Happy Birthday Moley (50)

[BaZa®]

Moley (50)....................I see you are having a great time riding through the states. Say hello to Jane for us.

[FBB]

Many Happy Returns Barrie, hope you're having a great day.

Cheers

FBB

[MORDUEMAN]

Happy Birthday, you chose a great day to have one

[Mrs T]

Happy Birthday

[kneetrembler]

Happy Bday Moley!

[Old_Bob]

Appy burfday Moley - wherever you are

Originally Posted by kneetrembler

Happy Bday Moley!

Struth, where did you spring from Jason -- long time no see

[Maggar]

Happy birthday Barrie - hope you're having a cracking time out there.

[PhillSpace]

Happy Birthday Moley

[Moley]

Thanks everyone - I am indeed having a really good time over here in the USA

Picked up an Electra Glide in Miami and so far I've been to:

Daytona / Savannah / Charleston / Myrtle Beach / Charlotte / Asheville / Gatlinburg / Asheville (again!)

I've managed to do 5 states so far - Florida / Georgia / South Carolina / North Carolina / Tennessee - I nearly slipped into Kentucky just to add another one on to the list but didn't really need to go there so gave it a miss.

Florida was really hot, in the 100's most of the time, and it's a no helmet state so I just rode around everywhere with a t-shirt & jeans. It wasn't a core part of my trip so I did the Miami to Savannah journey in under 2 days. Daytona was deader than dead in an off-season Monday night. I saw maybe 10-15 bikes in the whole town & a chunk of these were tarted up (but quite crappy & old) Japanese ones.

Savannah was beautiful, really lovely place to just take some time out & stroll around the squares & visit some of the historical houses. I stayed a very funky 60's motel that had been completely re-furbished in original spec fittings. Music playing everywhere 24 hours a day & I didn't hear the same song twice!

Met a crazy old guy who was in the room next door to me. He was 77 and had just decided out of the blue to drive to Savannah for a few days all the way from deepest Iowa - that's about 1,200 miles or so. He was in a clapped out Pontiac with a V8 with shocks that were shot after 200K miles and a battery that didn't charge properly so he had to keep getting it jump started, lol. We sat out one evening just nattering, fascinating to listen to a 'real' American talking about his life as a miner & gas driller in a 'working' state.

Georgia countryside was really nice as well. I avoided all interstates & just took the back roads through the forests and stuff whenever possible.

Then into South Carolina & Charleston. I stayed at a bit of a posh hotel here in the heart of the historic district. They couldn't have been more friendly & helpful. Gave me a special place to park the bike right in front of the hotel on their private entrance - cars had to pay $20 a night to park round the corner

The historic part of Charleston is amazing. Stunning houses that were all spared by Sherman during the war, I saw one up for sale at $24M! Really nice people everywhere in the south to be honest.

I then went up to Myrtle Beach just to take a look at the place. It's a massive tourist trap really but I guess you could have a good family holiday there. I went to a full on modern country / rock gig at the House of Blues which was fun. I have never, ever, seen so many stunning women in one place at one time. Especially given that either short denim skirts or 'Daisy Duke' shorts with cowboy boots were the most common clothes!

Took a real country road & skirted the North Carolina border nearly all the way to Charlotte. SC is a no helmet state but NC is compulsory helmets. Saw cotton & tobacco fields & the real heart of the arable working south.

Randomly stopped at a little town for a break & discovered Dizzy Gillespie's birthplace memorial which was pretty cool. The locals said no-one ever stopped & were impressed that a biker from England had bothered, lol. There's a small park dedicated to him with musical notes fencing etc.

Charlotte was the first real sign of the new south I saw. There's a lot of money in the south these days & a bit of a balance of power shift going on apparently. Big glass skysrapers & definite signs of serious money here.

Then up to Asheville to meet a bass playing friend of mine. It's a bit of a hippy town with some funky art deco & nouveau buildings & a thriving music community. There's an amazing guitarist called Will Ray who lives here who holds open nights once a week & anyone can get up & jam with him

From Asheville I rode through the Cherokee reservation & went to the museum & then up & over the Smoky Mountains. Stopped off at Clingmans Dome which is the highest point & the clouds came down on me - it was pretty cold up there!

Down the other side and into Tennesse to a neat little tourist town of Gatlinburg. You can really hear the difference in people's accents just crosing from state to state. Sat next to a huge guy here with a Confederate flag T on that said 'original bad ass' on the back. He was wearing a Yankees cap but had scrawled "I hate all" in front of the Yankees sign. He looked pretty frightening - mind you, he was drinking iced lemon tea, lol.

Took a beautiful back road through the Smokies again & took every detour I could find. Saw rivers, lakes, lots of wild animals & hardly another vehicle or person all day.

Back in Asheville for my birthday and staying at the super grand Inn on the Biltmore Estate. The largest, and grandest, privately owned house in the USA. I'm staying deep in the grounds & yet still over 5 miles from the main house! Really beautiful here as well

Off into the Blue Ridge mountains today where I'll be staying at a tiny 'mom & pop' motel that's a whopping $300 cheaper than my night at the Biltmore, lol.

Ok - that's it for now. Breakfast is calling. . .

[Maggar]

Hmmmmmm, breakfast..