Fall Leaf Tour Ride Report

Where does one start trying to describe an incredible nine day motorcycle trip? The easiest method I know of is in a diary format. So here it goes:

Sunday, October 19th:

Our alarm went off at 4:30am. No big deal though, I don’t think either Jo-Ann or I slept much. Anytime before a big trip, I always find it hard to rest. The multitude of questions going through one’s mind: did I forget anything, is the bike ready, is the bike packed correctly, etc?

We pulled out of our driveway at 5:15 a.m. heading to the Cracker Barrel in Pembroke Pines to meet other club members. A quick stop at a gas station to top off the Gold Wing’s tank and we were at the restaurant 25 minutes before it even opened. For the short drive, the bike felt a little heavy, but balanced properly.

The rest of the members (Nick, Carmen, John, Tina, Carlos, Kenny, Martin and Doug A.) arrived shortly after. There would be 10 members riding in my group. Doug J. and 3 others left a day earlier. Morten, Bob, Jim S., Rhonda and Dave would meet us at Copperhead Lodge in Blairsville, Ga.

Our route took us north on the Sawgrass Expressway to the Florida Turnpike then I-95. I know this is not the most scenic route, but we wanted to cover a lot of ground the first day. We stopped for lunch at Dixie Crossroads just south of Daytona Beach. We arrived just as the doors opened; they get very crowded on Sundays after church ends.

After getting back on the road we noticed the temperatures starting to drop a little. This was just a preview of things to come for this South Florida bunch.

The first night found us in the Historic District of Savannah, Ga. Most of us stayed at the Holiday Inn on the river front. I highly recommend this hotel. The views from our room over looking the river and highway 17 bridge were fantastic. The hotel allows motorcycles to park right outside the front door. It’s not covered parking, but it is very secure with the doorman keeping a watchful eye on our pride and joys.

Monday, October 20th:

When we awoke Monday morning, we realized quickly that we were no longer in South Florida. The outside temperature was in the high 40’s to low 50’s. We finally get to wear all that leather gear that takes up space in our closets back home. It was decided to meet at a gas station around the corner. I gave Martin directions and a couple others to meet us there with full tanks and kickstands up at 9:10 a.m. The rest of us arrived at 9:05 and everyone was there except Martin. We waited for 10 minutes and decided to check another gas station just before we get onto I-16 westbound. As we drove by, no Martin. Not knowing where to look further, we continued west on I-16. Minutes passed and Jo-Ann’s cell phone started ringing. She was able to give Martin directions to a meeting point.

We exited I-16 onto Highway 1 north. There was a gas station here and we waited for Martin to join back up with us. That was fine with us; it gave us time to warm up. 15 minutes later Martin was back with us and we were heading north.

I don’t know if this is the same Highway 1 in Georgia as we have in South Florida. It opens up into a very nice 4-lane divided highway with some great views. 20 miles north and we ran into some intermittent construction. In a couple years, this will be a wonderful alternative route to get north.

Highway 1 soon turned into Hwy 17, then 441 and finally US-129 towards Blairsville, Ga. This is part of the famous US-129 that makes up Deal’s Gap, just much further south. The last 20 miles before arriving into Blairsville, some of the best twisty and sharp turning roads you will find greeted us. Nick chased me through these turns following every bare knuckle turn. Jo-Ann was screaming in my ear to slow down. Later I found out Nick was hearing almost the same thing. I have never ridden in the back seat of a bike, so I don’t know how unnerving taking tight corners can be.

We stopped at the first gas station to top off our tanks and then rode the last 8 miles to Copperhead Lodge.

The resort is off the highway by a mile or so. As you turn into the complex, you are greeted by a steep straight decent towards the lodge. Rhonda, Dave, and Morten were waiting for us. They had already cracked open the keg of beer we had ordered. That first cold beer couldn’t have tasted any better. Jo-Ann & I had reserved a cabin back up the hill. It just happened to be across the street from Doug and his group.

The group decided to have dinner nightly at 7 p.m. and breakfast at 8 a.m. The lodge had a special deal going on for Monday through Thursday. After a short rest, we were heading back to the lodge for some refreshments, dinner and next day planning. It was decided that if you wanted to ride with the group, it would be kickstands up at 9am every morning and returning around 4:40-5:30 p.m. each afternoon.

Tuesday, October 21st:

42 degrees greeted us this morning. Brrrrrr!

During cold weather riding, dress in layers. This way, when (if) it gets warmer, you can shed a few layers.

First things first: Jo-Ann and I awoke to a cabin temperature of less then 50 degrees! Seems that heat pumps don’t work very well in temperatures this low. I quickly jumped out of bed, turned the thermostat controller to emergency heat and jumped back into bed. Whose idea was it to come up here this time of year?

A little information about the cabin first; if you are visualizing a multi-room log cabin with large porch, bear skin rug, etc… YOU WOULD BE WRONG! These are pre-fabricated log homes, about 400-600 square feet, one bedroom, one bath, living-dinning-kitchen all one room, plus a small screened-in porch. Living here for more then a couple weeks would be difficult. More then 2 or 4 people and it’s just too crowded.

After getting our wits about us, we were soon dressed with multiple layers and pulled the bike out (the lodge allowed me to park my bike inside the garage of the cabin next door) for the short ride down the hill to the main lodge and breakfast. A large fire greeted us and we headed straight for it. Amazing the warmth they give off.

Breakfast was quickly served and soon we were lining for our first guided tour by Dave & Rhonda. If you are looking for our route, I am sorry. Only Dave knows where we went. All I can say is we rode along and over many dams and lakes whose water level was many feet lower then normal.

Our first stop was at “Fields of the Woods. This is a Biblical Park with the entire 10 Commandments built into the mountainside. They have a replica of the Tomb of Christ, wall of Psalms, etc. Do a google search and visit it sometime. Our time for a break was short, but the one item most of us enjoyed the most was the hot chocolate.

Our next leg took us up towards Tellico Planes and then to the Cherohala Skyway. The sky was a clear brilliant blue and we were encountering leaves in this area at 100% color. We had arrived and it was only Tuesday morning. Dave stopped at many pull-offs so pictures could be snapped and we could warm up. The roads here contain both seeping and tight bare knuckle curves.

Half-way over the mountains, we decided to take a turn off the Parkway and head north along Lake Santeetlah to pick up US-129 towards Deal’s Gap. This turnoff was incredible, some stretches were only wide enough for one vehicle to pass, others encompassed turns where you could check out your own break lights. First gear, second gear, hard leaning, and occasionally hard braking was all you needed. I was really glad I had chosen to replace my tires before this trip.

We arrived at Deal’s Gap a little past noon. There were probably over a hundred motorcyclists there. My personal opinion is Deal’s Gap gets all the publicity but the roads Dave had shown us surpassed Deal’s Gap. Many of us had lunch while others took off to tame the Dragon. 318 curves in 11 miles, a round trip will take about 45 minutes. The fastest you may get up to is 45 mph, and that is just for a short stretch. Most speeds are in the 20-30mph range with total concentration required. Doesn’t work for me anymore, I enjoy twistys, but I prefer those that have long sweeping turns at higher speeds.

Soon it was time to return to the lodge and Dave selected a route along the Fontana River passing Fontana Village (we stayed here twice as a club). More twisty roads with blind turns at every corner, a couple hours past and we were pulling into Copperhead Lodge again. We had a couple hours until dinner and our screen porch had a nice Jacuzzi which I had turned on high the night before. What a way to end the first day of riding.

Wednesday, October 22nd

Cool weather and fog greeted the South Florida riders. On this morning, Jo-Ann and I were headed to Eastern Tennessee for the day/night to visit some of my family. The club would head over to Helen, Ga and other little known roads. I am not able to tell you much more then that.

When we left the lodge, there was heavy fog. Temperatures were in the middle 30’s and it went right through our multiple layers. I was really wishing I had the new Gold Wing with the heated seat and grips. Jo-Ann said she had never been that cold before (we lived in Northern Indiana and Ohio for many years).

Thursday, October 23rd

We spent the Wednesday night in Erwin, Tn. Leaving at 8am, we were greeted to 31 degrees coming across Sam’s Gap towards Asheville, N.C on I-26 This is an unbelievable road that I highly recommend. Fingers and toes numb, we stopped for gas and hot chocolate. Then we drove to Randy S. house to pick up our current and future (Robert T.) Ride for Kids Ride Managers. Randy and Robert led the way to the top of Mt. Pisgah via a small mountain road. The elevation rose over 2000’ in only a few miles.

Soon we broke out from the cutbacks and were turning onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. The temperature had risen slightly and the clear sunny sky felt great. A few short miles south and we were stopping at the Pisgah Inn for an early lunch. We lucked out and were seated at the last window-side table, it just happened to be in the corner and we were afforded a magnificent view of the valley below.

Back southbound on the Parkway a few exits and then a turnoff to another two-lane road heading down into the valley. (Before I go any further, be careful on mountain roads. You might put your foot down when coming to a stop and because of the slant of the parking lot or road you might be in for a rude awakening. Not to worry, Jo-Ann helped me pick up the bike and there was not damage. It happens to the best of us.)

Parts of this road (State Road 64)contained switchbacks while other areas had sweeping turns. Our route took us through Cashiers and Highlands townships.

About 35 miles from Copperhead Lodge we came around a corner and there was the Gold Coast Rider’s Club on the side of the road. They all waved when they realized who was passing them. A quick stop and we parked our bikes to walk back to them.

