Nightstalker wants to ride with YOU!

...

Ok, this is going to be another one of those, guy quits his job and tours North America threads. But, I'm taking my wife and my home with me.



I've got the next 10 months mapped out for our trip across North America, going to places we haven't yet been. We're typically going to be at most campgrounds for a week or two, and I'm hoping to hook up lots you all along the way.

Here's my original itinerary of where we'll be and when:

May - Townsend, TN - Nashville, TN - Land Between the Lakes, KY - St Louis, MO
June - Davenport, IA - DeMoines, IA - Minneapolis, MN - Grand Marais, MN - Medora, ND - Billings, MT - Missoula, MT
July - Deer Lake, MT - West Yellowstone, MT - Victor, ID - West Glacier, MT
August - Banff, AB - Missoula, MT - Seattle, WA - Vancouver, BC
September - Concrete, WA - Seattle, WA - Randle, WA - Estacada, OR
October - North Bend, OR - Medford, OR - Klamath, CA - San Francisco, CA - Pismo Beach, CA (maybe)
November - Reading, PA
December - Key Largo, FL
January - Naples, FL - Tampa, FL - Orlando, FL - Panama City, FL
February - Gulf Coast, TX - Big Bend NP, TX
March - Texas, New Mexico, Arizona
April - Arizona

Here's my new travel itinerary update 9/16/2007

May - Townsend, TN - Nashville, TN - Land Between the Lakes, KY - St Louis, MO
June - Davenport, IA - DeMoines, IA - Minneapolis, MN - Grand Marais, MN - Medora, ND - Billings, MT - Missoula, MT
July - Deer Lake, MT - West Yellowstone, MT - Victor, ID - West Glacier, MT
August - Banff, AB - Missoula, MT - Seattle, WA - Vancouver, BC
September - Concrete, WA - Seattle, WA - Randle, WA - Phoenix, AZ
October - Phoenix, AZ - Reading, PA -Key Largo, FL
November - Key Largo, FL - Reading, PA
December - Phoenix, AZ

How does one do that ?
Have fun ! Is that the new one ?

I'm in Townsend, TN, right now. Went for a ride through Cades Cove last Sunday when we arrived and saw four bears!

Bear #1


Fought with the intense traffic (I thought it might not be too busy late on a Sunday, boy was I wrong) until I got to my planned exit, Rich Mountain Road.

Cades Cove from Rich Mountain Road.


A little further down the road, I found a momma bear with two cubs! I was little nervous getting off the bike to snap some pictures, but I'm sure you all understand why my hand wasn't all that steady.

Momma and one cub climbing out of a tree.


Followed a bunch of dead end roads working my way back to the campsite.

How much of North America you planning on? You make it out to San Diego, and I'll hook you up with some nice roads/trails, some epic mountain biking, and some area theme parks....(I know some people)

You sure look like you're traveling in style...

wow.....
what an amazing journey this will be
how many Phaeton miles will you drive?
how many miles on the bike do you think you'll cover?

Frank, buddypal!! It's a real shame we didn't get to do some more rides together before I took off. I'll be back in Eastern PA for two weeks at Thanksgiving. Perhaps we can hook up on another Barlow ride.

To answer your question, save up for six years, sell your house, live in an apartment for 4 years while you try to get rid of everything you own that won't fit in your RV, then work up the courage to follow through when the time comes. My wife and I both had great paying jobs and had been with our employers for long enough to have a decent amount of vacation every year. Part of our plan is to relocate to another part of the country, most likely Phoenix, get jobs and then start the whole cycle over again. So, if anyone is looking for a great IT guy in the Phoenix area come next April, please PM me.

great idea for mother's day, thanks man

I'm going to save San Diego until we get out to Phoenix, since we'll practically be neighbors. See you next year.

About 15,000 on the RV. I hope to get 7,000 on the bike, that's about what I usually do in a year.

Had a late Thursday night with a sick cat (I was hoping that my cats would die before our trip, but alas, at 15 and 16 they're riding along), so I slept in on Friday and moisied out for a late afternoon jaunt over to the Dragon.

Started on the Foothills Parkway, just a few miles up the road from my campground.



