It only took 8 years for me to finally get a motorcycle down to the North Carolina and Tennessee border. Years of excuses, lack of time off, finances, fear of vehicles breaking down and assorted other petty things. Chalk it up to yet another thing that should not be put off, considering how essential it is to who I am.
Ironically this trip pivoted around a monumental segment of my life. An end of a phase. While I was gone my house finally sold, leaving a closed door behind and opening many others. Its an indescribable joy. A sense of freedom, as a mortgage only nailed me to the ground.
Prior to leaving I had one last fire. The last of the last. Everything burns, a sobering thought.
Farewell home! Onto a new segment of my life. Starting with an adventure that should've been done years ago. At least I figured this out now when there is plenty of time left. On the way down I made some necessary pit stops.
Some necessary pew pew was conducted.
Wherever I end up next, I'd like it to be a place with a spanning environment. Being able to see a wall of rain to roll in is nifty.
Spring has sprung sooner down here. Oddly the scenery is not a long stretch from here in the northeast. Mountains are a little bigger but the green-ness felt the same.
An unpleasant reminder of what I dont like about home...
Party time! Its hard to describe how awesome this area is in terms of the road conditions and designs. A true motorcycle paradise. Well. For those that like to turn.
Fontana lake created the backdrop for this paradise. The heat and humidity were a bit oppressive especially when donning full race leathers. For years I lusted over photos and videos of the riding out here. Years. Unacceptable.
Sitting at around 5500' elevation. I cant describe the obsession with height. It is what it is. Theres a few local photographers that post up in popular areas and take some great riding photos. I handpicked a few of my favorites. As always the photos really do not put into perspective the sheer awesomeness.
I like to get the most out of my trips so a simple hop away brought me to some amazing mountain bike trails. Absolutely nothing like my home turf. The trails were smooth fast and flowy. Plus it was a chance to really test my new build.
There was minor flooding from the heavy rain the day before. The hard packed red clay dried up quick though.
Trail slash creek bed in the jungle.
Clouds dont seem really that high when they are seen scraping the tops of mountains.
Yours truly. Finally figured out the self timer. It takes a lot for me to download an application for my phone however I assumed that all phones had a self timer...because they all do except the iphone 4. Nope. Need an app for that. Sigh.
I think most people would stop for this obstacle and proceed cautiously.
I wish I could ride trails like this more often.
Except when this happens...still ironing out the kinks on my first bike build. I must not have crimped the compression fitting tight enough as on the first major downhill it popped off and I lost my rear brake. Not a total ride killer but I did slowdown to accommodate for the handicap.
Final destination.
The sun set on another day but this trip still had more life in it. Not too far away was the highest point on the east coast or something like that.
The trees are frozen. In the middle of May. At around 6200'.
Looking across multiple layers of peaks fading into the horizon never gets old. Clouds rolling over like water. From a distance I could see the man made tower on the peak so naturally I made the walk to get to the very top.
By the time I got there it was engulfed by clouds, creating a very different environment than below. Strong gusts of wind. Temperature well below freezing.
Ice grew in a very distinct pattern. The wind didnt have much variety based off of the ice direction. I hung out for a few minutes but then accepted that the cloud may not go away. I wouldve loved a full 360 degree view of the area however I was still satisfied with what I had.
On the way back I spotted some elk. Seemed odd. I thought they were more prone to thriving in northern mountain regions. Not the humid south. Either way they had a pretty solid "I dont give a crap" attitude regarding human presence.
A parting shot before I got back onto the interstate and made my way home to yet again light the fuse for another adventure. At least now I have the inner peace of knowing that if I want to do something, Im going to do it and not wait years as life hands out excuses to play it safe, be normal and do what I should.
