2012 Riding Season Recap

2012 was hands down, one of the best riding seasons I have ever had. At the end of each year I like put together a photographic recap of the year to reflect on.  I know I am a bit late on this one, so with our further delay: Here is my 2012 riding season recap. 

In 2012 I participated in the Waffle House Grand Tour.  The goal of this rally was to take a photo of your bike with the supplied rally towel in front of as many WH's as possible.  Before the rally went "bust" I ended up tagging over 250 WH's in almost 20 states.  It was a lot of fun while it lasted and it contributed to a big part of my riding season in 2012.

In March of 2012, Mike Brown, Dad and myself completed a SS2000 on the way to the IBA Pizza Party in Jacksonville, Florida.  As part of the WHGT, we stopped at 13 WH's along the way as well. We completed just over 2000 miles in less than 48 hours. We seem to like taking the long way to Florida now. 

It has been a goal of mine for quite some time to make it west of the Mississippi River.  This year I crossed it  during our SS2000 ride on the way to the Pizza Party, via Texas.  This photo was taken on the eastern bank of the river in LA next to a casino.  

The Pizza Party is held around the same time as the Daytona Bike Week.  While we were in  area we made a stop in Daytona to check it out.  The LD bikes didn't exactly fit in with the rest of the crowd.  I found it funny that in a parking lot full of "customs" the LD bikes were truly the most custom of all.  (And the cost much less, too)

It wouldn't be Bike Week with out some good scenery in the vendor area.

And then the "clothing optional" theme goes a bit too far....

A few weeks after our trip to Florida we decided to head to GA for the Master's RTE.  Joey, his parents, my parents, myself and a couple others headed down for the event.  There were close to a 100 bikes there by time we went in for food.  It was good to see everyone again after Florida.

Inside the main room at the Master's RTE.

On the way home from the Master's I decided to spend the night in Charlotte visiting with friends from college.  After a night of having beers in the garage I decided to head west the following morning to gather some WH tags and get some riding in.  While I heading into Boone, NC I ran into some heavy storms that included strong winds, cloud to ground lightning and hail. I avoided the storm as long as I could, but eventually I got stuck in it.  I rode a few miles in nickle sized hail before I made it to this gas station.  I end up riding in and out of this storm all the way home.  INTENSE!

Moonshine!  This year I decided to make the trek to Moonshine, Ill for a Moon Burger.  I left Wednesday night around 11pm, headed west to Nashville, TN gathering WH tags along the way.  At 8 am on Thursday morning I met up with Darryl and Bill to continue our WH tags to Moonshine.  When I arrived at the hotel Thursday night I had traveled over 900 miles and tagged 45 WH's. 

Cinnamon Roll! The Cinnamon Roll lady came on Saturday morning to sell her nearly word famous rolls. 

While I was in the Mooneshine Store parking lot I decided to put this one on.  The sticker is right... It was a rainy, nasty day and I rode in temperatures below freezing to get there. Yes, it was worth it.

My first Moon Burger. It was pretty good! 

When Joey and I were leaving the dinner Saturday evening we pulled over in a bank parking lot to get a few photos of the sunset. 

This was the route I ended up taking that weekend for Moonshine.  It was a bit out of the way, but it was worth it. 

I was on my way to Charlotte one morning when a pair of troopers pulled out  in front of me on the entrance ramp.  Apparently there was a lane change going going ahead of me but I found this situation pretty humorous after my ticket in Atlanta.  5-0 trying to slow me down...

This photo was taken later that day while on 221 outside of Blowing Rock, NC. This rock has always amazed me.  It was worth the time to get the photo.

Memorial day weekend.  I moved from Raleigh the summer prior and I hadn't been back since.  I had the long weekend off and I was looking to get some WH tags on the eastern side of NC so I planned my trip and crashed at a buddies house all weekend.  When I arrived I was greeted with a cold beer fresh off the keg.  There are some things I miss about Raleigh.

After riding around Raleigh and the surrounding areas for 2 days I headed north to VIR on Monday.  My college buddies were doing a track day here so I came up to get some photos and show some support.  It was good to see them dragging knees and hauling ass.

While we were in Florida for the Pizza Party, Dad and I met Joey  Lawson and his family.  Turns out they live about 30 miles away from us AND he managed to get my vanity tag after I let it expire.  What are the odds of that?  Joey and I ended up going on several rides together year and he spent many nights in the man cave with Dad and I as we farkled the Vstrom and the FJR.  Thanks for all your help Joey! 

