Greeat Roads and other items of interest

Saw that the American Motorcyclist Association ( great group that you should join, they do a great job protecting the rights of motorcyclists as well as a being involved in motorcycle racing) published a list of the top "motorcycling roads in the US." #1 was the Beartooth Highway on the border of Montana and Wyoming. Got to admit, there was a photo, does look like a hell of a road to ride. Of course the great Pacific Coast Highway made the Top Ten (have not ridden it, but was lucky to drive a part of it in my Navy days, and it is a hell of a thing).
North Carolina had three roads in the top ten, which says a lot for the state. #7 was the Cherohala Skyway (got to love that name) near the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. The other at #3 is the famous "Tail of the Dragon"; US Route 3 also near the NC/TN border. I have not ridden either of those (yet) though came close to a dragon ride until the big work change in my life (the VA thing) put an end to that for a while. I have ridden a number of times on the AMA's #2 Top Ten US Road; The North Carolina section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. As far as riding goes, for an "OH WOW" experience, I have had more of them on the Parkway than in virtually any other riding. Riding the Blue Ridge Parkway in the fall is a breathtaking experience. Lots of great sights along the way from the town of Blowing Rock, to Grandfather Mountain, to all the lookouts and the great views, plus some fantastic roads. One of my favorite places to ride, and will be going back there again in the near future. Someday hope to ride the entire parkway, which runs all the way into Virginia.
As for Virginia, it also made the list at #12 (just outside of the top 10) with US Route 33, Harrisonburg, Virginia to Seneca Rocks, West Virginia . Have not been on that ride either, but could be done in the future. I have driven though Virginia and West Virginia, beautiful scenery and roads; West Virginia is a very interesting state.
One ride that really stands out, but did not make the list for me, is riding in the area of Mt. Airy, NC. The website www.visitmayberry.com in its things to do section notes that "motorcycles are welcome", and even suggests some riding routes. I find that refreshing, and have been to that area a number of times. It has some really good sights to check out, plus Mt. Airy (which was the basis for the Andy Griffith Show) is a neat town to explore.
Mentioned the ride last weekend, I also got to check out the Daytona 200. They had some major tire problems which black flagged the race for a couple of hours; I had to move on as time on my weekends home is limited, but I did enjoy seeing the bikes race. Daytona is a classic race with a long history, if the NASCAR version is the "Great American Race" (though I think the 500 has a better claim frankly) then the 200 is the "Great American Motorcycle Race". The racing season is in full swing both in the US and around the world and in a variety of types of motorcycles. If you want to get in on some of it at any level; once again the AMA is a great source for racing your type of bike in a number of state and local events.
Looking forward to the next ride. As I write this, it is the last day of winter; Spring starts tomorrow on March 20. Thank God!