todd moyer
Registered
Arriving stateside for my usual spring time / anniversary vacation was met with weather that wasn't exactly "ideal" but for living in the northeast I've seen worse. Late April is always a gamble but typically yields at least some miles to be ridden.
The first weekend of May my wife and I loaded up trying to make a quick exit from Western NY to get through PA between the impending crap weather. Day one started out cool, about 55 degrees, the mist in the air quickly turned to rain and within 8 miles at the PA boarder so we slipped on the rain gear. By the time we hit Lewisburg PA it was time for a break, gas up, get out of the rain gear and grab a snack at Sheetz From that point the weather was alright the rest of the day and we stopped off at Waynesboro VA. The next day was alright, overcast but no rain and we started our ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a late start so we made it only as far as Roanoke VA before calling it an early afternoon. The next morning we left early, we put down some miles, stopping here & there but more than anything we were just enjoying the good riding, lack of much traffic at all, good weather, and this lead us to Asheville NC. Day three the weather was superb! We finished the Parkway and turned north to Gatlinburg (big mistake). At that point the fun ended. SLOW SLOW SLOW traffic, slow speed limit, then dealing with the parking in Gatlinburg......... I was ready to just clear out of town and get rolling We were able to laydown some tracks and make it back north to Waynesboro before calling it a night. The last day of our quick trip quickly went to pot when the rain moved in. Yeah rain and lots of it. One of those rides that just miserable but all part of traveling. By the time I stopped for a good rest in Chambersburg PA my wife was waaaaaaay beyond the point of unhappy, to say the least. After some very tense yet careful negotiations it was agreed (insisted upon) that we find an alternate mode of transportation home. I offered to go to a hotel but the weather forecast wasn't looking good so I gave in renting a U-Haul to load up in and drive the rest of the way home Oh well, how does the old saying go? A happy wife is a happy life or something like that??
So long story short, the Parkway was great. The views were spectacular, it was early in the season but the weather was good while down south! On the 469 miles of Parkway we only saw one state trooper and only a few Park Rangers. Only once did a Ranger flash his lights at me but to be honest I was rolling along at about 62-64mph. I pulled over fully expecting to a conversation with him but he didn't bother to come back which was fine with me lol. If I had a solid week or two to spend in the areas around the Parkway I'd be much happier but I didn't and am satisfied with the ride we had. The road conditions were good with only a couple sections in the northern portion that have crappy road surfaces.
Our plan was to run across the Cherohala Skyway then swing back to Robbinsville and catch some roads around there but time was running short for me
Picture taken at the southern end:
The first weekend of May my wife and I loaded up trying to make a quick exit from Western NY to get through PA between the impending crap weather. Day one started out cool, about 55 degrees, the mist in the air quickly turned to rain and within 8 miles at the PA boarder so we slipped on the rain gear. By the time we hit Lewisburg PA it was time for a break, gas up, get out of the rain gear and grab a snack at Sheetz From that point the weather was alright the rest of the day and we stopped off at Waynesboro VA. The next day was alright, overcast but no rain and we started our ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a late start so we made it only as far as Roanoke VA before calling it an early afternoon. The next morning we left early, we put down some miles, stopping here & there but more than anything we were just enjoying the good riding, lack of much traffic at all, good weather, and this lead us to Asheville NC. Day three the weather was superb! We finished the Parkway and turned north to Gatlinburg (big mistake). At that point the fun ended. SLOW SLOW SLOW traffic, slow speed limit, then dealing with the parking in Gatlinburg......... I was ready to just clear out of town and get rolling We were able to laydown some tracks and make it back north to Waynesboro before calling it a night. The last day of our quick trip quickly went to pot when the rain moved in. Yeah rain and lots of it. One of those rides that just miserable but all part of traveling. By the time I stopped for a good rest in Chambersburg PA my wife was waaaaaaay beyond the point of unhappy, to say the least. After some very tense yet careful negotiations it was agreed (insisted upon) that we find an alternate mode of transportation home. I offered to go to a hotel but the weather forecast wasn't looking good so I gave in renting a U-Haul to load up in and drive the rest of the way home Oh well, how does the old saying go? A happy wife is a happy life or something like that??
So long story short, the Parkway was great. The views were spectacular, it was early in the season but the weather was good while down south! On the 469 miles of Parkway we only saw one state trooper and only a few Park Rangers. Only once did a Ranger flash his lights at me but to be honest I was rolling along at about 62-64mph. I pulled over fully expecting to a conversation with him but he didn't bother to come back which was fine with me lol. If I had a solid week or two to spend in the areas around the Parkway I'd be much happier but I didn't and am satisfied with the ride we had. The road conditions were good with only a couple sections in the northern portion that have crappy road surfaces.
Our plan was to run across the Cherohala Skyway then swing back to Robbinsville and catch some roads around there but time was running short for me
Picture taken at the southern end: