NH to Deals Gap and back in 100 hours: Part 1

A while ago, while reading about Deals Gap, Tennessee, I had the crazy idea of taking a really long ride down there just to see it. This winter, being an exceptionally long and snowy one, I had more time than usual to play with this notion, and what started as a silly idea slowly turned into one of those dreams that became reality.

But let me backtrack a little. Two years ago, when I sold my touring bike - a 2002 Bandit 1200S - I wasn't sure I would do any long distance riding for a while. Then, last August, I came across a 2009 BMW G650GS to be had at a great deal. Along with the Beemer came new adventures, new terrains, and a very interesting website: ADVRider Reading ride reports became my weekly addiction, and before I knew it, I was longing for the open road once again. And although the BMW is by no means an ideal touring bike, it gets me where I need to go in any way I feel like going.

Fast forward to April.

My initial plan was to take a six-day solo trip to Deals Gap and back, starting on April 17. As with any plans, and this one is no exception, changes do happen. Nevertheless, on April 16 everything was in place. Day earlier, I picked my in-laws at the airport and brought them home. I then spent the evening getting everything ready and packed. Saturday morning, after loading all the gear on to the bike, I filled the tank with fresh gas, and made sure everything worked as it is supposed to.

Then, around mid-day, the weather changed and the rain did not seem to have any intention to stop. I pushed the bike in to the garage, and spent the rest of the day with the family.

Sunday morning the rain continued pounding against the roof, but the forecast looked slightly brighter. Instead of leaving by seven o'clock, as I originally planned, I left the house around nine. Saying good-byes and be-carefuls took much longer than expected. By nine it hasn't rained for about 30 minutes, and while the road in front of the house was covered in puddles, there were enough holes in the clouds to see some actual sunlight. 

Full of excitement and not knowing what to expect, I headed away from NH s towards the Taconic Parkway.  As soon as I entered the Berkshires, however, the weather changed for the worse, with heavy clouds all over the horizon and a steady rain falling.

This did not improve for the next 3 hours as I drove the entire length of the Taconic and continued West on highway 84. By the way New Yorkers: I came across more cops on the Taconic than the rest of the trip combined. A little excessive police presence to say the least.

By the time I reached Scranton, the weather changed for the better as the rain finally stopped. Despite riding in rain for a few hours, my gear, (Tourmaster), had kept me dry. Well, relatively dry, since my socks were soaked. I never quite figured out whether the water got in through the boots or whether it seeped under the pants and flooded the boots from the top, but as soon as I changed my socks for a dry pair, I felt better.

Since my main goal was to reach Front Royal, VA in one day, I merged onto highway 81 and continued South. Pleasantly surprised with the low number of vehicles on the road, I was making a good time. Highway 81S was in a much better shape than 84W, and had it not been for the strong crosswinds slapping me from side to side every now and then, the ride would have been downright pleasant (at least as far as riding the superslab goes).

Once I crossed into Maryland, the winds died down quite a bit, and so did my pace. I pulled over to stretch and to eat some lunch. Maryland welcomed me with the first real sign of spring - actual flowers.

While on a break, I discovered a stowaway in my tankbag: A pink bear my kids sent with me since they could not come themselves. Well, the bear did not complain, did not tell me how to ride or where to stop, did not eat a half of my lunch, and was generally well behaved, so I happily accepted him as my sidekick for the rest of the journey.

Upon entering West Virginia and subsequently Virginia, the first thing I noticed were the flowering trees along the highway.

 It felt almost unreal that only a few hours earlier I was stuck in a downpour in New England, where the countryside lacked any signs of spring. The second thing I noticed was the quality of the pavement, namely the fact that there were neither potholes nor frost heaves. Since the speed limit changed to 70 mph, I hit the throttle and weaved my way among the traffic.

Near Winchester, VA, I left the highway and turned on to Rte 340, which took me down to Front Royal. After checking in the hotel (Super 8), I went out for a good Italian meal and called it a day. To my surprise, I was refused a beer with my dinner (apparently not allowed while driving - which is perfectly fine around here...within limits of course). This little thing, however, did not upset me, although I did find it a little strange.
While around town, I noticed several signs of recent flooding, and was later told that a day earlier the downtown was pretty much completely flooded. Still, I did not see any major damage, which is always a good thing.

Back at the hotel, the bear decided to take the bed closer to the window.

 While he rested, I parked my bike outside of the window and carried all my gear in. Then, just as the night started settling in, I went out to oil the bike chain, and had a nice, relaxing evening smoke. By eleven o'clock I was in bed, resting for what was to come next: Skyline Drive.

Summary of day 1: