The miles then began to pass more quickly. At first, the riders might have felt disconcerted by my presence but, over time, they got used to it. I even felt like I was part of the gang. It has to be said that we never exceeded 100 km/h. Unfortunately, they left the Parkway before we could get to know each other.

The CVO Road Glide fared quite nicely. There was no loss in braking power due to heat and the machine had enough juice to maintain a steady momentum. Oh, and by the way, no part of the bike ever brushed the ground.

This experience kept me riding strong, although with no one in front of me, each bend in the road proved tricky. I finally caught up with John from Michigan, who was riding a Honda ST1300 at an average speed of about 90 km/h. His cornering approach was definitely not as elegant as that of my former road buddies, but I kept a longer distance and was able to ride as I intended. Having another rider pointing what lies on the other side of a corner is a blessing. At one point, I told John that I had to stop for gas and, much to my surprise, he followed me. My French-Canadian accent betrayed me and he immediately wanted to chat.


We rode together for the remainder of the Blue Ridge. When he stopped to take some pictures, I kept going and even accelerated to 100 km/h. Yet, he managed to catch me a few hundreds of kilometres farther down the road... when I also stopped to capture the scenery with my camera.

I had left Roanoke at 9:30 am and it was 7:30 pm when I arrived at the South end of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Cheyenne, South Carolina. After a much-appreciated break, it was time to get back to Asheville to spend the night. Of course, I took the quickest route, namely the highway. When I got off the motorcycle and checked in at the hotel, I had 12 hours of riding in me.

The Blue Ridge Parkway can be divided into three sections. The North and South extremities (over 150 kilometres) represent an exciting adventure and a beautiful challenge if you keep pushing at 100 km/h. The middle section is less demanding, although you can turn a 75-km/h cruise into a 90-km/h active riding session and even a virtual endurance race as you try to maintain a speed of 100 km/h. Actually, it feels more like a long rally that stretches over 775 kilometres (480 miles).

Sure, there are tons of motorcycle riders, but I didn't see any cops. And sure, passing slower vehicles is not easy, but at least the Winnebagos don't spoil the party. Riding here and enjoying the awesome views is definitely worth the trip, whether you're touring the Appalachian states or simply seeking unique riding thrills. And please, be smart and respect other road users.

Part 2 of my journey is now completed. On Friday, it'll be a long, not-as-inspiring ride (705 km) on North Carolina's magnificent roads and all the way to the ocean.

The Big Adventure - Days 5 and 6

The Big Adventure - Day 3

The Big Adventure - Day 2

A new adventure - Appalachia aboard a Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide


Photo Credit : Luc Brière