between PA and SC and have been pushing it pretty hard. Its that season in the Northeast where its starts to get a bit colder and stays damp at night. Sammie is struggling in the weather, but my blood seems to still be thick enough to take it.

Sammie had his first "tank slapper" tonight, too. He ran through a pothole which his front wheel seems to have cleared, but his rear wheel went in and then catapulted it into the air! Once the front end was at that angle his handlebars slapped back and forth (hence the term) out of control. Luckily he saved it!

Everytime we pass through a long tunnel we are surprised at how HOT it is in there... thats something you just wouldn't know or experience in an automobile. We noticed this phenomenon back in some tunnels in NY/NJ too.

Naturally, to Sammie this is a relief to get some amount of heat back in his body.


2:00AM EDT:
We're about 100 miles North of NC still in VA, Sammie has called it quits for the night. He told me to go on without him like a mortally-wounded soldier.

I'm not one to abandon a friend so we found a local hotel, checked-in and I prompty fell asleep without even taking my clothes off.

I noticed my license plate light was burned out, I will try and find a bulb for it the next time we pass a cycle shop.

Day 5 - Sunday Sept 6th, 2008

9:45AM EDT:
I rush downstairs to get breakfast, just making it in time. Sammie unfortunately missed it so I grabbed a couple pastries and other things to bring up to him before we check out.

When we get outside I noticed my rearset/footpegs were loose on my bike, this is tremendously dangerous as I stand up on those to stretch out when moving at 70mph+. I coulnd't imagine what might happen if one fell off or let go when I had my weight on it! I broke out my trusty toolkit and cinched the bolts back up. The left side was about to come off, the right side was only slightly loose. This happened when I first got the bike, too. Nothing a little bit of locktite wouldn't cure when I get home.


12:03AM EDT:
Upon stopping at a rest stop I noticed that Sammie's rear wheel has a nasty gouge in the side of it, we are guessing this is from his tank-slapper incident in Philly. The wheel is a bit ugly but I judge it to be safe. It is holding air and still looks to be spinng true.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_09.jpg

We both noticed that Sammie was about to break 5000 miles on his Ninja, and coincidentally 12 miles after that my machine is about to break through its 10,000th! So down the road we will stop for photos.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_15.jpg


1:24PM EDT:
We were hungry and I saw a billboard for Nik's Pizza and Greek Food. Greek sounded good to me at the time so when we got to the exit we stopped in Kenly, NC. I missed the resturant and accidentally went too far irunning into some farm land. Sammie is a former farmer and recognized the crop as tobacco. I really am not fond of the smell of tobacco or worse yet... the smoke, but I chose to crack a fresh living leaf and smell it. I was surprised the leaf really has no smell at all, and when torn smells like a leaf on any other shrub. Its not a very attractive plant either, it grows perfectly straight up, and hs a sloppy-looking leafy mess around the top.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_41.jpg

So after turning around we found Nik's. The service was good, and the place was SPOTLESS! I can't remember ever seeing a resturant that clean before. The ladies running the place were CONSTANTLY cleaning everything. I had gyro on pita, delicious! Only $6 and I couldn't remember ever getting so much meat on a sandwich. I could barely finish the thing!


5:09PM EDT:
Arrival in downtown Columbia, SC. Sammie's cousin Christina lives in Irmo, SC, only minutes away. Coincidentally she was on the way to work and was literally just a few blocks down from where we were taking a break!

While stopped I looked my bike over and noticed the air filter boot split and fell off and was rolling around inside the frame. I broke out the took kit and disassembled the covers and reassembled the clamp around the boot backwards so the split didnt matter. I required a flathead screwdriver and surprisingly my tookit doesn't have one! I used my pocketknife... its a minor abuse of a tool but it got the job done.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_29.jpg

Note to self: when getting home, add flathead screwdriver to toolkit.

We met Christina at Wet Willie's.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/columbiaoutsideshotforwebpage.jpg

Its a local daquiri bar which she manages and has a stake in. Good for her! Shes every bit as good-looking as she is smart and accomplished!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/l_74057b34fb154d4e96a1d2bc8a423ca6.jpg

She was nice enough to have the staff wait on us as special guests.


