Trip Reflection

The End: Trip Report

Bikes:
Bikes have run pretty much flawlessly.
Turtl lost a headlight bulb on the way to Niagara
Andy has lost a nut that holds the pannier brackets together
Gracey and Turtl's bike over heated in New York
All the tyres are showing a squared off profile after 3500 miles (~5600kms) in 16 days riding; the following two days in the mountains we rounded them off in less than 400 miles!!
Bikes with large screens mean you need to stand-up on the footpegs for a while every so often to get some air into the jacket vents - so hot some days. Those large screens means you don't get as wet though...

No one has had any comfort issues with the bikes. No sore arses or anything much, except for maybe a tight neck or shoulder or back muscles, and nothing a quick massage session didn't fix!!

We averaged 2.8 tanks of fuel per bike per day.
We used 1 litre oil between all the bikes.
Turtl's bike used the most amount of fuel, Gracey's used the least.
Daily average speeds were acceptable to everyone (eventually) Which I think is very good :-)

Roads:
Anyone who complains about the roads in the US need to visit Australia. Our roads are rubbish.

Law Enforcement:
No issues really had.
One incident with us bypassing 5 miles of backed up traffic on the Interstate and saving ourselves a couple of hours travel time, didn't go down too well with the other users of the Interstate or the State Troopers.
There are speed limits in the US; apparently. We must have passed 20+ Troopers/Sheriff's/Police cars everyday - and never once (that I recall) doing the speed limit...

Reasons?:

• We must have been within their threshold/tolerance... 
• or maybe BMW's look like they move slowly through the air when their oncoming... 
• or maybe those fairings and mudguards are actual radar invisible mouldings... 
• or maybe it was foggy when the aerial radar speed traps were being set...
• or maybe they had been radioed ahead and told, it's just those crazy bloody Aussies coming your way...
• or our beards spooked them...
• or they wouldn't understand our piss poor excuses when we gave them and it was easier to book the locals (because man, they were getting booked left, right, and centre!!!)

The Little Things: Needed or Not Needed

What we didn't need...

These may change and be updated in the future:

Some say....

Here are some of the superfluous items we didn't need to bring...

Turtl:

1. Spare pair of reading glasses - I could asked those who could read to read to me!!

2. Spanner - There was only one I didn't use!!

3. 5 of the 8 pairs of shoes I brought - And I bought another pair while I was here!!

4. The spare riding jacket

5. Zip ties

6. Backpack

7. A new t-shirt collection - one from each place we stopped

8. More alcohol

Andy:

1. Nothing. I packed light and bummed stuff off everyone else :-)

Gracey:

1. TBC

Paul:

1. Slider jeans
2. First Aid kit

What we did need...

Awesome dude!!

Turtl:

1. Shorts - it was hot over here!!

2. Swimmers - it was hot over here!!

3. Wet weather gear

4. Warmer clothes - it got cold over here!!

5. Fingernail cutters - forgot mine

6. Better bloody video camera, batteries, mounts and memory

7. Reliable and ubiquitous internet

8. Something better than a smartphone for updating blogs on...

Andy:

1. Toothpaste

2. Mobile phone/smartphone/GPS

Gracey:

1. TBC

Paul:

1. Summer and winter gloves
2. Bigger battery for the iPhone
3. Different setup for headset, intercom, phone integration
4. GPS on the bike would have been handy; and much better than using the iPhone


Decisions, decisions...

Where would you live if you weighed this much on earth?

Day 21 - Shopping Again!!

Day 21 - Looking for those pesky things....

God I hate shopping... You know what I mean... You spend from 10am to 6pm and you don't find exactly what you're looking for... Argh!! Or you saw something the day before and think to yourself, I really should go back and get that - it was awesome/one-off/I really like it/a total bargain/etc, etc....

Try again tomorrow?

Well, we did. Gracey left for the airport at about 9.30am, so Andy and I armed with more information about sizes and types and colours and spending budgets worked out, we headed for the same places as yesterday. So important things first. Coffee.

Once again, we were there before they opened, and we were in need of coffee! So we went to Home Depot - this is like a larger Bunnings on Steroids!! (Honestly, it is huge!!) - thinking that surely Home Depot, the biggest home hardware joint in the world, would have a cafe of some description.... Nope. Nothing, Nada!!

And don't we get ripped off blind in Oz when it comes to pricing. Incredible!!

