Bill Hall

The days of riding a hundred or so miles to get gas, visiting our favorite diners, restaurants, and leather shops are back in full swing now. While the destinations are generally why we ride, it’s the roads we ride to get to them that really matter. We all have our favorite routes that take us along a previous journey that refreshes our memories of the soul-soothing we enjoy as we get back on the road. Our machines colliding with the very air we breathe as we put our feet up on the pegs, or ride with the top down to take in the sights, the feel of the road and the smell of it… allAmerica.

For years I’ve done well by literally traveling the road less traveled. I have earned my share of clutch cramp while inching along packed streets, with summer temps in the high 90s, sweat running down the inside of my goggles and legs on fire from that V-twin heater. I recall the eager anticipation to get some air moving over me and my air-cooled motor, pleading for enough speed to shift into 2nd. And if I can avoid those situations, I do. The reality of it is that’s all part of riding. As a rider out of East Tennessee, I can point my fender in any direction and in less than two hours, I can be in one or more of the six different states that border my area. I call that my Nirvana. While most of us in the South East can do the same, it’s really a blessing to have some of the most Iconic rides in the country only a few miles away. These include the Tail of The Dragon (318 curves in 11 miles), Moonshiner 28, Back of The Dragon, Wayah Rd. down to Loafers Glory General Store, and Georgia’s

Gauntlet that weaves down through Suches and over to Helen. One of my new favorite regions is East Kentucky with its 31 different trails, The Dragon Slayer-Hwy 160 (226 curves in 26 miles), that links Kentucky and Virginia, and is one of the most scenic and untouched rides you’ll ever do. More on the fantastic riding in East Kentucky coming soon. And just like that, six big rides are all within a tank of gas—unless you’re riding a Sporty, sorry, had to do it. Several years ago, I worked in a women’s addiction recovery home. From transportation to job development and routine maintenance of the facility, I spent a great deal of time with them. And thus, had conversations that were full of life lessons, perspective, and wisdom. One nugget was a saying that it’s not the road you take, but the stops you make along the way that can change your life. Amen to that! From two totally opposite perspectives comes an undeniable truth; that people and places impact us. The frosty bottle of soda we pull out of an antique ice chest in an ol’ timey general store. Speaking with a stranger at a gas stop as they recite a memory of Grandpa’s old bike. Stopping at an eclectic converted rafting bus now turned mountain cafe for the best smoked coffee and blackberry cobbler ever. Just simply pulling off the road to take a snapshot of an Air Force F-4 Fighter jet on proud display in front of a VFW. These are the kind of stops that create journeys out of rides. A new year, a new take, and new journeys to all, and to all, ride safe. --Indian Rider Bill indianriderbill@yahoo.com