First Fall Ride 2022
The weather is finally turning and this weekend was a fantastic riding and camping trip. It went from 92 on Wednesday to 75 on Friday. We packed the bikes and headed up to the mountains for a weekend of trail riding.
There are quite a number of motorcycle campgrounds in the western part of North Carolina and we opted to stay at the High Country Motorcycle Camp in Fergusen, NC. We left Friday afternoon about 3pm. We wanted to get up there quickly so interstate it was. We still hit a bit of traffic but eventually got to camp about 5:30pm. One nice surprise was the GPS routed us the back way. We had been travelling all asphalt for 2+ hours and then the last 5.5 miles was mountain gravel roads which stopped right at the entrance to the campground.
We arrived and gave the place a once over. Immediately the host, Brent, met us and gave us the scoop. Great guy, very friendly and what a relaxed atmosphere. We looked around and decided to camp next to the creek.
We got all setup and Brent came back and got us checked in. We chatted a while and then got all setup for dinner. There was a group of Harley riders staying in the cabins. After dinner, we went up there (they had a fire going) and stayed a while to chat. It started getting late so we went off to bed to get an early start for riding.
The next morning, our host came back down along with another camper, Bob. We found out that Bob was a vintage motorcycle racer. Fascinating guy. After chatting a while, he offered to take us around the area and we graciously accepted.
Man what a ride! He took us all over the place. He realized with our 90/10 tires, there were some roads that we should not attempt. But the roads we did go on were fantastic.
Honestly, no idea where he took us but we had a blast. There were a few close calls with us wiping out and at one point, Kirk did drop his bike. Luckily he was not hurt and neither was the bike. The forks were a bit tweaked but after a few more miles riding and hitting as many potholes and rocks as possible, the tweak worked itself out. We decided to take a bio break and each lunch at the welcome center
The women running place was very nice. We talked some college football and a few other topics then headed back out on our way.
I do have to mention that Bob was a great leader. We are slow. He is fast. He would go have his fun on the trails but at any point where there was a road crossing or turn, he waited patiently for us. He also had a keen sense of when something may not be right (when Kirk dropped his bike). I was with Kirk but after about 5-10 minutes, Bob showed up as well. With our off roading background, we always tried to apply the same techniques. Wait at turns. If after a small amount of time, folks do not show up, backtrack and figure out what the issue is. We cannot tell you how appreciative we were with his guidance on the trails.
As we approached the end of the day, we had to hit the local hot spot in Mortimer, Betsey's Country Store. This place is really a hidden gem.
We stopped for break but then headed out again for camp. We passed another local pizza place, Happy Valley Filling Station, and got a beer. After that, we headed home.
Once at camp, we decided a shower was in order. I stopped and chatted with the Harley group for a while (and use their fire) then walked back to our camp. Whipped up a good dinner, had a few drinks and began talking about the day. After a bit, Bob, showed up at camp bringing COLD beers (very appreciative). We chatted with him until late into the night. We called it quits and went off to sleep.
The next morning, we started to break camp but Bob again offered to take us out for a bit. We graciously accepted again. After seeing what we could do on our bikes, he took us on a more difficult trail. What a blast. Tight, off camber, loose rocks...we had a blast. Sure we had our close calls but we still loved every minute. A little after noon, the rain was going to start rolling in so we booked it back to camp to finish packing up and head back home.
The ride home we both agreed to limit our interstate exposure. We took back roads which just so happened to take us near another local bar that we wanted to try. We stopped at The Friendly Pub in Salisbury. And it really was very friendly. It was starting to get late so we headed home.
Once home, we had to dry out our gear. It was so wet from the dew. Overall, the trip was a complete success. Great campground. Great riding. Great people. What more could you ask for.