Well this is going to be a long one. I think i just want to get the experience down for starters and then maybe I'll add pictures later. I took off 2 weeks of work so i could ride and motorcycle camp up to the BMW MOA rally in VT. Since I live in GA, this was a long ride and way more ambitious than anything else i had ever done. I thought if i broke the ride up across 3 days in each direction it would be ok but i was wrong. Partly due to lack of experience, partly due to want to ride slower routes like the Blue Ridge Parkway, and then of course there are the accidents and construction zones that slow things down.
Part 1 - the ride up
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| The stuff i'm packing |
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| Loaded up and ready to go! |
Well i left on a Saturday with the goal of riding a lot of the NC section of the Blue Ridge Parkway and then camping 1 night in Linville Falls NC at a small campground called Linville Falls campground, RV park & cabins. The ride was amazing. I got on the parkway in Maggie Valley NC which i though was the beginning but it actually starts a little earlier in Cherokee NC at the edge of the Smokey Mountain National park i believe. There are tons of spots to pull over for lookout areas and the view is always stunning. It would take way to long to stop at all of them so i just stopped at a few included the highest point along the parkway which i believe was over 6,000 feet. There are quite a few tunnels on this section of the parkway which are actually quite scarry! They are narrow, curving, and do not have any lighting - only what your car or bike provides. I couldn't see a thing for the first few tunnels and i was freaking out. I was wondering if my lights were even working. Then i realized i had sunglasses on. Big mistake! There should be signs telling you to remove sunglasses prior to entering the tunnel in addition to the ones that tell you to turn your lights on. I rode the parkway up to Ashville and then got off because a detour was coming up. I just took the fast route the rest of the way to the campground. The Linville campground was small but nice. The owners were very friendly and helpful when ever i had questions including questions about parkway detour due to some sections being shut down. The bathrooms were the nicest I've seen at a campground - they were individual rooms with toilet, sink, and a shower like you would have at home. Loved that. I even took a picture LOL. I was on the rode about 7 hours i believe.
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| Linville Falls campsite |
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| Linville Falls campsite |
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| Cool walkway to the bathrooms |
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| Awesome bathrooms for a campsite! |
On Sunday i departed for two nights in a small cabin at Camp Misty Mount at Catoctin Mountain park in MD. I got on the parkway at Blowing Rock (after the closed section) and then rode it up to Roanoke VA. Again the rides was stunning and i saw a bear! It was a midsized black bear just standing in the middle of the rode as i braked aggressively. He looked at me for a couple seconds and then quickly crossed into the woods. At Roanoke i got off and took the quickest route to the cabin. It was a long 10 h day which included an accident that shut down all lanes on one of the highways i was traveling. I stayed there 2 days because Diane and i had stayed there before and really loved it...and because i thought my brother Crae was going to ride down and join me there and do some riding in MD and then ride back up to NH with me. Well ....that didn't happen. That is another story but it's a good think he didn't because it took my 11 hours to get from there to NH and there is no way he would have been ready for that. I was dying too and have the right bike for the job.
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| Thurmont Vista i believe |
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| Hike to the falls |
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| Little cold for just my PJs so i put on my riding jacket. Morning coffee is the best. |
I did do some hike during my day at the cabin and went to a nearby waterfall. I forgot the name already. Some nice hiking but the waterfalls were not all that impressive. There was a lot of kids there playing in the water and trying to slide down sections. I'm sure a lot of folks get hurt.
After my brutal 11 h ride day to East Kingston NH i stayed at my brother Brad's house for 2 nights (one full day) before departing early Thursday morning which was the day the rally started. I had a great time hanging with my family (brothers, step-dad, nieces, and nephew). While i was there i checked my blood pressure (talk more about that later) and while i had out the ready my pregnant niece, Hannah, gave it a try. It turned out it was a bit high and after discussing with her doctor the next day they decided to monitor and likely induce early. She was induced and had the baby next week! Momma and baby are healthy. Little Tommy :)
Sunburn? Can you get sunburn riding? I would have thought no because i ride in full gear: boots, pants, jacket, gloves and helmet. But it turns out when you ride for 9-11 h a day the sun hits you from all directions and WILL show you where you have exposure. For me that was 1) the gap between my gloves and the end of my jacket sleeves and 2) back of my neck above my jacket collar. So off the the store to pick up some sunscreen.