All was not right! Two bikes had crashed. I don’t want to go into the details of the crash, but always remember: a crash or accident is the coming together of variables at the precise moment to cause an accident. If you remove just one of these variables, the accident does not occur. One bike was severely damaged but still capable of being driven. The other while damaged, was not as bad off. All riders were ejected from their bikes, if it was not for the armor and helmets each of them wore, it would have been much worse. As it was, all three of them would have bad bruising and sore muscles the following days.

After police showed up to complete paperwork, we were back on the road, although at a much slower pace. Dinner this night would have us discussing the accident and counting our blessings. It could have been a lot worse.

Thursday night was also the weekly Bike Night at the lodge. All you can eat wings and beer for $10.00. All members did their best to get their monies’ worth. Everyone had a great time. But the question on many members mind was how were we going to get the damaged bike home?

Here is where Dave & Rhonda came to the rescue. They offered to put the damaged bike onto their trailer and loan Rhonda’s Gold Wing for our members to ride home. Without their kind gesture, these members would have been out of a lot of money to transport their bike and themselves home. This kind act of generosity will not be forgotten. Thank you Dave & Rhonda!

Friday, October 24th

With every sunny period comes a little rain. The skies opened up and the rain fell all day long! We kept a watch on the weather channel, but the break never came. Temperatures hovered in the middle 50’s with strong gusty winds all day long.

The Lodge provided us with brand new board games to pass the time. These were the games we played as children. Those who brought laptops brought them out so members could check emails and surf the net. The Lodge also set up a projection t.v. and broadcasted movies (including Wild Hogs).

With the rain canceling our riding plans, we all laid around the fireplace enjoying the hospitality the lodge provides.

Saturday, October 25th

All good things must come to an end, and those of the Gold Coast Rider’s Club needed to return to South Florida. While members started their two day trek back south, Jo-Ann and I headed over to Asheville, N.C. to visit the Biltmore Estates for the day. Our route took us back over the mountain through Franklin N.C. The fog this morning reduced visibility to near zero. At one point our speed was only 15 mph.

If you have never been to the Biltmore Estate, you should visit it. Please allow a minimum of a full day to take in everything. Make sure you purchase the “audio companion” to go along with your tour. Without it, you would not know what you are looking at. There is no way possible to go into detail on the Estate, just suffice it to say, it’s worth visiting.

We left Biltmore Estate after purchasing a couple bottles of wine (the bike was really loaded down now) and drove over to Randy S. (our ride manager for Ride for Kids) house. He had invited us to join him at a play tonight where one of the PBTF Staff members was in the title roll. Dinner back at Pisgah Mountain Inn and then over to the Forestry Service for the show. The show centered around 1904 circa and a forestry student by the name of Tommy Hodges. The play was a walking tour with several stops for the actors to do their parts. It was very entertaining, thanks Randy!

Sunday, October 26th

Now it was time for us to start our journey home. Randy was nice to allow us to stay with him for the night and soon our alarms rang early. We were again greeted to clear skies and frigid temperatures. There was a heavy frost on Randy’s truck as we left his house. Our route took us south on I-26 with some spectacular views coming down off the mountain just north of South Carolina.

Our first stop south of Spartanburg, S.C. to knock the chill off and breakfast was very very welcomed. Continuing on I-26 to I-95 south; our goal of reaching St Augustine for nightfall was within easy reach. A friend of mine who I have not seen in 20+ years came over to meet us for dinner. Returning to the hotel, a quick laundry of our dusty clothes and it was bedtime.

Monday, October 27th

The final day of our trip. Loading the bike up, we failed to notice how chilly it was outside. Hey! We were back in Florida, how cold could it really be. 50 degrees is how cold, and since we were in Florida, we did not even think to wear our heavy jackets. So the first hour of riding was a wee bit chilly.

Our first stop was at Destination Daytona for gas and to replace my blown out headlight bulb. We visited J & P Cycle located on the northern part of Destination Daytona; a huge parts warehouse. It’s easy to kill an hour plus there.

The rest of the ride home was uneventful. We pulled into our driveway a little past 3:00 p.m. Over 2,500 miles total and with the exception of the headlights, the Honda performed flawlessly.

For those who joined us on this little jaunt, Jo-Ann and I really enjoyed your company. For those of you who couldn’t make up your mind about going, you missed a fantastic trip. I am not sure when the next high adventure ride will be, or even where? Talked about shipping the motorcycles out to the West Coast, then flying out to them and riding back was mentioned. This would be a 3-4 week trip and possibly occur in 2010. Just a dream now, but that is how they all start.

I hope I have not bored you with this report. Much was left out of it because of the speed I type and time constraints.

Ride Safe,

Greg Mathes

Gold Coast Rider’s Club

www.goldcoastriders.com