10:00PM EDT:
Christina let us use her place to stay for the night, I used her spare bedroom and Sammie on her sofa, but we got lost and couldn't find the way there for a couple hours! Her apartment complex is so new it doesn't appear on any of our maps or on Google or Sammie's GPS. We tried to call her, but the bar got so busy we couldn't reach her anyways, but it all worked out in the end!


12:30AM EDT:
We finally headed to bed. Tomorrow we are going to take the long way home and visit The Tail of the Dragon, HWY 129 at Deals Gap. Its an 11-mile stretch of across the TN/NC border famous for its 318 twists and turns through that 11 miles! Our goal is to actually USE the highway to cross over to somewhere between Chattanooga/Knoxville going north from North Carolina, then take I-75 back south to Atlanta to home.

Day 6 - Monday Sept 7th, 2008

10:00AM EDT:
Up and showered, we packed up and left quickly very exited as the Dragon awaits us! Google maps and the GPS say we are about 5 hours away, we figure we can get there and have lunch.

12:07AM EDT:
We made our first rest stop in the mountains of NW South Carolina. They are beautiful! The traffic moves at a quick pace and the highways wrap around the mountains forming some awesome sweepers. I tried to set the timer on my camera to take a photo of us and prop it up on a trash can. Everyone at that rest stop laughed when they saw me running back and forth and when it didn't work out, haha. Some lady came up and was nice enough to take a photo for us.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_30.jpg


12:47PM EDT:
Shortly after we crossed the border in far Eastern, North Carolina... RAIN! Just a light sprinkle, the forecast for this area is showing 30% chance of it... just before we left this rest stop the forecast changed to 40%. We didn't ride all this way to NOT ride the Dragon on account of rain... We're going anyways!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_35.jpg


2:08PM EDT:
We saw "next exit" signs for Yummi Yummi, Chinese Food Restaurant in Bryson City, North Carolina.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2532173019_96447a6fc7.jpg

Chinese food sounded good at the time, and we needed gas anyway, so we went and had some delicious food, and the staff was nothing less than wonderful.

But as with all chinese food places you sometimes do wonder what it is you are eating, this place doesn't leave you guessing too much... Or maybe they make you question it more? All I know is I took a chance and found it was delicious!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_01.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_02.jpg


3:11PM EDT:
Approaching the dragon... through the mountains... none of our cell phones are working so the iPhone that belongs to Sammie which we were relying on is nothing but a $400 thing that tells time. The street signs aren't labelled too well and they are few and far between. Its quite rural out there, the air is fresh and except for the occasional rumble of a motorcycle engine you hear absolutely nothing. I'm going completely by memory of the maps which we had looked at an hour before.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_42.jpg

We stopped to take some pictures of the scenery. I've forgotten how everything looks so motionless and still like a painting when looking down off a mountain like that.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_17.jpg


3:27PM EDT:
WOW! Some of the best roads are on the way to to Dragon! There is a video of a Harley rider on Youtube that went off a cliff... the Harley rider in front of me almost did exactly the same thing... He leaned over as far as he could, started making massive sparks and then luckily changed direction at the last second! When we stopped I had to talk to that guy whom I am sure had just soiled himself.

Here is the video on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZFpIpaFMlc



3:34PM EDT:
I came across a little gas station and camp grounds in the middle of nowhere. There are lots of bikes here, everyone seemed to be buzzing around among themselves, so I continued towards Robbinsville.


3:44PM EDT:
We found it! The Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort. Its a little motel, restuarant, gift shop, and gas station in the middle of nowhere. Every parking spot is the size of a motorcycle, and they take in ONLY motorcycle riders! This was a busy place, lots of activity, loud bikes, and people just having a great time. Judging from our plates, we were some of the longest distance riders. There were a few other Florida riders, but none of them left from New York first!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_22.jpg

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So we took a break for a few and checked out the Tree of Shame! The place where dead motorcycle parts lie to rest. If you crash your car or bike on The Dragon its a local custom to put a broken part on the tree.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_18.jpg


4:14PM EDT:
So after taking some photos we are going to make the trip down old HW129. Some other guys warned us of police, but since we're not going to be doing something stupid like breaking the speed limit (which is 30mph) or passing over a double yellow line we should be OK.


