DAY ONE - GETTING THERE
There was a welcomed chill in the air and the leaves were just beginning to change color. It had been a long, hectic year at the Gap and Nancy and I just wanted to escape for a few days to clear our minds after the totally idiotic antics of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. A quick getaway to the northern mountains of North Carolina beckoned.
We packed the new and larger Fun Mover and headed out without much planning. We were looking at staying somewhere north of the Boone area which seemed to have some interesting looking roads. We took I-40 east past Asheville and then jogged east on US 70 and north on US 221 near Marion. North of Linville the road became tight twisties with rock cliffs on one side. I had to watch the RV clearance on the right.
We jumped on the Blue Ridge Parkway rather than continuing on US 221 to Blowing Rock knowing that RVs had clearance on the BRP. Even on this road we were hitting overhanging trees with the antennas. By now we had decided to stay at the Raccoon Holler Campground in Glendale Springs.
We arrived an hour before dusk and checked in at $24 a night. We took site 129 (of course) for good luck and it also seemed to offer a little privacy in this rather crowded RV park which had a lot of full time residents. We much prefer the more private state and Forest Service campgrounds.
We unloaded the bikes, parked the RV and started a campfire. It wasn’t too long before we had the grill going and computers set-up to begin planning the next day’s route. We had a good site, the weather looked promising and life was good.
DAY TWO – ON THE BIKES
After a hearty breakfast of thick peppered bacon, eggs and toast, we headed out south on NC SR 16. Not much to say about this route other than the highlight was a small odd shaped quick-stop called the Igloo.
Back on the road we found the historic downtown district of Wilkesboro, retirement home of the Eng and Chang the famous Siamese twins. An interesting note on the conjoined brothers; after their deaths it was found that separation would have been an easy operation.
We wanted to tour the old jail which advertised “penal  architecture” but it was closed. We wanted to tour the old courthouse, but there was an admission fee. We wanted to take the walking tour, but you had to schedule it. So we took a quick self-guided walking tour of downtown and then got on the bikes. We did see an interesting dragon-like ornamental lamp on the old hotel.
A few miles out of town we found the old North Wilkesboro Speedway, birthplace of NASCAR. We had hoped to get an inside peek, but it was locked-up and no one was around. It brought back memories of my wilder college days when I drove right through the Daytona Speedway entrance tunnel and took a lap without anyone even trying to stop me. I was a little scared on the steeply banked corners thinking the car might tip over.
Heading north on US 421 we passed a place on the right called Ted’s Kickin’ Chicken. The parking lot was full and the aroma of cooking chicken wafted into my helmet. I pulled over instinctively and thoroughly expecting a no answer asked Nancy if we could backtrack and give the place a try in the name of “road research”. For some odd reason she said OK.
The place was packed with locals which is a good sign. Nancy wasn’t too thrilled reading the menu which featured fried chicken, a real no-no in her health bibles. I ordered a half chicken dinner with sweetened tea and she ordered water. The meal came and Nancy ended-up eating most of my chicken. She liked it because it wasn’t deep fried. We’re guessing it is partially fried and then steamed in BBQ sauce. It was delicious.
Sated, even on half of a half of chicken, we got back on the road. Taking US 421 and then NC SR 18 north we soon escaped the crowded streets of the city. North of Mulberry we found some good sweepers and then some even tighter curves as we climbed to Grandmother Mountain and then crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway near Laurel Springs. Here we made a quick stop at the Station’s Inn Motorcycle Resort. There were only a few bikers here and the place looked a little bleak to us. Also here was Woody’s Camp, a shabby looking field with Port-a-Potty and sign advertising “SODAS, SNACKS, RARE RECORDS, ANTIQUES”. Glad we didn’t decide to stay here and arrive late at night with no other options available. And just down the road was the Café Pub, boasting hand painted signs in scrawl proclaiming “OPEN 4 DAYS, TAKE outs” and “ANTIQUES, GENERAL STORE, BUY SELL TRADE” and “FLEA MARKET” ….. just the kind of place to take Nancy out to dinner.
In Sparta we stopped on Main Street, popped a Red Bull and paid a visit to the local Chamber of Commerce. There we found some great maps of local back road tour loops. After getting some additional hints from the very knowledgeable chamber employee (yes, an unusual find), we were off to take one of the nearby routes.
Just a mile and a half north on US 21 we turned left onto Bledsoe Creek Road ( SR 1135), and then took another left onto Spicer Mountain Road (SR1164). Almost immediately we ran into some major roadwork on the gravel country road. It was a little difficult riding as we powered through the new, deep, loose gravel. After about a mile we escaped and the road turned into more our kind of dual sport road.
We took a right and headed up Fender Mountain Road (SR 1139) which was not much more than a dual track cow path. Another two miles and we were back on Spicer. Jogging down to NC SR 18 we took a right and then another quick right onto Cheek Mountain Road, another good gravel road. This route took us through some cattle country and Christmas tree farms before hitting the paved Doughton Mountain Road (SR1149). Leaving the gravel loop we then took New Hope Church Road north to US 221.
Heading north on US 221 we took a left on SR 93 and headed for the Virginia border. Nothing spectacular here, just some typical country road. After crossing into Virginia we headed west on US 58 and arrived at the crossroads labeled on the GPS as Mouth of Wilson.
We stopped at the only business, Polly World Open, and thought we had found Wilson sitting in front. He denied it and said the name came from Wilson Creek which emptied into the New River just across the Street. Nancy and I spent 30 minutes wandering through Polly’s World where one could find everything one never wanted. Polly showed us a custom motorcycle table …. A big chunk of rough sawn with a chain nailed around the outer edge. Just what Nancy doesn’t want for her living room. I really wanted the antique safe sitting out in front, but I didn’t have my front end loader to get it into the garage of the RV.
Back on the road we headed for the barn on NC SR 16 with engines red-lined. We did make one quick stop at Joe’s Trading Place which had some interesting looking antiques out in front, but was not open.
Back at camp we decided to plan a little better for the next day. The roads had been blah today except for a mile or two crossing Grandmother Mountain on SR 18. It was time to get more adventurous.
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