Girl Meets World on FZ-07 Motorcycle: Chapter 2, Part 21

Well, I didn't quite expect my first day in a southern-ish state to be so….. southern, but fortunately while things continued to be a bit rough on this east coast tour aboard the Yamaha FZ-07 , the road itself always offers redemption.

Sleeping in our tent in the parking lot of the lovely casino in West Virginia was one moment where I was really, really glad I wasn't travelling alone anymore. It was 4:00 in the morning, temps in the low, low 30s, and suddenly someone is knocking on our tent, raving that the cops are coming so we had better leave. Nothing we were doing was actually illegal, so we dismissed the notion. A few moments later, another voice came up, angry and accusing us of taking his "kindness for weakness." I promised we'd leave immediately, as Hollywood crawled out of the tent to try to diffuse the situation. The man was clearly strung out on something and trying to hustle money or drugs out of us in exchange for sleeping in the Casino's camping lot (He told us for $40 he would allow us to take a picture of his ID, so we could show the cops he allowed us to camp here. Sounds totally reasonable….). Somehow or another, Hollywood instead managed to hustle a cigarette off the hustler, and he left us alone while I hastily tried to get everything packed up and get out of there. We rode over to a nearby IHOP, the only open restaurant in the vicinity, and bunkered down with some hot cocoa until the sun rose.

We walked out of the IHOP still half asleep to biting cold and bikes covered in thick frost (It’s just one of those days that keeps on giving). We managed to make it down the road all of 20 miles, before I signaled to pull over. My hands were numb, I couldn’t feel my face anymore, and I just needed a moment. I used the tried and true squats, push ups, and running in place in what little sun I could find so I could function well enough to keep going and get my blood flowing again. Another 20 miles down the road, we pulled over again, this time using gas as an excuse. We fueled up and headed into Shenandoah National Park.

The park road wrapped and twisted around the mountains, going up and down from 2000 to 3000 feet or so (apparently that counts as “mountains” on this side of the country), and traffic stopped for bear cubs scattering across the roads. The day was definitely getting better. We rested for a bit on a park bench, where I was ready to pass out basking in the sun like a half dead lizard, and then made our way to the south end of the park. The road was nice enough, but I think I was just too tired still to really enjoy it. We found a KOA campground near the south exit, figuring it would be worth it to pay for camping that night just for the safety of it all. We explored the campground a bit, got lost in a little maze they had set up for children (I’m pretty sure riding a motorcycle means you never actually grow up, so it’s cool!), and crashed out pretty early. I woke up late in the morning, feeling a lot better about everything again. The temperatures were cold, but mild, and my eyes were no longer burning from exhaustion. Today’s goal? The Blue Ridge Parkway.

We back tracked to Shenandaoh and hopped back on Skyline Drive which turns into the Blue Ridge Parkway. This right here - THIS is possibly my favorite road to date. I mean, I guess there have been a ton of over the top epic roads in Northern California, Colorado, Canada, and everything in between, but this was just open and flowing and just FUN. It wasn’t technically challenging, but it was fully engaging, and at this time of year, we basically had the entire Parkway to ourselves. I really love riding the FZ-07 on roads like this. This was exactly what I needed.

We rode for a little over a hundred miles before finding a hiking trail at the side of the road that we decided would be our camp spot. At first, I was reluctant to agree to another free, unprotected spot, but as we hiked along a railroad track and set up under a waterfall out of sight from what had been a near empty highway, I found myself at ease with the idea again. This spot felt so special and so different, and I really wanted to do the Blue Ridge properly.

We continued down the parkway another 150 miles or so the next day before pulling off on another overlook. We hiked down to the edge of the cliff and set up overlooking the valley where we made some rice for dinner on my camp stove. Getting to just ride until we were tired, then pulling off and camping wherever we wanted was probably the most zen I’ve ever felt camping. Normally, it’s a bit of an ordeal to find a place that’s safe and not private property, so this just felt pure.

The third day on the Parkway, we rode about the same distance and camped near a hiking trail that was closed for the season. After another peaceful night, we woke up the next day to something a bit less zen. The sky was thick with smoke, and everything smelled like California during a forest fire. Not thinking too much of it, we headed back on the Parkway to finish off the road, then met up with Hollywood’s friend Sean in a town outside Asheville. He and his girlfriend put us up for the night before we headed inland toward Southport where another friend of Hollywood’s, this time an old highschool mate who he hadn’t seen in around 15 years, was happy to hang out and catch up.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: traveling has a crazy way of reuniting people you may have never again spoken to, and it’s brilliant. We had a great time relaxing, walking around the beach, taking a quick dip in the ocean (the water at the beach in November was warmer than most the lakes we were skinny dipping in over the summer in Canada), staring at sailboats (maybe there’s a houseboat in my future?), exploring the Southport Maritime museum, and just taking a few days off from riding. Thanks again for everything, Dana! Such a fun stop! That said, South Carolina is just a few miles away to check off the 45th state on this trip, and I’m excited to start heading west again. Onward!