SORRY FOR THE LONG POST:

I am in the very beginning stages of planning a trip. I have made a couple of trips some years ago. I was one rider on one bike with no other bikes along for the ride. Those were solo trips and that was then. This is now. I will be making this trip with me on my Wing and my girlfriend, Wendy (My Bodyguard) on her VTX 1300. After we have taken a few day trips from Miami to Everglades (150 mi round trip), Miami to the Middle Keys (180 mi R/T), and Miami to Naples (250 mi R/T), I have come to a decision that we will tow the bikes, preferably for 1 long day, approx 650, maybe 700 miles; of course less is better! A 700 mile radius from Miami is shown here in this link:

http://www.freemaptools.com/radius-around-point.htm?clat=25.788969&clng=-80.226439&r=1207.01&lc=FFFFFF&lw=1&fc=00FF00

We are towing in order to cover more distance in less time on the way out of Miami. Keep in mind that if I got much further south I'd live on an island named Cuba. It is 350-400 miles just for me to cross the GA - FL border. My galpal has alot of heart but I can see the miles wearing on her as we hit 250. Her bike is nice but it is not a Wing....

I would leave on a Friday, drive 1 day Miami to the starting point of the motorcycle trip; we would ride the bikes on Saturday thru Friday (7 days inclusive), and drive back to Miami on Saturday.

So, with all that as an introduction;

We have never seen the BRP, the Dragon's Tail, Moonshiner, Devil's Triangle, and/or The Cherhola Skyway.
I want to take us up that way. Some questions I have for myself and for those of you having experience with this region.

Using that 700 mile radius as a guide, where would be my starting point?

Should we pick a spot, rent a house for a week, call it headquarters, and make day trips in the 200 mi/day range heading in all different directions?

Is it better to cover that area by securing the truck and taking off on a 7 day loop and returning to the truck for the return home?

Some constraints:
I don't want to push high speeds for any significant distance on Interstate hwy for any length of time on the motorcycles. Actually, leisurely pace takes less toll on the VTX rider ;)

I am thinking that on any given day we would do as little as 150 miles or max at 300 if we had to cover the distance but 300 mi days would be an exception

I'd prefer to do this immediately before schools let out for summer or right after school begins in late August/early Sept... I hope this means less cagers on family vacations.

I plan on buying Wendy some electric clothing but better if we don't have to deal with much cold weather. What does she call cold? Well we rode this weekend at 70F, she had a mesh jacket with liner in.... I'd say 50F would be the absolute coldest and only as the day warmed up. No kidding, we ain't in South Florida by accident!

I am just not familiar with this area and there is so much information out there that it is overwhelming. If you could help me sort this out and narrow down my choices it would be a great help.

Thanks

Donald

If my daughter is anything to go by you may find your protector will do very well thankyou very much. When they have had a taste of being in charge of their own machines she will enjoy it more. I think with the distances you are talking of she will shine. Eric

Okay Donald, I get the plan so here we go. I think the home base idea is good from the aspect that if you get moving around from place to place you will probably end up going farther then intended. Having said that the BRP & such should fit the pace albeit crowded. What you may want to do is pick a selection of various places to ride & that way you can adapt for traffic/weather. Thinking about some things. There are Historic places, ie Civil War History, Plantations, Natchez Trail etc etc. There is Distillery tours ie Jack Daniels (Lynchburg Tennessee) & others. I'm sure you can find stuff on your own.

I would suggest when you get moving make sure you stop frequently at 1st that way Wendy doesn't get discouraged right away. Slowly add more miles as the days pass. I'm sure also you already thought of that, just reminding. It will be a little tougher on you to stop because you will be on the wing & thinking "I want to keep going."

Here's a link for you to a good website that may help lots of cool roads. Click on the state, then the region & they come up by colors which indicate the type of road. Good Luck planning.

As always this is just one Ole Fossil's opinion. By the way Jack Daniels is definitly worth the trip.

Oh almost forgot make sure she stays hydrated. Women have the tendancy to not drink as much as they should because they don't want to have to stop to use the restroom. I know my little lady will do this if I don't stay on her to take on fluids.


http://www.motorcycleroads.us/

I understand the towing. I use the interstates to get away from my area as I’ve seen that, so to get where you are going the easiest and quickest way is a good idea. On a long trip my wife is talking about me picking her up at a nearby airport, but we do not have two bikes.

