Hey,

This month I'll be flying up to CT to pick up my bike and ride back. It'll be my first longhaul ride ever; longest I have done to date is about 250 miles.

For routing, I really want to make this a decent trip and not just a bike haul. I am thinking the following:

1. Leave CT around noon, head to Albany for the night (see a friend, crash on his couch)
2. Out of Albany in the early AM, on to Waynesboro VA... MM Zero of the BRP. Spend the night.
3. Mile Marker Zero to Mile Marker 469, Cherokee NC. Spend the night. (Or split in 2? See below...)
4. Make my way back to Charleston, easy 6 hour day.



So in looking at the above, my questions for you professionals:

1. Do you guys think 1 day for the entire parkway is too ambitious? Should I give it another day? Will I want to take it slow & easy? I have no problem taking my time, but I am not a "sit & meditate" kind of guy either. I am an avid mountain hiker and love a great vista, but I won't spend much time at any one spot.

2. Do you guys have any recommendations for hotels to call it a night at the Waynesboro or Cherokee? I ride a Dyna without saddles, and I am not going to be buying any for the trip. So, I'd prefer not to carry any camping gear and therefore, prefer not to camp. Also, it'd be nice to have some internet connectivity at night, and a place to charge my iGadgets.

3. Any recommendations on side jaunts along that general route? I'll probably take the Taconic down from Albany, other than that, I haven't stumbled across any byways on the route.

4. Do you guys think taking a lot of photos detracts from the experience, or adds to it? Or, both? I'll be riding solo, and I know the wife would love to see at least some photos.

5. Any random suggestions for a first time long haul?

Thanks fellas, I very much appreciate it.

 

Well I'm far from a professional but here is my 2 cents for what its worth.
1. Yes one day for the parkway is too much. Its a great ride with lots of lookouts even just stopping for a few minutes and snapping a few pics.
2. No saddlebags have a t bag or some type of duffle, don't forget rainsuit, and warm leathers its gonna be cold in the high altitudes. We went the first week of june a few years back and had our heavy leathers on just about the whole time. On lodging Blowing rock right off the parkway. about an hour north of Cherokee.
3. Tons of little jaunts and small old towns. but with one or two days there will be enough to see on the parkway. As far as on the parkway, Grandfather Mountain, Marby Mills jump to mind. End of parkway your not far from the Dragon's Tail. Some waterfalls in the area.
4. The more pics the better, get signs and bike in pics, the mountains and vistas you just stand there in awe and snap pic after pic then reflecting back you wonder why you took so many and what it was because the emotional connection just isn't the same. But do it anyway. Don't worry you'll be back.
Best suggestions I can give ya, take your time stop when your tired. Even a few min stretch will help. Mark gas stops theres no billboards on the parkway just milepost (MP) You might get off some exit and have to drive 30 min to get to a town. If your tempted to do Skyline, thing serious about not, beautiful ride no doubt but 35 mph speed limit will hamper your timeline, and your not going to be able to go much faster on the road. The road is closed in meaning forest comes right to the edge of the road much of the ride and only a few vistas to lookout. It is worth doing but not on your timeline. Have a safe trip

 

469 miles on the Parkway is gonna be a LONG day. Speed limit is 45 max. Even if you could AVERAGE 50 MPH you are still lookin at almost 10 hrs of straight riding. This time of year, you will be lucky to do it without running outta daylight. LOTSA deer, and I would not recommend it. Also when you get to the southernmost stretch (Between Boone & Cherokee) you are gonna be over 5k feet a lot of the way. You could hit some freezing weather, even snow or ice.

You shoud make it a 2 day run if you really wanna run the whole length of the parkway IMO. Another option would be to take I40 to 421 just west of Winston Salem. Then catch the parkway in Boone and run it for about 250 miles to Cherokee. I like that stretch the best. Most scenic, most twisties, highest elevations & the best views.

A GREAT place to stay near Waynesville is The Kickstand Lodge. You can rent a cabin or stay in the Bunkhouse for cheap. Mo always has some good chow. Close to the Dragon and lotsa great roads. If the weather is good you might wanna spend a couple of nites there.

http://kickstandlodge.com/

Edited to add: I was thinking of Waynesville NC not Waynesboro Va. ....Waynesville NC is near Cherokee.

