The Ride of my Life.

[Fencejumper09]

That was a pretty cool set, seeing some places I have visited. Helen hasn't changed much and TWO(s) may have changed in name and owner but seems to have the same ambiance!

[klaviator]

Really enjoying this, keep up the great report

Thanks!  Much more to come.

[klaviator]

That was a pretty cool set, seeing some places I have visited. Helen hasn't changed much and TWO(s) may have changed in name and owner but seems to have the same ambiance!

Helen has grown but "down town"  hasn't changed that much.

TWO was a very different place back then.  TWO 1.0 under Frank was very different from TWO 2.0 under Britt and GT and TWoS is very different again.  The location is the same so it's still surrounded by great paved roads as well as the unpaved stuff in the Cattahoochee NF.
The main building still looks similar on the outside but the inside has changed a lot and the overall character of the place has changed.  Under Frank it was mainly a place to stay and most of the riders there where from out of town.  Typically half of then bikes there had Florida plates.  There was no lunch crowd there because there normally wasn't any lunch.  It was a much quieter place and a much better place to meet other riders.  Today many people come there in groups or are regulars and know each other.  Back then people came from all over and often didn't know each other.  Since you had to cook your own dinner or ride into town to get it people often got together and rode into Dahlonega for dinner.  It was really cool riding back up 60 in the dark behind a bunch of bikes and watching the taillights as the group went through the curves. 

I'll cover TWO 2.0 later but it really changed a lot from 1.0.  I have enjoyed all three variations of the place.  In some ways it has improved and in some ways it didn't but it's always been a great place to go if you ride a motorcycle.

[klaviator]

July was another eventful month. Debbi's side of the family was having a gathering in Grove City, Pa. I don't remember the reason but her Mom was from that area and she had an aunt and some cousins living there. Around the same time Kawasaki was having one of their Good Times Rallies at TWO.  Luckily the timing was such that I could go to both. So I rode the Venture from Pensacola to my parents house, spent some time there then rode over to Grove City. I don't recall how Debbi got there but it wasn't on the back of the bike. While staying in Grove City I had the opportunity to do some riding in the Allegheny Mountains where I spent a lot of time when I was young. The parents of my best friend in elementary school had a small hunting cabin near Tidioute, Pa and we went there a lot to camp, run around in the woods, shoot things and all kinds of other fun stuff. It was interesting seeing everything years later.

Unfortunately, the Venture developed a carb problem and was basically running on three cylinders. So I had to modify my plan to ride down to TWO from Pa. I rode all the way to Pensacola to swap bikes. Then venture was sluggish and got horrible gas mileage but I made it. I also rode 800 miles in one day, around 650 on the Venture and 150 on the EX as I rode from Pensacola to Montgomery.

I rode from Montgomery to Suches and checked into my lodging for the event. The Lodge at TWO was booked by the people from Kawasaki but Frank's wife Jeannie had some relatives who lived about a mile down the road who rented me their RV.  I couldn't drive it, just stay in it.




This event attracted a huge crowd since Kawasaki had advertised it well in advance in the major motorcycle magazines.  the estimated attendance was around 6000 people.

This was the main lodge:



But most of the crowd was over at the airport where the Demo rides started and ended:



.



Kawasaki brought a fleet of Demo bikes.  The ride went from the Airport on 180 to 60 then down to Stone pile gap and back.  The pace was a little slow for me but the ride was 12 miles of non stop curves!

The fastest production bike of that day was the Kawasaki ZX-11 and I got to ride one



I also rode a ZX-7 which was interesting but the radical riding position was too uncomfortable for me to even consider.

I spent some time hanging out and riding the local roads then headed back to Pensacola.

[klaviator]

Time to wrap up my time in Pensacola. I did get one interesting non motorcycling related pic. Pensacola had a big airshow every year featuring the Blue Angels which were based there. One year they had a really cool demonstration from this little jet which appeared in the movie "Octopussy"



I also made another 2 or 3 trips up to TWO in the Fall.  I don't remember any details form those rides except that I rode curves, curves and more curves

A few more pics.  This was the Ocoee river which would become the site of the Olympic whitewater events in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. It look considerably different today due to construction done for the Olympics.




