(01) 123-456-7890
info@website.com
The one word I could come up with to describe our trip to the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Festival in early October – Barbertastic! Ok, not a real word, but you get the idea. Outside of avid motorcyclists, few know the world’s largest and best motorcycle museum is just to our west in Leeds, AL (a NE suburb to Birmingham). On nearly 1000 acres of bucolic rolling countryside resides a pristine museum and motorsports racetrack, along with plenty of room for RV’s, tent camping etc. The second weekend in Oct, Barber hosts a rally for all things vintage motorcycle… swap meet, track racing, woods trials, vendor displays and demo rides. You-name-it and it’s there! Our Barber hosts didn’t pick the early October timeframe by accident – as usual, the weather was perfectly sunny and dry with cool mornings and warm afternoons.
Five riders and one guest attended… Dave came to Atlanta from his home near Wilmington to meet Larry and Mel and the three rode pleasant backroads (via Cartersville, Centre and Gadsden) on Thurs morning to arrive at the start for choice tent camping spots. BobK rode over early Friday morning and Dan and his daughter came early Sat morning. All five tents, plus a shade tent, fire pit, four bikes and an SUV fit in our 40’ x 40’ allotment!
It was a tremendously fun weekend. The Barber team has really perfected their craft in hosting this event for around 60K – 70K thousand folks. The shuttles running on the road which surrounds the track ran continuously, making it easy to get to the numerous events on the very large property. Dave and Larry were able to score some demo rides. All found the “fan zone” attractions exciting – not least was the Wall of Death carnival-stye attraction. We learned how physical sidecar racing is for the “monkey”. And BobK, Larry and Dave even sprung for the “parade lap” on the track – very fun!
A big part of the attraction is the multitude of motorcycles from our youth. All the bikes you grew up with were represented in every color and condition imaginable. Rather than the “big bikes” (think Harley’s and BMW’s) we commonly see on the roads today, the most common bikes at Barber were the small Japanese bikes which fueled the explosive motorcycle growth in the late 60’s and 70’s… Honda Trail 70’s and all kinds of street/trail bikes, generally 250cc and below. And yes, you could get a (factory!) psychedelic paint job in the 70's...
Also present in great abundance were the British and European bikes which preceded the “Japanese invasion”.
OK, enough words, here’s some pics to better tell the story…
On the first Saturday of November, three riders headed for the mountains to chase fall colors, and they caught them! Larry, Mel and Kevin (new-to-us, great to have you, Kevin) took the fast lane up, then branched off to ride the Richard Russell Scenic Parkway (really shoulda’ stopped for a pic!). We report back that colors are great in the mountains… the highest elevations (like Hogpen Gap on the Richard Russell and Brasstown Bald) are just a bit past peak so don’t delay visiting them. All the mid-elevations are great and will peak this coming week. And the lower elevations aren’t too far off as well. Make time to take time in the coming weeks to visit – you won’t regret it.
Although their start was surprisingly foggy, it lifted quickly to a full-sun day. There were some crowds, but not as much as expected. And if you can visit during the week, you’ll be golden! Wolf Pen Gap was thoroughly enjoyable as always. The guys rested a bit at TWO in Suches, then headed down twisty 60 for lunch at the (reopened) Tavern Grill at Turner’s Corner. Kudo’s to the new owners as it was well worth the stop. From there it was home thru the Frogtown / Copper Mines area (much nicer than trudging thru Dahlonega). Made it home in plenty of time for the Dawgs’ game. About 165 miles for the day. Join us next time.
In early September, three riders enjoyed a welcome “early taste of fall”. In unseasonably cool temps, Larry, Dan and Dennis met in Ball Ground before heading up to the N Ga mountains. But first they enjoyed meeting a fellow on his way to a car show with his beautiful muscle car – a ’70 Buick GSX (real one, not cloned, 455 Stage I Ram Air!)
After tearing themselves away and apologizing for all the drool on his car, they layered up and headed up casual old favorites like Grandview, Sunrise and Doublehead Gap roads to the always-pleasant Van Zandt’s for a break. As they were about to leave, a large riding group of 11 (mostly new, high-end euro bikes!) arrived. It quickly became apparent nearly half this group were Brits - I think Dan may have found a new tribe! Although we really enjoyed conversing with them and could have hung out much longer, we had more great mountain riding ahead.