In late June the McCrary family took a motorcycle vacation to Wisconsin.   We went up to join the MTF crowd in New Glarius for some riding in the area and took the opportunity to visit my grandparents in Beaver Dam.   When I was 6 my parents loaded up the dirt bikes in a Uhaul and we took a road trip to their place so they could see me ride my dirt bike.  Since we were are the farm with bikes again we took the opportunity to remake a classic photo of Dad and I.

When I was younger I used to spend my summers in Wisconsin helping my grandparents on their dairy farm.   It is kinda hard to spend that much time in Wisconsin and not become a Packers fan... This trip I was determined to get up to Green Bay and see Lambeau Field.  While were there we ended up taking a tour of the stadium as well.  Next step: Get to a game! 

After visiting with the grandparents for a few days we headed west to New Glarius.   Here is Mom and Dad with the MTF sign in front of the host hotel. 

Some how I got roped into doing a rough road ride with a few guys on this trip.   Actually I was pretty excited to do this rough road ride. I hadn't had the Vstrom off road yet and I was looking forward to trying it out.  It handled like a pig but over all it did pretty well in the gravel.  I really enjoyed it! 

After leaving the MTF crowd we made a trek north to visit with my  cousins from Minnesota.  We headed west to Iowa and then went north following the Mississippi River.  That was a really cool ride! I am looking into planning a ride for the future that follows the River from start to finish.  

Photo of my grandparents and my cousins.  Sarah, Me, Granny, Papa, and  Meg.

On the way home we managed to find this massive storm! We rode through the edge of it in Iowa and then skirted below  across Indiana and Illinois.  Eventually the storm got the better of us and we had to find a hotel for the night and hunker down.  This stormed ended up knocking out power in homes from Illinois to Maryland and  as far south as Virginia! 

I came home from the Wisconsin ride and went back to work for a couple days before heading to the lake and celebrating the 4th of July with my buddies. The Friday following the party I got back on the bike and headed to Connecticut to see Taylor and meet her family.  I was still playing along in the WH rally so I managed to hit all I could on the way up. 

A riding season isn't complete with out making a stop at my favorite riding spot!

I have to make it Deals Gap once a year, too. This trip was my last though.  I received a  ticket for doing 55 in a 35 while exiting a hair pin, down hill corner on wet asphalt.  Yea, bogus as hell.  The ticket was eventually dismissed after the trooper failed to appear for two dates.

Dad and I took a long day ride up into WV and VA to "leaf peep" this fall.  On our way home we stumbled across this... a church on route 666. Interesting. 

Late in the season Joey found ourselves on this gravel road along the Mt. Mitchell ridge line.  That was an entertaining trip!

We did find a cool water fall off the side of the gravel road though!

Took this shot of Joey on the BRP earlier that day. 

On the left is how I purchased the Vstrom in October of 2011 and on the right is how she looks now. (for the most part) Lots of changes in a year.

In 2012 I rode over 16,000 miles through 23 states.  I doubt I will ride as much in 2013 as I did in 2012.  I am looking to attend a couple music festivals this year along with a trip or two to Connecticut my vacation time has been accounted for.  I am hoping to still get out on the weekends for day rides to the mountains and possibly the beach.

Mt. Mitchell - "I Can't See Shit!"

September 29^th, 2012

Earlier in the week, Mike Brown informed me of a small group ride to the Pisgah Inn outside of Asheville, NC for lunch on the 29^th. .  I hadn’t rode all that much since my return from CT, so I was itching to get out and put some miles on the Vstrom.  I called my other partner in crime, Joey, to inform him of the ride and invite him along.  He was off that day so he met me at the house just before 5am that Saturday morning and by 6am we were pulling up to the “Hammerdown Ranch” for breakfast.

After breakfast, Mike, his better half Joanne, Joey and me headed down I-85 to a small gas station to meet up with a few of Mike’s GWRRA chapter members.  The weather was rather poor that morning, so only one guy showed up for the ride.  After giving the other members ample time to show up we began making our way to Asheville via I85 and highway 74.

Joey was able to get a good shot of me that morning.  You should have seen us passing the camera from bike to bike at highway speed.  

Hammer Down, his better half and the possum.

One of Mike's fellow GWRRA members.  (Sorry, I forgot your name)

Joey and the vampire killer. I have antenna envy...

The weather was hit and miss as we made our way into Asheville that day.  Spots of sunshine broke through the heavy cloud cover and the occasional sprinkle, but for the most part the heavy cloud cover dominated the sky. 