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| Sun burn stripe LOL |
The BMW MOA rally - shit goes sideways
For the next part to make since I'm going to have to back up a bit and tell you about my health leading up to the rally. Well, for weeks (maybe months) i had been having strange heart beats. Felt very out of rhythm and very hard/powerful. And this starting happening the same time my Garmin watch started sending me warnings about my heart rate variability being unbalanced. This evidently means it has changed dramatically compared to an average it had been for weeks. Mine went from 20 to about 50-70. I thought a higher HRV was supposed to be good so i was not really sure what to make of it but I didn't think it could be coincidence that it happened when i started feeling these extra strong beats (i was right). The night before I depart I use Diane's apple watch to do an ECG to look at heart rhythm. She had a normal sinus rhythm. I did not. I believe it said there was extra background noise and if this persist or if you have any symptoms to see a doctor. Shit - that doesn't seem good. But I'm departing in the morning....and off i went.
So i leave NH and get to the rally in VT Thursday morning around 10 am. I check in, set up my tent, and stroll around the grounds including where all the vendors are (i love that part). Did I mention it was hot? I mean hot as FUCK for VT. I had great temps camping in NC and MD but it was 92 degrees in VT. We even had sever thunderstorms one of the nights. It was like i never left GA. But I digress. I believe it was about 3pm and I am hot and sweating. I go back to my tent to change clothes and while I'm doing that I notice I can't really see my right ankle! It is not crazy swollen but there is enough edema to hide my boney ankle and it did not look like my left one. I was pretty freaked out. This did not seem like a good symptom at all to combine with my heart issues. My wife was texting me to go to an ER and i was already looking for options. I grabbed my ipad and some water and jumped on my bike to head to the U. of Vermont Medical Center ER in Burlington VT. It was a wierd feeling. I had no idea if this was going to be serious. I just left my tent and everything all set up not knowing if i would be back to stay in it before the rally was over.
So i get checked into the ER and i tell them everything I've experiences and they but 12 leads on my chest for a proper EKG. After seeing that i hear 2 people talking about my result and they put me in a room. They want to put in an IV and start taking blood to look for markers of heart failure and a bunch of other really scary stuff! Now, these folks were not the doctors but based on the fact they put me in a room and wanted to do all these tests after seeing my EKG I am assuming the worst. I alone in an ER in Vermont wondering what the hell is going on. I ran 5 miles last week. I'm fit damn it. Heart problems??
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| Ouch. Student failed to get IV in and it hurt! |
So after few hours the doctor says i do have a sinus heart rhythm (that is good) but i also have some premature extra beats (forget what they are called). They decide to also run a test for a potential blood clot and if that looks good i may be clear to leave. Well the doctor didn't tell me but i guess it didn't look good because next i got an IV for Magnesium and imaging done on my right leg from my groin down to me ankle. Six hours later this was what i was told. There are extra beats but they are not treatable and various things can cause them. Blood clot test was slightly elevated but imaging did not reveal any evidence of clots. They think the edema and heart issues are not related. Suggested i follow up with my doctor more when i get home and come back to ER if any more problems occur while I'm traveling. What an emotional roller coaster.....so happy i was able to be released and return to my tent and rally.
The BMW rally itself was great except for the heat. We did have some severe thunderstorms one evening but they did not last long. I did beer fest one day where i got to sample beers from about 10 different local VT breweries which was a lot of fun. I watched some amazing riding demos of folks going through cones with incredibly tight and slow cornering. Met some really nice folks that talked to me randomly including one guy, Ben, who actually lives near me in GA. Crazy. On my last day i talked with one of the BMW ambassadors (Wayne Garrison from Indiana) who was super nice and gave me some good tips....including buying some LD Comfort garments (made in Washington state) for riding in heat. You soak them in water and then wear them while riding. The side facing your skin doesn't actually get wet but still feels super cool. It is crazy. I bought the arm sleaves, underwear, and head piece that includes a flap that covers the back of your neck (take that sun!). So far i have been super impressed with these and look forward to using them in GA summer commute home from work. The only other major purchase i made was some new prescription eye glasses from Flying Eyes that are designed with motorcyclist and pilots it mind. They are made super flexible so they fit under your helmet better and the lenses don't shatter like typical eyeglass lens. I have not received those yet so we will see how it goes.
