Getting Ready To Head Out

We were going to hit the road for the SEVROC gathering in Maggie Valley, North Carolina this morning but this was the scene here yesterday.  They called for 15 cm of snow but, lucky for us, this was about all we got.

A snowy Sudbury morning in May

It was below freezing this morning and there was still some of the nasty white stuff on the ground so I decided we could wait until tomorrow to leave.  Not a big problem because I had allowed four days to cover just over 1,000 miles.  This is normally a pretty easy two day haul and now we will do it in three.

The last few days were a bit hectic as the Freedom Riders held their annual Safety Booth at the New Sudbury Shopping Centre.  We like to remind the public that motorcycles are back on the road and we appreciate it when they look twice for us.  We also publicize the Action Sudbury message against drinking and driving and make riders aware of the club and its purpose.  This year, instead of putting a member's bike on display, we borrowed a brand new Vulcan 900 Custom from NorthStar Recreation.  Dave, the owner, offered us any bike in his showroom.  After careful consideration, we thought this would attract a lot of attention and we were right.

Sandy and Biker in the Freedom Riders Safety Booth with the 900 Vulcan Custom

Today, I have been running around taking care of the pre-trip details.  I bolted my Kuryakyn Ergo II highway pegs and Baker air wings back on the Wing.  The pegs will get dropped off at Wrong Turn's place in Fayetteville, West (By God) Virginia for his new bike and the wings are headed to Maggie Valley for Stewey. There are still some things to do but we are getting a handle on it and should be on the road as soon as the temperature gets above freezing in the morning.

This will be the first time in years that we have made it to SEVROC.  Usually, it is on Victoria Day weekend and we are in Combermere, but they are a week apart this year.  I expect to make Erie, Pennsylvania tomorrow night and Princeton, WV or Wytheville (pronounced Withville), Virginia on Tuesday.  On the way to Maggie Valley on Wednesday, I plan to check out The Snake, Highway 421 through Shady Valley, Tennessee.  I have passed the road many times and there is no time like the present to take a ride on it.  It is highly spoken of in motorcycle circles.

Heather and Tom will be leaving Waterloo Thursday evening and expect to make it to Maggie on Saturday.  After the festivities, we will start north on Sunday exploring some interesting highways and byways on our way to the Combermere gathering the following weekend.


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Proposed route from Sudbury to Maggie Valley

Stay tuned to this channel for further developments.