The Big Ride (Day 2)

What a day, what a day.

In all, I rode a little over 300 miles today. There's not much that I can say that won't be better with pictures. So allow me to present the abbreviated pictorial version of my journey to Deals Gap.

And yes, I know the photos are huge and spilling off of the page. I don't know how to make them smaller. Sue me.

The first road I explored NC 28, from its junction with US 74 and US 129. There was very little traffic and the temperature was cooler than I had expected. The road was draped with tree branches for much of the way, and got quite technical towards the end. It was a good warm up for what was to come next. Here's a photo of my SV650 at the start of NC 28; well the good part.

Then I reached the Gap. From what I could tell this was a light day. The famous dragon sign caught me by surprise when I saw it. For some reason I was expected to see it off in the distance a bit before I got up the resort. Obviously I had to stop and take some shots of the staging area for the Gap's entrance.

Outside of the lodging section of the resort there is a tree adorned with the wrecked bits of motorcycles that have met their demise at the Gap. It's called "The Tree of Shame". None of my bike's parts are on it. :)

After I grabbed a bottle of water and checked out some of the other bikes in the parking lot, I decided it was time for me to do what I came here to do. So I mounted my trusty steed and we putted out of the parking lot.

This road isn't for the faint of heart. The first thing I noticed was that most of the corners were incredibly banked, much more than I had imagined from pictures and videos. Some of them must have been 25 or 30 degrees. It took me a while to get used to how I should turn into them; most of the twisty roads I've ridden have been much flatter. But after a mile or two, I got the hang of it and developed a good rhythm. It really wasn't all that bad as long as I wasn't riding like a hooligan.

I eventually caught up to a slower group of riders, so I decided that was a good time to pull over and get a shot of the SV on the road itself. I mean, I need proof!

Here's another picture towards the end of the road. Many of the riders will stop here at this overlook to rest and/or turn around to head back the other way.

I kept going north on 129 until I found myself riding along side this marvelous body of water called Chilhowee Lake. I couldn't pass this place without getting some shots. It was quite beautiful.

Here's another one of just the lake itself.

Now, my homie Matt told me about a road I needed to see called the Cherohala Skyway. I believe "magic" was the exact word he used to describe it. So I guess I had to go check it out. After having a disgusting and delicious chili, jalapeño, and cheese burger, I shot over to TN 165 (the beginning of the Skyway) to see what I found. Here's a picture at the beginning of the road.

If you look carefully, you can see the tail of a Dodge Viper heading away from me. I had to pull over to wait for a whole gang of them to get out of site. They were holding me up.

"Magic" is absolutely right. This has to be the most wondrous 43 miles of road in the Eastern United States. There were all types of features; twisty sections, long sweepers, undulating straights, and breath-taking views. I can't imagine a road being more perfect for riding or driving. Now I know why that horde of Vipers drove up this way today. That's about the only road out this way worth traveling. And in case you're wondering, yes it's better than Deals Gap; by a long way.

I was feeling pretty worn out about halfway down the Skyway. My legs were shaking, my attention wasn't what is was this morning, and my earplugs kept popping out due to changes in altitude. Yea, it was time to head home.

I took the Skyway back to Hwy 28, then made my way back to Michelle and Jason's crib in Asheville. I think I did about all I could do, and I was satisfied with my fatigue. I had visited one of motorcycling's holy grounds, and I didn't fall. That was cool with me.

peace.

The Big Ride (Day 1)

Well, I've made it safely to Asheville, NC and I'm comfortably in bed at the home of my friend Michelle and her husband Jason. I am excited to spend time with them while I'm here. I think we're going canoeing on Saturday!

The ride to here from my home in Havelock was just shy of 400 miles, which is a record for me. Doing all those miles on the interstate was rather tedious and quite boring (my hip sockets were the biggest complainers), but it wasn't a bad day for a ride. The sun was out and the traffic was light.

Tomorrow, I head out to the Gap. I can't wait to see this place. I talked with my homie Matt earlier this evening and he suggested some other routes to explore in addition to the Gap, so I'll give a report of those as well.

But now, it's time to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day.



peace.

The Big Ride

Tomorrow's the day. I'm taking off on my bike and riding to my friend Michelle's crib in Asheville, North Carolina. I'm a bit nervous, really. I've never ridden this far on my bike by myself before. I know plenty who have and I'm confident in my ability to make the trip. Nevertheless, I'm still a bit anxious.

The plan is to stay in Asheville tomorrow night, ride out to Deals Gap for the day on Friday, hang out in Asheville on Saturday, then back home to Havelock, North Carolina on Sunday. In all, the total distance is going to be north of 1000 miles. Oh boy...

I'm also going to treat this trip as a sort of mini-pilgrimage. Since my big pilgrimage for this year was cut a bit short, I think this will serve as an acceptable alternative. I'll have time alone to think and consider things. I'm also taking my Winter's Tale work with me, which I plan to attend as thoroughly as the traffic. So far, I'm cautiously optimistic about my progress.