So, back to the search for coffee. We ended up going to the food court in the Outlets Centre because it's open. We find a cafe place and order. We get some strange looks when we ask for a triple shot vanilla latte with an extra shot in a medium cup... Yeah, I know what you're thinking, why would Andy be ordering a vanilla latte? I know, what was his pansy arse thinking!!

This time we tried and tried to find the remaining items on our list of shopping purchases, but without too much luck. We may have found a nice shirt or two and maybe some perfume, but otherwise we were all out of luck.

Oh well, that was probably a life saver anyway. Andy and I had a mock suitcase packing session to see what was going to be needed in the way of emergency luggage requirements... and while we didn't need to expand, we are TIGHT!!! Phew.

So in another 15 hours Andy and I will be heading to the airport bound for Dallas and then Sydney. It's a long trip home with a 7 hour stay in Dallas. My plan is to hire a car for a few hours, do a quick trip around the local area, experience the locals and then bolt back to the airport to fly out. Should be easy :-)


Random photos not previously posted:

Now this is a shopping truck!!!
Also good for roadtrips!!!

Old style tools for distilling bourbon

I'm still trying to work out if this an M&M or something from Ghostbusters...!!

Day 20 - Shopping 'til You Drop

Day 20 - Shopping for the Last Minute Baggage Fillers!!!

Off to the Premium Brand Fashion outlets to find gifts, bargains and stuff to remember the trip. Mandy is the outlet shopping queen and soon had us boys shopping at quick pace. Turns out that if you get there as they are opening, it makes it easier to get the stuff you want real quick. Gracey for example must have come back with a dozen or more bags of stuff in about 90 mins!! WTF!! I know he's an 'in and out' type guy, but this has to hit new records!! Even Andy bought stuff (there is a first for everything!!). The woman in the Van Heusen was very happy to help the retailing equivalent to a nerd get enough clothes to last him another 12 years - he has to look the part, smart casual for the Warrant Officer!!

All the wives looked after... Well we tried. Not everything went to plan. So we made a mad rush to the retail malls (Montgomery) to find those things not really available at outlets. Still only limited success and lots of procrastination. It was also during this period that we lost poor Andy. Something happened, Andy must have been totally engrossed in more personal shopping, or he was in a time warp and lost 30 mins ;-)

The big question now is whether all the stuff purchased can fit in the suitcases, or will it be a matter of excess baggage or unaccompanied baggage or ship it home via US Mail.... Gracey to his que's from some rough guestimations on the amount of square centimeters available in each suitcase, divided by the amount of shoes, and the square root of the number of shirts carefully rolled and stuffed into those spare square centimeters... Yeah, he bought another carry-on suitcase!!

We got home to Hotel Antolli where Paul had taken the time to prepare a special dinner for us. The hot tub was ready for Gracey and Andy (??) and beer, wine, bourbon and scotch was flowing freely. It was the last night that Gracey was to be with us as he is to fly out at 12.50 tomorrow.

The motto for our trip was "This trip is going to be awesome!" and it has lived up to this motto and much, much more!

Random photos not previously posted:

Millionaires Row at Indianapolis...

Some of the art shown at Country Music Hall of Fame

Day 19 - Them There Mountains

Day 19 - That Thin Mountain Air

Wow...!!! Where do I start...

After we got back from our first experience of the Tail of the Dragon we went for dinner. On the way to the Hotel we decided it was too early.... Hard Rock Cafe was calling...

And for those who didn't believe the earlier photo... Here's is another photo of the upside-down building...

But what does Hard Rock Cafe, a great bartender, lots of bourbone and tequila shots (not so sure they were shots) mean... A supremely bad hangover... I'm sure it was only a few rounds of drinks...

This morning we checked out of our final hotel stay. We dropped off the panniers and then pissed of up the mountains...

Once I get home I will upload some video of this road that runs along the side of the river. It is awesome. The winding road follows the river for miles and miles. It has jaw dropping scenery and amazing roads, and some strange roads. However, apart from Gracey, I don't think anyone fully appreciated the road or the scenery!!

It was a slow and gentle ride...!!

Along the way Andy spotted a couple of cars and a few people stopped on the side of the road. Andy checked it out and found an Otter and 3 babies eating a fish it just caught. How good is that. Better than Hoop Snake tales!!

Traffic that you wouldn't believe on single lane major highways at ridiculously slow speed limits (that were duly ignored!!!)

