Friday 09/30/16 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• Friday is forecast to be much cooler but still pretty nice so I think we should ride up into the mountains while we can.  I’m hoping to ride up to Kostas Family Restaurant in Dillsboro, NC for some lunch.  hope you can join me.   Dan

Trip Advisor - Kostas Family Restaurant

• This was a fabulous fall day for a ride through the mountains to Dillsboro. A total of nine riders, including Dan, came for the Friday ride today.  The other riders included Len, David D., Russ, me, Pat, Bill (he distributed the latest edition of Full Throttle Magazine, with two articles he wrote, today), Ed, and of course OG Bob.  Just as we were about to depart, Rob did a "touch and go" as he and Diana were heading out in their four-wheeler.  He wished us well and to have a good ride as he taxied on down the parking lot.  Dan came up with an exceptional route today that would get us to our lunch destination.  When we came into Highlands, Dan invoked the Motorcycle road rules and we all made a left turn in from a right turn only lane.  Fortunately, Highlands finest was already busy and didn't bother us (see photo below).  When some of us were delayed by traffic, the lead folks pulled into a gas station so we could catch up.  That's where we left David.  He waved us on as he got off his bike.  I assume he was either checking on Deshaun Watson's status for the game tomorrow, or he come up with a perfect play  and had to call Dabo so he could use it against the Cardinals. OG Bob thinks he just wanted to go to Colonel Mustards and Kilwins. Any way, go Tigers!! After passing through Highlands, and leaving David, we took the incredibly awesome Hwy 64 west and then cut-off on Ellijay Road (??) to cross the mountains.  It was another perfect motorcycle road. The route was spectacular, but it did take a while to get to Kostas.  Another 5 minutes, and we probably would have had to order from the dinner menu.  Thanks to Sue, they had a table waiting for us, even though we were about an hour later than expected.  Their gyro's are great, and they were even kind enough to whip up a meat loaf sandwich for Dan and Len.  The ride home was more direct and and very comfortable after a fine lunch.  It was a little cool riding up and back, so on the ride back we saw THE ORANGE GLOVES for the first time in a few months. Just like the changing of the leaves, when the OG's come out, fall is here and winter is on its way.  It was another great day on two wheels.   Steve

Wow!! Highlands is tough on traffic violators.....

Friday 09/23/16 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• Friday is projected to be a fine day for a ride in the mountains so I am planning to chug on up to Franklin, NC for some lunch at the Gazebo Creekside Café.  We’ve been there before and I thought it was worth another try.  Hope you can join me.    Dan

Gazebo Creekside Café

Trip Advisor - Gazebo Creekside Café

• Eight riders came to ride along with Dan today.  It was another fine fall summer day in South Carolina.  Those joining Dan were Gadget, Jim H (road king), Rob, Pat, me, Bill, OG Bob, and Bob B, who, based on his LL Bean wardrobe, might have thought we were going to do some hunting as well as riding today. After circling Salem, we made our way up Bear Tooth Pass, also known as Hwy 130, and headed for Hwy 64 in Cashiers. Dan took the very scenic route by turning onto Buck Creek Road.  This awesome winding mountain road took us within a few miles of our destination.  Parking is always a problem at Gazebo Creekside Café, but the food and service are quite good, so it's worth the trip.  Our server Brittany, was super.  She moved tables together, took our drink and food orders right away, and kept checking on us to make sure we were all set.  After lunch, we took the express, Hwy 441, from Franklin to Clayton, and of course, got onto War Woman for another great road to get us back home.  The calendar says fall, and while we were in the mountains, it felt like it, but by the time we got home, it was more like a summer day.  Overall, it was another great day on two wheels.    Steve

Click on link below...
Where Bears go when not harassing motorcyclists

Friday 09/16/16 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• Leading the Friday Ride group has its “Pros” & “Cons”.  On the “Con” side the leader occasionally is the first to encounter any road hazards.  On the “Pro” side the leader gets to pick the restaurant.  Yea!!!  So, I’m thinking I would like to ride up to Saluda, NC for some lunch at the Green River BBQ  Hope you can join me for this one.     Dan

Trip Advisor - Green River BBQ

Friday 09/09/16 Ride

Fellow Riders,

• Take 2 -   Since unpredictable weather forced us off in a different direction, I would like to try our Blue Ridge Parkway ride again this week and plan on eating at LuLu’s on Main in Sylva, NC.  Hope you can join me.    Dan

Lulu's on Main

Trip Advisor - Lulu's on Main

• It was a hot morning, so a ride on the much cooler Parkway sounded like a great idea. Those that ventured out to ride along with Dan were Gadget, Len, David D., me, Russ, Pat, Bill, and OG Bob. Dan opted to hit the Parkway before lunch, so we made our way to Hwy 215 and scooted up the mountain.  As we rode along, we were passed by 4 other riders that zoomed by us like we were a bunch of old retirees.  I guess they were in a hurry to get on the Blue Ridge.  The temps were refreshingly cooler at the higher elevation.  We stopped at the Richland Overlook, elevation 6,053 feet, and took in the spectacular view.  Russ took some great photos, including the one below.  We got back on the bikes and drove into Sylva where Sue had called ahead to LuLu's and a table was waiting.  Dan led us down Hwy 107 toward home and that's when the real excitement occurred.  After crossing over on Wigginton and turning south on Hwy 130, Dan (aka - Running Bear??) encountered a juvenile bear in his lane.  The bear decided to bolt on across the road just as Dan started to move around him and was greeted by Dan's front tire.  Dan kept control of the bike and the bear kept running across the road.  It took the bear a couple tries to get up the embankment, but he did disappear into the woods.  I know Dan had mentioned he had never seen a bear in the area, but this is definitely not how you want to see your first bear. Fortunately, because this group is made up of good, safe riders, there were no serious consequences.  Wow!! What a ride, and still another great day on two wheels.   Steve

Photo by Russ

A larger version of the actual bear Dan hit......

This is how Dan describes the bear he encountered......