Awesome trip William! Sounds like your traffic level was better than mine. You need to package that trip and write a book with more pics. Hate we missed connecting but we’ll try another day. And that F8 idea is a good one! Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
Haha, I have way more respect for race car drivers now. I had about reached the limit of my skills, and after such a prolonged hammering, am happy to have a few down hours this AM while we wait for the rain to clear out. Even with new Michelins, I broke the front loose several times. But the Driver of the year award goes to a guy in a late model Dodge Ram, who doggedly pursued me on 219 South for about 20 minutes. I couldn’t believe he held speed (and the road!) like he did through the tortuous highway. Headed to the Greenbrier for breakfast, then SW for more adventure. Yes, we’ll connect as I’ll be bringing the 458 (or other appropriate heat) up here a lot more often. I have some businesses in the Charlotte area, and these roads are just too good to miss out on! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The journey continues......., Greenbrier this morning in the rain for a delicious breakfast. Lots of exotics graced their parking lot, chatted up a few owners. We continued our trek south on 219 (Seneca Trail) to Rt. 460, then to Rt. 19, then to Rt. 52. Weather eventually cleared, and these are some fantastic Ferrari roadS for real spirited driving, curves galore and lots of rock walls for wailing the car above 4,000 RPM. Skirting the VA, WV line, we somehow got a bit turned around and ended up on a road almost better suited to ATV riding - and almost no gas! In Pikeville, KY for the night. Heading south tomorrow....... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Going to ride this section of the BRP this week, along with The Tail and The Snake. I’ve driven some incredible supercar roads this past week and will post my ‘Best of’ list. This includes VA, WV, TN, GA and NC. Andy and I tried hooking up this weekend, we were just too far apart at day’s start to make it happen this time. But we will make it happen.....
We did the BRP from Spruce Pine towards Blowing Rock, and took 221S back on Saturday. Most "overlooks" were INSANE but traffic MOSTLY wasn't too bad. Had a few motorcyclists go ahead & blast past us (I was never under the speed limit) in some spots, and I was at least MOSTLY hoping they didn't either get squashed by oncoming in the blind curves, or not fly off the road. Otherwise? Just a COUPLE of bicyclists that were pretty good about pulling over far enough for a safe pass (and? I WAIT for a safe pass.) Trees/leaves seemed to be at about peak color. DID notice that most of the folks pulled over at the overlooks or otherwise walking along the roads were most certainly "not from around these parts." Also only saw a couple reasonably "sporty cars." Kinda sad when my pitiful 1997 Z3 2.8 was one of the sportier looking cars on the road. Still? Was a great ride!
We’re currently in the Smoky Mtns. at Clingman’s Dome. Eventually picking up BRP in Cherokee and heading north. Tail of the Dragon tomorrow. It is INSANE here today. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
2.8, or the 4 cyl? Both, in 1997? Super awesome, either way.Mine is a 2.8, and before they put the big old "roll hoops" behind the seats, though they had a place to install them.
Amazing shot at the Amoco! Thanks for keeping us updated on your journey! How many miles have you covered so far?
This photo was taken from somewhere in Appalacia, KY as we were attempting to get to Pikeville. This is real coal country. We were a bit lost at this point after inadvertently exiting Rt. 52 and on smaller roads that were beyond my comfort zone. We eventually made a Pikeville and headed to Pigeon Forge TN, spending the night there and visiting Clingman’s Dome before heading to Tail of the Dragon, then onto the Blue Ridge Parkway north to Asheville. The tunnels in this section and v Total mileage for this journey since we left just under 2 weeks ago is 2,300. And we’re not done yet! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I have done the BRP end to end numerous times on a motorcycle. I always said I'd like to come back sometime and show my wife and do it in a convertible. Well, I had that opportunity and I found that, like riding a motorcycle, you can either enjoy the road or you can enjoy the view. You can't do both. At least she got the view and I paid attention to the road. I guess that's why the have pull-offs for scenic overviews.
Me, too. I have led scenic six-day rides for the Raleigh HOG club multiple times. Had to cancel this year ride due COVID-19.
To be fair, on the BRP and Cherohala Skyway we pulled over quite a bit. I did all the driving, so of course I missed out on some spectacular views, especially approaching Asheville from the south. We also stopped in places like Seneca Rocks, Flatrock Bridge and Greenbrier in WV and Omni Park Resort in Asheville. All great places to stop and take in Mother Nature at its best. Then again, many of the roads we encountered were pure driving experiences.