Florida Gator Tale - September 2002

This summer I missed both the STAR and the BMWMOA national rally; thirty years after first planning to go, I was on my way to the Arctic Circle. Last year, Neil Fogelberg and David Allen, longtime riding partners, and I decided it was time to go to Alaska and the Canadian North. As we had only a bit over three weeks time, careful planning was required to accomplish all the goals for the trip. I loaded my BMW F650 and Dodged to New Jersey to pick up Neil and his KLR. Sixty-six hours later we met David in Washington, and three hours later we all boarded the Alaska Marine Highway ferry Columbia bound for Haines, AK.
The ferry trip was three days through the Inside Passage, and it is a trip worth taking on its own merits, providing beautiful scenery and lots of wildlife. After stops in Ketchikan, Wrangell and Juneau, we unloaded the bikes in mid-afternoon to finally begin riding in the far north. The Haines Highway runs from southeast Alaska into the Yukon Territory. At Haines Junction we picked up the Alaska Highway and headed towards into interior Alaska. There were some extensive work zones along this stretch, one comprising of 52 miles of dust and gravel.	Florida HSTA Member Alan Singer At the Alaska border!		Entering Alaska, we passed vast mountain ranges and the enormous Matanuska glacier, before arrived at Anchorage a couple of days later. The Fourth of July found us enjoying the spectacular scenery of the Kenai Peninsula and a traditional small town parade in Seward. Heading north again we attended the Northern BMW Rider’s Last Frontier Rally. It was held at a primitive state park campground, without benefit of running water, yet the club did a great job, including serving a traditional Alaskan salmon bake for 150 attendees. Riding the local road (more like fire road) over Hatcher Pass provided a real challenge and some nice views.
Leaving the rally, we rode north on the Parks Highway to Fairbanks, stopping at Denali National Park, and dropping in for a drink at Skinny Dick’s Halfway Inn, a local institution that offers free coffee and pins to bikers. The barmaid didn’t recognize Aerostich as biker wear and had to check out the window to be certain we had indeed arrived on motorcycles. It was after leaving Fairbanks that the trip really got interesting, starting with a couple hundred miles of dirt road on the Taylor Highway and Top of the World Highway. While stopped at Beautiful Downtown Chicken, AK for lunch, we took the opportunity to lighten our loads by mailing souvenirs home. From there to Dawson City on the TOW, it was readily apparent why the road was so named. It traverses the ridges of a mountain range, providing endless vistas before crossing the border at Poker Creek (population 2), the farthest north border crossing on the continent. Finally the road begins to drop, until finally ending right at the Yukon River. There a government operated ferry provides the crossing into Dawson proper. Dawson City fell on very hard times when the gold ran out, thus they were never able to pave their streets or replace the wooden sidewalks. Good thing too, as now these are great attractions for tourists. After a night in a hundred year old wooden hotel, waking to good weather, the decision was made to ride the Dempster Highway to the Arctic Circle. This was not an easy decision as during the past week we had heard many tales from those who’d attempted it, some of which were downright scary. The Dempster is an unpaved road of variable surface, about a lane and a half wide, with deep ditches on either side. It runs about six hundred miles, crossing a number of mountain ranges, to the village of Inuvik. The Circle is just under halfway, at Eagle Plains. There are no services, no people, no turnoffs, nothing for the first 240 miles.
Scenic beauty off an unnamed road on the Kenai Peninsula		Proudly flying a BMW of Florida banner at the BMW rally an hour north of Anchorage AK!
Carrying extra fuel, water, food and spares, we set off in the morning. All went well for over a hundred miles before encountering thirty or forty miles of slippery mud. Near the end of this section they rescued a Kawasaki rider who had ended (and endo’ed) in a ditch. He was soon on his way south, accompanied by a friendly RV driver who carried the broken pieces. Shortly after, the surface became very rough, so we were pretty well pounded when we arrived at Eagle Plains after eight hours. We got a room, ate, rested a bit, and then set off for the Circle which they reached at about 7:00PM local time. The view was awesome, and with it being sunny and 65 degrees, it would have been very enjoyable had it not been for the North’s most vicious animal, the mosquito. The sun never truly set at this latitude, but unfortunately the fine weather soon came to an end as it began to rain around 1:00AM. By morning, visibility was near zero, the parking lot was a swamp, and the truck drivers were holing up, not heading out north or south. Given our tight schedule, and in the absence of a weather forecast, we decided to head south. Suffice to say it was unpleasant, three-inch deep mud for over a hundred miles, up and down mountains, spiced by throwing a chain in the midst of it (and amidst more mosquitos). But, after close to twelve hours, we made it back to Klondike River Lodge where many Loonies (Canadian dollars) were expended on the pressure washer. One final goal had been to ride the length of the Alaska Highway, so after completing the Klondike Loop we rejoined it at the Yukon’s capital city, Whitehorse, for the trip south. After an evening in Whitehorse, the next day’s ride took us to Watson Lake, famous for its Sign Post Forest, begun when homesick army workers building the Highway posted signs to their hometowns. Crossing into British Columbia, the Alaska Highway becomes a mountain road of the first order, a narrow two-laner full of demanding twisties. While it passes through some of the most beautiful terrain seen in the entire trip, there was also a continuous stream of wildlife, most of it on or near the road – moose, caribou, sheep – all right there for your viewing enjoyment. Another day’s ride brought us to Dawson Creek, the southern terminus of the Alaska Highway. After the requisite photographic documentation, we headed southwest on the oddly named Cariboo Highway. This is a very historic route used by miners headed north for the Gold Rush. Passing through Prince George, we reached Cache Creek at the end of a long five hundred mile day. David split off from here, heading for Post Falls, ID and some desperately needed fresh rubber for his BMW Dakar. Neil and I meanwhile, headed due south for Washington where the Dodge awaited to bring us back home. A few days later we were in NJ, and while Neil went to work on his slightly road weary KLR, I was trucking on home to Jacksonville. All told the trip totaled about 14,000 miles; 8,000 by Dodge, 1,000 by ferry, 5,000 by bike. Not bad for under four weeks. A word of advice to those considering this sort of trip: Go for it! Alan Singer HSTA #10385