My suggestion would be picking a place as a base and touring that area. Especially as you can easily take a day off and not overwhelm the bodyguard. A good choice within your circle is Maggie Valley, NC. I went there last year with a group and there is a lot of homes to rent and other motels. You can head past Bryson City and hit Hwy 28 which leads to the Dragon or Cherohala. Highway 28 the other way from US 74 toward Franklin is a great road. The Blue Ridge Parkway is close by and you can use it to make a loop. We rode east of Waynesville and south on Hwy 215 to the Parkway then west to Cherokee. Another road that is just as good as the Dragon is Hwy 209 from north of Maggie Valley to Hot Springs, NC. There is a back road from just north of I-40 and Hwy 276 that we rode last year to get to 209 that cuts through local farms and is real scenic. If a gravel road doesn’t bother you, take Cove Creek Road from Hwy 276 (just south of I-40) which goes over a pass and into a remote area of the Smoky Mountain National Park. The Cataloochee Valley is where they have released elk to repopulate the area. A lot of people go there to watch the elk in the meadows. A day off in town gives you the opportunity to visit the Wheels Through Time Museum. Great motorcycle museum and they all run.

Hope this helps and like Fossil suggest let Wendy call the breaks. If she enjoys it you are guaranteed to have a great trip.

Guys... thank for the suggestions. I was actually thinking that I would do a full one week loop but you know after thinking about the comments here, I think you are right. Home base it is. It just allows for a more relaxed trip and I want her to completely enjoy her time. I will do a more rigorous trip myself. That's already bouncing around in my head... up to Wyoming, Montana, Idaho. More on that later :)

Bill... I'll locate these on the map and use these to begin looking at routes.

Mark... thanks for the detail man I appreciate it. I will break out the atlas (yes I still use an atlas) and take all this in. That's the start I was looking for.

As far as the early/mid May or late August/early September time frame.... what temperature extreemes would you think we'd encounter in this area?

Come to Vermont!! The fall is awesome for riding in the Mountains!

Come to Vermont!! The fall is awesome for riding in the Mountains!

One of my bucket lists is to do just that.. ride the mountains of Vermont/NH/Maine. That would be awesome.

You will Love the ride on 1A that goes by alot of coastline in New hampshire, and maine is awesome as well on the coastline!

How would the weather be around the first of September? Any suggestions?

Not bad it is usuall around 70 in the days 40/50 at night!

just as I was hoping. that certainly is one I will be looking forward to "checking off" the list.

200 miles on a Goldwing is just another dinner and ice cream ride. Wife and I did the BRP from Front Royal, Va to Cherokee, NC in two days and a day to get there and a day back home, 1600 miles in 4 days. Then in Oct we ran from Cleveland, Oh to Key West and back in 8 days, about 3000 miles. I'd work up to being able to pull 300-400 mile days in the saddle before trying to hit sites that far from home. My wife was a little worried taking our wing to Key West but would do it again in a heartbeat after the great time we had. Just for the record, our first overnight trip was from Cleveland to Niagra Falls, about 4.5 hours each way and then we thought it was a long trip. Back then I would put on 4,000 miles a year and now have been averaging 10,000 miles a year, from April 1 through to Nov 1.

Blk93wing

I am towing 2 bikes not 1 from Miami to my starting point. Why? My gal has her own bike. Under these circumstances I have no interest in attempting to cover 400 miles per day... Ain't gonna happen. Dinner and ice cream rides it is!

[QUOTE=As far as the early/mid May or late August/early September time frame.... what temperature extreemes would you think we'd encounter in this area?[/QUOTE]

Last year we went in May and it was a little on the cool side but pretty nice. Had a couple days of rain but that can happen any time of year. The day we rode the BRP we dodged rain squals almost all day. They caught us near Cherokee and it rained the rest of the day. I did wear my chaps a couple days for the chill and I wore my leather jacket the whole time. Looking at the average temperatures for Maggie Valley; in May the high is 73 and the low is 46, for June the high is 78 and the low is 53.

Nearby is Bryson City where I stayed two years ago and it is nice, but I liked Maggie Valley better. Another option is over in Tennessee in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg, but those would be more crowded. Keep us in the loop, like hearing about other's plans and adventures.

I'm working on the wife to come along on a group trip to Gettysburg for the end of May. It would be the longest trip for her. I'm planning a medium trip in April to help her get used to the saddle for a longer day.

I'm working on the wife to come along on a group trip to Gettysburg for the end of May. It would be the longest trip for her. I'm planning a medium trip in April to help her get used to the saddle for a longer day.

Now your talking Mark. Keep us informed buddy. I can round up the troops. The Maestro & I have breakfast at the Perkins on Rt.30 so....... I'm thinking Two Wheel, Chopin, myself, & my bro at least. We are all only about 1 1/2 hrs away. Gettysburg is a great place too.

Sorry for the thread hijack Donald. You know you & Wendy can always tag along with Crownfire.

Now your talking Mark. Keep us informed buddy. I can round up the troops. The Maestro & I have breakfast at the Perkins on Rt.30 so....... I'm thinking Two Wheel, Chopin, myself, & my bro at least. We are all only about 1 1/2 hrs away. Gettysburg is a great place too.