Day 18 - Smokin Them Mountains

Day 18 - Looping the Loops in the Smokey's

Today's riding has been the best yet!!!

Gees how do I describe this in a way that you can imagine adequately... Imagine riding smooth, wide roads over the top and along the top of a mountain ridgeline for miles and miles, then dive down into the valley along some of the best twisting and curving roads. Pure riding bliss!! A motorcyclists dream. Just amazing!!

There was so much to see and experience. The views, scenery, people you meet. All awesome!!

The first stop of the morning was after coming across a like-minded BMW riders. We pulled over to have a chat and just re-wound the short mountain road we had just marveled over. It was our first time over this piece of tarmac and it probably showed to the locals, but for some reason they have a threshold less than mine once I got into my rhythm... :-)

Our second stop wasn't really a second stop, but something that we turned back around to go back to and have a look at. The Chilhowee Lake was just awesome at this time of the morning. The water was still and the reflection in the water just fantastic. We have all become budding amateur photographers...

So when do we get back to the corners again?

 If you want to see what the route was that we followed to the Tail of the Dragon, check this link out...: http://goo.gl/oB5Iog

The Tail of the Dragon is not a road you can only do once. So we turned around and did an up and back. Once we got back we had a chat with other riders and checked out the local establishments before heading further into North Carolina. Our full loop is located here: http://goo.gl/mldpF5

The Tree of Shame - an example of motorcycle parts left on the side of the road...

Tail of the Dragon has a reputation. I'm not so sure (the negative) it is justified, but I can see why it is not for new riders or the inexperienced. I can attest to the technicality of the road and the dangers of the unexpected, having met a semi-trailer on the hairpin switch back corner without warning. Why at 18 wheeler's even allowed on this road!! Please, let some common-sense prevail for the safety of motorcyclists!!

The boys we happy for photos today. It must have been the buzz from the ride... The smiles are getting bigger!!!

We even lined up the bikes... WTF!!

Anyway, later in the day, we ended up in an "authentic Indian American Working Village". Someone must have forgotten to release the Indians!!

But these shops backed onto a beautiful back drop... the Oconaluftee River. Just beautiful. Amazingly so.... And I don't have a photo would you believe... It must have been the coffee I was having :-)

One of the best things about the route we took today was that we got to do the Blue Ridge Parkway (southern part). Woohoo!! Magic. And while Highway 441 was awesome on paper, it sucked big time riding because it is heavy traffic and very low speed. I would love to do it at 3am...

Day 17 - Winding Backroads

Day 17 - Finally, some of the corners we have been looking for...

Yippee!! Corners...

Wow, it's amazing. Corners, what are they? The closest thing we have seen in the way of corners in the last few days at least, are the on and off ramps to the Interstate Highways (and their nice and tight turns as well, good for practicing toe scraping!!!)

So why was today so different? Well we took a left turn instead of a right, meaning we followed the back roads instead of the Interstate. We haven't done this too much during the trip because of the timeframes we were working to and the distances we needed to cover. But today wasn't one of those "hurry, we need to be there by xyz", so we had all day to do just on 220 miles. On the Interstate, that's about 4 hours, on the back roads, it's over 6.

Today was also the day that we completed our dumbwayround route as we are now back where we started. The next two days are all about riding the Smokey Mountains, riding some of the best riding roads in the world. Tomorrow we will kick-off with a loop that takes in the Tail of the Dragon - a set of corners that go for approx. 13 miles, but have over 300 corners... but the route selected for tomorrow is only 155miles, but the whole way is corners!! Can't wait. Here's the link if you're interested: http://goo.gl/Gl5VeM

But to finish off where we left off yesterday, I have included a few of today's photos...

On our walk around west Nashville this morning, we came across this IGA store, sorry Piggly Wiggly store. Yep, that's is a small supermarket name, for real!!!

When we arrived at Nashville a few days ago, parking was limited, so the Hotel staff kindly allowed us to park on the side path beside the Hotel... Problem is we didn't see this sign until this morning... d'oh!! Nothing came of it...

Morning muster prior to departing Nashville

The places you stop for a drink... Get to meet the natives doing this. Always friendly, even if a little strange! This place was the cleanest convenience store I have seen anywhere in the world!!