Motorcycle related items - wanted or for sale, riding buddies or room mates for events can be placed right here - for free! Just send them to arrive by the 20th for the next month's publication. Send to Bill Royal, 1515 Blackstone Circle, Sun City Center, FL. 33573 or email to wgr@sprynet.com.

For Sale

1997 BMW F650. BMW's most versatile bike. Cruise at 80 or ride the trails. Handles the twisties like a sport bike. Can be enjoyed by a new rider or a veteran. Excellent condition, 11K miles, dealer serviced. Sargeant seat, new Pirelli tires. Priced right at $4495. Bill Robinson: 904-730-9719, warrior@aol.com

1989 Honda GB500 Incredible original collector bike with only 2400 miles! Purchased from Honda corporate employee. Multiple award winner, including best street stock in Riding Into History Concours. Runs and handles beautifully. New Avon tires, color matched cafe fairing. May be the best looking bike Honda ever made. $4750. Contact Bill at 904-730-9719, warrior@aol.com

Sargent Cycle Seat for an ST1100 - Black Grip-Tex cover with silver piping. $150 or best offer - Phil Ridgdill at 904 287 9654 or rfoxrdr@earthlink.net

1994 Honda Nighthawk 250 - 13K miles, Dark Blue. This is an outstanding beginner rider's bike and/or for riders with a short leg reach. In good condition with a few cosmetic flaws classic to a new riders bike. Asking $1750 or Best Reasonable Offer.
Call Bill or Eve anytime between 8:00 AM and 9:30 PM - (813)633-8155 or email wgr@sprynet.com