We arrived at the Inn for lunch after making a quick stop for fresh apples just outside of Hendersonville. It was prime apple season, so a trip to the mountains would not be complete without coming home with a few in the saddlebags.  As we parked the bikes the clouds decided to open up and the rain began to fall pretty heavy.

The view along the BRP heading to lunch.

Covering up the gear in the rain.

Wine on draft.... cool.

Enjoying lunch at the Pisgah Inn.

I could enjoy this view for a long time.

Here comes the rain....

The lunch was outstanding! The food was a bit pricey for a lunch menu but the food more than made up for the price tag. After lunch we made our way around the gift shop and chatted a bit in hopes that the rain would eventually let up.  30 minutes later it was apparent the rain was there to stay, so we grabbed our jackets and headed out to the bikes.  At that time I was lacking a few Waffle Houses in the area so I talked the group into following me north to Weaverville and Mars Hill for the tags.  As soon as we dropped off the mountain the rain let up and the sun came out, it was a beautiful day for a ride! 

One of our planned stops for this ride was the peak of Mt. Mitchell.  However, when we were in Mars Hill we could see that the peak of Mitchell was still covered by the clouds and there wasn’t a chance in hell of seeing anything if we went to the top.   Mike, Joanne and the GWRRA guy decided to call it a day and headed on back to the house.  Joey and I were still itchin’ for a few miles and decided that the poor visibility wasn’t enough of an excuse to go home, and to be honest, I wanted a Mt. Mitchell sticker for my bike.

After a few moments of GPS work, Joey and I eventually loaded the same route to the peak of Mt. Mitchell and we set off.  All was going well until we found ourselves on secondary road that didn’t look to put us back on the main road anytime soon.  The asphalt was in decent condition and the corners were clean, so I wasn’t looking to turn around until it dead ended.  After a few miles Joey came over the radio, “I believe we are about to run out of asphalt and meet the gravel.” His GPS was showing him something that mine wasn’t. I asked if he wanted to turn around and in true Joey fashion, “Nah, let’s just see what happens.” Sure enough, a mile or so later we reached the end of the asphalt.  We stopped right where it ended; I looked over at Joey and said, “It’s your call.  I don’t mind riding gravel with this tank.” He kicked the ST in gear and took off down the gravel road. 

Joey, like me, has an extensive back ground in racing off road motorcycles.  Granted his ST isn’t the XR600 he used to race in the GNCC’s but it has 2 wheels, a motor and the same physics apply. A gravel road was nothing more than speed limiter to Joey or me. 

Following Joey up a dirt road around Mt Mitchell.  He even stood up and roosted me at one point.

Well, it looks twisty...

The road was in great shape, in gravel road terms, minor wash boarding in a few of the corners and the occasional rain rut here and there.   We met some oncoming traffic which made us feel better that we weren’t heading into no-man’s land, so we continued on.  At one point we came across a really nice water fall just in time for a pee break. 

My GPS was in and out of signal a significant amount of the time we were on the dirt road.  I do not know exactly how long this road was but I would estimate that it was good 5-6 miles. Eventually we saw the light and the end of the tunnel and made it back onto a paved road surface, the BRP.  We hit a few more buttons and realized we were just shy of Mt. Mitchell’s base.

Out of it's element a bit, but it did a fine job! Rally machine!

At home, sorta'. Joey could hear me behind him having a little fun with the reduced traction. :)

Found a nice waterfall to explore that day.

"Hey Joey!"

The light at the end of the tunnel

Beasts!

 The visibility on the way to the summit was minimal to say the least.  In fact I couldn’t see shit.

At the top of the mountain we ran into a few guys on Harleys that were competing in a rally at the time and the summit was a bonus location for them.  We chatted with them for a bit before heading into the gift shop to find my beloved sticker.  It turned out the sticker I was looking for was sold in the restaurant at the base of the mountain. So back down the mountain we went.  Did I mention we couldn’t see a thing?

The vampire killer in action.  Joey's headlights looked like a UFO coming through the fog.  We had a great deal of fun getting photos of this on the parkway.

The view on the mountain was great....

Fellow rally rider atop Mt Mitchell

Unique set up

Well, it it works in tanks I guess it will work on the road

One of those roads noted was our dirt road

With my sticker purchased, Joey and I set a path for home.  I was headed to Elon for the night to see Taylor and Joey was headed back to Asheboro.  It was a solid day of riding with a majority of it in the rain and the fog but a wet day of riding beats a dry day in the office.  

BRP view in the rain.

Probably one of my top photographs.