Riding and Roughing It
Originally Published in Southeastern Rider Magazine, November 2018
Motorcycle Camping at the Horizons Unlimited North Carolina Traveler’s Meeting
So, it may not have been the best idea to take our first foray into motorcycle camping to an event full of seasoned veterans at riding and roughing it. I had taken this same bike, my 2003 Honda VTX 1800c camping once before, years ago to an event in Sturgis, Michigan. I rode alone on that trip, so I didn’t need to leave room for a passenger, nor did I need all the items twice the people demands.
In the months leading up the Horizons Unlimited Event, my favorite riding partner, Kasey, and I went back and forth on whether we would make it or not. With the belief that we could at least make it to the closest hotel if needed, we decided to go for it.
Horizons Unlimited is a series of meetings that take place all year long and all over the world. Each meeting is a unique experience mixed with adventure travelers their vehicles. The locations are also waypoints left by founders Grant and Susan Johnson from their round the world journey. They began the trek, as well as taking on the limits of the horizon, back in 1987. This was three years after Grant, a former motorcycle racer, and Susan, a quiet accountant met. Over the next decade, the organization grew, and eleven years later became their occupation.
Our decision to go would be tested nearly everyday leading up to the event. If it wasn’t, “That’s not
going to fit on the bike,” or “Do we really need to take that”, or Mother Nature changing the long-range forecast, we went back and forth like some of our favorite curvy roads.
It was a Thursday Morning, and we started where we have started a lot of rides, with breakfast at The Wayside Restaurant in Stanfield, North Carolina. We didn’t want to take off too early only to quickly encounter Charlotte rush hour traffic. We made our way west on Highway 24/27 until we reached the outer belt of the Queen’s City, which took us north. It didn’t take us long on I-485 before it became grueling and boring. Getting around town didn’t give us immediate relief, as we had to take I-85 west away from town. We were both ready for a break, so we pulled off the ramp to State Road 321 and quickly found a gas station. Our legs got stretched, and we quenched our thirst with some water.
Before heading back on the super slab, I checked all the luggage, including the large bag bungy corded on the rack atop the trunk. Despite the fact that this bag was stowing the tent, sleeping pad, and some other small items, it was pretty light, and still very secure.
A few more miles down the road, we veered off on US-74, and while not an interstate, it wasn’t much different, except the traffic was much lighter. Near Forest City, we took Alternate US-74, or the business route. We would take another break in Rutherfordton to get fuel, and stretch our legs bit more. We knew we had camp to set up once we arrived, but we also didn’t want to rush the trip.
We pushed on, and the road got better as we did. We closed in on the trio of scenic and touristy towns
of Lake Lure, Chimney Rock, and Bat Cave. At the far edge of Bat Cave, we weren’t really ready for a break, but we found a unique place to make stop, and get some Apple Cider. Back on the road, which tightened up for a bit as we made our approach to Asheville. Since we were rounding another major urban area, we hit Interstate 40. This can feature some heavy traffic, but not at around noon on Thursday. At the edge of town, our stomachs were rumbling as loud as the bike, so we pulled off, and found Chic-Fil-A to get a bite to eat.
We continued on US 29 heading west through the foothills and into the base of the mountains. Just passed Clyde, we re-joined US 74. Shortly after entering the Nantahala National Forest, the road starts winding, and getting far more interesting. US 74 would take us close, but we would stay on State Road 28, also known as The Moonshiner, and head into motorcycle campground land. If you have looked into accommodations in this area, you know there are many motorcycle lodging options.
At Stecoah, we pull into the Wolf Creek General Store to fill up the bike. I wanted a full tank when we pulled into Iron Horse Motorcycle Campground.
Gunter Gap Road is a back-country road through fields and farms, and just as you think you are lost, signs appear, and guide you to your arrival at Iron Horse. Our expectations, of the campground and the event would begin to meet realty. We didn’t have any definitive idea what to expect, but it wasn’t my vision. We both expected more venders, and maybe even more people in general. While we would have liked to do some more shopping, neither of us are big crowd kind of people, plus we were relieved that the campground wasn’t full. Heck, there was even parking spaces open under the overhang at the lodge. We didn’t take one of those spaces, but parked along the split rail fence, and entered the building to check in.
