Hello Darkness
Today was quite a day (if applicable, Happy Mother's Day!). I woke up at 0700 EST, checked out, loaded up the bike, and hit Tail of the Dragon (TotD) early in the day. I was on the road by 0800. I wanted to get there early before traffic picked up and avoid holding everyone up with my chicken strips. All I could think about was Brad Pitt's narration for Hitting the Apex. Stay on the bike. This should be good...I wondered if this sign would be the end of the trip for me (or worse, me). This sign was my Rubicon.
I was able to get a couple runs in before traffic started to pickup on the US 129, 11 miles with 318 curves for TotD. A few times I moved over at nearest turnout to allow other riders or in some cases cars pass me. In total I did 5 rides, 2 northbound and 3 southbound. Each time hoping I would not ride past my skill level and/or cause any harm. Stay in the lane. I will need to look at the local shop websites in Deals Gap to see how the shots from their photographers turned out and if it is worth purchasing. After my last run it was time to spend money in the gift shops to support local business or something. I bought the usual for me pins and t-shirts along with some other things (dust collectors). As I was leaving a person and I got to talking as they ride a 650. They mentioned they have considered my bike (Ninja 1000) and even noticed the liners I have in the panniers (thank you, you know who you are!). As you can see conversations will be had among motorcyclists. This particular person rode out from the Bay Area and they are planning to continue riding to attend Myrtle Beach Bike Week before heading home.
I signed the porch before heading out and I only knew about this thanks to a friend who has been here and done this before. It will fade over time but hopefully my memories of it will remain.
I headed down through the Nantahala National Forest around 1200 towards Raleigh to have dinner with a friend. It was a beautiful day with some good roads and spotty cellular service. I will have to visit again and go to the Great Smoky Mountains. It was a long ride with some unfortunate traffic due to construction and I finally made it around 1815. We ate at Bad Daddy's Burger Bar and caught up before I had to get on the road again. I initially planned to spend more time in Raleigh but I have been riding away from weather. I had no intention of getting caught in the rain if I could avoid it so I made the decision to move up my timeline and go to Virginia...it was only another 3 hours away. No big deal, right? Spoilers: I did not have to hear this yet.
I was fortunate enough to not get caught in rain on the way. This whole trip I made a conscious effort to avoid riding after sunset and today I had to go against my decision. It would have been a miserable experience if I was caught in the rain and the dark. This is where the title comes into play. The rest of the song lyrics unrelated (or is it?!) except for the first line: hello darkness, my old friend. Riding/driving at night is not an issue when you are in a well lit (city) area but when there is a lack of light it can be unsettling.
There was no moonlight on this fine evening and the only light is from the headlights of vehicle(s). At some points you cannot even see trees on either side of the road. You hope no wildlife decides to cross paths with you or the taillights you are following (if you have the luxury) are paying attention closely to the road. Nights on roads like these is when high-beams are beneficial. Please be kind, turn off your high-beams as vehicles approach from the opposite direction as to not temporarily impair someone else's vision. If someone is slow (lagging) (or an asshole) disabling their high-beams then look to the right side of the road until the vehicle has passed (at least that is what I remember? Please verify.). Another reminder is to use the left lane for passing and do not use it to impede traffic. In my limited experience it is not really an issue outside of California.
I finally made it to my destination around 2315. 3583.7 miles and 10 days later I am now in Virginia, ahead of schedule riding away from rain/storms. We went to Wawa for dinner and I had a good sandwich. If we had this in California during my more youthful years I could see myself going here on late nights while loitering with friends. This blog post would have been up earlier but I fell asleep typing it up around 0330. It was a very long day if you recall since I started around 0700 with at least 10 hours on the bike today through Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. If only I was a robot.