I did manage to capture some pics of the fall colors.  I think this is on the Richard Russel Scenic HWY.



.



And of course being from Pensacola I had to take this pic in  North Carolina:




As I mentioned earlier I had orders to head for Michigan in early 1992. Well, those orders were modified. On my way to Michigan I would spend a month in San Diego to learn to fly the C-12 aircraft. 

[klaviator]

So I was going to San Diego for a month.  There was no way I was going to spend a month there and not ride.  That would absolutely kill me.  So I had to figure out a way to be able to ride while I was out there. At that time I had no truck or trailer so hauling a bike out was not practical and riding was not practical either. I ended up buying a bike from someone I know with a set buy back price when I left assuming I didn't crash it. He had an old Seca 650 he was planning to give his dad. So basically I sort of rented it.



So I ended up in San Diego for a little over a month. Riding on weekends and occasional days off I ended up riding just over 3000 miles. I don't really remember a lot of details, just that it was fantastic riding my old favorite roads and seeing my old riding buddies. I really enjoyed the Seca as well. Not super fast or exotic but it was a super comfortable bike and I enjoyed riding it. I did take a few pics.

One of my old favorite rides was going to Julian for breakfast. This is on the way to Julian. My old friends Tomi and Phil. Tomi was driving a cage this morning.



Looking out on the desert from the Montezuma Grade:



.



.



It was Winter and although it never Snows in San Diego, it does in the mountains nearby. This was on Palomar Mountain:



.



.



I went with a group on a ride up to Joshua Tree National Monument.



I remember hitting some triple digit speeds on this ride and still falling behind the group.



.



After a month and 3000 miles I was sad to leave but I had to get back the the "real world" and get on with my life. I was off to Michigan, a state not exactly know for great riding, at least not where I would be living just Northeast of Detroit :(  Would I survive? Stay tuned.

[klaviator]

After a great month+ in San Diego it was off to Michigan. Unfortunately I didn't take all that many pictures of Michigan or if I did I can't find them. When we got there we decided to move into Base housing to save money. There was a waiting list so we moved into and apartment for a few months. During this time most of out stuff as well as our motorcycles were in storage. Then we moved into base housing which was actually a few miles from the base. A couple of pics.

Our home in base housing.



Debbi and Scott:



The riding in the area was not all that exciting with flat and mostly straight roads. My favorite ride was to head North and ride the road along the St Clair river. Not real exciting but being right by the water it was at lest a little scenic.



Unfortunately the nearest curvy roads where in Hell ???
That's right, Hell...............................as in Hell Michigan. I didn't get any pics but just to prove there is a Hell Michigan I'll steal a pic off the internet.




There were actually a few somewhat curvy roads near hell.

In Florida I never did find any other riders who liked to ride the way I did. In Michigan I had a plan. Remember this was 1992, way before the internet or motorcycle forums. I found some adds in some motorcycle magazines for the American Sport Touring Riders Association (ASTRA) and the Honda Sport Touring Association (HSTA). I joined them both. I wasn't so sure about the HSTA since I didn't have a Honda but the add did say all makes welcome. I had much higher hopes for ASTRA. Good thing I decided to join the HSTA since ASTRA turned out to be pretty worthless and the HSTA would have a dramatic impact on my riding for many years to come.

[klaviator]

No pics in this post since I don't think I took any on what was a really fun trip. Although I wasn't impressed with Michigan riding, I knew where there was some great riding.   All I had to do was head south to my new favorite riding area. It just worked out that the HSTA was having a rally in Townsend, TN at the time I was planning my trip. So in September, 1992 I headed down the interstate, about 650 miles to Townsend where I checked into the Big Valley Motel where the rally would be based. I got there a day or so early and there was only one other HSTA member who got there around the same time. It was a guy named Rod who was riding a ST1100. He was around 75 years young and had ridden in from Washington State!  Rod had some great stories to tell but I won't attempt to repeat them here.

Then the rest of the riders showed up. We pretty much filled up the motel. I think we had around 60 or so riders. On Saturday headed out in smaller groups and rode over the Foothills parkway and then Deal's Gap. Back then Deal's Gap was still not the circus that it is today on the weekends. Then more back roads.

