- Week Albuquerque to PA, 2 Up (mostly)

[psykown]

All Right peeps so the GF and I decided to ride from Albuquerque to PA because reasons lol Trip was to be Rte 40 east to Knoxville, swing south to hit Tail of the Dragon, See klaviator at his scooter rally, then Blue Ridge Skyway north to skyline drive and finally her moms in PA. Day 1 started about noon on Monday, I just worked an overnight got a few hours of sleep and was strictly planned to make that boring highway jaunt to Memphis area a little shorter. Plan was to end up in Amarillo or just east of there depending on how we felt, the rear tire ......had other plans lol As we passed Cuervo NM it went completely dead and fast, pulling off I planned to plug it and keeep rolling ,but the large tear in the tire didnt want to comply.

Unfortunately the only shop nearby that could help was 40 miles away in Tucumcari and the owner wasnt around that day until later that evening but said one way or another he could get us a tire to work with so we got to limp those 40 miles 2 up...very slowly. On the plus side the view was great! we got to watch the sun slowly set all while just squeaking past Tstorm fronts for the next 2hrs
As we gingerly rolled into CCMS Clay and Axle were waiting for us, and probably more worried than we were! Right at the edge of town the rear tire had finally let go even more and was likke riding on ice, but we made it and that new tire was looking extra fresh. Clay went so far out of his way to check in on us during those 40 miles and even offered to pick us up, he really helped keep this whole trip even viable!

By the time we finished up the sun was just dipping below the horizon and it was off to Amarillo and the worst hotel we have ever stayed at for some much needed rest. And that was day 1!
Stay tuned for Day 2!

 

[Jay547]

We got to stay a night in Amarillo once for an unplanned tire change. We stayed at the Big Texan and had steak too. Got raped on the tire the next morning but at least they put in on right away and got us back on the road.

 

[nmroadrunner]

That right there is worth a lot...

 

[Simmons1]

All Right peeps so the GF and I decided to ride from Albuquerque to PA because reasons lol Trip was to be Rte 40 east to Knoxville, swing south to hit Tail of the Dragon, See klaviator at his scooter rally, then Blue Ridge Skyway north to skyline drive and finally her moms in PA. Day 1 started about noon on Monday, I just worked an overnight got a few hours of sleep and was strictly planned to make that boring highway jaunt to Memphis area a little shorter. Plan was to end up in Amarillo or just east of there depending on how we felt, the rear tire ......had other plans lol As we passed Cuervo NM it went completely dead and fast, pulling off I planned to plug it and keeep rolling ,but the large tear in the tire didnt want to comply.

Unfortunately the only shop nearby that could help was 40 miles away in Tucumcari and the owner wasnt around that day until later that evening but said one way or another he could get us a tire to work with so we got to limp those 40 miles 2 up...very slowly. On the plus side the view was great! we got to watch the sun slowly set all while just squeaking past Tstorm fronts for the next 2hrs
As we gingerly rolled into CCMS Clay and Axle were waiting for us, and probably more worried than we were! Right at the edge of town the rear tire had finally let go even more and was likke riding on ice, but we made it and that new tire was looking extra fresh. Clay went so far out of his way to check in on us during those 40 miles and even offered to pick us up, he really helped keep this whole trip even viable!

By the time we finished up the sun was just dipping below the horizon and it was off to Amarillo and the worst hotel we have ever stayed at for some much needed rest. And that was day 1!
Stay tuned for Day 2!

Great start. Can't wait to see the rest of the report.

 

[psykown]

All right so after the worst hotel we have ever stayed at we left Amarillo for Memphis! and somehow we both totally forgot Oklahoma was a state lol We managed to get to Oklahoma City but the lack of sleep and heat was really starting to take a toll on the GF so we pulled an audible and decided to try riding through the night instead. After a few hours rest the sun was just setting and we were back on the road! We made some pretty good time but she was really starting to struggle so we decided to push through it and at least make it to Memphis as that was the only practical place we could get her a rental car to Maggy Valley

Unfortunately this is where my road trip starts to get much wetter, with the delays and having to still go another 7hrs or so it meant I was going to be riding late into the night. we sort of followed each other for a bit but were split up in some traffic and with my extra stops for fuel we never quite managed to get together again till the hotel. I finally hit Nashville right at sunset and that was by far the sketchiest and most suicidal city I have ever ridden through, I was so glad I didnt have the GF with me at that point! It was an easy cruise after that to Knoxville which is when it really got exciting, I don't know where to start, I hit hail, torrential rain, T-storms, 5 accidents in a 1/2 mile, it was crazy! Ended up staying on Rte 40 through the mountain because it had gotten so cold and the rain just wasnt letting up and I didn't want to risk taking the backroads as planned. Luckily by this point the GF had beaten me to the hotel and was enjoying a very warm bed while I was freezing in the rain. Finally I rolled into the hotel myself at 1AM so cold and stiff it was hard to get off the bike and the day was done. Sorry there really werent any pics of this section, it kind of kicked both of our asses Ive got plenty of pics from the next day to make up for it!

 

[psykown]

Next day we get up and finally meet the scooter king himself Mr. klaviator! We then met up with another old friend of mine dropped off the rental and went to have some fun on the dragon, the only downside to this plan was...

it was really wet lol

The upside though was that the GF is a photographer and got some cool pics

Also incase you didnt know closer to the overlook side there is a pullout on a hairpin with a steep little trail to this old civil war tombstone, I couldnt ride up there this time with all the mud and cruiser tire so we were forced to (shudder) walk

I found this completley by accident awhile back and always like to make it a stop

For the GFs first time we had to make a quick stop at one of the dragons as well

on the cruise back to Maggie Valley we stopped at the damn and found a beaver and then took plenty of pics at the boat launch

Finally a little after sunset we made it back to the hotel and swapped stories with the scooter squad until they shut the lights off on us.

 

[klaviator]

We're waiting for the rest of this story

 

[psykown]

Haha my bad! Time for the thrilling conclusion!

We left bright and early and Ashlie decided to ride with my buddy John so we took off north for PA, the day started beautifully with clear cool weather and empty roads......until we hit VA. We started hitting small pockets of light rain and then came upon a backed up section of highway at which the light rain turned to not seeing 50ft in front of you. We were supposed to meet her friends to see her goddaughter that afternoon, so I finally said screw it there is no way I'm going to be the reason we don't make it, time to roll! For the next 2hrs or so we worked through the torrential downpour until we finally broke out into clear skies again, another hour and I was almost dry even! Finally after all the rain and miles we made it! Over the course of the next few days we saw family, friends, I got a new truck and bike, it was well worth the adventure. I even had a helper make sure my sunglasses looked cool and my tires were safe lol

The new to me bike is my dads old '96 Sportster, and also the last Harley I'll ever own