I stopped at one of the overlooks and discovered another road just a few feet down a bank from the parkway and away I went. This took me through Top of the World and Happy Valley and connected up with TN RT 129 on the other side of the stream from the Foothills Parkway. I paused for a moment because I thought I had heard sirens, and sure enough, an ambulance was heading down the parkway to 129 and proceeded towards the Dragon. That can't be good. I hopped on 129 behind the ambulance and the two of us were cruising along at 70-75 MPH. The ambulance passed a car and a few moments later, I too passed the car. Looked in my mirror and saw a TN state trooper coming up on me FAST! "Get ready to pull over and get a ticket", was going through my head, but that poor bastard that crashed on the Dragon's misfortune, was my fortune. The trooper continued on behind the ambulance. I continued at a slower pace, a little closer to the posted speed limit.

I stopped to hangout at THE OVERLOOK with some other riders from Alabama and Illinois, and found out that the wreck was a woman on a cruiser who bashed up her leg pretty bad only a few turns up the road.

Dragonistas from Alabama & Illinois



And their bikes, more typically seen on the Dragon.



Hot Fuzz. I wonder if he'll send me my ticket in the mail?

A gravel road with a bunch of stream crossings called Parson's Branch Road run from Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mts National Park to this point on the Dragon. It was damaged by heavy rain storms in 2003 and has been closed since. The National Park Service is working on it now and hope to have it open again by the end of this summer.

Parsons Branch Road



The end of the Dragon, Deals Gap. It's really expanded over the years. They have a beautiful hugh new resturant with big screen LCD TV playing the Weather Channel.

I continued South on 129, exploring roads here and there and came across this well graded, wide, gravel road.



With this big pipe coming from and going to nowhere??



This road eventually brought me out on 28 at Fontana Village, cool beans, let's hit the dam! Crossed over the damn like usual, but instead of turning left to go to the overlook, I turned right to check out a road my GPS was telling me existed. The road was there and there was no GATE, WOW!

Dirt road



Of course, this is a National Park and what that means to backroaders is LIMITED ACCESS.



But, there seemed to be another road just before the gate, let's see where that goes.



What appeared to be a road, quickly turned into a very steep trail with log waterbars. Some whiskey throttle and log crossing technique got me to the top where I found another GATE, and a cemetery, spooky!



It took me some negotiation to get my bike turned around and back down the hill, but once down I headed for the Fontana Dam.

Fontana Dam from the top, 480 feet high!



Fontana Dam from the campground at the bottom. What a cool place to camp!



I found some more dirt roads, here's a collage.

Storms were a brewing, so I started back to my campground. Stopped on the Dragon for some photos. I'm no Killboy!





I stopped along the Foothills Parkway to snap a shot of the storm.



I made it back dry, I sure like that. Sunday I'm heading out with my good buddy KennyH. He knows a lot of the roads in the area and is an excellent rider!

I had the great opportunity to ride with my good buddy KennyH today. He's a local to Southeastern Tennessee and knows the roads in the area well. I met him at his place this morning and after reviewing some maps, our best laid plans were made and we were off, Kenny on his KLR 650 and me on my KTM 950.

KennyH



We stopped to fuel up the bikes and ourselves. Ummm, yummy bacon egg and cheese sandwich.



We made our way along twisty blacktop roads to Tellico Plains, then to our first gravel road, Witt Road, which has some stream crossings.

Nightstalker going out.



And coming back. I just can't get enough!



KennyH on another crossing.

We switched bikes for a while and headed for Buck Bald.

KennyH at the top with my KTM 950.



Nightstalker with KennyH's KLR 650.



View from the top of Buck Bald.

10 months time frame.

An RV.

A KTM.

An ambitious itinerary.


OH, this is gonna be good.



Bones

Hey Nightstalker,

If you wind up near low country South Carolina (Beaufort) look me up. Place to camp and local riding. We rode together during the original PB 300. I had the 05 S model which you helped work on after a crash.

Also consider joining us in the Ocala National Forest around Daytona bike week in march for several dual sport and adventure rides. I have a Winnebago and 950 and sometimes a dr 650.

Jack
http://tinyurl.com/4dndf

PS the women folk just love Savannah and Charleston

Great riding with you today TZ, it had been too long. I always wish I had taken more pics, and today was no exception. Got a couple though.

More playing in the water.



Another Buck Bald view.



The dude himself



This guy can do more on the 950 than I can on my little xr. Gotta get me one of those. Thanks again for the demo ride, me likey.