Another gloriously beautiful day in the mountains was mine for the taking and I took full advantage. Rolling out at mid-morning, I made my way down to Linville for breakfast at the Tartan Restaurant. After that it was over to Tennessee for a quick ride through Tiger Valley where I snapped a few shots of the trees reflecting into the lake. You fellas that rode on last year's Fall Leaf Ride know the spot I am talking about...and it was even better this time out than what you remember!
Leaving Tiger Valley, I backtracked to Roan Mountain and made the run for the top. Once at the top of the Roan, I took advantage of the semi-off-road capabilities of the V-Strom and climbed up beyond the usual parking lot at the old Cloudlands Hotel site. Another mile or so up the mountain I parked the V-Strom at the top of the gravel road and set off on foot for the half-mile hike up to the summit at Roan High Bluffs where I took in a spectacular 180-degree panorama of the landscape below the mountain. The view was definitely worth the hike.
With a few dozen good shots in the cameras, I hiked back down to the bike and made my way down the backside of Roan Mountain (the North Carolina side) and had a blast running the many miles of curves from Carver's Gap to Bakersville, NC.
At the bottom in Bakersville, I continued south on NC 226 into Spruce Pine for a quick stop at the Walmart to grab a pair of shoes to wear when I'm off the bike. In my haste to get packed and rolling I somehow forgot to pack my tennis shoes. Oh, well, Walmart is everywhere and they're a great place to pickup a cheap pair of shoes.
Leaving Spruce Pine I continued south to Little Switzerland (yes, again) and jumped on the Blue Ridge Parkway for the run back to the Linville area.
Exiting the Parkway on Roseboro Road, I quickly made my way back up the mountain to my mom's house where the bike was cleaned and prepped for the next ride.
My total riding distance for the day was 140 miles and they were all great! Mom and I went down the mountain for dinner at a nice Italian joint she knew about and it turned out that they served really good food. An enjoyable cap to the day. On the way back up the mountain I got her to stop along the roadside so I could play around with some low-light photography, the results of which shown in the last two photos below. Speaking of photos, keep scrolling down for shots from today's travels...
Leaving Tiger Valley, I backtracked to Roan Mountain and made the run for the top. Once at the top of the Roan, I took advantage of the semi-off-road capabilities of the V-Strom and climbed up beyond the usual parking lot at the old Cloudlands Hotel site. Another mile or so up the mountain I parked the V-Strom at the top of the gravel road and set off on foot for the half-mile hike up to the summit at Roan High Bluffs where I took in a spectacular 180-degree panorama of the landscape below the mountain. The view was definitely worth the hike.
With a few dozen good shots in the cameras, I hiked back down to the bike and made my way down the backside of Roan Mountain (the North Carolina side) and had a blast running the many miles of curves from Carver's Gap to Bakersville, NC.
At the bottom in Bakersville, I continued south on NC 226 into Spruce Pine for a quick stop at the Walmart to grab a pair of shoes to wear when I'm off the bike. In my haste to get packed and rolling I somehow forgot to pack my tennis shoes. Oh, well, Walmart is everywhere and they're a great place to pickup a cheap pair of shoes.
Leaving Spruce Pine I continued south to Little Switzerland (yes, again) and jumped on the Blue Ridge Parkway for the run back to the Linville area.
Exiting the Parkway on Roseboro Road, I quickly made my way back up the mountain to my mom's house where the bike was cleaned and prepped for the next ride.
My total riding distance for the day was 140 miles and they were all great! Mom and I went down the mountain for dinner at a nice Italian joint she knew about and it turned out that they served really good food. An enjoyable cap to the day. On the way back up the mountain I got her to stop along the roadside so I could play around with some low-light photography, the results of which shown in the last two photos below. Speaking of photos, keep scrolling down for shots from today's travels...
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