Heads up - Blue Ridge Parkway & re-surfacing 07/2020

[Navydad]

For anyone planning to travel the Blue Ridge Parkway, especially on two wheels. They are resurfacing the road at the north end using the chip and seal method. Apparently they got a great deal on gravel because it is VERY thick and loose and not just in the curves, but everywhere. They have signs asking motorcycles and bicycles to avoid the area. This goes on for the first thirty miles. Another issue is the thick dust. It was windows up and lots of washer fluid used in my pickup on Tuesday. Also, the Parkway is closed through Roanoke because of damage caused by heavy rain. After seeing the pictures I would say it's going to be closed for a long time.

[JayBros]

By the northern end do you mean the southernmost part of the VA portion?

[MONK]

That was my question, too. I ride the BRP quite a bit although I rarely get north of NC. Just want to make sure my next trip doesn't end in a turn around (although there are worse things).

[tibadoe]

And I was planning on taking a little trip up to the Parkway this week. Think I will put it on hold for a little bit.

[Navydad]

By the northern end do you mean the southernmost part of the VA portion?

Mileposts 1 through 30. Where the BRP starts at Waynesboro, Virginia.

[JayBros]

Thank you.

[blacklightning]

Thanks for the information. I will actually be going to the mountains tomorrow for a 3 day weekend. But we will be on the southern end (around Maggie Valley). I rarely go north of the Boone area, but thanks anyway.

[Navydad]

Thanks for the information. I will actually be going to the mountains tomorrow for a 3 day weekend. But we will be on the southern end (around Maggie Valley). I rarely go north of the Boone area, but thanks anyway.

Spent four days in Maggie last week. I hate to see the mess that Covid has caused in the world, but on the other hand traffic was light on all the popular roads. Even 441 over to Gatlinburg was moving at a brisk pace and on SATURDAY at that.

[MONK]

Thanks for the information. I will actually be going to the mountains tomorrow for a 3 day weekend. But we will be on the southern end (around Maggie Valley). I rarely go north of the Boone area, but thanks anyway.

Boone to Sparta (Cherry Hill) most weekends then 18 back down to the house. That just never gets old. Super way to spend 3 hours.

[pieman9155]

in sept we where hoping to run skyline and brp for a 2 week run

[biker01red]

Spent four days in Maggie last week. I hate to see the mess that Covid has caused in the world, but on the other hand traffic was light on all the popular roads. Even 441 over to Gatlinburg was moving at a brisk pace and on SATURDAY at that.

I will be in Maggie for a week the end of August. Look forward to that every year !!!

[tibadoe]

I usually ride between the 50 - 100 mile marker. Glad to see the road work is elsewhere. Great riding any-which way you go.

[NEXUS]

I usually ride between the 50 - 100 mile marker. Glad to see the road work is elsewhere. Great riding any-which way you go.

We discovered this going to the peaks otter three weeks ago from the Shenandoah Parkway.
No information just roadwork ahead hit the gravel that look like had just been put down
I slow down to 20 miles an hour thinking that maybe it was only a few miles but that was a mistake.

After 5 miles and people passing me dust everywhere I turned around but what I didn't know was
my trailer I had just recently painted had a rock rash from my stupidity.

It started pretty close to somewhere around mile marker 50 going south.

rocks.jpg

So I ended up having to put bed liner material on the front of it to cover up all the small rock damage
that had occurred.

20200710_143544.jpg

Still I wonder why they left it like that why they couldn't sweep off some of the rock or why they did that
type of paving on a Parkway where they knew there were a lot of bicycles and motorcycles?

This is a hard lesson I had to learn next time stop and turn around immediately without question.

[Navydad]

The area where you got caught is much better now that the gravel has been dispersed a lot by traffic and rain. They moved north and now it is a mess.

[NEXUS]

Spent four days in Maggie last week. I hate to see the mess that Covid has caused in the world, but on the other hand traffic was light on all the popular roads. Even 441 over to Gatlinburg was moving at a brisk pace and on SATURDAY at that.

Just got back from five days in the Smoky Mountains with the new 2020 RTL.
Did the Dragon twice and was very impressed with the handling and steering of the 2020.

Annotation 2020-07-23 065724.jpg

Easily pulled away from the Harleys and I was pulling a trailer and of course the wife.
Any of you who haven't tried the 2020 should take a test drive just to see how much
the steering and the handling has changed. I been down the Dragon with 2014 RTL
big difference in steering and handling.

Rode about 600 miles did the Cade Cove-Foothills Parkway-etc.

The biggest difference was between Tennessee and Carolina with the covid-19.
Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge wide open almost normal. Cherokee not so much restaurant
closed up hardly no places to eat unless you want to stand in line still on stage 2. Other
than that saw elk every time we passed through Cherokee.

20200721_135958.jpg

20200720_133115.jpg

One thing I did notice on the back roads in the mountains was a lots of Trump signs
and Confederate flags everywhere.

Their is Hope

[tibadoe]

We discovered this going to the peaks otter three weeks ago from the Shenandoah Parkway.........

...........It started pretty close to somewhere around mile marker 50 going south.......

.............This is a hard lesson I had to learn next time stop and turn around immediately without question.

Good to know. If I would have come up on this I definitely would have turned around. I will be waiting until the heat calms down a bit before I venture out much. By then I would think it would be back to normal.

[Steve W.]

At milepost 128:
https://www.nps.gov/blri/learn/news/.../IMG_0844.jpeg

Read about all the closures here:
https://www.nps.gov/blri/learn/news/...sure_05_22.htm

.

[blacklightning]

I will be heading over to do the Cherohola Skyway, Dragon, and parts of Moonshiner 28 tomorrow morning. Going to be in Gatlinburg the middle of August with the family and back to Maggie Valley for the spyder rally 10/7-11.

[NEXUS]

At milepost 128:
https://www.nps.gov/blri/learn/news/.../IMG_0844.jpeg

Read about all the closures here:
https://www.nps.gov/blri/learn/news/...sure_05_22.htm

.

Thanks Steve this is a big deal if you ride the parkway a lot like I do.
This will take awhile to fix.

hole.jpg

road.jpg

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Still I wonder why they left it like that why they couldn't sweep off some of the rock or why they did that
type of paving on a Parkway where they knew there were a lot of bicycles and motorcycles?

I believe they leave the gravel so it can be thoroughly embedded into the oil by the weight of traffic. It usually is swept off after a few days. As much of a problem as chip sealing is for traffic it's a proven method to economically extend the life of the roadway many years.

[Fat Baxter]

Chipsealing can be rough on drive belts. Get a belt guard.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Chipsealing can be rough on drive belts. Get a belt guard.

A chip sealing crew go PO'd at me one time because I wouldn't keep up with the cars ahead of me. I told them I didn't want to throw rocks into the belt.