Morrow Mountain Ride (August 30, 2010)

Phil (a former boss at the factory I transferred from, and a good friend) wanted to go for a ride. We had no destination in mind, but I took the lead and we headed out via some backroads I really like. After winding through those on a pretty close to perfect day (hot, but low humidity and not a cloud in the sky) we came out of the backroads with a choice. High Rock Lake or Morrow Mountain, and we took the right turn. The photo at left is our bikes at the top of Morrow Mountain. Normally a bike mecca and usually packed, it was clear of people on our arrival. One of my favorite places to ride. That is Phil standing by our bikes (mine in the front).
Like Morrow Mountain mainly because its a great ride there, with some beautiful roads. We got there riding through Baden, NC which is really a neat town. Sort of sad there in that the big Alcoa factory which has been closed for many years, is finally getting torn down. Those (I am told) were some great and well loved jobs. The view from the top is really nice and the state park around it has some swimming and picnic areas, camping and trails. It is important to watch for wildlife which can be encountered any time of the day; have come across deer in broad daylight in the past (none this trip though). This is a view from the top of one of the nearby lakes.
On the way back we stopped for some refreshment at Harmanco's which is just down the mountain in Albemarle, NC. I really like Albemarle (in fact posts not too far back document visits, though this was my first time in some time). Harmanco's offers good food and at reasonable prices. Enjoyed visiting with a biker in there, who had some good stories of his many years on the road on various bikes. Leaving there, we enjoyed a nice ride back up NC-73 to Concord where we split up and headed back to our houses. It was a remarkable ride. At the end of the day, I was grinning from ear to ear..a really fine few hours on the bike. With the Saturday ride and the Monday ride, covered a total of 160 very fun miles.
Did want to note, sad to read that a young man, aged 13 died on the track during one of the motorcycle races (not the MotoGP or the Moto2 race..though watched them both on Speed Channel over the weekend). My thoughts go out to his family during this sad time. This also serves as a reminder that if you are racing, or just out for a ride to always be careful and ride safe!