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The Bugsplat Saga – Where’s Bugsplat? |
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Written by Pork Chop
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Tuesday, 20 June 2006 |
Three of Bugsplat’s friends got together to see what they could give him for Father’s Day and came up with the Wayah Rd. - Hwy.28 Loop in North Carolina. KSU was set for 6:57 Sunday morning.
The first one to bail was Babe. She had a Braves game Saturday and a concert Saturday Nite and didn’t think she could make a 6:57 KSU. This was probably a wise choice as late nights and long rides do not mix well. Next to bail was Bugsplat. He claimed he had to work Saturday and Sunday – like his kindly boss would truly expect such a thing! Just because he is Quality Manager and they have a few quality problems.
Kevin and I met at the appointed time and headed north with Kevin in the lead. I like riding with Kevin because he is a better rider than I and a good teacher. Using speed limits as posted minimums, Kevin set the cruise control on 75 and we headed for NC. Just outside Yorkville we encountered a tree the size of a good sized Christmas tree in the road; as we left Yorkville, there was a 2x4 in the road. When I finally caught Kevin in Cartersville, he had one of those Sh*t eating grins like people who have Harley Ultra Classics sometimes get. He showed me a new way thru Cartersville where we hooked up with SR 20 and followed it to GA 108.
GA 108 is a new road for me. It is fairly interesting from the intersection with 20 to the town of Waleska. Waleska is a picturesque little town which is dominated by Reinhardt College. Reinhardt is either larger than I think it is or the whole thing abuts 108. 108 intersects 515 just south of Pickens County. You know you are almost to 515 when you pass thru a pungent little valley populated with chicken houses. When we reached 515 we rocked and rolled arriving in NC just after 9 AM. Our first stop was the Andrews Inn in the scenic Andrews valley – the center of the motorcycling universe. We got gas and a map and were off for Wayah Rd.
Wayah Rd. (pronounced almost but not quiet “warrior”) is a scenic and challenging road connecting US 129 near the Dragon to Franklin, NC. I can’t say enough about this little road. Approximately 2-3 times the length of the Dragon, it offers significant elevation changes and challenging curves as it crosses a mountain range following the two rivers running down each side of the range. There is very little traffic and some loose gravel in the curves due to the narrowness of the road.. Bob missed his Father’s Day gift on this one. This is sure to become one of his favorite rides.
In Franklin we turned northwest and followed 28 to Bryson City. There was a great deal more motorcycle traffic on 28 as the road is beginning to get the renown it is due. The plan was to follow 28 to 143 and access the Cherahola Skyway. Kevin deviated from the plan by running thru the Nantahala Gorge so he could see the rafters in bathing suits. One of the first things we saw was a raft floating downriver with its contents-including people- a couple of hundred yards upstream. I’m not real sure how you do this on a class 2 and 3 river. When we hit US 129 we turned north again.
North Carolina has outfitted the State Patrol in the Western Counties with BMW 1150RS motorcycles to protect us from the squid and from people like Transman who have figured out that lights timed for 35 are also timed for 70 and that turns which are posted 25 mph can be negotiated at 65 with sufficient leaning and sparking. With 152 rear wheel HP the ‘new” state patrol can catch almost anything on the road except a Habyusa and even they can’t out run a radio. After I saw the first one on his gray BMW in his gray State Patrol suit I kept my eyes peeled but everyone in the state who drives a BMW seems to wear a gray jacket! The only defining marks I could see were the antennas.
At Robbinsville we turned west across the Cherahola Skyway. I told Kevin I needed gas before we got on the skyway but the only station he stopped at was closed on Sunday. I came into the Exxon station in Tellico Plains with 150 miles on the tank and almost exactly the contents of my reserve. After being on the mountain, it was hot in Tellico Plains. On reflection, it’s always hot in Tellico Plains. I think those kcal and btu thingees bounce down the mountain and lodge in Tellico Plains where they contribute to global warming.
From Tellico Plains we ran TN 68 south to Copperhill then crossed into Georgia just before 3 PM. We ran back down the way we came and separated outside Cartersville.
The Father’s Day Fairy brought me some bicycling shorts as a surprise. I had heard they were good for Monkey Butt. They are good for eliminating the discomfort of “getting your undies in a bundle” and for “keeping things in place.” There is padding between the legs which is probably great for a bicycle seat but gives one the full diaper feeling I remember from my youth. I was also stress testing a new Pirelli Marathon front tire. My experience is that they are okay for everyday riding but not for aggressive riding. The longitudinal grooves seem to seek out and track road seams and cracks. They are not nearly as stable as the Metzler’s. Their rear tire works fine however.
We got home with just a shade under 500 miles on the clock.
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