For lunch we stopped at a small local diner called Edgewood Restaurant is Crossville. These places are great for food, real locals and great hospitality and today was no exception. Plus they are cheap as chips... except for on this occasion we found this...

This appears to be the rubbish we put in our mouths... It says Fresh Buttery Taste Spread... About the only bit that's butter is the word on the packaging... Ok, that's not true, there is <2% butter included in the ingredients!!

And this is what they give you for milk for your coffee... I know the picture is unclear, but let me assure you there is no 'dairy' product in this 'creamer'.

Our destination today was Pigeon Forge. It's is a strange place, in the middle of nowhere, but busy as New York City!! It has Dollyworld, (Dolly Parton) and all these themed buildings. I think in an earlier blog entry I included some photos of the Titanic and an upside-down building, well here are some more... yes that is King Hong...

We were going to get Andy to mount this beast, but he got all shy and stuff and wouldn't do it...!!

Day 16 - Lookie here, we're in Nashville

Day 16 - Music and Atmosphere at Nashville

The catch-cry of this trip has been "This trip is going to be awesome". Well I can confirm that it has lived up to it's expected reputation, and then some...

While yesterday was all about Graceland, it actually was a very full day. We didn't leave for Nashville until after 12pm and so we travelled in the heat of the day, and bugger me, it was hot!!! I have never dripped so much sweat! And when we arrived, the local college football was on across the road so the place was absolute bedlam!! Plus, there was some over enthusiastic promo people in the hotel carpark who thought it was a fine idea to get us, sweatie, smelly, grumpy and tired bike riders for a promo photo for bottled water - really, yet another product in a totally overcrowded market... I wasn't going to say no though.... I needed a drink of water and it was icy cold!! Keep an eye out for 4 strikingly handsome bearded bikies in some future edition sporting magazine... NOT!! 

Welcome to Nashville!!

It's a nice city, with a party like atmosphere in the downtown area full of great places like these:

Yes, boot stores!!!

And can I say that Nashville goes off, and I love it!!

We showered and took a cab to downtown. We walked the streets for a while looking for anywhere we could get a seat, drink and food. So hard to find... the place was packed, and anything that wasn't packed, was crap (Coyote Ugly anyone...living up to the name - and all this determined in 30 seconds - that's gotta say something!!) and here's proof (sorry it is a crap photo)...

Anyway, moving right along...

Time was passing and we were getting hungry. Nashville Street Taco's.

Great food, great atmosphere, great music.

Of course!!

The sign out the front of this place said live music. OK, that's what we were looking for, and it was Mexican... What could be better... Well for starters the first live act were terrible - we almost left - but then Daniel Bell come on and he was awesome, and we stayed...

We were all enjoying this experience... the poor guy sang all of his original stuff, which I have to say was excellent, he did some great covers as well.

 

Breakfast: Someone came up with a lets go to breakfast at the diner 'just up the road'... By the time we got there I was nursing more than a hangover, I was hungry - could've eaten the waiter (and he was hopeless) But this place is seriously busy and we eventually got a seat after a 15mins wait... and then an hour wait for the meal.... argh!! And it wasn't even hot!!! Why did we wait to get into this joint? Why was anyone even at this joint? WTF is going on???

 

 

But we survived, and even made it back to the hotel (this walking thing is over-rated though :-) ).

 



Day 15 - Graceland to Nashville

Day 15 - Elvis is alive, honest!!

If we didn't see Elvis, we have seen everything about him. Crikey, Graceland is full of stuff...

I don't want to bore you all to death, but tough, because today was all about Graceland!!

Gotta have picture of our ugly mugs to start things off!!

Did you know Elvis had two planes? I didn't think he liked flying...?

Check out the interior appointments.... This was in 1968... Very nice!

Elvis' Dressing Room on the plane - one of two!!

He certainly loved his family. Much of the story of Elvis is family orientated. He loved to help people; a very big philanthropist and just helped people who needed it. Many people took advantage of this, but he wasn't stupid...

Graceland Mansion was an eclectic mix of luxury and strange things. This was a busy house and there are many stories about this house that we didn't get to hear...

Part of the luxury side of the house....

The "Den"

The "Media Room" in today's parlance, back then the "TV Room"

There are gold and platinum record everywhere!! So many achievements... Movies too

And of course Elvis liked cars. Luxury and sporty. Here are a few. He also liked bikes...

Ferrari Dino

The Pink Cadillac

Stretch Limo