There was a pretty large number of riders from Michigan. It was nice meeting them and they seemed to be a pretty enthusiastic and experienced bunch of riders. One of them was a guy named Al who rode a VFR. It turned out that he had a few extra days before he had to head home so he rode down to TWO with me. This was the start of a long friendship and many more rides together. I wish I had taken some pics but he is in some later pics. After he headed home I rode a few more days before heading back to Michigan. Then it was a long and gloomy winter before my next long ride.

[klaviator]

My next big ride was on June, 1993. The HSTA had one big national rally every year but the location moved every year. For 93 it was in Helen, GA. This was right in my new favorite riding area so I found a way to fit it in my schedule. I took two weeks vacation to make this work. I rode down to N. Ga. with a co worker while Debbi drove down to her sister's house in Fayetteville, NC. She dropped off Scott with her sister then drove to Helen. At the end of the Rally we headed up to the Fontana Campground where we met her sister and family and her parents. Then we spent a few days camping before heading home. That's the outline. Here are the details.

Tony was a young guy with a 700 intercepter. He had never done a ride like this and was as excited as I was On the first day we cruised down the interstate down to just north of Knoxville where we found a cheap motel. Next day we rode through Knoxville and Maryville before getting on the awesome roads found in the mountains of the southeast.

This was on the Foothills Parkway:




Then it was through Deal's Gap and then south to TWO. I don't remember how long I stayed at TWO but I moved over to a motel in Helen for the rally. Tony was camping and stayed at TWO the whole time.

HSTA members pretty much took over 3 motels in the middle of town as we had somewhere around around 400 members there if I remember right. Unlike many rallies which are just for a weekend, this one started Sunday and ran through Wednesday. We had rides every day. Honda brought truckload of demo bikes and then we finished off with a banquet on Wednesday night. The details of all this have become a little vague over the years but I did take some pics and I'll do the best I can.

One of the days we did a lunch ride over to TWO where we had a BBQ lunch. Debbi and I rode over on my EX500. We were young then and fairly comfortable two up on it. I got a few pics at TWO.



.



After lunch we headed south on 60, one of my favorite roads.  We stopped at a dirt parking area in the middle of a curve and took some pics.



.



No Go pros back then.  We did get some action pics.



.



.

[klaviator]

Those last few pictures remind me of how much fun that old EX500 was on a twisty road

We spent a lot of time on twisty roads during that rally.  One of the steepest and twistiest roads in Georgia is Spur 180 going up Brasstown Bald.  We rode to the parking area of Brasstown Bald one evening to catch the sunset. Brasstown bald is the highest point in GA but you have to walk up another 500 feet from the Parking lot to get to the top.  It was still light on the ride up.



.




One of the days I led a pretty long ride. It was a sporty ride to say the least. The route took us over to Clayton, then Warwoman Rd, 28 all the way to Deal's Gap, a high speed run through the gap, then 129 to 180 and finally the Ricky Russell highway. Running so hard for so long I think I actually suffered brain fade after running through Deal's Gap and took it easy riding back to Helen.

A couple of pics from this ride. Bridalveil Falls:



At the overlook on 129.  Most of the riders were from Michigan and Illinois.



BTW, Debbi was not on this ride. She and a few others headed off to raft the Chattooga River.  That would just be too dangerous for me ???

[klaviator]

A few more pics from the rally:

This was on the Richard Russel Highway. 



The next few were taken at the Banquet on the final day.

Debbi and the other daredevils that risked their lives rafting the Chattooga while I was out on a nice and safe ride ::)



Tony, Debbi, me, Hal and Donna. All from Michigan.



Me, Keith, Eric and Mike.



This last pic was taken from the Fontana Dam looking down at the campground where we went to after the rally. It would be a bad place to be if the dam broke ???



A few thoughts about the HSTA Rally in Helen. I was without a doubt one of the best motorcycling experiences I had up to that point in my life. Everything about it was fantastic.v First was the location. Helen GA is a real tourist trap but it's still a great place to stay. The motel was very nice. All kinds of restaurants were within walking distance. Best of all, Helen is surrounded by beautiful scenery and fun to ride twisty roads. Second was the people. I had met many of the members the previous fall at the Townsend rally and got to meet many more here. These folks where all really serious motorcycle enthusiasts and most of them very good riders.

