As the one year anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, DC approached, I decided to take a little 4-day motorcycle trip through some of the scenic portions of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. Being a resident of the DC area, the cowardly attacks on 9/11 hit a bit close to home. As the anniversary approached, I realized that I didn't want to relive that horrible day in the way that the news media would likely portray it, but rather I wanted to simply go out to see part of America.
There are many interesting motorcycle destinations that are an easy day or two ride from my home in Northern Virginia--the hardest part was to settle on one! OK, really, it wasn't all that difficult when push came to shove. From the time I got back into motorcycling in 2001 I've heard about this mystical place called Deal's Gap, the home of the "Dragon." Reports were that it is a motorcyclist's nirvana and so "riding the Dragon" became the focal point of the trip. The focal point, but, as it turned out, not the highlight. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
I spent the week preceding 9/11/2002 mapping out my anticipated route as well as making sure that my 1999 Nighthawk 750 was properly prepped. I bought some apples and beef jerky, which I planned to wash down with water, to serve as lunches and snacks while on the road. I packed and re-packed everything, trying to find an optimal ordering. Even though I only figured to be on the road for 4 days (3 nights), this would be the longest trip I'd taken on a motorcycle since a trip through Michigan with my brother in 1985. Also, it was to serve as a trial run for longer trips that I intended to take in future years. Since I was staying in motels each of the three nights (this became the "Comfort Inn Tour of 2002"), I didn't need to worry about bringing a tent, sleeping bag, or any other camping equipment.
Finally the night before the trip arrived! Everything was in readiness--all I needed was to get a good night of sleep and I'd be ready to go. Forecasters were calling for the potential of slightly dodgy weather throughout the route that I'd planned, but I went to bed that night with the hope that everything would clear up, or at least not rain heavily, for the entire trip. Below you will find links to each of the 4 days of my adventure, as well as a table with some of the statistical highlights.
Updated Tuesday, 11-Nov-2008 15:16:26 CST.
Copyright 2007 by Kelvin Utendorf