The Gap that almost wasn't...

[s2tbolt]

Finally!

After reading all the magazines (starting with the AMA issue from 1997) and Ride Reports on www.RocketMadness.com
I was going to Deals Gap!

We loaded the truck Wednesday night and got ready to pull out Thursday morning for the long drive.

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxchua.jpg


At 1:00 pm, we pulled off the Interstate in Nowhere, Alabama to refuel the truck (and us).
Waiting in the left turn lane, about four cars back from the light with a Jeep stopped behind us in traffic,
we hear a loud crash.
No tires screeching, just BOOM.
I look in the rear view and said “What was that ?!?” I didn’t even get those words out of my mouth
before we felt the impact.
“I can’t believe it!” We got out of the truck to find my bumper folded up underneath my truck

We were Vehicle No. 3

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxci6p.jpg

[s2tbolt]

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited that had tried to climb up onto the trailer with our bikes was Vehicle No. 2


http://i3.tinypic.com/vxciok.jpg

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxciex.jpg

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxcivb.jpg

[s2tbolt]

Vehicle No.1 that slammed into the Jeep…


http://i3.tinypic.com/vxcj2x.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/vxcj9w.jpg


No one was hurt bad, it could have been a lot worse…
(At that moment, I actually thought about how glad I was that we were trailering instead of riding)

After the Police and EMS left and the flat bed wreckers came to haul off the two totaled vehicles,
we carefully limped off the road, disconnected the trailer and set out to get a new bumper installed on the truck.
We ended up at a nearby Ford Dealership and explained we were 300 miles from home
and were in dire need of immediate repairs. They were great and helped us out right away.
They did not have a bumper kit in stock but did have a receiver hitch, so that’s what we had to do.

[s2tbolt]

While we waited, we checked out this cool old touring car in their showroom…


http://i3.tinypic.com/vxckt0.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/vxcknd.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/vxclf9.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/vxclkn.jpg

[s2tbolt]

In no time, they had removed the destroyed bumper and installed the hitch.
We asked about finding someone who could do some rough welding to piece the traier back together
and the service man told me to go get the trailer and come back and they would take care of it for me.
A quick detour to Walmart for the drop piece, hook the trailer back up and back to the dealership to weld some pieces back on.
Only 4.5 hours after the incident, we were back on the road. God is good! All the time!

I missed an intended turn somewhere and ended up in Knoxville wondering how that happened when we came upon 129 South.
So, we turned down toward Maryville.
Strangely enough, there was another truck trailering two red sportbikes behind us
so I pulled off at the overlook and snapped this pic.

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxclqh.jpg

Before I knew it,

I was driving the Dragon...

at Midnight...

under that full moon...

[s2tbolt]

Early the next morning, (Good Friday) a rider went down at the top of the hill near the Resort.
Many thanks to Brad and Dan for all their efforts and helping take care of this man and get his bike out and on the trailer.

Well, here’s proof that we had finally made it…


http://i3.tinypic.com/vxcm7d.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/vxcmep.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/vxd6q1.jpg

[s2tbolt]

After a couple of runs on the Dragon, I was starting to ease up on the pucker factor and enjoy myself.

I noticed a woman with long hair dressed in full leathers on the pull off right past Killboy who looked like she was waiting and watching for someone.
A few turns down the road, I noticed her again...
as she blew by me on the inside on the sweetest sounding RC51.

OK, I wasn’t the fastest guy out there but I was having just as much fun as anybody else...

and I was improving my “Pace”
http://www.rocketmadness.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10654&highlight=pace

Met some Yankee Buell brothers from Badweb…

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxd6y1.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/vxd74x.jpg



And another Bueller who had just bought this beautiful Triumph Daytona

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxd7h1.jpg

[s2tbolt]

Following in the tracks of some of the RM Ride Reports, we came across this familiar scene…

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxd7r9.jpg



At the General Store

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxd7kh.jpg



The Cherohola Skyway was awesome

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxddvq.jpg

[s2tbolt]

The next day, we ventured out to Bridal Veil Falls between Franklin and Highland…

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxd82h.jpg


Only it was impassable now…

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxd8ap.jpg


We saw a club of Vets go by and even a T-Rex.



