938 Miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway (mostly pics)

Im looking at this hard for next year I enjoyed your pictures and report. Thanks.

You are very welcome. I spend a lot of time reading things on advrider and thought I would try to do my part to contribute.

Nice report

I'm envious.I headed toward the BRP this past October.Had an electrical problem in West Virginia that ate a day and a half and 200 bucks of traveling money and had to head home.I'll try again next year.I read your report a few days ago and have just now found the info I had brought with me regarding places to camp. http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/upload/loft_mtn_campground.pdf Loft mountain campground at mile 79.5 on the Skyline Drive is cheap(15$) and has showers that take quarters.It also has the Appalachian Trail pass near the campground.I had considered camping there and maybe hiking a few miles along the trail to see what it's like.It would be interesting to observe the hikers on the trail also. I have a question about your top box.Is it from J.C.Whitney?How do you like it?Thanks again for the ride report.Maybe next year I'll be able to add one of my own.

I skipped Shyline Drive this time. I had done it before and enjoyed the Blue Ridge Parkway so much more that I decided to take 640? to make it to the BRP quicker. Yes it is the JC Whit top box. This is my second one. The first one lasted about 23000 miles and I paid $50 for it. I looked into replacing it with a metal one but I suffered from sticker shock... so I bought another, this one cost me about $75 but i figure if it last me another 23,000 miles for 75 bucks its well worth it. It has never leaked and I leave it on the bike all the time to carry my computer in to/from work. I hope you make it next year. I am ready to go again right now...I thought about doing it once during the summer, but I think the scenery in the fall may have spoiled me.

thanks for the great RR!

jimmy

nice pic! thanks for sharing your tale, this end to end is still on my list of need to rides

Nice report and the pics are beautiful.

I did the whole thing, south to north, in July and am planning on doing it again next year, taking more time to smell the roses.

Thanks everyone for all the appreciation. This thread now has over 5000 views...far more interest than I anticipated. For those that lurk ..don't hesitate to do a ride report because lots of fellow advriders will get some info and/or enjoyment out of it.
Here is the link to end to ender for anyone interested http://brpfoundation.org/end-to-end/

I have done the brp/sd many times, always a great ride.
At least twice I did the entire thing through without stopping, once coming back from Florida, the other on the way home on a 9000 mile round the US solo.
One time it was so foggy I could not see the center line past 5 feet, 3am, middle of nowhere, with a sight distance of 5 feet!

95% of my riding has been solo, do what you want, when you want, go where you want, stop (or not) when you want.
If you wait for others, you likely won't ever go.

Back when I used to take the long trips, I used to use KOA campgrounds a lot.
They had a guide with maps to all the locations, had stores, showers, laundry and a pool. You usually got a table and an ac outlet, and it used to be cheap for a tent, $6.00 to $15.00 a night.
I loved the one at Devils Tower, rustic store, corral where locals practiced their cowboy skills.

I looked on line at prices lately, wow things have gone up!

OH yes on the price going up. Was looking at Flagstaff, AZ last week and 60 a day for a cabin. If that price wholes pretty much through out the eastern part of the US, may as well Motel 6 your way across the country. ;-)
I really need to do the BRP without the fog I encounter most of it years back.
Thanks for the report and great pictures.

Yea just out of curiocity I checked the rates of a KOA here in PA.
<TABLE border=2 cellSpacing=0 borderColor=blue cellPadding=4 width="90%" bgColor=white><TBODY><TR bgColor=#fcef88><TD colSpan=5 align=middle>TENTING </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#c0b8e5><TD>No Hookups </TD><TD align=right>$43.45 </TD><TD align=right>$46.49 </TD><TD align=right>$45.45 </TD><TD align=right></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
I have to say that is ridiculous for a tent spot. If I had to pay that for a tent spot, I think I'd save packing all the camping gear and cheap hotel it.

KOA stands for "Keep On Adding" they will give ya a cabin then charge you for the sheets.

Heres are some great moto campsites just off the parkway

high country motorcycle camp

blueridge motorcycle camp

willville bike camp

I work in Boone NC and try to avoid the parkway in the Summer and fall.
The fall is just crazy,one big traffic jam and in the Summer you run the risk of getting in a Harley parade.
Best time i found is when the skools go back around the second week of September it can clear up.

I see where your coming from, but for me doing it in September after I had seen it in the fall was a scenery let down. I think if you do the traveling during the week and don't mind passing the under 45mph folks October is just fine.

ANOTHER lurker here that totally enjoyed your trip report. When planning my trip last summer, I called High Country annd was advised by the owner to go somewhere else if i was expecting a quiet campground...
WILLVILLE, BlueRidge mc campground, and TWO are excellent tthough!

Take trips like that with your kids, they'll love it, my girls and my nephew, though grown still talk about ridin' with daddy! Those are the best times, when you get the one on one time with them. They may get a little bent when they don't get to go that time, that's not what they'll remember though, so enjoy them while they're young, time really does fly!

That is part of my game plan, I already take them on little loops around the neighborhood, and when they get a little older, I plan on venturing out further and further. Eventually, I will be able to make up for some lost time...

You got some really nie shots, damned stuk keys! This ride is HIGH on my list, has been for awhile, thanks for taking us along!

I think it was High Country that I tried to find only to find out from a local they forgot a road in their directions. Then when i got close I stopped and asked a cple other guys if I was heading in the right directions... they said "up this road and there are a lot of your friends up there". It was Sunday night and when I found the place it looked like they had had an all weekend party. Pretty much a field with a bunch of porta-jons in it. I turned around got gas and went back to the parkway.

Here is a link to some pics I took the 1st time I was on the prkwy a few years ago.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogerlynch/sets/72157612360877045/