The Long Way Home. Huntsville to Cleveland on a 250.

[Forde]

Originally Posted by klaviator

People do put to much emphasis on having just the right bike

right on man. any bike will carry you down a road. you are as capable of adventuring on a 50cc as a 1500cc.

plus the lower your bike and fuel bills, the more money you have left over and the further you can go!

your 250 is the perfect tour scoot imo, comfortable at speed limits but low fuel consumption. go any bigger and it would cost more to buy and run, go smaller and wouldnt cruise as comfortably.

[klaviator]

Originally Posted by TrashCan

Tell it like it is, Brother.

You should know, I think you have figured out how not to grow up. Of course, having one of the country's best play areas for big kids and their bikes in your back yard should make that easy.

Originally Posted by Scooterchick

We just came back from buying a bunch of camping stuff. Settled on a Ozarka Trail 4 person tent with a full fly. We're going to set it up in our house first to see if we both fit comfortably in it before getting it all dirty and then trying to return it later. So, we will be sleeping in it tonight and I'm going to turn a large fan on it full blast to see how it does...haha.

We have NEVER done this before as we have only been on one trip so far. But, we are going to do a "practice" run too for our anniversary. Thinking about going to Whidbey Island and some other places. Also, being a Veteran, I can get a pass to all of the national parks for a discount.....

So, we are reading all of these reports with great interest and taking mental notes on what works for most in the way of gear and what doesn't. Still need to get a GPS for longer trips though or that "spot" thingee that we need to do more research on.

Really enjoying this report! Thanks for letting us come along.

I'm looking forward to seeing how camping works out for you in a future ride report. Thanks for following along.

Originally Posted by Forde

right on man. any bike will carry you down a road. you are as capable of adventuring on a 50cc as a 1500cc.

plus the lower your bike and fuel bills, the more money you have left over and the further you can go!

your 250 is the perfect tour scoot imo, comfortable at speed limits but low fuel consumption. go any bigger and it would cost more to buy and run, go smaller and wouldnt cruise as comfortably.

My 250 was a great ride for this trip. I think there are two things required to make a bike a good touring bike:

A. It needs to get you where you want to go.
B. It needs to put a smile on your face while getting you there.

Other than that, nothing else is really all that important. Some of my favorite ride reports have been by people touring on bikes that many people consider "unsuitable". RTW Doug, nathanthepostman, and underboning come to mind. I am currently following a report from guy (Antihero) riding a Ducati Panignale across the country and he is even riding it off the pavement.


Anyway, thanks again to everyone who has responded to my report. I have really enjoyed everyone's feedback.

[conchscooter]

Very enjoyable RR. So matter of fact and lacking in drama anyone who reads it should be able to understand a 250 is not too small to ride away from home. I wish more people had it figured the way you do. Hope to see more.

ps I am no fan of sleeping on the ground. Aerostich has a fabulous roll up cot for camping. More than two hundred bucks I think. I wonder...does it's small volume make up for the price?

[Domromer]

Originally Posted by klaviator

After Burke's garden I headed to the town of Tazewell. I just rode through taking one Pic as I rode.



Then I turned on to 16 South. Yes, I know that the way to Cleveland was north but one of the things I wanted to do on this trip was ride 16 between Tazewell and Marion. It's a great road that twists and turns its way up and over three mountain ridges. Since I was headed the wrong way on 16, I would have to ride that section twice. Oh well, if someone had to do it, it might as well be me.

Just outside of Tazewell I came across this:



It's a chicken farm....or maybe ranch is a better term. Each chicken had its own little shelter and was on a leash. Definately different from the typical chicken farms we have in North Georgia.

Then it was some fun riding through a bunch of twisties. IMO, this section of 16 is much more challenging than the much more famous (infamous?) Deal's Gap.

I did stop for a break. I turned down a dirt road.



went a short distance and parked.



Good thing I was not in a passenger car Of course what fun would driving this road be in a cage anyway

If I was on a dual sport I probably would have enjoyed seeing where this road went. There were a number of other dirt roads along 16 but this was the only one with a warning sign.

After crossing all three mountain ridges, I came to Hungry Mother State Park. The park may have a strange name but it sure looked like a nice park.



I;m not really much of a beach person. Beaches in Florida leave me bored after a couple of hours but there is something about rivers and lakes in the mountains that I find really beautiful. It was still too early to stop, especially since I already lost so much time getting a tire this morning. Despite this, I decided to stay here for the night. I had only ridden a little over 100 miles and was only about five miles north of where I spent last night but since I had no real plan, no reservations, and plenty of time, I decided I could afford to do this.

So I paid for a campsite. It was a little pricey;$21 plus a five dollar 'processing fee" whatever that was. It did include entry into the park and also the beach.

I went and found a campsite and set up my tent.

Then I headed off to the beach. Throwing caution to the winds, I rode that half mile to the beach in water shoes, T shirt, swim trunks, helmet and gloves.

I took a few pics then went swimming.

There was a platform with a couple of diving boards.



Did I mention it was very scenic here?



and more scenery:



The water was perfect, a little cold at first but nice and refreshing once I got used to it.

Then it was back to my campsite.



These campsites were unusual since all tents had to be on these wooden platforms. There was a nice bath house about 50 yards away and the area was on the side of a mountain and completely tree covered.

For dinner I rode into Marion and ate here:



Good food, good service and reasonable prices. I'll give the Tuscan Italian Grill a thumbs up.

Then I stopped at McDs for a milkshake and then back to the park. Total mileage for the day: 132. Total progress toward my destination: around 5 miles.

Where was the campsite with the platform?

[klaviator]

Originally Posted by Domromer

Where was the campsite with the platform?

Hungry Mother State Park just north of Marion, VA.

[soboy]

Just found your RR today and read it this morning. Very enjoyable read and sounds like you had a great time. I'm in your camp when it comes to both smaller bikes and scooters - I am a fan of both. As a matter of fact, I have nothing but scooters now - a Kymco Agility 125 for running errands close to home and a Yamaha Tmax as my "real" motorcycle. The Tmax holds its own against any bike I have ever owned, I plan to tour with it this year.