This group of MR2’s showed up and that first one was a beauty

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxd8ib.jpg


Notice the Turbo Boost dial on the top right…

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxd9w3.jpg

[s2tbolt]

Some vintage bikes…

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxda2g.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/vxda9g.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/vxdaht.jpg

[s2tbolt]

Some modern bikes…

http://i3.tinypic.com/w2fu3o.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/vxdann.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/vxdats.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/vxdb2r.jpg

[s2tbolt]

http://i3.tinypic.com/w2gcw2.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/w2gd3o.jpg



Even choppers love The Gap…

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxdaxd.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/vxdb8w.jpg

[s2tbolt]

OK, one last run before dark…

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxdbbb.jpg



Easter Sunday morning was beautiful…

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxdbhg.jpg


Another Dragon junkie…

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxom8l.jpg


We hooked up for the long drive home

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxclxf.jpg

[s2tbolt]

Can you hear that?

http://i3.tinypic.com/vxcm4g.jpg


It's calling...


I can’t wait to go back!

[brad@dealsgap]

Great trip report, what a story. Best part is no one was hurt in the accident. Thanks for coming to visit can not wait to see you guys again.

Brad

[TwistedCBR]

you either were there when i was or the "matrix" looking bike was there again :)

[Inten_Z]

Great ride report, sorry to hear of the misfortunes of travel but looks like everything worked out. Wish I had gotten a chance to meet you while I was there on Fri.

[s2tbolt]

http://www.longlewis.com/

Long-Lewis Ford,
2551 John Hawkins Pkwy.
Hoover, AL 35244

Dear Mr. Dwight Burrell,

I came to your facility for service quite by accident, literally.

Around 1:00 pm on Thursday April 13th (Easter Weekend), I was traveling from my home in Baton Rouge, LA to Deal’s Gap, NC (near Knoxville, TN) and exited the interstate in Bessemmer, AL to get gas and lunch. There I was the third vehicle in a crash where the first two were total losses. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.

I was towing a trailer with my Buell motorcycle and my buddy’s Harley-Davidson but my bumper was destroyed prohibiting the towing capabilities of my truck. The trailer suffered serious damage to the rear but the tongue was only slightly damaged. After prying the truck and trailer apart, we were forced to leave it and seek immediate repairs to the truck.

We were directed to your facility by the kindness of strangers where we had the good fortune of meeting Mr. Chris Jones. He was friendly and professional and so was Melvin. They repaired my truck in record time, even assisting us in minor repairs to the trailer, just to get us back on the road, for which we are sincerely grateful.

Without the “extra-mile” efforts of your co-workers, we would have been in dire straights due to the Holiday weekend.

“Good Service” is a rare commodity these days and I hope you can appreciate the folks working there with you at Long-Lewis Ford.

I am letting everyone I know that Alabama’s largest Ford Store in Hoover, AL does indeed exhibit the kind of service that would make our grandfathers proud!

Best regards,

[brad@dealsgap]

:)
Great letter, all to often people are quick to complain but fail to praise when dealing with companies. All to often people want to tell you how bad your service is, how poorly you treated them or how you ofended them in some shape or fashion. Those same people also forgot the word thanks when they are helped out. I will be moving this fords links to our links page as a perfered company, seems they go out of their way to help others........all of us should seek to be the same.

Thanks

[brad@dealsgap]

We also will be adding their web link on dealsgap.com like to help out anyone who helps out others

[s2tbolt]

That's great Brad!
I believe in giving credit where credit is due!

[brad@dealsgap]

So do I, and it is hard to find a car dealer that is service focused. I am glad they were able to get you going.:)

[s2tbolt]

www.Killboy.com rocks!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/s2tbolt/Killboy/02955.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/s2tbolt/Killboy/02956.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/s2tbolt/Killboy/05186.jpg

[adrelinejunkie]

Cool it was really nice meeting you guys to, we too had a blast. And lets not the Canadians were the first on that wheelie hill accident scene....lol

[Ben]

The irony....

you forgot to put the word forget in your last post... :lol

Glad you had fun and look forward to seeing you back sooner than later.

When you get the chance, check out the latest edition of Road Racer X for a cool article.

Ben

[Jason]

[QUOTE=s2tbolt] God is good! All the time!

All the time! God is good!

Heading down Memorial day weekend and seeing those pictures made the wait that much worse.:D

[Git 'R Done]

Great post.....

Happy that no one got hurt!!

[s2tbolt]

Cool it was really nice meeting you guys too, we too had a blast. And lets not (forget) the Canadians were the first on that wheelie hill accident scene....lol



To our neighbors from "the frozen nawth"...

http://i3.tinypic.com/zjxn9t.jpg

We will never forget

the young man
on the silver gixxer

that sped up wheelie hill
on that cold Good Friday morning

to help a brother gone down...

In memory of Bobby Blanchard (http://www.dealsgap.com/forum/showthread.php?t=117)


See ya in Heaven Bobby.