Blue Ridge Parkway

Day Two of our “Mild Hawgs” road trip broke with the sound of rain easing off the hotel roof and the aroma of coffee wafting from the lobby. Over breakfast, the group circled up, hashing out the day’s route. Word was “The Snake” (Hwy 421 outside Bristol) was still scarred from last year’s floods, and the forecast called for scattered showers late morning. With that in mind, we shifted gears, literally and figuratively, deciding to head west and south, jump on I-26, and pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville. A couple of us pulled on rain gear, just in case, while the others trusted the weather gods and Nate, our default road captain, to lead the way.

Chasing Curves and Carolina Sky: Part 1

by Phil Gauthier | Oct 27, 2025 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads | 0 |

There’s something about rolling north for me, on a crisp fall morning that feels like a promise — that blend of fuel, freedom, and just enough chill in the air to remind you the mountains are calling. Weeks earlier Nate had called to set up a three day ride which included his son Adam and cousin Greg – the four of us were ready. The sun was just burning off the early morning fog when the bikes fired up, that familiar rumble echoing off the quiet Main Street. We had all been itching to carve some high country asphalt, and the route ahead would deliver in spades: Heads down takes us up Hwy. 441 at speed up to Clayton, Georgia. Quick fuel check and we are off: Warwoman Road, Highway 28, Sapphire Valley, Lake Toxaway, Waynesville, Lake Junaluska, and the legendary NC 209 — better known as The Rattler – Day one.

Music and Motorcycling

by Rob Brooks | Feb 12, 2024 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads | 2 |

Music and motorcycling just fit together, “like peas and carrots” as Forrest Gump once uttered. It seems like I’ve accumulated memory banks full of songs that hearken back to a certain ride, and vice versa. I’m not sure what dynamic is taking place, but nearly every road trip I’ve taken, sometimes even while local or regional riding, a song becomes the soundtrack that takes me back to that place, that bike, that traveling companion, that experience, every time I hear it. Here’s a few more of my favorites from the road.

Appalachian Playground

by Ted Edwards | Oct 29, 2020 | Ride Life, Rides & Roads | 10 |

If you want a land to get into your soul, ask it to dance. Roam through its curves, flirt with its scenery, stop and stare at its unfolding landscape and it will talk to you, revealing itself like an intimate dance partner. Ask the landscape questions and it will whisper the answers in your ear, embedding it into your memory forever. As a northwest native, I never thought I could feel that way about Fall in the Appalachians.

Road Dirt Rides Nikens

by Rob Brooks | Oct 26, 2020 | Bikes & Gear | 0 |

We rolled into the parking lot of Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, anticipating an enjoyable walk back through the annals of American motorcycle history. As with everywhere we rode the Yamaha Nikens, a gathering of gawkers closed in, slack jawed and cameras snapping. An old curmudgeon in a “brand specific” shirt shuffled up to Ted, who was still removing his helmet, and loudly asked in a deep Southern drawl, “Whut da hail is ‘at??” Ted smiled and replied, “It’s a Yamaha Niken.” Before he could offer any details, the old codger declared, “Ha, more like a Yamaha nuthin!” There was a brief moment of stunned silence on our part, as he ambled around the bike, chuckling. Did this clown really just insult the motorcycle of a total stranger??