Then there was the riding itself. Those of you familiar with N. GA, Western NC, and Eastern TN know what I'M talking about. Endless curves :)  and since most of the rally was during the week the traffic was light. My EX500 was a fantastic bike for these roads. Although the majority of the other riders and bigger and "faster" bikes, the EX was much easier to ride fast on these roads. I ended up leading most of the rides I went on. I had bought the EX in California with the thought that it would be cool to try a small lightweight bike but that I would move back up to a bigger bike in a couple of years. As you can see, that didn't happen and I had no plans to replace the EX any time soon.

The Honda Demo rides were cool. Since my Venture was getting old and worn out I rode a couple of potential replacements, the Goldwing 1500 and ST1100. I rode them both with Debbi on back. It was fun riding both bikes but I crossed them off my list. While both competent bikes they just seemed boring to me. They reminded me of practical but soulless appliances. On top of that I couldn't see getting a 900 pound motorcycle even though the GW did feel a lot lighter than that once moving. I did not fit well on the ST1100. My search for my next touring bike would continue. I hope I didn't offend and GW1500 or ST1100 fans but they weren't for me. There were actually a lot of ST1100 riders in the HSTA. It was always one of the most popular bikes at the rally.

The HSTA itself was probably the closest thing to a modern forum except that there was no internet back then. There was a Monthly newsletter which was almost a small magazine. The newsletter had a schedule of upcoming rides as well as "ride reports" of recent rides. There was discussion of motorcycle topics and a section for letters from members. Pretty impressive for a group with no paid staff and an annual membership fee of around 20 or 25 dollars.

[klaviator]

In September of 1993 I took another ride South. I really don't remember any details as I would end up making many rides to that area and I no longer remember each one. I do know that I went to the HSTA Rally in Townsend. I'm pretty sure I met up with Al and we did some riding either before or after the Rally. There is a good chance that the following pics where taken during this ride but I can't be sure.

The base for the rally was the Big Valley Motel.  It was a great location and we took over the entire motel.



This little waterfall is off of Wayah Rd. That's Al and his VFR.  Over the years the trees have grown and mostly hidden this waterfall.



Woody Gap just south of TWO.



The Deal's Gap Overlook.



Back then there was no Deal's Gap resort. It was the Crossroads of Time. It looked a lot different than it does today.  Most of what is the parking lot today was just grass back then.  There was no restaurant, just a little deli inside the store.

[klaviator]

Occasionally between rides I did have to work for a living. Part of my job was flying a Navy C-12. This is a pic of C-12 with some of the pilots, maintenance folks and others involved in the C-12 program.




Michigan also had a season known as Winter. It wasn't the best time to be riding but there where other activities available. We did go to Ohio and going skiing with my parents.



I also did do some riding in Michigan. My friend Al who I had now done a lot of riding with in the mountains to the south lived in Petosky, Mi. I took a ride up and visited him one weekend in the fall of 93. He took me out on some of the local roads. We went up 119 which runs along Lake Michigan. Back then there were no houses on it. I understand that is no longer the case.
It was a curvy road with nice scenery.



.



.



.



We made it to the Mackinaw Bridge but didn't ride across.



After spending the night in Petoski I headed off by myself. Rather than heading straight home I headed towards Traverse City. There was some nice riding along the water.



I rode through Traverse City and to the Sleeping Bear Dunes.



.



It was a very scenic area. I'm really glad I rode up there because my time in Michigan was limited. I had orders to go Fly the C-130 at Naval Air Facility Washington, DC. I would be leaving in April of 94.

[Gam]

I remember hitting some triple digit speeds on this ride and still falling behind the group.



[/quote]

Trashcan Rock, I believe, my first climb at Joshua Tree, the climb is out of the pic...off on right end.

[klaviator]

Trashcan Rock, I believe, my first climb at Joshua Tree, the climb is out of the pic...off on right end.

So did you live in California at one time or just visit?