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| My loyal steed and tent! |
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| Just set up my tent at the rally. |
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| Parking outside of registration Thursday morning |
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| View from my tent :) |
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| Morning coffee after a bad nights sleep |
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| Many BMW rally campers. I believe just under 4,500 attended |
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| Everyone taking refuge from thunderstorm under large tent |
Extra time in VT - after the rally i spent a few days at Diane's parents house along with Diane who fly up the day before. It was nice to just relax with family and go for a few short rides, including off road, near East Wallingford VT.
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| Off roading near Wallingford VT. I only went a little ways down this one. |
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Off roading near Wallingford VT. I only went a little ways down this one.
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| A bit challenging for off road newbie and i was alone. I turned back. |
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Off roading near Wallingford VT.
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| Off roading near Wallingford VT. |
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| Off roading near Wallingford VT. Nice creek alongside the road. |
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| Soaking my feet in the creek in Wallingford VT |
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| Me and Saraya. So cute! |
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| Diane and parents as I'm about to depart for ride back south |
Part 2- the ride back down. I'm going to condense this section.
On the first leg i rode from VT to Owen's Creek campground in MD. It is also part of the Catoctin Mountain park (like Camp Misty Mount) but a lower elevation. It was just tent camping and there is no where to check in. You just go to your site. There is a host on site who stopped by to talk with me though after i set up. This place felt like remote forest. Amazing amount of bird song. Particularly wood thrush and Catbirds. There was also a lot of rabits. There is also a few trails accessible directly from the campground which is nice. I hiked the Deerfield Nature Trail.
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| Owen's Creek Campground in Catoctin Mountain Park, MD |
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| Owen's Creek Campground in Catoctin Mountain Park, MD |
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| Owen's Creek Campground in Catoctin Mountain Park, MD |
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| Owen's Creek Campground in Catoctin Mountain Park, MD |
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| Owen's Creek Campground in Catoctin Mountain Park, MD |
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| Owen's Creek Campground in Catoctin Mountain Park, MD |
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| Owen's Creek Campground in Catoctin Mountain Park, MD |
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| Owen's Creek Campground in Catoctin Mountain Park, MD |
From MD i rode to Linville Falls NC again. I did get on the Blue Ridge Parkway again and rode it from the start around Afton VA and rode it all the way to Roanoke VA. Once again it was just an amazing ride with amazing views. I was going to stay there 2 nights but i developed a nasty cold and was getting any sleep because of my cough. There was also some nasty weather heading in the next day so i decided to head home to GA on day early and just took the quickest route.
Random notes on the experience and camping gear
1. I did pretty good on not over doing but still could have taken less.
- I only wore 1 of the 2 pair of quick dry long pants i took. Just use the REI ones. I only needed 1 pair of quick dry shorts too along with bathing suit which did come in handy at Camp Misty Mount.
- i packed extra rain gear but really only need my MC rain jacket
- lights? I took a head lamp flashlight, mini lantern, and a mini lantern/pump. Could probably get by with just the headlamp but the pump/lantern was good for hanging in the tent. It is summer and doesn't get dark until 9 pm so they got minimal use.
-cooking- technically i don't need to bring my little tea kettle to boil water for coffee. I could just use the jetboil pot for ramen and heating water for coffee. But i love that kettle.
- i don't need 2 water bottles. The one big one (new realm growler) that holds about 40 oz was perfect.
2. Don't take a sling. I thought it would be useful to wear it so i could have quick access to a few things but it just constantly got in the way and was not comfortable. I had Diane take that home with her instead of me wearing it.
3. 9-11 hour days on a motorcycle is too long! Sitting that amount of time anywhere is too long. I think it would be best to target 4-5 h days.
4. The small battery operated tire pump i took was brilliant and i had to use it on Diane's rental car which got a flat from a screw.
5. I was pretty cool traveling alone and enjoying the adventure. But i did notice that i did get lonely at night by my campfire. I always wished Diane was with me for that.
6. Diane and I should do more of the NC section of the Blue Ride Parkway together
7. Critters seen: bear, many deer, racoon, turkey and many other birds is could ID and could not. Critters not seen: elk and moose :(
8. Favorite quote from a couple of my neighbor campers: "What's that smell?" Reply "That is the smell of camping" LOL. I have no idea what they smelled.
9. Total mileage = 2,896!
