Mountain riding....

My Gold Wing "Silver" did an excellent job of getting me out to the mountains for some riding back in early June. Then she brought me back home to Birmingham safe and sound and in one piece.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I feel that this picture of me and my Wing during that ride does a pretty good job of illustrating why I enjoy riding in general and this bike in particular. She is a sweet machine that does what she is designed to do about as well as any two wheeler on the market.

Wing Ding 30

Those crazy Gold Wing riders are at it again.

I have found two groups of motorcycle riders to be unusually passionate about their particular brand of bike. Harley Davidson jockeys and Gold Wing riders. That is not to say that the other brands don't have their die-hard devotees, but from a pure numbers standpoint it is the Hogs and the Wingers that win hands down.

July 3rd through the 6th marks a date where the Gold Wing crowd will prove that I am not totally out in left field with this opinion. That is when over 10,000 Honda Gold Wing and Valkeyrie enthusiasts will descend upon Greenville, South Carolina for the Gold Wing Road Rider Association's (GWRRA) "Wing Ding 30".

My previous bikes were a Suzuki Volusia and Kawasaki Nomad, so I have never had reason to search out and attempt to join in this rite of passage for Gold Wing owners. The trade to our current 2005 Gold Wing last November changed that. It is time to join the throngs of Honda owners as they make their way to Greenville from all points of the compass.

GWRRA is a not-for-profit organization with over 80,000 members in 52 countries. Their motto is "Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge" and I've got to say that my experiences with the group shows they try to live up to their motto. Throughout the year there are many socializing / ride opportunities (they usually end with a stop at the Dairy Queen!), rider training events and safety classes. Not to mention plenty of charitable activities.

The kids are not quite totally out of the nest yet, so Tammy and I are not able to attend many of the rides and events but we are kept abreast of what the local GWRRA chapter is doing and man do they stay busy!

I am told that Wing Ding has the largest collection of Gold Wing themed vendors in the country. I'm looking forward to that. Something tells me I better hand my wallet to Tammy and ask her to lock it down tight. Must....not....think...about....bling....... (how about a little "safety chrome"?).

It will be a pleasure meeting Wingers from all over the country and according to the website there will be more to do than one can possibly finish in a couple of days.

Guess I better keep an eye on the weather reports this coming week so I know if we need to start out with the rain gear on or keep it packed away in the saddlebags.

Man I love having a ride "just over the horizon"!

Another mountain ride.

Spending a little quality time on The Blue Ridge Parkway

MAN I love riding my Wing through the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee and Northern Georgia!

I guess I ought to point the Wing in another direction next time I have a few days off for a ride, but I simply HAD to make another ride up to that beautiful part of the country at least once this riding season.

The ride was a little different this time as the group consisted of me, my dad, my buddy Clem and his dad. We had never ridden with Clem's dad before and since I've always liked that fella I was looking forward to spending a few days on the road with him.

We met up early on a Thursday morning in the parking lot of a Harley Davidson dealer that was pretty much central to all our locations. Some big genuine smiles...warm handshakes all around....sprinkle in some good-natured ribbing and a few complimentary comments on one another's rides....then we're ready to jump on the bikes and hit the road. However a quick stop for a hearty breakfast had to be the first order of business. I cannot figure out why breakfast on the first day of a ride tastes so good :)

Dad was riding his platinum colored Goldwing trike, Clem was riding his gigantic BMW Adventure, I was astride my silver Goldwing two wheeler and Clem's dad Tully was piloting his brand new crimson Harley Ultra Glide (what a beautiful machine!). We made an eclectic group of bikes and riders.

Day one was just over 400 miles. We started out in Birmingham, Alabama and worked our way up through some fantastic back roads, circumnavigated Lake Guntersville (wow the views of that beautiful lake from the back of a bike) and then weaselled our way up to North Carolina.

My dad was the Road Captain of our small band and did an excellent job of mapping out a beautiful ride that allowed us to pull into "The Dillard House" in Dillard, North Carolina for a fabulous meal of good 'ol home cooking. The view from the Dillard House was magnificent. I wish I had the photographic skill of many of you so that I could post a pic that would do that view justice. However I do not so we will have to suffice with the pic below showing a bit of the view. There is also a pic of the four of us pre-gorging.




After our bellies were filled to the bursting point we waddled back to the bikes and rode the remaining 50 or so miles to the Econolodge in Cherokee, NC. This motel would be home base for the next two nights as we rode around and through the hills surrounding the tourist town.


Not a lot to report other than another successful ride. Lots of fun and great fellowship. Quality time with family and friends. The bikes performed flawlessly. It was a little toasty (mid 90's) but all was forgiven as we would ride into the higher elevations and the cool air would begin to relax and refreshen you. As I pulled back in to the garage my trip meter showed 1024 miles over the three days of riding. I enjoyed every last mile of the trip.