I can even smell the " Sampler Breakfast Special " cooking now.

Now your talking Mark. Keep us informed buddy. I can round up the troops. The Maestro & I have breakfast at the Perkins on Rt.30 so....... I'm thinking Two Wheel, Chopin, myself, & my bro at least. We are all only about 1 1/2 hrs away. Gettysburg is a great place too.

Sorry for the thread hijack Donald. You know you & Wendy can always tag along with Crownfire.

I certainly will let y'all know if this materializes. Breakfast and a day ride sounds great. I would love to see some of the back roads of Pennsylvania.

well thanks alot... last nite I took my iPad and sat in bed and I started looking online and readin and researching and looking at roads and lodges and times and distances, average temps, elevations and... well i shut down at 3am. Maggie Valley looks good Mark. There's a few areas that look good depending on where you want to go but MV is surely one of them. No decisions (reservations) made yet but I did get 100% buy in from Wendy on the base camp and day trip plan. I showed her some pics of the different areas and in particular we looked at the tailofthedragon.com site.... she's ALL IN.

Sounds great. Anywhere in that area is just fine for visiting and riding. Have fun planning!

Good for Donald. I must say that is one "Game Hen" you have. Good luck on the plans & keep all of us in the loop. Oh by the way did you remember that we love looking at pictures too.

You may want to consider starting the trip on April 15th and trailering your bikes to Sevierville TN just outside of Pigeon Forge TN and close to I 40. TN region of the Goldwing rider club will be having a Spring Fling April 14-16 at www.wildernessatthesmokies.com . The web site is www.tngwrra.org for details. This is a pretty new water park resort with indoor and outdoor waterpark rides. You might hook up with some other riders. If not then the Wing Ding is in Knoxville July 6-11. This is a good base to ride Cherohala Parkway, Tail of the Dragon, Little River road to Gatlinburg, Brison City area, Tellico Dam area, Cades Cove, Road to Cherokee from Gatlinburg through the Smokie Mountains. This is a very heavy tourist area with Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg close by. If you find this is out of your pricerange then try the Red Roof Inn At Pigeon Forge, TN. Very nice rooms, covered indoor swimming pool and good continential breakfast. You can park your car and trailer in a vacant parking lot across from the hotel. This is where I would start my ride. Right next to the Red Roof Inn in Pigeon Forge is HWY 321 take it over to Townsend ( 15 miles) turn right go about 11 miles and turn left on the Foothills Parkway take it 20 miles to hwy 129 and turn left. The Dragon starts about 3 miles down the road. Note this is where the cops will get you .Stay on the speed limit. They also set on the dragon trying to catch speeders. The dragon is 11 miles and 321 turns. You come out at Deals Gap Motel. Pick up a T shirt and have lunch. Next you have to decide which road to take. If you take the road to the left you will go by Fontana Dam, Bryson City NC, Cherokee NC and then through the smokies into Gatlinburg and back to Pigeon Forge. This is a full day ride. If you take the road to the right you will see Tellico Plains and Cherohala Skyway over to Maryville and back down into Pigeon Forge. You can take a short cut and ride the Dragon again if you like before getting back to your room. The next day take the road through to Gatlinburg and out the otherside to Cherokee. Note: Their is a biker bar at light 10 in Gatlinburg just before you head into the smokies you need to check out. Once your in Cherokee you can pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway. Note here , do not be in a hurry, 45 is about the max speed. Lot of overlooks to keep you stopping but keep going till you reach Mt Mitchell State Park. Go all the way to the top and have lunch at the restraunt just down from the top of the mountain. I would turn around after Mt Mitchell and head back too Pigeon Forge. While driving through the mountains be sure to pick up a sub sandwich and have lunch by one of the rest stops next to a stream in the smokies. If you wanted too you could stop at Ashville NC and stay a night and see the Biltmore. The BRP goes through the Biltmore property. Well I think I have given you 5 days of riding here and have left out all the interesting stuff you will see on this trip. You will wish you had 2 weeks when your done and you will want to do it all over again asap. Nothing like riding the mountains in Tennessee. I rode all these roads this past fall and they are all open and in good shape. Good Luck.

Donald, don't underestimate the VTX 1300 for long roadtrips. I have an '06 VTX 1300S and I've put about 40k miles on it in just over three years. I've ridden as far west as Wyoming; as far north as Niagara Falls and as far south as Louisianna.

I would recommend that your SO have her stock seat sent to BadX in North Carolina for a seat modification. After the seat mod, doing 350 - 400 miles/day is a breeze.

The area in TN/NC around the Dragon is a great area for riding. The BRP is a must do as well. I prefer to stay off the interstate if possible (too dangerous and not as scenic).