...sang Roy Rogers. And I'm back in the good ole Vespa saddle again! It was a 2 hour round trip to Sylva, plus an hour for them to put the new tire on. It was worth every penny of the high price they charged.
During the ride over & back, I realized this is the longest I've gone without riding since I started in November of '08 - 5 days. It seemed like an eternity.
The Tail of the Dragon is 318 curves in 11 miles and I rode it twice yesterday. It's on US 129 going into Tennessee. My eyes watered I was so happy to be on that scooter again. It is truly a mood elevator, just like the red chili lights on the trailer.
One challenge of riding a 2 wheeler is not breaking in a curve. The instructors say to accelerate or hold your speed throughout a turn. Well, when you're going down hill through continuous S turns, that becomes very difficult. So I stayed focused, no sightseeing, and rode my ride, not influenced by what others were doing.
Since the road is closed at the far end, you have to turn around & come back. During that part on my second run, I was pushing a big Harley Davidson who finally pulled over & let me by. When we got back to the Deal's Gap store, he came over & complimented me on how well I was riding. Finally! Respect from a Harley owner! Boy did that feel good!
Deal's Gap is a big store, pub, RV resort & refueling station. It's nearly always crowded with Harley's, Japanese crotch rockets, trikes, dirt bikes & most everything else you can imagine on 2 or 3 wheels. Then there was my little red Vespa. I was very proud!
The Tree of Shame is decorated with motorcycle parts from wrecks that have occurred on the Dragon. It is very sobering, to say the least. There are notes written on some of the parts, like "A head on between 2 Harleys". There's one sign there that says "Ride your own ride & stay in your own lane." Since most cycle accidents are caused by going too fast around curves, that's very good advice.
There was a place along the road taking pictures as people rode by. Their website is US 129 Photos.com. The ones from yesterday haven't been posted yet, but hopefully there'll be at least one good one of me riding the Tail of the Dragon! What fun! Going back again today.
During the ride over & back, I realized this is the longest I've gone without riding since I started in November of '08 - 5 days. It seemed like an eternity.
The Tail of the Dragon is 318 curves in 11 miles and I rode it twice yesterday. It's on US 129 going into Tennessee. My eyes watered I was so happy to be on that scooter again. It is truly a mood elevator, just like the red chili lights on the trailer.
One challenge of riding a 2 wheeler is not breaking in a curve. The instructors say to accelerate or hold your speed throughout a turn. Well, when you're going down hill through continuous S turns, that becomes very difficult. So I stayed focused, no sightseeing, and rode my ride, not influenced by what others were doing.
Since the road is closed at the far end, you have to turn around & come back. During that part on my second run, I was pushing a big Harley Davidson who finally pulled over & let me by. When we got back to the Deal's Gap store, he came over & complimented me on how well I was riding. Finally! Respect from a Harley owner! Boy did that feel good!
Deal's Gap is a big store, pub, RV resort & refueling station. It's nearly always crowded with Harley's, Japanese crotch rockets, trikes, dirt bikes & most everything else you can imagine on 2 or 3 wheels. Then there was my little red Vespa. I was very proud!
The Tree of Shame is decorated with motorcycle parts from wrecks that have occurred on the Dragon. It is very sobering, to say the least. There are notes written on some of the parts, like "A head on between 2 Harleys". There's one sign there that says "Ride your own ride & stay in your own lane." Since most cycle accidents are caused by going too fast around curves, that's very good advice.
There was a place along the road taking pictures as people rode by. Their website is US 129 Photos.com. The ones from yesterday haven't been posted yet, but hopefully there'll be at least one good one of me riding the Tail of the Dragon! What fun! Going back again today.
Wow Fred... That sounds scary to me... Glad you are being so cautious! I hate to even drive a car through mountainous areas, much less a bike! The view above is so beautiful... Breath-taking! Happy that your Vespa is having fun among all the Harleys! Great read... Thanks!
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