One last "action shot" from my Wing - you can see Clem just before he enters a tunnel on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Time to start thinking about the next ride.....

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Hot dog I'm on vacation! Time to make a break for it and get us a change of scenery.

The first order of business was to gather up the wandering chicks (that would be my two sons of course), lasso the Activities Director (the wife..you knew that)and jump into the 'ol Mazda Tribute for the two and a half hour trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee.

We started out bright and early and made a quick stop at the local McDonalds for some pancakes and sausage. Obviously I spare no expense when it comes to feeding my family! To tell the truth we really do LIKE the hotcakes and sausage from Mickey D's.

Upon our arrival in Chattanooga we made our way through the downtown streets in search of our home for the next two evenings....the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. This hotel has a lot of history and is rather unique. The hotel lobby is an 85 foot dome built in 1909, and though we didn't take advantage of one, there are four dozen restored passenger cars that have been converted into hotel rooms. We were pleased to find that the hotel was centrally located to all the attractions we wanted to see, and was only a stone's throw away from the nice renovated down town area.

My wife being the smarter of the two of us suggested that we choose Rock City as our first stop. Rain was in the forecast for the next day, and as usual, Tammy made the right call. Saturday was gorgeous and after a quick lunch at the "Big Rock Grill" we thoroughly enjoyed walking the trails and bridges that wind and climb among the rock gardens. "Lovers Leap" was inspiring and the "Swing-Along Bridge" (a rope bridge) got your blood pumping. It was a lot of fun making our way through sections of the garden with names like "Goblin's Underpass", "Fat Man's Squeeze" and "The Hall of the Mountain King". Of course we bought a copy of the picture a park employee took of the family as we stood in the middle of the "Swing-Along Bridge". It seems that every attraction in Chattanooga has camera wielding employees lying in wait to take your picture.

We made our way over to the "Incline Railway" while we were on that side of town and still had plenty of sunshine left. The "Incline" has been making it's one mile climb up Lookout Mountain since 1895 and boasts that it is the steepest passenger railroad in the world with its 72% grade. Reality Check: We all found this a bit of a bore. It sounds much more thrilling than it really is. However you have not really been to Chattanooga if you haven't rode the Incline!

Supper was a special affair that evening. We made our way back to the hotel and after a rest and cleaning up a bit, we walked to one of the restaurants on the hotel grounds named "The Station House". It was quite an experience. There was a nice stage and the servers all split time between serving you dinner and singing up on the stage. The singing was quite good and the food (steak, seafood and the like) was not bad at all. A little pricey, but the uniqueness of the experience eased the pain on the wallet a bit. From there we made the short walk to the Centennial Theater and watched a song and dance show titled "The Choo Choo Chaboogie". Don't let the name throw you...it was two hours of good clean fun. By the end we were glad to make the walk back to our room and hit the sack.

I was awakened day two by thunder and rain. Thankfully I had listened to my better half and we had scheduled activities that wouldn't be hindered by the wet stuff. The first was a trek 1120 feet underground to view Ruby Falls. What a wonder! The rock formations weren't quite as nice as the ones we have here in Alabama at Desoto Caverns, but the falls themselves were incredible. Hard to believe there can be a waterfall that high that far underground. Watch out Indiana Jones!!!

From there we sprinted through the rain to the Tribute and made our way downtown (through the rude Chattanooga drivers)to the Tennessee Aquarium. Two huge buildings. One houses the "River Journey" and the other the "Ocean Journey". Very nice indeed and of course we stopped long enough to take in a show at the Imax Theater. The rest of day two was spent swimming at the indoor pool at the hotel and eating. Lunch was a delicious pizza at "The Mellow Mushroom" (a MUST if you're a pizza fan)and dinner was fantastic at a restaurant named "The Big River Grille". I highly recommend both of these eating establishments.

Day three was going home day. The sun was out and there was a wonderful breeze....the perfect day. Before pointing the car back towards Birmingham, we made one last trip uptown to a dock on the Tennessee River. Moored there is a riverboat named Southern Belle. We boarded and were treated to a thoroughly enjoyable riverboat cruise up and down the Tennessee River. I always enjoy the informative commentary and we took advantage of the invitation to go up to the Pilot House and talk with the Captain for a bit. He was a nice guy and you could tell he was thrilled to have the job of a lifetime. Some people have all the luck!

Then we were off for home with a quick stop in to The Cracker Barrel for a late breakfast / early lunch.

My apologies for the long blog entry (my wife says I make them too long - I'm sure she's correct), but I had a lot to share!

I hope you all are looking forward to vacations of your own in the near future.