4:44PM EDT:
We are taking a break at the scenic lookout and taking some more great photos, there is a big lake and a dam down below.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_19.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_40.jpg

There was a guy that looked like a motorcycle cop along the way that turned around and got in behind us so I stopped and pulled over and let him pass, I don't want that kind of awareness that I am even there! It turns out he wasn't a cop at all, he just had a cop-looking motorcycle and patches on his sleeves. He even had the biker cop glasses. He reminded me of Robert Patrick in Ternminator 2 when he looked at me devoid of emotion.

We did see one actual police officer, but all the real idiots kept him busy, he wasn't there long otherwise. From what I understand this road is usually police-infested, with each of them hungry to give out citations.

I can't believe this road, it has nothing on our local Blackwater run. The turns are so much tigher, longer, and there are so many massive changes in elevation! I started through the first few dozen turns I still can't believe this road, it was clean, in great condition, the weather was beautful, the sun doesn't get in your eyes!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/tail-of-the-dragon-sharp-curves.jpg

Going north n from the south end in about 3 minutes you cross the Tennessee border. I've never heard of North Caronlina police giving anyone a hard time, but in TN they WILL mess you up!

So we rode carefully, and respectfully.

I am surprised to find photographers around the area taking photos for internet magazines, I hammed it up pushing the bike as best I could for them hoping for them to get a good photo that might get published. We are going to continue to the end and see what else we can find.


5:01PM EDT:
There is a massive lake/reservoir at the end, that seems to be what the dam was for that we could see from the scenic lookout. Riding this road was a blast, we're going to turn around and do it twice more before it gets dark.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_20.jpg


6:15PM EDT:
Here we are at the lake end of the Dragon again, taking a break before leaving and finding dinner.

The weather has been great, sun has been shining, we couldn't have asked for a better day! 40% chance of rain? PFFFT! NONE! I almost hit a deer though! Not fun! I burned the chicken strips off my tires, as did Sammie. Nobody got hurt, nobody crashed anything, and best of all, it was FREE!

The only thing bad is my hands are killing me. Apparently I squeeze the handlebars too hard which isn't so bad on shorter rides, but after this weekend my hands are all messed up and I still have about 550 miles to get home.

Still no cell service so we're gonna wing it and go north until we find some signs.


7:30PM EDT:
We found I-75 and cell phone service, yay! We ran into a little bit of rain on the way here, perhaps you could call it "a heavy sprinkle."

Refueling now, then headed home. We're going to make it a long haul straight through without stopping for anything but food, fuel and an occasional break. According to GoogleMaps going through Atlanta is longer, about 40 more miles, instead we should take I-75 to Chattanooga, then I-58 to Montgomery, then I-65 to Mobile/Pensacola.


10:30PM CDT:
We went back on Central Daylight Time as soon as we crossed the Alabama border earlier. I-59 is rather desolate accpording to the maps. I could probably go another hour before refueling, but there isn't too much around and not being familiar with this road we stopped for gas in a little "nowhere" by the name of Pine Ridge just in case.

Sammie is freaking out because it is *cold* outside, but got a nasty surprise when he went inside the gas station. Their AC must have been set at 55 degrees. It was REALLY cold inside, so cold in fact that even I was cold in there! Needless to say he chose to eat his sandwich on the curb instead of at a table inside!

For some reason I am the biggest celebrity here, nobody ever saw a motorcycle armor jacket or a Florida license plate and they all wanted to talk to me. I couldn't understand most of the people twingin' and twangin' with their accents and asking some really silly things with local colloquialisms that I just can't figure out. They are completely leaving Sammie alone, but everyone was following me around like I was somebody... I can't even eat my sandwich.

The maps show we have about 6 hours to go.


12:30AM CDT:
Gas and rest stop, just south of Birmingham, AL somewhere. We are beat, this is the most miles we're attempting to accomplish in a single day yet. My back is beginning to hurt, my hands are stiff. Sammie is cold which hurts his neck so he's created a scarf from a pait of jeans.

We've been keeping pace with traffic at about 85mph and that is burning up fuel faster, which in turn means I have to stop and fill up and rest more often. So its a bad thing with a good outcome.

Thankfully I'm not tired though, just hurtin' a little.

4.5 more hours until we are home.


1:30AM CDT:
We are just south of Montgomery, as we pass through the city it is noticably warmer than before. This pleases Sammie, I am indifferent. We've begun to stop at every open rest stop for a 20 minutes rest.

