March of Dimes Ride - Bikers for Babies Aug 13th in Gatlinburg

The March of Dimes annual Bikers for Babies event. scenic ride in the Smoky Mountains through Gatlinburg to Maryville  Saturday, August 13, 2011, starting at the Rocky Waters Motor Inn in Gatlinburg located at 333 Parkway. 

Registration  at 1:30 p.m. Ride will leave at 3 p.m. $25 for single riders and $40 for rider and passenger. Free t-shirts to all riders, as well as food, fun and games, a live auction, and live entertainment from a ZZ Top tribute band. The ride wraps up at The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley Davidson Maryville

Contact: Tanya Gant, March of Dimes, 865-694-6003  tgant@marchofdimes.com

Ride for Kids - Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation - Sunday the 31st

This Sunday is the East Tennessee round of the "Ride For Kids", a series of rides across the country that benefits the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. This ride goes on Rain or Shine, and is open to all riders and all bikes. Registration opens at 8:00am at the Pellissippi State Community College Campus at 10915 Hardin Valley Road, and the police escorted ride leaves at 10am. There are free beverages, breakfast pastries, and light lunch provided. The ride is sponsored by the  Honda Riders Club of America, and there will be a drawing for a FREE MOTORCYCLE at the end of the day. How about that for a prize! Come on out and show your support, you may even ride a new bike home. For more info go to www.rideforkids.org or call Tom and Kathy Peck 423-907-9712

Outrun the heat to the top of the mountain. One High Ride

Summer is fully upon us, and this year mother nature seems to be in a particularly bad mood. We seem to either be having Biblical storms, or bake your biscuits in your saddlebags heat.  Personally, I can handle riding in the heat better than taking my chance with a tornado, so when I got the chance last Sunday I headed for higher ground, and cooler temperatures.

I toughed out the heat on I-40 and zipped up to Maggie Valley,(avoiding the skillet like asphalt and traffic of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg) and headed straight for the Blue Ridge Parkway. As soon as I left I-40 I could feel the temperature drop. After riding the incredible 70 miles from Maggie Valley to Asheville on the Blue Ridge,  I was havng such a good time that I decided the best thing to do was to ride about 50 miles more to Mt. Mitchell. Besides, I needed some more pics for the website.

There are only a few place to get grub on the Blue Ridge Parkway and one that many people don't know about is the restaurant on Mt Mitchell.  It was closed by the time I came through, so I can't vouch for the food. I can tell you that it is a really cool looking building, and the view off of the back is incredible.

My on-bike Thermo-meter usually reads about 2 degrees warm, and it was showing 62 refreshing degrees on top of Mt Mitchell at 8:00. Hard to believe I left 94 degrees in K-Town. The other cool thing besides the temperature was that I was the only person on top of the mountain.The parking lot was empty, the roads were empty, the restaurant was quiet.


As the afternoon turned to night on top of Mt Mitchell,  the clouds that were hugging the tree tops on the south side of the mountain began swooping up and over the deserted parking lot like swift moving ghost before dropping quickly off the other side. The only sound to hear was the wind.. .I just sat there for a while and listened, and thought about how glad I was I rode the extra miles.

The next time you want to ride, but don't want to cook on the bike, think about heading for higher ground. That's one of the great things about where we live, there are mountains to climb that are surrounded by cooler air, and there are great roads that get you there. Don't forget to take some time to enjoy it when you get to the top.




 

Wing Ding coming to K-Town July 6-9

This week, July 6,7,8,9th, the Gold Wing Road Riders Association (GWRRA) annual throw down comes to Knoxville." Wing Ding 33 - Rollin on Rocky Top" starts on Wednesday, and will bring thousands of Gold Wing riders fomr across the. nation to Knoxville.The event is headquartered at the Knoxville Convention Center, but Demo Rides and some other events are being held at Chilhowee Park. 

There is simply to much going on to list, so check out their website www.wing-ding.org for the details. Besides the rides and parties and seminars there is a huge vendors show which will be held indoors at the convention center. For anyone who ever walked around the outdoor vendors show at the Honda Hoot, I don't have to tell you how nice it will be to be able to look at merchandise without sweat dripping off your nose.

"But what if I don't ride a Goldwing?". No big deal.  Everyone is welcome. Day passes can be purchased for $22, or you can join GWRRA at the event.