 

This is a trip that you have to give plenty of time too..Like said above the speed limit is slow and for me to keep from going insane at what I call low speed,s had to get off the BRP..Rain suit and cold weather gear a must..

 

Real cold weather gear.....Son, it's gonna be freezing in the elevations....

 

They are calling for a little snow this Thursday in the NC mountains.

 

Just got back from BRP last month so here's my thoughts:

1. Do you guys think 1 day for the entire parkway is too ambitious? Should I give it another day? Will I want to take it slow & easy? I have no problem taking my time, but I am not a "sit & meditate" kind of guy either. I am an avid mountain hiker and love a great vista, but I won't spend much time at any one spot.

1. You'll be hard pressed to get this done in daylight. As noted above you're talking about 10+ hours which is pretty much just the available daylight this time of year. You didn't say exactly when you are leaving but this is still the fall foliage season which is one of the busiest times of year for the Skyline Drive/BRP. I was on the Skyline last weekend and it was a zoo, there will be no way to make good time if you doing this in the next couple of weeks. I wouldn't even try it(the whole BRP in one day) on a weekend this time of year. Naturally weekdays will be a little better. If you're looking at weather forecasts for the ride the temps on the BRP will be about 10 degrees less. You should expect temps of 20/30s in the morning and evenings and probably 50s at best mid-day. Bottom line, I think you're asking for a royal pain of a ride to try and do it in one day.

2. Do you guys have any recommendations for hotels to call it a night at the Waynesboro or Cherokee? I ride a Dyna without saddles, and I am not going to be buying any for the trip. So, I'd prefer not to carry any camping gear and therefore, prefer not to camp. Also, it'd be nice to have some internet connectivity at night, and a place to charge my iGadgets.


3. Any recommendations on side jaunts along that general route? I'll probably take the Taconic down from Albany, other than that, I haven't stumbled across any byways on the route.

1. You're already looking at 8+ hours from Albany to Waynesboro doing all interstate. If you want to get off the interstate but still make decent time you can look at taking 15 South out of Harrisburg to 340 South into Waynesboro. It'll probably add 1-2 hours to your trip. I can recommend other more scenic routes but you're already looking at a long day.

4. Do you guys think taking a lot of photos detracts from the experience, or adds to it? Or, both? I'll be riding solo, and I know the wife would love to see at least some photos.

5. Any random suggestions for a first time long haul?

1. Layers, layers and more layers of clothing. This trip at this time of year you could see temps from the 20s to the 60s in the same day. Being able to shed layers will make it more comfortable. GOOD rain gear, don't go to Walmart and buy a poncho thinking you can make this ride. Getting wet when it's in the 40s will end your ride real quick. Being from SC I'm not sure how much you've dealt with snow/ice. Don't recommend even attempting to ride in it, watch out for black ice if it's below freezing even if it's a sunny day.
   

Thanks fellas, I very much appreciate it.

 

If you decide to catch I85 outta Richmond and run that to I40 west I'm just a few miles from exit #164 of I85.(Hillsborough) Drop me a PM when you get your dates/routes finalized. I'll give ya my cell and if I'm gonna be around you are welcome to crash at my place for a nite. Or if ya get in a jam and need some work done, some good shops around here too.

 

Like has been said, 1 day on the BRMP is very ambitious. We were running between 45 and 50 mph, and taking breaks every 1.5 hours or so. You'll need them. The scenery is fantastic and the road is awesome. Take at least a couple of days to enjoy it, or you'll miss what you're trying to accomplish.

 

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the feedback so far. So definitely, BRP will be at least two days. But now that I am looking at it, perhaps Skyline would also be worth the time. That'll keep me off the interstate from North VA to near the SC border, and that is kind-of my goal.

Definitely will be running well with layers; I didn't mention but I am also an avid downhill skiier (more bohemian, not the luxury type...) and year round camper, so I've got layers covered well there. To answer a question posted above, I am from northern CT; I moved down here just recently. I haven't ridden so much in the snow/ice, but I've definitely driven more than my share in 4wd.

I'll check out 15S; I don't mind adding time really, I just will need to plan my night calls accordingly. If I stretch it out too far, the wife will lose patience, but other than that, I am good to go.

Ae4782tt: Thanks very much man, I'll keep that in mind.


Keep it comin guys!