SuzukiSavage.com - Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway.

JLC

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Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway.
05/06/18 at 08:00:08

My wife and I came back yesterday from a 5000 miles, two week road trip, from Colorado to Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Arkansas, Texas and New Mexico. No, that was not on a bike, we used my wife's Toyota!

I made sure I visited two areas mentioned on this Forum: Suches and Blue Ridge parkway. We went to Suches first, delightful and obviously well suited to a motorcycle trip. Did not see many bikes there, but it was raining buckets.

We got on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville, and went through the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. We saw many bikes on the road, despite the weather (it was raining on and off all day). That would be a fantastic ride.

I promised myself I'll ride both places one day!

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Oldfeller--FSO Serious Thumper ModSquad Offline Hobby is now "concentrated neuropany" Posts: 12673 Fayetteville, NC Gender:	Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway. Reply #1 - 05/06/18 at 10:15:11 JC I would like to run the Parkway from beginning to end and back again ...... plan on taking lots of get offs every place that looks interesting, ie not in a hurry ...... retired style. Dave says there is a primo steam museum (active working exhibits) up past the north end of the Parkway a little bit.
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JLC Senior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 262 Black Forest, Colorado Gender:	Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway. Reply #2 - 05/06/18 at 11:12:40 I did not know about this museum, otherwise I would have stopped by. I am a fan of steam, whether stationary, on the road, on water, or on rails!
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Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway.
Reply #3 - 05/06/18 at 13:37:31

Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 05/06/18 at 10:15:11:

Dave says there is a primo steam museum (active working exhibits) up past the north end of the Parkway a little bit.

There is no steam here.....they celebrate all the equipment that put an end to the stearm era.....it is all early internal combustion engines (natural gas, kerosene, oil and gasoline).

The place is called Coolspring.
http://coolspringpowermuseum.org/

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JLC Senior Member Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 262 Black Forest, Colorado Gender:	Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway. Reply #4 - 05/06/18 at 14:53:42 Dave, Thanks for the info. Seems interesting enough to stop by if you are in the vicinity.
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Oldfeller--FSO Serious Thumper ModSquad Offline Hobby is now "concentrated neuropany" Posts: 12673 Fayetteville, NC Gender:	Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway. Reply #5 - 05/07/18 at 03:36:30 We seem a little light for East Coast trips this summer, so I was bringing up one from the past as it was a good one that we never got to do. Any interest in this one ?
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Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway.
Reply #6 - 05/07/18 at 05:39:40

Going to Coolspring is on my bucket list.

I am not sure it is a great idea for a bike trip....as they only do events on the 3rd Sat/Sun of each month, and likely it takes all day to see everything as they have 275 engines and 35 buildings. I do believe my wife would want to go with me to Coolspring........not sure how to work that into a bike trip.

http://coolspringpowermuseum.org/Events.htm

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Oldfeller--FSO

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Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway.
Reply #7 - 05/07/18 at 05:51:02

Agree upon a day and swap a Life360 code and meet up at the Coolspring place ????

I also admit that the entire length of the Parkway trip is a bucket list item for me --- and it has logistics issues out the arse as a group ride which is why we never did it.

Where would you be staying near Coolspring? Wife/hotel?

Folks coming up the Parkway can overnight here for free, then meet up with the group at the Coolspring place. For a rough freebe, this ok, but it has no shower or flush toilets available (pit toilets located at the boat ramps).

https://freecampsites.net/#!14254&query=sitedetails

Pay me campgrounds are running $22 to $30 in the area, which seems to be a going rate sorta thing.

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Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway.
Reply #8 - 05/07/18 at 07:40:58

Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 05/07/18 at 03:36:30:

We seem a little light for East Coast trips this summer, so I was bringing up one from the past as it was a good one that we never got to do.

I plan on adding a trip to the Kick Stand Lodge, as 28, the Dragon and Canada Road seem to be calling to me.

It might also be nice to go back down to Waynesville and stay at the BlueRidge Motorcycle Campground again......there are some really fun roads over that way that we have not ridden in a few years, and it is much nicer to stay in the area and avoid a 2 hour commuted from Robbinsville over to Waynesville.

I have not made any attempts to look at the summer/fall schedule to know when we should get them scheduled. I will be done July 14-21 and can't do anything that week. My wife is also anxious to use my new "semi-retirement" for us to go traveling.......we have not yet planned anything - but I need to find something for the 2 of us and Lily to do.

Anybody have any suggestions for the location and dates for a visit to the Kickstand Lodge and/or BlueRidge Motorcycle Campground?

Here is a schedule for the 50cc racing at the Deals Gap resort. It might be a fun weekend to go and watch the racing at night....then just a 15 minute ride to the peace and quiet at the Kickstand Lodge. It appears the 1st weekend in June or 1st or 4th weekend in August might work for me (I am busy the 4th weekend in June).
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Fiddies4Life/events/

(After you click on this link...you will have to click the left button to get the video to play).
https://www.facebook.com/Fiddies4Life/videos/1859108290774549/

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MMRanch Serious Thumper Offline Evil flourishes if Good Men do Nothing. Posts: 5837 LYNCHBURG TN Gender:	Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway. Reply #9 - 05/07/18 at 22:17:15 I've got (30 May -3 June) on my calendar for Suches Ga. Does anybody else have 17-22 June open on their calendars ?
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Oldfeller--FSO Serious Thumper ModSquad Offline Hobby is now "concentrated neuropany" Posts: 12673 Fayetteville, NC Gender:	Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway. Reply #10 - 05/08/18 at 02:16:57 Open.
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Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway.
Reply #11 - 05/08/18 at 04:15:25

MMRanch wrote on 05/07/18 at 22:17:15:

Does anybody else have 17-22 June open on their calendars ?

That is somewhat of a bad week for me....as my previous employer is having a retirement party for me on June 23rd (that is why I felt the 4th weekend is June was not good). I think it would be difficult for me to be gone the week before the retirement party...maybe I could sneak down the week prior (June 11th - 17th +/-) .

Do you want to go to the Kick Stand Lodge and visit MO.....or to Waynesville and visit Phil at the BlueRidge Motorcycle Campground?

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MMRanch Serious Thumper Offline Evil flourishes if Good Men do Nothing. Posts: 5837 LYNCHBURG TN Gender:	Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway. Reply #12 - 05/08/18 at 07:03:32 I could do the 10th - 15th part of it , if my wife ain't tired of doing with-out her cook by then ... I like Mo's place OK and would rather stay there than the Dragon Central , But the ridding around Phil's is "So-much" better
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Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway.
Reply #13 - 05/08/18 at 07:52:47

The only downside of the 10th to 15th - is we are going to be in Suches from May 29th - June 3rd. That only leaves a week between trips.

Would June 24th - 30th work any better?

Also......for those who cannot spend an entire week, it is perfectly fine to come down and party whatever days you can squeeze in. The dates posted initially are weekdays and there is generally less traffic on those days - however I am likely to either come early or stay late and include Saturday/Sunday into the event (and a favorable weather forecast may affect which weekend I add....and it might be that the extra weekend days occur at an alternate location - like the Kick Stand Lodge, Suches, Franklin, etc.).

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Oldfeller--FSO Serious Thumper ModSquad Offline Hobby is now "concentrated neuropany" Posts: 12673 Fayetteville, NC Gender:	Re: Suches and Blue Ridge Parkway. Reply #14 - 05/08/18 at 14:50:46 That's OK by me. Guys, answer the man if you want the events to happen .....
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