BROKEN PANES: WEATHERED RIDES

In late February, I left my home for another ride into North Carolina. Once more I decided to point the wheel and my nose toward Maggie Valley and the object of my affection: Wheels Through Time. I wanted to ride a route there I've never been on. That's getting tougher daily. But I did manage to find ONE road that I'd never been on before. OK. So it wasn't the most direct route there, who cares? In order to care about that, I'd have to care more about the destination than the ride. You know, that just ain't never gonna happen. THE RIDE IS WHAT I'M ALL ABOUT!


View Wheels Through Time less Direct Route in a larger map

I formally decide to start the ride on Flag Pond Road where it meets with TN-352. There is an old store front (now empty) where I like to stop. I love it's lines, the weathered boards, and now it appears someone has kicked in the door. I didn't take the time to investigate. But I will.



I begin to ascend the mountain. Up we go: the Lil Girl and I. We lean and twist through the bends in the road until we reach the top of the little mountain. This is where the state line is and the road now has a new designation: NC-212. I've taken several photos along this route, and it seems to be, the very same time of year. I need to be a little less predictable I think. Before too long, I come across NC-208, where you will find this Historic Marker denoting the massacre of 13 men and boys suspected of "UNIONISM". Sad marker indeed.



I must admit I love NC-208. This road is not very long, but it's edged by a powerful gushing river on one side, and stone outcroppings on the other. The river has been cutting it's way down the mountain side for a very long time and the boulders it crashes through make a fine playground for the river otters who make their home in this region. I stopped to watch the water pound it's way through a path of boulders when I sighted this little feller. I wish I had a better lens to capture him with!


The otter is on the rocks

I love this rest stop. While not very far into the ride, it is still a place that refreshes the lost and weary soul.



In a few short miles, I must leave NC-208 and join with US-70. This takes me into the very cool town of Hot Springs NC. This town enjoys visitors whose interests vary widely. There are hikers from the AP Trail, bikers who are traveling US-70 Scenic Route over the mountain, rafters and kayak paddlers plying the French Broad River. It's a nice rustic town. Good food, bars, and other business can be found here. But I am getting off topic. I stop only for fuel here before I continue onto NC-209. The twistiest part of the ride. It's one of those roads whose sharp hair pins, raising rocky outcrops, and sharp drop offs into steep and seemingly bottomless chasms offer excitement, wonder and beauty.


Sheer rock faces along the route of NC-209.


Deep drop offs into chasms offer excitement


The Twists of NC-209

This little cabin has sat here for a long time without any sign of life to it. This time coming through, I have noticed someone is trying to "improve" the road to the cabin. Could that possibly mean the cabin will soon be occupied?



A few more miles down the road, I see NC-63. I've been wanting to come this way for some time now. It's a road I've never taken and leads ya back to Asheville. I don't take the road all the way back to Asheville. I ride quite a few miles until I see Newfound Road. I decide to see where that goes. It was also a good choice. YIKES...I'm ahead of myself! Look at some of the great shots I found here on NC-63!


Broken Panes


Weathered Boards

Now, tell me. Do you really ever try to identify how a barn was slapped together? I love barns. Some of them were literally slapped together with poles and rough hewn lumber. While others, like this barn, had to really take some thought in order to show this kind of tapestry design on it's sides. Texture. Sometimes a photo is about texture.



Look at the route of NC-63! It's a squiggly line, up and down mountains heading south east. As I was coming down from a mountain, I saw this view. I thought my "Lil Girl" would look great here. She does!


The View off NC-63.

From here it's a matter of catching Newfound Road south to US-19 and into Maggie Valley. I made my way into the wonderful Museum "Wheels Thought Time". Took about 10 shots before my battery quit on me. STUPID...I forgot to charge it before I left. But here is more of Wheels Through Time for ya!


Buy your tickets for this Knucklehead at the Wheels Through Time website.


I love the natural patina of the bikes


1942 Military XA model. Harley Davidson.

If life gets any better than this....


A simple reward of life

1936 HD EL KNUCKLEHEAD 61CI YES, IT YOURS!

You want this beautiful Knucklehead? YOU can be the new owner and all you have to do is buy a single ticket (or more)for a raffle which supports WHEELS THROUGH TIME MUSEUM in Maggie Valley N.C.

