   Posted by Tumbles on 5/25/2011 10:57:36 AM | |
The BMR III Are You In? Hell yeah I was in and look forward to going next year. The Big Mountian Run III is a good old Gypsy Tour that has come and gone it was May 18 thru the 22. The starting point was Taylorsville, North Carolina ending at Hiawassee Outfitters in Relience TNN. I haven't been to alot of bike events lately for they have kind of lost some of the charm they used to have. Well, I was just proved wrong and Thankgoodness! Jo a friend of mine introduced me to this even last year, but I was unable to go. However this year is a different story. Her explaination of the event had me looking forward to attending its been a long time since I've been to an old school event so to speak. I didn't know what to expect but bike games, music, riding, camping, then throw in a museum and the mountian back drop and I was hooked for sure. A large group of bikes maybe 40 or so met at Wicked Willie's Chopper Shop in Taylorsville, NC to start the Gypsy Tour off. If one wanted to be apart of the BMR you can join in at anytime, stay the whole time or just an hour or two, follow if you wish, lead if you desire, just go and do it at your own pace, stop whenever ya feel like it. The explanation I got was the BMR is what you make of it, the bikes, riding, hanging out, partying, music, games, camping, or the people. What you come with you can take with you or you can come with one idea and leave with more, I promise you this you'll leave with more than what ya came with. The begining of the Gypsy Tour was at Wicked Willie's and was scheduled to leave at high noon, as with most things large groups usually take awhile to get going, however we were just waiting for those that had encountered bike issues and were doing roadside repairs so we waited for them. We got rolling around 2pm and headed up to Maggie Valley the first overnight destination was the Wheels Through Time Museum. Dale opened his museum and area up for overnight use by the BMR. We left Taylorsville together in a large group but with, local traffic and signals it didn't take long before we were seperated and spread out over a distance. The day was a little chilly but it was nothing like the day before when I road up from Florida to North Carolina. We arrived at the musuem just a few hours before sunset allowing plenty of time to set up the tents. We weren't the first to get there but then again riders continued to trickle in throughtout the night so by far not the last to arrive either. Once the area was set up at Maggie Valley I went into the museum and walked around, staff was availble to answer questions, met Dale the owner and his son Matt. They welcomed us all with open arms. One thing is for sure the big leather couch in front of the TV up there sucks ya in and if ya spend to much time enjoying stuffing you may be caught catching flies for sure. Outside the party was just begining to gear up and heading to full force. The bonfires were lite, folks got their instruments, some brought beer well others just passed the mason jars around. I can tell ya the shine was welcome as the night was freezing, however reguardless of the cold riders were still arriving looking forward for tomorrow's ride over the hills and into Tnn.    After a night of freezing the songs of the birds was welcome as the skies became brighter. Across the parking lot bikers were crawling out of there sleeping bags, thankful for the coffee and breakfast Sandwiches Dale had gotten for them. Most of us milled around waiting for the sun to rise high enough to burn the moring chill off. Since this is a gypsy tour folks were arriving still to meet up with others, as other groups were leaving for Hiawassee Outfitters. I stayed with Jo and David from CrazyHorse Painting and left in a group that was lead by Chip one of the events organizers and the added bounus is he lived in the area. Our group had Diane one of the journailist from Cycle Source Magazine the sponcer of the event, Jo and David from CrazyHorse, a few other folks that were friends of either Chip, Cycle Source or CrazyHorse. He took us through Cherokee National Forest, with the plan to take 64, however once over Cherokee National with the road construction we got a wee bit lost and ended up in Gatlinburg TNN. It was there Diane had a sticky rear brake, with a road side repair we were ready to roll again. The choice road was Foot Hills Parkway, with nice wide sweeping turns easily ridden at 50 mph. The whole group couldn't make the turn so I started the Parkway slower than the rest so those behind me could follow our trail. The Parkway ends at a T, so we made a left. Once you follow the lake around go over the bridge and start making that up hill climb there's no where to go. The front of the group took off with leadpaw Chip followed by Rich, Joann, David and Myself. I started 129 slow waiting for the rest of the group to catch up. Diane was behind me, followed by Dane and Eddie (?) I think. Anyway once the up hill climb started and the tighter twisties started I knew there was no place to go but forward, so off I went and caught up with team CrazyHorse. The last I saw anyone was around the lookout. "LeadPaw" was gone, so I fell in time with Jo and David as I have ridden with them several times before. We reached Deal's Gap Resort well after "LeadPaw" and Rich, but waited there for a few minutes for Diane and her group. We went in for lunch as we waited, we finished eating and still they haven't shown up. They all have been riding for awhile and riding alot so we figured she was up there taking photos, for the magazine and taking her time. She came limping in to the resort followed by the others. She slowly dismounted and began her tale, I rushed her off to the bathroom to see if she needed medical attention or not. You see as I rounded the curve at the overlook, in efforts trying to keep up and the fear of using that back break, hit a turn just a little too hot, swung wide hit the grass then hit the deck. She had a nice bruise forming, a broke footpeg but nothing too bad for what had happened. We set her up with lunch so she could sit and calm down a little bit, as well as get through the shock, and adrenalin rush. Diane, you rock sister! After her dump she got up road the rest of The Tail of The Dragon, continued on to Cherahola Skyway and down to Hiawassee Outfitters. My friends, that takes balls, if