Our first ride in the mountains of North Carolina was the most exciting trip I ever took. We rode our 1995 Anniversary Edition Goldwing from Orlando, Florida to Asheville, NC the latter part of September 1995 for the Wings over the Smokey Goldwing Rally.
Living in Orlando, Florida doesn’t prep you for weather outside of 90 degrees and humid. The first morning we awoke in Asheville it was 41 degrees and raining. Our hopes weren’t dashed! Heck no! We were so excited about being in the mountains on our new bike that I don’t think anything could have ruined our enthusiasm. What was missing however, were proper motorcycle accessories like good rain gear, warm leather jackets, or a proper motorcycle cover to protect the bike from these wet elements.
We outfitted ourselves as best we could with what we had and off we went. The first thing we wanted to do was ride the Blue Ridge Parkway, and so we did. I can’t emphasize the dreariness of the weather. Oh. . .so cold and Oh. . .so wet! I couldn’t stay off the CB or my camera. My adrenaline was running so high. To this day I apologize to our friends for burning up their ears while I was exclaiming about the scenery over here, the mountain over there, and generally telling them about everything they could see for themselves.
If you have never ridden the mountains of western North Carolina (regardless of the weather) you are missing a trip of a lifetime. The awesome natural beauty of the area knows no bounds!
We stayed in and around Asheville for 5 days. No, the weather never improved and we didn’t care. We rode everyday – about 200 to 300 miles – and enjoyed every minute of it. We now live in these wonderful mountains and have a 2007 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Classic and rest assured we have all the motorcycle gear we need. Our Classic didn’t come with a helmet to helmet intercom system, so we put that on the bike. Otherwise, we are set!
JoAnn Thompson