I don't know if I'll have any blog time, but if I do I'll be here. And I definitely won't miss Saturday's Emcee of the Month post. I plan to take a bunch of pictures, so I'll get those on here if I can.

Check you all later!

peace

The Gap

If all goes well, I'll find myself riding this road on Friday.

This is Deals Gap (for more, look here). It's known on a map as U.S. 129 and snakes through the Great Smokey Mountains from Swain County, North Carolina to Blount County, Tennessee. The story goes that this road is 11 miles long and contains 318 corners; almost all of them as spectacular as these. Motorcyclists from all over the world come here every year to ride this ribbon of paved perfection.

And now my trusty SV650 and I are gonna have a go at it.

No matter what happens, there will be pictures. And yes, I will take it easy. Seriously.

peace.

Home Again

Well, I'm home.

This is my parents house in Havelock, North Carolina. This is where I am. I'm going to bed now. I'm happy to be home.

More tomorrow. Thanks for sticking around.

peace.

West Bound and Down

Tomorrow I embark on an almost two-month journey to Vancouver and Canada's National Voice Intensive. First, my cat Mo and I will be driving from Philadelphia to Richmond, VA to visit my brother and his family for a couple of days. I'm look forward to seeing my niece and nephew, Cassidy and Tavon. They're always a bunch of fun, and since I'm a professional at playing pretend I usually fit right in.

After that all of us will be heading down to our home on the coast of North Carolina to visit my parents for about a week. The hope is that my brother and I can take our motorcycles down with us and so that he, my dad, and I can all ride together for the first time. That would be mighty nice!

Then on May 4th I will fly out to Seattle then take a bus across the border to Vancouver, where I'll be living and working until June 11th. I'm back in Philly on the 12th, then attending the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia auditions on the 13th. Whew!

In a way, I sort of turn off the rest of the world when I'm preparing to travel. There are a lot of things I have to think about and remember in order to feel comfortable and prepared. Just today I've had to do laundry, call the airline to inquire about baggage, pick up the trailer to tow my bike, audition for a wonderful acting opportunity at the National Constitution Center, and obviously pack my stuff. Tomorrow, there's even more to do, including the trip itself.

So allow me to apologize in advance for any lackluster discussion or observation in the next couple of days. Things will pick up, I promise. Vancouver always brings a lot of stuff out of me. You'll see.

Until then, I give you the song I sing to myself every time I travel more than 200 miles in a car. It never fails getting stuck in my head for at least 20 miles.

One of these days, I'll do a real Bandit run to somewhere; hopefully with less involvement from law enforcement. That would be bad.

I've give a travel update tomorrow. Let's hope all goes well!

peace.

Phonte, 9th Wonder, and The "L" Word

9th Wonder and Phonte are two-thirds of one of the most celebrated hip hop groups of the past decade, Little Brother. Here's a brilliant video of the two answering questions about love.

Where's Big Pooh!?

For a quick reference, Phonte and 9th Wonder haven't had the best of relationships lately. 9th left the group back in 2007 due to creative differences, a break that was publicized as mutual amicable for everyone involved. However, in the spring of 2010 Phonte and 9th had a very public dispute on Twitter regarding the release of a 9th Wonder produced track on Little Brother's album Leftback. For the sake of community, I'll leave it up to you to search all the particulars of the argument.

Fortunately, 9th and Phonte were able to reconcile their differences at the beginning of 2011, and seem to have renewed their friendship. They have yet to commit to any musical collaborations (although they haven't ruled them out), but rather are focused on rebuilding their personal relationship as friends and colleagues. Honestly, I feel that's much more important; good for them.

That's doesn't mean I don't want to hear another LB album! These cats are some of my favorites!

peace.

Emcee of the Month: Jean Grae

I'm excited I have an opportunity this month to discuss and highlight an artist whose work I've checked out before now. This is a track of off Jean's 2008 album Jeanius. Titled "The Time is Now", the production is handled by 9th Wonder with Phonte of Little Brother making a fantastic guest appearance.

This is my favorite jawn (Philly word!) on the Jeanius album, primarily because it exhibits Jean's sense of humor and spontaneity. Her verse on this track harnesses an energy that feels much more like free association or stream of consciousness than the more meditative lyrics she offers in other moments on the LP. But the verse doesn't seem sloppy or misshapen in any way. As the listener I'm able to follow the progression of her thoughts easily and clearly, even though the imagery makes significant shifts at times. Jean is very good at finding a balance in her writing that suggests an illusion of performing the verse for the first time while guiding us on a journey with her through the exploration of the text. And judging from the ad-libs that open and close the song, it's evident she's having a ton-o-fun.

Also, she's kickin' with the home state boys, Phonte and 9th Wonder (NC!). I'm always down with that!

peace.