2.45AM CDT:
We are at the last rest stop on I-65 before exit 69. The fog has gotten really thick, I can't hardly see through my face sheild. Ahead of us we still have AL-113 through Century to HWY-29 to Pensacola.

There are deer everwhere!

We are figuring it should take about an 90 minutes to get home from here, so long as neither one of us hits a deer!

4:30AM CDT:
We are finally home, I opened my house up, let the fresh air in. Its hot in the house with everything locked up and the AC off. The ducks were let outside. My butt hurts from all that riding but we had a blast. We estimated that we have ridden 848 miles on the bikes within 24 hours time, almost enough to qualify for Iron Butt Rally Status... I am going to bed!

Afterthoughts:
If I could go back the only thing I would do differently about this trip is I'd take more time to make it. It would have been nicer to have a tour of Liberty Park in NJ, downtown Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and several other places. I would have liked to have passed through Atlanta, visted Stone Mountain, and Natural Bridge in Virginia.

I would have also been a little smarter about bringing a first aid kit. That wasp sting in the eye was no laughing matter. It still hurts days later.

Is the Kawasaki Ninja 250 suitable for cross-country touring? YES! Just be sure you bring the proper gear. Depending on the size and shape of our posterior, its also probably a good idea to repad the seat.

I never did find a cycle shop along the way to get that license plate bulb replaced.

Would I do it again? YES! But certainly not tomorrow!

Good write up!!...Sounds like it was lots of fun..One of these days I'm gonna hit the dragon, hopefully..U have to stop paying them tolls, you ride a motorcycle, cabinet hinge plates, and the EZ pass lane, works everytime, j/k lol...:thumbup:

Good write up!!...Sounds like it was lots of fun..One of these days I'm gonna hit the dragon, hopefully..U have to stop paying them tolls, you ride a motorcycle, cabinet hinge plates, and the EZ pass lane, works everytime, j/k lol...:thumbup:

Yeah we had a great time! I think we will be doing it once a year... perhaps every labor day weekend.

sounds like you had a great time - let us know next time you are through VA - you've got a FREE place to stay, literally right off of 81! sorry to hear about the wasp though - you'll probably enjoy my stripping thread ;)

Great write up Duck - thanks for the virtual road trip.

Those trips back in time are almost always good for the soul! Excellent pics, etc. Thanks for sharing! :)

Thanks guys!

I forgot to include that the dragon did a pretty good job of burning off the chicken strips that all the straight-line highway riding had created.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/road_trip_labor_day_weekend_24.jpg

Hey.... Thanks for the report. Good story. MAkes me want to make another trip before the weather gets too cold.

Take Care

Impressive Ride Report Duckman!
Looks like it was a ton'o'fun!

I got action-shotted!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2009-09-07_Deals_Gap/deals_gap_006.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2009-09-07_Deals_Gap/deals_gap_007.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2009-09-07_Deals_Gap/deals_gap_009.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2009-09-07_Deals_Gap/deals_gap_008.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2009-09-07_Deals_Gap/deals_gap_010.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2009-09-07_Deals_Gap/deals_gap_011.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2009-09-07_Deals_Gap/deals_gap_013.jpg

Killboy and US129Productions actually took a ton of photos of me, probably because my bike is loud as hell when I keep the little 250 engine SCREAMIN' between 9k-13k through the turns wringing its little neck. There's lots more, but this is one of the cooler passes.

looks great - LOVE the blue pipe!

I remember coming into this turn kinda hot. The front suspension is taking a nose-dive as I get on the brakes. Anyone know of any good tricks to stiffen up front suspension on these bikes?

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2009-09-07_Deals_Gap/deals_gap_014.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2009-09-07_Deals_Gap/deals_gap_003.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2009-09-07_Deals_Gap/deals_gap_004.jpg


http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2009-09-07_Deals_Gap/deals_gap_015.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2009-09-07_Deals_Gap/deals_gap_005.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/wtfduck/photos/road_trips/2009-09-07_Deals_Gap/deals_gap_016.jpg

cool pics and good ride report:thumbup:

wow awesome report!!! I live about 25 miles south from tennessee on I-59 in the sticks !!!

Eek! Sketchers on the Dragon! :eek:

Great report. Really fun to read. Way to show that the ninjette can do anything.