Since we had never visited Charleston, West Virginia, the news that the 2003 HSTA STAR would be based there was rather exciting. Valerie (wife who rides her own Yamaha FZ1) and I would definitely put it on our list of bike trips for the coming year. Still, I was more than a little curious as to what kind of town we would encounter in Charleston. Would it be like Hot Springs? Probably not, because no two towns in one country could be that strange. I would just have to go and find out for myself. Fortunately, an upcoming bike trip to Trenton, Ontario, for the International BMW MOA Rally would provide the perfect opportunity. You see, Charleston just happens to be right on the way to Ontario, and the riding in that part of the country is excellent. I convinced my friend Davie Boland to come along for the ride, since Valerie was meeting me at her parent's home in Toronto. Heading north on I-95 is definitely the boring part of the trip, but picking up 26 outside of Savannah improved things a bit. Once you hit I-77 the riding definitely starts to become interesting, and it gets to be downright fun as you head north. It was a leisurely ride from Jacksonville to Charlotte, and we were in Charleston by lunch time the next day. The Holiday Inn, which will serve as the site of STAR, is located right on the Kanawha River in Downtown Charleston. The building itself is of typical 1970s beehive design, but all in all it was quite serviceable. I'm pleased to report that the staff was friendly and helpful, not even minding that we were biker types. Bill Ferran was scheduled to meet us later in the day, so we utilized our free time to go exploring.
The first stop was naturally for lunch, and a local pub called Mulligan's had been recommended. It's located a block or so behind the hotel, and it’s proximity to the site of next year's STAR is certain to make it a popular watering hole. Ray, the manager, and Amber, the barmaid, were most pleasant. We informed them of our mission as forward scouts for a few hundred riders, and they seemed genuinely pleased that we had chosen their fair city. After a couple of tasty sandwiches we were off in search of other local color.	Historic Downtown Charleston, WV Site of STAR ‘03	The entire grid of streets in this part of downtown has been nicely restored and features a canopy of trees. There are lots of small businesses and shops, as well as the occasional cafe. Davie and I stopped into Ellen's Homemade Ice Cream, but settled for a cup of coffee. Ellen's is a pretty little place with a nice blend of traditional and modern touches. The average age of the staff appeared to be younger than the boots I was wearing, but they all smiled and seemed glad to see us.
Since virtually all the traveling I do is motivated by the search for food, we next started looking for a dinner spot for that evening. Chef Dan's had been mentioned by the hotel clerk, so we decided to check it out. As it turned out, Chef Dan turned out to be Chef Kara, at least for that night. Since the restaurant was not officially open for a few hours, we had time to talk to the chef and ask her about the food. Our quick review of the menu indicated that there was a pretty good variety at reasonable prices. We told her we'd put it in our newsletter, and we kept our word. Next we happened upon the Blossom Deli, which we later learned was one of downtown’s best restaurants. Don't let the "deli" part fool you. With dishes like Center Cut Filet Mignon, Louisiana Crab Cakes, Seafood Pescatore and Five Spice Range Chicken & Shrimp, this is one serious cafe. And with prices ranging up to $30 for American Double Lamb Chops, it's not exactly where you go for a pastrami sandwich for dinner. For better or worse, Blossom wasn't open Monday night, so our search continued. We had been told that there were several good restaurants located just outside of the nearby mall, but we weren't interested in chain food on our one night in town. Lucky for us, we eventually learned that one of the mall restaurants was locally owned and operated. It was our choice almost by default. We still had time to sightsee, and Davie suggested we mount up on our BMW RTs and see some more of the city. The ride along the river was quite pleasant, but the highlight was definitely our brief visit to the state capitol. It boasts the largest gold dome in the U.S., and it's quite a sight in the failing afternoon light. Nearby we also found Daniel Boone Park, but our limited time left us no chance to do more than take a photo or two. The balance of the city seemed typical of this part of the country, rather tidy but unspectacular. All in all, however, it seemed to be a nice place with friendly folks. It's no Hot Springs, and that's okay. When Bill arrived at the hotel on his K1200LT ("The Mother Ship"), we were all ready for dinner. A brief walk found us at Tidewater Grill at the mall. Remember, it was Monday night, and the place was packed. This was a trendy spot that you could easily find in Atlanta or Chicago. The service was prompt, the food quite good and the prices reasonably reasonable. The highlight, however, was the bread. We had heard it was outstanding, and we weren’t disappointed. I won't try to describe it, but it's worth the price of admission. Well, actually there's no price of admission and the bread's free, but you get the idea. As we left Charleston and headed toward Pennsylvania, we decided to take a bit of a detour and ride highway 555. All I can say is "WOW". This little road is 65 miles of Deal's Gap meets the Isle of Man. Constant twists, turns, hills and dips, combined with a stream of little villages. Attack the road and it will bite back. Go with the flow and it's a blast. If Deal's Gap is the Dragon, this road is Godzilla. It's called 555, but 666 would be more appropriate in my book. Be sure to include it in your STAR plans. I'm going back, only this time it will likely be on a slightly more nimble bike. The RT is a great sport tourer, but a quick dual sport would be perfect. In less than 24 hours, we had found out that next year's STAR should be lots of fun. A nice town combined with great riding is a hard combination to beat. See you there!

