My 50th Birthday Present Fly and Ride

[edstoll]

Originally Posted by manfromthestix

Very cool, and Happy Birthday! When I turned 48 (several years ago now ) I did the same kind of thing to pick up a new-to-me bike in Phoenix, Arizona and got to ride around the Grand Canyon on the way home (to Lander, Wyoming). It's oh so sweet to play with your new toy like that! Unfortunately my birthday is November 28th so it was a tad chilly with ice and snow in places, but it was still fun.

I now live in Lexington, Virginia which is about 10 miles from the BRP. I got a kick out of your statement:

For those of you who don’t know about the BRP. It is a serene passage that weaves through the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway is specifically designed for leisurely driving, so you can cruise along at your own pace and relish the astounding views of the Mountains year-round.

I work in Roanoke and when I ride the bike I'll sometimes come home on the BRP. Many times I've ridden the entire 70 or so miles on a glorious weekday afternoon and seen only a couple of cars and zero park rangers, so it's a bit hard to keep it "leisurely" . Those curves were MADE for going fast on motorcycles! It's a wonderful place to ride and only closes if we get snow and ice (they don't plow) which isn't all that common.

Congrats on the new bike!

Doug

Thanks Doug.

My wife's birthday is the 21st of November. Maybe I can go get one somewhere for her but I won't do Wyoming that time of year like you did.

I stole the BRP statement from some website. I agree with you leisurely is not proper on that road with a bike.

[edstoll]

Originally Posted by wvdeuce

Question, I assume you had a pickup at the air port. How did you load the bike in the bed by yourself?

Deuce

I had a loading ramp in the back of the pick up. It wasn't really any harder than loading a dirt bike. It would be much tougher with a Goldwing or something. I had to take the windshield off to clear the ceiling.

[achesley]

Congrats on the Wee Storm and looks like you had a great binding with the bike on the way home. Sure did some of the great roads of the area for sure. Thanks for sharing yur new experience with us.

[RideDualSport.com]

What a cool way to celebrate your 50th! In just a couple of years I'll be ready to do the same. Perhaps I'll take a wee to Alaska from Austin!
Rock-on dude!

[keninpcfl]

Enjoyed the ride report. Thanks for sharing

[blacktruck]

Excellent RR. Passed the milestone a few years back with nowhere close to an adventure like that. You did good. I think it's great that you have found a bike like that and to have picked it up like you did and then even further to have recorded the trip home for all of us inmates. Thanks for sharing.
Gotta check your other trips. I love riding in the southeast.
Ride safe man...

[traindriver]

Great report. I think I'll ride down their this summer and check out the BRP. Thanks for the idea.

[edstoll]

Thanks for dragging up my old ride report. It was great to re-live it. A lot has happened since that time and I savor the memories.

[mikem9]

Ed - I enjoyed riding your old report tonight. Always enjoyable to read about and adventurer such as yourself who has a sense of wonder about the world!