I'm gonna post the link to the page that will take your money and send you your ticket! Good Luck...and PLEASE VISIT THE MUSEUM! It's worth the time and the efforts to see these wonderful American motorcycles Antique and Classic....

http://www.wheelsthroughtime.com/?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=40

THE ELK...A 1 OF A KIND MOTORCYCLE!

This motorcycle is a "one of a kind".  Watch as Dale Walksler from Wheels Through Time...tells us about this great looking machine!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrDYr9NgoPU

Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run - Old Bikes Hit the Road

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, The Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run has begun. This is a coast-to-coast run of pre-1916 motorcycles starting from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and ending in Santa Monica, California. Dates for the run are September 10-26, 2010. Check out the Cannonball Run website for everything you might want to know about this historic run. (I've noticed that the website can be slow to load or even produce dreaded Internal Server Errors.)

To give you a flavor for what the bikes look like and sound like and how enthusiastic their riders are, I've listed five videos of interviews with Cannonball riders:

• #44 Jon Szalay - 1911 H-D 7A


• #16 Bill Campbell - 1915 H-D Twin


• #15 Buzz Kanter - 1915 H-D Twin


• #47 Ron Mattson - 1915 Indian F-head V-twin


• #89 Cristine Sommer-Simmons - 1915 H-D 11-J

Keep checking the Cannonball Run website for daily updates. Hopefully, we may see some coverage of this event on TV.

Coast-to-Coast on a 95-Year-Old Harley

This story caught my eye. It tells of a coast-to-coast antique motorcycle race, the Motorcycle Cannonball Run, to start September 10, 2010 from Kitty Hawk, NC and end in Santa Monica, CA. One rider plans to ride a 1911 Harley-Davidson Silent Grey Fellow all the way. Here's an excerpt from an article appearing in the Simi Valley Acorn written by Angela Randazzo"

"While the antique motorcycle’s thrust pales in comparison to today’s street bikes capable of speeds in excess of 200 mph, Simi Valley resident Paul Watts, the proud owner of an 11F, is hoping the 95-year-old bike is capable of carrying him across the country." -- Angela Randazzo

Read the complete article.

“Wheels Through Time” A Rode Stop in Western North Carolina PART II

I last left you guys staring at the “SLANT” exhibit. The display is in honor of HILL CLIMBERS. What a fantastic sport that is! The guys and gals who climb these almost perpendicular slopes are amazing! Have you ever watched a competitive hill climb? Just a wholesome display of skill and luck….

IMAGE CAPTION: A LANE I LIKE TO CALL “MAIN STREET”:

I’m going to bring you back down the aisle we first started down. There is so much to see between the hill and the board racers. So much to write about, so much to snap pictures of in a hope of being able to capture the true FEELING of the exhibits. Not all the bikes between the board racers and the hill climbers are bikes of true note, that is unless you can FEEL the atmosphere being generated by the souls of these machines: grouped together to form a short story. A story left unfinished, left for you to pick up the strings and carry with you. You won’t always have a guide with you when you walk these ghost filled aisles. So it’s up to you to take the time to really look at the display, to read the documentation that goes with it, to actually SEE the photographic history lying at the wheels of the display. It’s up to us to remain curious; even after we leave, curious enough to take time to come back to our memories: performing our own investigation of the magnificent machines here.

IMAGE CAPTION: DOCUMENTATION FOUND AT THE WHEELS OF EXHIBITS:

IMAGE CAPTION: A 100 YEAR OLD MACHINE, STILL HAS OPERATION DIRECTIONS GLUED TO IT’S TINS!

To the left of Main Street, as you are walking to the rear of the building, your eye will be caught by an old shed. What? Yes, I said an “old shed”. This building is the remains of an old machine shed left on the property. If I remember correctly, Matt, Dale and their legion of volunteers dismantled this old shed board by board. Saving the materials the shed was made with as well as what was found inside. Once the huge barn like alum structure of the museum was built, the guys came back and rebuilt the machine shed inside the museum. It’s set up as an early bike repair shop and service station. Oil soaked shelves and work benches holding cylinder heads and other motorcycle parts of the day. It’s quite the trip into the past. Many people don’t walk inside, but I recommend you do. There is much to see in there as well as outside this great old shed!

