Riding North Carolina (An Overview)

For the last 10 years, I have been riding my motorcycle(s) in North Carolina. For the first seven years, the Honda VLX 600 Shadow, for the last three the Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 Classic. I can honestly say I have enjoyed each mile, for this is one of the most beautiful and interesting states I have had the joy of riding in. With fall, which is one of the best seasons to ride due to the beauty to be found here, coming up there are sure to be some specific posts of some interesting rides.
Fall is the time for great mountain rides. Riding in the cool air, under the multi-colored trees is filled with a number of "oh wow" moments. I can not say enough about riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is nothing short of a national treasure. With a number of places to pull off to see the remarkable scenery, it is nothing short of remarkable. There are also a number of towns to be found among its length such as Blowing Rock, Asheville, and many more which are interesting places to explore in and of themselves.
There are sometimes direct (aka highways) to various destinations, but sometimes not. That is often a good thing. To be honest, drivers in North Carolina tend to drive pretty fast. It is not uncommon to be passed by a car going much faster than you. The driver is more times than not glued to his or her cell phone, lost in conversation. Traffic at times can be pretty heavy as well. Times happen when the shortest distance between two points is via the highway, but even though fast, its not often the best way to get to a place. In fact, often its not even a possible way. For instance, to get to the Outer Banks, or to Myrtle Beach for instance, there is NO direct highway route.
To get to those places, as well as many others there are a number of backroads. North Carolina Routes such as NC-73, NC-29, NC-49, NC-52 (among many others) are usually two or four lane roads that pass through some beautiful scenery, interesting towns, and past amazing sights. If you ride in North Carolina, I would suggest you seek those routes out; you will be glad you did.
Some of the larger cities can be very interesting. I enjoy riding around Charlotte which is going through some amazing changes, interesting growth and has a lot to offer. I have also enjoyed Asheville, Winston-Salem and Greensboro. There are some remarkable things to find in those areas.
Also of special note are the mountain town of Chimney Rock (with the beautiful sight of Lake Lure which you find after riding on a twisty road; a remarkable thing to discover), the ride up NC-29 to Mt. Airy (which is the town which Mayberry was based on), NC-49 or NC-73 to Albemarle where Morrow Mountain is located.
Of course riding in North Carolina, NC-74 will take you to many places; its part of the route in one direction into the mountains, it also was the route I took with friends to Wilmington, NC.
One of the great things about this state is taking a ride "thataway"...to explore new places and things. It is big enough that even after 10 years there is still a lot to see, and many new places to explore. I intend to share many of those places on this blog over the next few months and years.
I hope in the next few months to get to Raleigh (I have yet to be there), explore some new sights in the mountains, to get back to the sea again, and to return to some old favorite places.
Also nearby and a very interesting place to ride, is South Carolina, but I will save that overview for another post. I hope you will enjoy my travels on the roads of the Carolinas, and will find something in them that will interest you.