July 4th, 2002, being a Thursday, presented yet another opportunity for a well deserved 4-day weekend bike trip in 2002. And, after having discovered Mayhaw Jelly, a south Georgia “original”, on Memorial Day weekend I thought it might be interesting to experience another “original” and set my ultimate destination for the great state of Kentucky. With a little planning I was fairly confident I would be able to work in a sufficient number of sights, sounds and scenes along the way to keep it interesting. And, as is my standard traveling preference, I wanted to cover the majority of the distance on the first day of travel. In this instance this approach added some anxiety to the planning due to the fact that the first day of travel was the 4th of July and I suspected that I would encounter an inflated number of travelers. Not so much anxiety in the planning, mind you, that a cocktail or two couldn’t relieve. After considering several destinations, the first night’s stay was originally set for Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I had vaguely heard of Pigeon Forge from an historical perspective but honestly knew little more about it. The choice of Pigeon Forge for the first day’s stop allowed me to develop a route through several small towns in Georgia through which I had never passed. Gatlinburg was quickly omitted as an option because of it being a tourist trap. At the last minute, and for no real good reason, I decided to stay just north of Pigeon Forge in Sevierville, TN. The ride through rural Georgia and the southwest corner of North Carolina was typical. And it appeared that I had successfully maneuvered around any holiday traffic. As I was closing in on my destination I decided to take the Gatlinburg bypass in an effort to avoid possible end-of-day tourist traffic there. Sadly, as I emptied out of the pass into Pigeon Forge it was unbelievable. I am not certain I have ever seen anything quite so gaudy and tacky since, maybe, the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. However, this seemed way more tacky but without any reason nearly as fascinating as Niagara Falls. But it was 4th of July. And it was early evening. And it was small town Tennessee. Time to get in position for fireworks. It was a beautiful place for beautiful people and I was stuck in the middle. There were easily 5 miles of three lanes of traffic headed in both directions, bumper to bumper, filled with everybody and their cousin not knowing exactly where to go and, much less, how to get there. It was a very disappointing final 45 minutes to the travel day. But that cocktail thing was not far off. And, having now completed several bike trips through numerous small towns in the southeast where sometimes a refreshing adult beverage is not readily available, I’ve learned to carry provisions such that all I generally need to remember is a pint of orange juice at the last fill-up of the day.
Friday morning I set out early to the Motorcycle Mecca of the southeast: Deal’s Gap. I had heard of Deal’s Gap for some time and read a few articles extolling its aura. Departing early morning to experience it would, hopefully, allow me a rather unhurried and unaccompanied tour of this revered road. Further, given that my destination for the day was actually Kentucky, I could “do it” headed south, circle back and “do it” again. I didn’t view this as a bad thing. Traveling out of Maryville, TN, south on 129/115 one quickly approaches and tracks along the south end of Tellico Lake and the Little Tennessee River and soon approaches the ascent, twists and turns of Deal’s Gap. At the TN/NC state line, which is the actual location of Deal’s Gap, there is a motorcycle hotel,	Craig Merritt and his PC in front of the forerunner to today’s “KFC”	which was coming alive as I passed. I opted to continue south on NC 129 to east on 19/74 back north on NC 28, which feeds back into NC 129, returning through Deal’s Gap again. The return trip was a little more crowded, mostly with the cruiser type riders followed by the crotch rocket set. Even though I ride a PC I consider myself a sport tourer and I was definitely in the minority. I did have an interesting conversation with a “local” about the general discontent for motorcyclists due primarily to those riders who test their personal abilities (which, unfortunately, are frequently far less than those of their bike) only to come up short, thereby taxing the emergency service resources and everyone else’s patience. As you might imagine, I got the sense this was an all too common occurrence in the area.

After having experienced a double dose of Deal’s Gap I continued north to Knoxville, TN. Being an avid college football fan and ever interested in seeing a college campus I was pleased to be able to include the University of Tennessee and the city of Knoxville on this tour. Approaching Knoxville from the south I noticed a small sign regarding a Civil War fort just before crossing the Tennessee River. I decided to turn in and quickly ascended a very abrupt hill for about 150 yards to the site of one of eleven Confederate earthen forts built to protect Knoxville in the war. Interesting sight. Afterwards, continuing north on 441 and crossing the bridge, I immediately took two right turns that emptied me onto a road following the riverbank to Neyland Stadium. I was fortunate enough to find an open gate as a turf maintenance crew was tending the field. Neyland Stadium is touted as being one of the oldest and the second largest of all college stadiums (behind Michigan) in the US having just completed renovation and expansion to hold some 107,000 screaming fans. It is huge. And it is in downtown Knoxville on the bank of the Tennessee River. I suspect it is a beautiful setting for Volunteer football on a clear, crisp, autumn night. And Knoxville is a pretty city. I am glad I got to see it.

From here I decided to make some time and picked up I-75 north to Corbin, Kentucky. Corbin boasts numerous attractions but I would wait until morning to start my tour. I had enjoyed a pretty full day of riding allowing me to see quite a few new sights. That evening I enjoyed my second bar-b-que dinner of the tour and settled in to plan the next day’s ride.

The following morning I departed early to see Cumberland Falls situated about 20 miles south-west of Corbin. Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Known as the "Niagara of the South," the waterfall forms a 125-foot wide curtain that plunges 60 feet into a boulder-strewn gorge. (In comparison, Niagara, i.e., Horseshoe Falls, is 2600 feet wide and drops 170 feet.) The mist of Cumberland Falls creates the magic of the moonbow, only visible on a clear night during a full moon. This unique phenomenon appears nowhere else in the Western Hemisphere. The falls were worth experiencing.

After Cumberland Falls I backtracked to Corbin in search of the "original recipe". History has it that one Harland D. Sanders augmented his meager income while pumping gas at a station on Highway 25 in the early 1940’s by preparing meals for travelers passing through. He became fairly well known for his fried chicken and purchased an old hotel and restaurant across the street from the service station. What happened through time was the first fast food restaurant, the infancy of the franchise industry and the persona of one Colonel Sanders and Kentucky Fried Chicken. This picture shows the replica of the original Sanders Café situated at its original location. It is quite a story of recent Americana and worth the stop. Interestingly enough, as I was taking this picture, a pearl white 1989 PC 800 passed by and we had a nice few minutes comparing notes. I regret I didn’t get a picture of probably the only 2 Pacific Coasts in front of Sander’s Café at the same time ever.

Continuing on an arced southeasterly route I passed through Cumberland Gap and tunnel at the tri-state border of Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee, continuing through the north east corner of Tennessee and the south west corner of North Carolina. I passed by the summer vacation home of my wife’s mother in Caesars Head, SC, on the way to my final respite for the trip at Greenwood, SC. The final leg back to Jacksonville on Sunday was uneventful but did take me through several more small towns through which I had never been. And that is what it is all about for me.

I would categorize this trip as a great success, covering some 1425 miles, nicely filled with interesting sights, sounds and scenes allowing me to learn quite a bit along the way. And it was made particularly comfortable by a new Joe Rocket Phoenix Jacket and Pants for cooling air along the ride and a new Arai Helmet for the same reason.

Date	Event	Location	Contact
Sep. 06-08	Ozark BS Rally	Theodosia, Missouri	Ed Young (417) 926-3075 magna@fidnet.com
Sep. 13-15	SE-Star	Dillard, Georgia	Trey Hall (615) 574-9927 strey1100@aol.com
Sep. 27-29	Byway Boogie	Hot Springs Village, Arkansas	Tom Trieschmann (314) 692-7463 ttriesch@mindspring.com
Oct. 04-06	River City Ride	Corydon, Indiana	Don Parish (317) 936-5818 mparish@hrtc.net
Oct. 11-13	FOF X	Farmington, Missouri	James Radcliff (314) 213-5854 jradcliff@frenchgerleman.com
Nov. 01-03	Texas Hill Country	Kerrville, Texas	Jim Poulos (817) 268-4620 jamo1935@aol.com

Inside This Issue

Florida HSTA Member Waaay North

Welcome to the Club!

Free Ads

A Look at a Future STAR
Submitted By: William Robinson

In Search of the Original Recipe
Submitted By: Craig Merritt

Upcoming Rides/Events