IMAGE CAPTION: Rebuilt shed..Containing bike shop also known as Dale's Service

IMAGE CAPTION: Inside the service station…

Casting about the shed from the exterior, your eye will rest on this very cool side car rig. At first you won’t notice how it’s set up. But with close examination you will see it does not have a seat for a rider on the BACK of the motorcycle. The steering has been reconfigured so the passenger in the sidecar is he actual operator of this unusual machine. On top of that, there is very short leg room in the sidecar, which causes one to muse about the original owner, the person who ordered this machine. It’s from Harley Davidson. As of YET, Dale and Matt’s digging THROUGH the factory records have produced nothing about this “special order”. But the clues the bike does let go, suggest it was built by the factory…sidecar, special steering and all. It’s a head scratcher of a mystery, and it’s a wonderful display of early HD history. This photo depicts Dale sitting in this superb historic piece.

IMAGE CAPTION: HARLEY DAVIDSON SIDECAR DESIGNED FOR STEERING FROM CAR.

Moving along from here, up the lane on your right you’ll see this sad display. I felt cheerless when I saw this. To me it represented a mass grave of old bikes, containing motorcycles from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Parts of parts, strewn here and there, waiting for someone to come… claim this part or that part. Waiting…waiting. Yes, I felt sad here and quickly moved along. The girder front ends, the old pan tins and the peanut tanks all whispered to me…you see they represent my own past. It’s not that distant, not to me…yet here were bits and pieces of my life put on display and I realized: I am getting primal…older, am I almost extinct too?

IMAGE CAPTION: JUNK YARD OF MY LIFE

I hope you will be lucky enough to arrive at the museum during a time when either Dale or Matt are there to guide you around, because at some point they will invite you back to their own restoration garage, and you will be able to see what the guys are working on. While I was there, I saw their entry for the Cannonball Run. It’s still in the rebuild stage. The engine is being worked on…and all I saw of the bike was basically the frame. So I didn’t take a photo of it. Matt is working on an old flattie to be his personal ride… whew, I would really like to be you Matt! And of course there were at least two other bikes in various stages of restoration up on lifts! I know guys who would have to be dragged from this place crying like babies… wanting to stay and help.

IMAGE CAPTION: WHEELS THROUGH TIME RESTORATION SHOP

Back from the restoration shop, I return to my exploration of the museum goodies. There are so many things to see, I’m astounded. It’s like going to the Smithsonian: There is no way to see everything in one day. There is no way your senses could HANDLE seeing all these things in one day! Sensory overload, my dear…could send you into a very happy motorcycle dementia; it would take days to recover from it.

Have you ever watched a sidecar race through the trails of a wooded countryside? Today this kind of racing is called “SIDECAR CROSS”. These guys are like early trail blazers: carrying winches and hatchets, pulling and cutting their way through the brush, making their own trails. These intrepid explorers of our wilderness are exciting characters of our motorcycling world. Maybe I’ll get to meet a few guys and gals who do this kind of riding! I’m not sure, but I don’t think there is much racing in the old style anymore. I believe most of the sidecar cross racing is on man-made tracks, and there is little need for the wenches and hatchets that were placed on sidecar racers of the 50’s and 60’s like this neat little Panhead.

IMAGE CAPTION: SIDECAR TRAIL RACING MOTORCYCLE

Everywhere you look; there is something to catch your eye. Check out this odd double ported front cylinder. Do you know the reason to do such a thing?

IMAGE CAPTION: V-TWIN DUAL PORTED CYLINDER

Here is another example of the engines waiting for your perusal…is this one on your wish list? It’s one mine!

IMAGE CAPTION: ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF SOME GREAT WISH LIST STUFF:

All right boys and girls…they say to always leave them “wanting more”…are ya drooling yet? I’m going to leave you here…hopefully wanting more! See ya again soon, as I take you for a final round on the “WHEELS THROUGH TIME” TOUR!