Yesterday I hit a terrible thunder and rain storm on the BRP , had to shelter in one of the tunnels with many other bikes.
Why am I always too late to put my excellent rain gear on ?
bummer. i usually think of rain as totally harmless, but then i don't have many or any twisty roads down here in the low country. is it really safe to park in the tunnels? is there no danger of dimwitted car drivers crashing into you?
Yesterday I got caught in a downpour while driving south on HWY178 from HWY64 in North Carolina. All of HWY178 is tight downhill switchbacks from Rosman NC to Pickens SC. I just put my hazard lights on, relaxed, and road easy. Never fun to drive downhill on a switchback route in the rain. There was no place to pull over or stop. All is well! I was soaked to the bone once I got down to SC HWY11 near Table Rock. Temps on the top of the mountain were in the mid 70s. Temps at the bottom were in the low 90s. Since I was all wet, the ride home to Anderson SC was nice and cool.
Oh.... according the radar, the storm-cell that was over me was also over the BRP. I was between Brevard and Cashiers NC, that would be between HWY215 and HWY276, or between BRP mile markers 435 an 420. Were you on the BRP south of Asheville?
On my week road trip I just decided to put rain pants on everyday and leave them on.
With my gore-tex boots then all I would just have to do is the jacket and gloves or over gloves. Pretty quickly done.
The pants don't seem to bother me being hot as much as the jacket. If really hot, I unzip them and pull them up to my knees.
But I do need better quality pants...the $40 frog togs have frayed in the wind...it may have something to do with them being a 'breathable' material?
Can't wait to do the BRP next summer....I hope the construction is over.
I'm finding lately that the weather in the mountains has been absolutely perfect between about 8:00 am and noon. Cool, and comfortable with a jacket. Yesterday, I did rt 221 from Blowing Rock south to Linville. It's very curvy, and much has been recently re-paved, after May's rains and landslides. It parallels the BRP, but several hundred feet below, and offers nice views of the Linville Viaduct. It's the road that goes by the entrance to Grandfather Mountain State Park. I highly recommend it -- just don't do it in the rain!
(08-07-2018, 08:02 PM)The A-man_imp Wrote: [ -> ]I'm finding lately that the weather in the mountains has been absolutely perfect between about 8:00 am and noon. Cool, and comfortable with a jacket. Yesterday, I did rt 221 from Blowing Rock south to Linville. It's very curvy, and much has been recently re-paved, after May's rains and landslides. It parallels the BRP, but several hundred feet below, and offers nice views of the Linville Viaduct. It's the road that goes by the entrance to Grandfather Mountain State Park. I highly recommend it -- just don't do it in the rain!
Love that road but haven't ridden it for years.
It is quite safe to park in the tunnels , stay close to the wall in a "straight " part of the tunnel and put your hazard lights on.
My feet stayed perfectly dry with the Gore Tex lined Daytona boots.
Yesterday I spoke with Bruce , the owner of the Pisgah Inn and store and he told me that business had suffered a great deal because of the road works , the road is getting better but signs still advise against travel on motorcycles or bikes.
A few weeks ago a cook at the Pisgah Inn got killed near the Inn by a co worker, she was a 29 year old cook and he was 20 or 21.
I live about 5 miles south of the BRP in Arden just south of Asheville.
Today my wife and I are going to a factory tour of the Sierra Nevada brewery , it is a great place to visit and eat , they do not push beer on you if you do not want to drink alcohol.
(08-07-2018, 08:02 PM)The A-man_imp Wrote: [ -> ]I'm finding lately that the weather in the mountains has been absolutely perfect between about 8:00 am and noon. Cool, and comfortable with a jacket. Yesterday, I did rt 221 from Blowing Rock south to Linville. It's very curvy, and much has been recently re-paved, after May's rains and landslides. It parallels the BRP, but several hundred feet below, and offers nice views of the Linville Viaduct. It's the road that goes by the entrance to Grandfather Mountain State Park. I highly recommend it -- just don't do it in the rain!
Funny, I rode 221 from Linville to Blowing Rock on Sunday. There was some sort of big horse show in Blowing Rock at Moses Cone Park. I was on the parkway before that but got off because traffic was slow. Should clear up soon, school goes back into session so all of the Florida license plates should start to go away.
I seemed to avoid all of the rain, even though the heavens looked like that we’re going to release when I was riding around the south mountain park.
(08-07-2018, 09:03 PM)Houtman_imp Wrote: [ -> ]It is quite safe to park in the tunnels , stay close to the wall in a "straight " part of the tunnel and put your hazard lights on.
My feet stayed perfectly dry with the Gore Tex lined Daytona boots.
Yesterday I spoke with Bruce , the owner of the Pisgah Inn and store and he told me that business had suffered a great deal because of the road works , the road is getting better but signs still advise against travel on motorcycles or bikes.
A few weeks ago a cook at the Pisgah Inn got killed near the Inn by a co worker, she was a 29 year old cook and he was 20 or 21.
I live about 5 miles south of the BRP in Arden just south of Asheville.
Today my wife and I are going to a factory tour of the Sierra Nevada brewery , it is a great place to visit and eat , they do not push beer on you if you do not want to drink alcohol.
That's terrible news. Was this a car on motorcycle accident? Did one of the the them cross the center line?
(08-07-2018, 09:26 PM)offroadfx4_imp Wrote: [ -> ] (08-07-2018, 09:03 PM)Houtman_imp Wrote: [ -> ]It is quite safe to park in the tunnels , stay close to the wall in a "straight " part of the tunnel and put your hazard lights on.
My feet stayed perfectly dry with the Gore Tex lined Daytona boots.
Yesterday I spoke with Bruce , the owner of the Pisgah Inn and store and he told me that business had suffered a great deal because of the road works , the road is getting better but signs still advise against travel on motorcycles or bikes.
A few weeks ago a cook at the Pisgah Inn got killed near the Inn by a co worker, she was a 29 year old cook and he was 20 or 21.
I live about 5 miles south of the BRP in Arden just south of Asheville.
Today my wife and I are going to a factory tour of the Sierra Nevada brewery , it is a great place to visit and eat , they do not push beer on you if you do not want to drink alcohol.
That's terrible news. Was this a car on motorcycle accident? Did one of the the them cross the center line?
That's terrible news. Was this a car on motorcycle accident? Did one of the the them cross the center line?
Or, was it a vehicle accident at all?