you haven't had such an experience you'll never know the type of biker you are. If you've had such and experience and dusted yourself off and got right back and continued on your way you are a true biker for sure. At Hiawassee Outfitters, once you go under the train tressel you are in a secret little space. Things of the now age don't recieve signals, there's not hotels, electric in the bathrooms, and 5 cabins that are there. The train tressel, stream and river act as the natural borders for the campground and we are now in biker's paradise. Arriving just at dusk we had moments to set up our tents as the "Soggy Bottom Gals" were performing, then a local blue grass band followed them. Folks continued to arrive through out the weekend. Much of the campground was empty at this time buy it won't stay that way for long. The sun fell behind the mountians the bonfires were light, the boys were riding the track with 3 sometimes 4 on a bike, the music flowed, shine was passed folks greeted each other and neighbors became friends. Bikes, tents and people were really all you saw. There were a few chase trucks from the vendors but for the most part it was a ride in event.   I think I went to bed somewhere around 2am, and got up just as the birds were singing away. Today was Friday the day of the bike games I so want to see them. I got up ate at the Outfitters breakfast area, babble with team CrazyHorse they had some work to do later in the afternoon but would go for a ride with me into Georiga to get some boze. However they had to take a moment to talk to some students from the local high schools about their different trades. I stayed and listened as I like to know more about what makes folks the people they are. I got to meet and learn a little from some very talented folks in the motorcycle industry. I am Blessed for that. To the store,the directions we followed seemed to take for ever to get there but we followed them and pasted several different groups touring the surounding areas. Besides the liquor store we stopped at a junck shop and sandwich shop. I'm telling that sub was pretty dam good. When we returned to the campgound the bike show was in progress. I was amazed at some of the creativity of the kids on this home build machines. They worked really very hard and every builder could fix their bike in a pinch on the side of the road that I was in awe of. The the slow race, which Matt won on his 1915 Harley Davidson, David won the barrel roll and I didn't see who won the greasey plank as I got involved with babbling with a few of the neighbors. The party was well started and the crazness had long began, the guys were making the loop, riding backwards, riding several on a bike, beer bongs and mason jar passing. There was good music free keg, and everyone was enjoying our secret hidaway here in the hills. Jo came over with Jermey Johnson from Mutten Cycles. He is what a man should be, he built a bike for his mom whom died of breast cancer and started a charity called Cathy's Ride. What he wants to do is help with the everyday life things that those that are suffering or struggling through treatments, need or want to do. Ome woman got her airconditioning fixed. His idea is get what they need reguardless of how large or small, like fill the tank of gas, get a bag of food, paint a house. So if ya see Cathy's Ride around donate he wants to directly help the person. I will be going to Sturgis this year with him and his crew. I so look forward to running into some of the folks i met at the BMR. I'm pretty excited.  Ah Saturday time to go but before I do go I just wanted to go for one more ride, While team CrazyHorse had a photo shoot to do I decided to go out and ride the Cherahola Skyway once more and it I had the time I'd hit Deal's Gap too. Just past the tressel I hear my name and turned around Jo was worried I was just beating feet, naw I just was going for an early moring ride while you where working. It was a great moring to go! It was early enough that most the folks were still miling about in the campgournd but late enough the mountain was beging to warm up. I head up road over the Hiawassee bridge and head through some wonderful local curvey roads, complete with farms , old log cabins, small churchs, and littl business. I reached the beging of Cherahola Skyway and set off feeling pretty good. I feel in to the rythm of the road on the skiyway, and stopped at a couple of the over looks. There was a rally happing at Telco Plains, and a HOG chapter was on tour, then of course there was the rest of us. I sat at the last overlook and decided to continue to roll as I was waiting to pull out, two bikes went by man they were jamming a little fast for cruiser, but hell who am I to say. Anyway, after a turn or two I had them in my sites so I guess they must have slowed down some. I lost them in a curve and when I came around the bend I watched a heritage slam into the guard rail and continue to beat itself up down the rail, as the rider took out the windshield and foundout for the first time he could fly. I sat there in the middle of the Skyway with hazards on, several groups came through and just passed us by, then a sport bike group stopped and helped control traffic and sent a rider up hill to make a call. You see the rider well he broke his collar bone and was in shock and pain, he had been riding for 3 weeks and had the bike 3 weeks. Wow, ya know no matter what the experience it can happen to anyone at anytime. Well, I think its the first time I've seen a bike with the forks located behing the gastank before. I left when the police arrived.  The sport bike group did a great job of clearning the road of debrie, so I took off and forged on. I tried as I might but I found it hard to shake the sceen that unfolded in fromt of me, so I turned around. The accident was just stuck in my head and effected my ride and I knew it. Riding was not what I needed, I needed to unload and get it out of my head. I pulled into camp meet up with all the folks I knew and told them what I saw, they all understood and let me dump the visual so I could get back in my own head and ride. I left shortly after. One thing is for sure I'm glad I went, I had one of the best times in a long time and look forward to BMRIV.    | |
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Big Mountain Run III (BMR)
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