Oldfeller--FSO
Serious Thumper ModSquad
Offline
Hobby is now "concentrated neuropany"
Posts: 12673
Fayetteville, NC
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I arrived Weds, rode around some, slept the night in the Bunkhouse, met Dave on Thurs AM for breakfast, then we fast rode the Cherohala with ZERO traffic on it at all in the early weekday AM, met MM for lunch and rode back the other way fast on the Cherohala again for the flip side run. That was a good day's ride. MM and Dave then went on up to ride the Dragon up and down some x times and I went to check out Santeetlah lake area much more completely.
Checked out Santeetlah lake area roads thoroughly, and I found one campground called Horse Cove on the far south side of the lake that is only $10 a night that DOES take the America the Beautiful discount card which makes it only $5 a night per site. Has bathrooms but no bath house (ride around to the other side to take your shower). Very tall pine tree forest, very neatly laid out campsites on nice flat terraces off of well graded and non-steep gravel roads that covers both sides of the creek. Because of the remote location, this campground is deserted when the other ones are full up.
Camping, getting up from an air mattresses, setting up tents --- I realize my body isn't liking this idea so much any more. I give up on the idea, actually. Mo's bunkhouse is plenty good at $22 a night.
NEW Bike report:
Suzuki Intruder 800cc Barcalounger was a limited success, it did the interstate miles effortlessly without so much body damage inflicted on me as a Savage does, but my still my legs have deteriorated to the point it is painful getting on and off of it because it is a larger taller bike.
It has a lot more power and it was a success at the Cherohala sweeper type and the less twisty country road types of riding. Dave didn't try the hundred mile an hour top end stuff on the straight aways for much and MM didn't have enough acceleration out of the turns with his Hurley to keep up so the big black Intruder Barcalounger was tough to beat on the Cherohala.
Hey, I was a lot fresher at that point in time, too.
Barcalounger was and is will always be a total flop on Dragon style tight twisty turns, it drags the heavy steel center cross member so badly it is in constant danger of low siding (pivoting the rear tire up into the air). This is not a bike to take on the Dragon.
Body report:
My progressive leg decline has gotten to the point I can't ride at the normal group pace for much more than a day on country roads before my leg and hip and back pain exceeds what the normal drugs can handle. Before I get to that point I think I tend to become somewhat poor company because of grumpiness due to the pain.
I am reminding me more and more of Big Zuk ..... and I understand why he quit riding with us.
In this case, midway through my 3rd day in the mountains I hit the wall and abandoned the group to ride back slowly to Kickstand by myself for some pain free time spent sleeping drugged out with major drugs in the Bunkhouse. I got up (relatively pain free) and showered and by then found that the guys had arrived back at the campsite, so I spent some time yakking with them at the eating area listening to them recount the good ride that they had after I abandoned them. I got up the next morning and left for home as the other 3 left to go galavanting all over the place again.
It took me all day to get home with having to stop all the time to get off the bike and walk around some ..... and I was hurting pretty bad by the time I got there.
Most of the folks who are regulars at Mo's Kickstand are way past riding fast and they count themselves lucky to be able to ride down there and back to where they live -- and this is with with them taking DAYS to make the trip one way, never riding more than about 5-6 hours per day. About half of the riders are on HUGE super stable bikes and trikes because they simply can't ride anything else. About half are married couples, so that was refreshing to see.
So I saw my Kickstand Lodge predicted future, and it isn't very pretty.
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