The gang of three headed S down 60 initially enjoying wide sweeping curves which gradually tightened into tight twisties before arriving at Suches – and all traffic free. Next they headed west across Wolf Pen Gap, but made a quick stop to check out Kennedy Creek Resort (f/k/a High Valley) – Ga’s highest airfield. The new owner operates a very nice restaurant and added a gigantic pavilion which that weekend was hosting an “old time music festival”. We wished we had more time to spend with them, but instead will keep an eye on their calendar for interesting upcoming events. Camping at this resort looks first rate.
Onward across the always-interesting Wolf Pen Gap (Ga’s Dragon) and then up-and-over Blood Mountain and down to lunch at Riverside Tavern (at Turner’s Corner). None of us had stopped here previously but were impressed and look forward to another visit in the future. There they met a couple Can Am (forward trike) riders and learned more about these unusual rides.
From there it homeward-bound down 19 to the Outlets, then Bannister/Matt Hwy/East Cherokee to home.
Afterwards, I couldn’t help but think the stops on this ride (cool cars, lots of great people, and new interesting places!) were just as good as the day’s riding, and in the N Ga mountains, that’s really saying something! Sometimes you just get lucky.
About 190 miles for the day and home by 3. Join us next time.
After a too-long winter break, Larry, BobK, Mel and Dennis decided a 2-night moto-camp was in order and successfully avoided the “grey and wet” days of recent. They left after lunch on Friday taking backroads up to Blue Ridge (Boardtown was especially nice), then stopped for a break at Buck Bald Brewing in Copperhill, TN (check out their delicious Berry Hibiscus Brewed Tea). Winds were gusting over 30 mph so they didn’t stay long since it felt better bundled up on the bikes than exposed on the patio. Overnight lows were forecasted to be 43, but each was beginning to question if they’d packed enough warmth for this trip.
From there it was west along the Ocoee River, then NE up Reliance Road to Cherokee Mountain Trails Campground (CMTC) west of Tellico Plains. Reliance Road proved to be another trip highlight as it was pleasantly curvy and empty! Tents popped up quickly and they eagerly entered the lodge building to warm up and get out of the wind. CMTC proprietors are from Philly and served up a nice cheesesteak sandwich and a killer tomato bisque. After dinner they enjoyed their campfire as the skies began clearing and the temps fell like a rock!
Saturday morning revealed frost and 33 on the temp gauge, but the crystal clear skies promised a quick warm up. They soon headed up the very pleasant backroad (360) to Vonore, then down the “Tail of the Dragon” to Deal’s Gap. In years past, this world-famous twisty road generally saw mostly motorcycles and a sprinkling of sports cars. It’s now a near endless stream of tuner car clubs traveling in packs of 30-40 moving 10-15 mph. Our recommendation is to completely avoid the Dragon on any weekend day. On to Robbinsville for lunch at Café del Olla and their unique full menus of both Mexican and Italian – very good and worth a visit.
After lunch, they headed west across the also-famous Cherohala Skyway. Larry and Mel exited and rode a beautiful Forest Service which roughly paralleled the first half of Skyway while Bob and Dennis continued onward. The intended meetup… didn’t meetup (sorry, Dennis and Bob!), but those two did get to meet some interesting folks at a scenic pullout, including a couple riding a tandem bicycle from CA to Ontario (via the Skyway?!) Yes, BobS’s words are ringing in my ears… “Larry, skip the split-ups as they never work out!” Still, each rider found their Skyway ride very nice with loads of sunshine and none of the congested mess of the Dragon.
Back at camp, they decided to try a newly opened establishment just around the corner from CMTC which had a food truck and live entertainment. The Mexican food was top-notch and the entertainment was a real hoot, a local Bluegrass quartet - a great cap to a great riding day. Their campfire was shorter since the lads were pooped. Fortunately, temps this night were a good 20 degrees better than the prior.
Breakfasts at CMTC are a real strong suit and just can’t be beat; they’re large, fast, hot and inexpensive! Soon the guys packed up and headed south down TN 68 toward home. While it’s a road we’ve often used, all had forgotten just how pleasant it is. And home before noon – there’s a twist! Here’s a few pics… Hope you can join us next time.
