- you want a long twisty riding day in the mountains and one of your riding buddies is free and wants the same thing
-your good riding buddy also makes said day ride route and shares it with you
EDIT: -Route taken-
-it's summer in South Carolina, and the forecast is cloudy with periodic rain during the day
-it's summer in South Carolina, but you're going to be up in the cool elevations
-when you get to the base of Rt 80 in Marion and there's light traffic going up the hill
-when the main part of 80 is freshly paved
-when the rain forecast has kept the majority of "wannabes" off the roads
-when the main part of Roan Mountain is freshly paved
-when you start filtering through a few bikers on Roan Mountain, that turn into 15, but its no big deal as they don't road rage because the club rides Indians-and not Harleys
-when various, multiple pickemup trucks road rage with you because you passed them because they were going slow or are trying to get around them, but you don't end up in an ambulance
-is riding US421 and having the road to yourself
-is stopping in Shady Valley in a fairly empty parking lot for a break and meeting a couple other FJR riders that come up to you and saying, "Nice bike!"
-is riding in the cool forest canopy of Rt 33 midday up to Damascus
-is when ambling through Damascus you see a very large biker club all cued up to head out and you are able to get out ahead of their "parade-without-a-permit"
-is when someone warns you at Shady Valley that "VA58 will be all clogged up with weekend traffic and they can take you on a better way", But you listen to your riding buddy who wants to do 58 anyways, and it is clear!
-when Rt 58 is freshly paved
-is when your riding buddy takes over lead in the cooling rain because you are a rain pussy
-is when you are wandering through the countryside and all you see is rural beauty
-is when you have a couple hours of mostly light cooling rains in the heat of the day
-is finding a spot under a rain free canopy in Banner Elk to stop and have a late day sandwich and coffee, just the way you like it in a SS thermos, to give you that late day boost to get home on a longer day
-is finding 181 in the dry when heading downhill from the BRP
-when 181 has great pavement
-is having those last few shared wiggly miles before heading on the rural country connector roads to get home.
-is getting home 15 minutes before the GPS says you are going to arrive, and having no bad things happen on the way
-is having a wife that understands, even though she is increasingly fearful
-riding an FJR and meeting all the people that came with the bike
