Summer 2010 Great Adventure Tour: 8 States in 10 days
There was a second planning meeting for those interested in joining the Great Adventure Tour prior to the January 16 chapter meeting at the Fleet Reserve. The meeting considered lodging along the route.
At the second planning meeting, hotels for the ride were mostly picked out. By the first week in February, availability at the hotels will have been confirmed for the group; each rider will be encouraged to make their own reservations early. Anyone who has not committed to join the ride can decide to join at a later date, but may not always be able to secure a room at the same location as the rest of the group.
A planning meeting involving eight riders in November set the route and some of the destinations/events along the way. (See the maps below) NOTE: Attendance at the meeting WAS NOT required to go on the ride and members can still join the group. If you want to learn more, please e-mail webmaster@ophog.org.
This will be an unforgettable opportunity to see great sights, enjoy places you've only heard about, ride spectacular roads, and, most importantly, develop lasting friendships with other Harley-Davidson riders.
Dates: Depart Friday, June 18. Return Sunday, June 27.
Distance: About 2,500 miles. Some will be on highways but as much as possible we will ride scenic backroads. And there WILL be plenty of twisties where you can learn why they put tread on the sides of the tires. The longest day's ride will be about 350 miles (e.g. Orange Park to Atlanta).
The interactive map below shows places we will visit. You can zoom in to see more detail and click on locations for more information.
View Summer 2010 Orange Park HOG in a larger map
Day 1 351 miles
The first day will get the cobwebs out as we begin to forget about work, home repairs, unmowed lawns and all the things we leave behind. Mostly US highways through Georgia to Macon then up I-75 to just south of Atlanta.
View Great Adventure: Day 1 in a larger map
Day 2 285 miles
The Great Adventure picks up on the second day. After an early start to get past Atlanta, we'll be on the Interstate through Chattanooga, passing along the foot of historic Lookout Mountain, then take a classic American highway--US 41--through some of East Tennessee's rugged mountains. A tour of the Jack Daniels distillery and a stroll through historic Lynchburg will fill the middle of the day. That evening, after checking in to the four-star Opryland Hotel, we'll take in the Grand Ole Opry.
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Day 3 210 miles
A short ride north of Nashville will bring us to Bowling Green, KY, where Corvetttes are made and the national Corvette Museum is open for tours. For those who don't want to visit the museum, America's largest cave system is located at Mammoth Cave National Park about another 30 miles up the road. The two groups will rejoin after lunch and head east across Kentucky to London. (No, not London, England, London, Kentucky.)
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Day 4 232 miles
Some of the most beautiful scenery and riding country in Kentucky and West Virgina will make Day 4 a great day to be on two wheels. Lots of twisties will make it clear we're no longer in Florida. Although we'll only travel 230 miles or so, this day will still mean about 7-8 hours on the bikes because the average speed will probably be about 30-35 miles an hour as we wear out the sides of our tires. In West Virginia, when you see a road sign with a curved arrow that says 15 MPH, they mean it. Here's a chance to make sparks fly from your floorboards.
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Day 5 188 miles
A short ride on Day 5, but we won't even leave Beckley, West Virginia, until after noon. The group members will have their choice of touring a coal mine/historic mining community or visiting the West Virginia cultural center at Tamarac. The day's ride will have its up and downs, though, as we motor east over four or five ridges that give the Blue Ridge system its name.
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Days 6 & 7 Blue Ridge Parkway 450 miles
The next two days will be spent traveling the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Some curves on the road will be testy, but most will be gentle, following ridge tops that provide great views in all directions. Frequent rest stops will be in order to fully take in the grandeur of the Virginia and North Carolina Mountains. And some longer stops will offer opportunities to see special sights along the way. Even though the distances each day aren't great, expect 9-10 hours of riding. Be careful: you may OD on breathtaking scenery. Wouldn't be surprised to see the rain suits come out on this stretch; afternoon mountain showers are common.
View &Great Adventure: Days 6 & 7 in a larger map
Day 8 Dragon's Tail and Cherohala Skyway
The Dragons' Tail in North Carolina has become legendary among bikers. It's crowded, though, and you have to watch out for kids on crotch rockets who think every trip on the Dragon is an opportunity to set a new speed record. The Cherohala Skyway in many ways is a better ride than the Dragon because there is actually some time to look at the scenery. The only scenery you'll see on the Dragon's Tail is black asphalt and the yellow center line. Should be a great day of just riding through the North Carolina and Tennessee Smokey Mountains.
Day 9 349 miles
A largely interstate highway ride will take us to Charleston, with arrival early enough to take in some of the historic sites in a truly historic southern city. A walk along the battery and through old shops and timeless neighborhoods should make our last afternoon on the road as memorable as the other eight afternoons that preceed it. That evening, we'll enjoy a special dinner at a first-rate restaurant and reminisce about our Great Adventure. We'll retire for the night in an historic hotel.
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Day 10 300 miles
A final group brunch will fortify us for the final push home. We should take plenty of great memories and, no doubt, thousands of pictures back to Jacksonville.
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