Once registered and checked in, we staked our claim to a plot of grass that would host the tent and motorcycle. There are no defined sites, except for electric, so we just grabbed plot where we felt like we wouldn’t be on top of someone else.
We were settled, and were able to take a look around before we prepared our dinner. I figured a big cruiser would be unique at a Horizons Unlimited Event, and I wasn’t wrong. There were others, but dual sports and adventure bikes far outnumbered us. A surprise was the amount of people that were heading to the lodge to take part in the meal prepared by the lodge. We really thought more people would bring food, and prepare it, as we did. We weren’t doing anything complicated, just heated up some water for our Mountain House meal in a bag.
Darkness seemed to have come quickly, so we snuggled into our canvas home. The sleeping pad made it able for us to have some cushion from the ground, but it might be an area we need to improve. We awoke the next morning to cool air. Once again, while droves made their way to the cafeteria, we heated up water making coffee for her, and tea for me. The next batch of water would heat up another Mountain House Bag Meal.
We spent the day traveling the Cherohala Skyway, and I would elaborate on the trip, but that is a whole another story and article. The end of this day seemed the same as day before. We arrived back at the campground, strolled around a bit, and then heated up another pan of water for our dinner. We didn’t have room to pack chairs, so we inquired about renting some, but were told we could take the patio chairs to our campsite. Our neighbors, two jolly guys from Ohio followed our move, and we spent the evening trading stories. Even though we were more tired this day, sleep was hard to start. Most of it was because of a loud group that was not part of the event. Once the amount of alcohol they consumed kicked in, and they went down for the night, we could start sawing logs.
We had sat in on a few presentations the night before, but we dedicated Saturday to visiting
presentations all day. They were a mix of topics, as well as experience in the presenters. Kind of like a group ride when a variety of bikes show with novice to experienced riders. All the presentations included engaging stories and experiences to inspire. While early and waiting for a presentation, we got to see part of another’s show – bonus!
We made a change for that evening for dinner, opting to take part in the Prime Rib offered by the Iron Horse Campground Cafeteria. They have ample eating areas, but rain fell upon us at dinner time, rendering the outside are not usable. Because of that, it was hard to find a table to sit and eat. Kasey improvised by stripping the checkers table of it pieces, and we had a table for two.
While I’m here, I should share my review of Iron Horse. We had a truly wonderful experience. The people were friendly, the campground was nice and well kept. With the exception of the group mentioned before, it was a tranquil place to rough it for a few days. Also, the Prime Rib was some of the best I have ever had.
Sunday came around, and it was time to pack up, and make our way home. The worry is that you will never get things packed back up on the bike. We had eaten quite a bit of our luggage, so packing was actually easy. I also remembered where everything came from, so it went back, and fit.
We didn’t eat breakfast, as we planned to get some miles in and make it to Cherokee to have breakfast at the Frontier Pancake House. If you have read about our trip last year to Fontana, you know we have visited this place before. We decided it was worthy of a repeat visit.
We passed through Maggie Valley, and wound our way back to Clyde, and continued to reverse our trip to make it back home. Most of our talk over the intercom was how we had ridden, roughed it, and made it through. We may be back next year, but first, we need to go back and forth on attending a spring time event in Virginia.
Rodney Myers is Rider, a Writer, and Video Storyteller. He started riding around age 5. He made up stories before he knew how to write, and was fortunate enough to attend a high school that had a television station.
To read more of my motorcycle stories, you can check out my Motorcycle Blog at:
www.Blogspot.RodneysMCBlog.com
For more information:
Horizons Unlimited: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/
Iron Horse Campground: http://ironhorsenc.com/
Motorcycle Camping at the Horizons Unlimited North Carolina Traveler’s Meeting
So, it may not have been the best idea to take our first foray into motorcycle camping to an event full of seasoned veterans at riding and roughing it. I had taken this same bike, my 2003 Honda VTX 1800c camping once before, years ago to an event in Sturgis, Michigan. I rode alone on that trip, so I didn’t need to leave room for a passenger, nor did I need all the items twice the people demands.
In the months leading up the Horizons Unlimited Event, my favorite riding partner, Kasey, and I went back and forth on whether we would make it or not. With the belief that we could at least make it to the closest hotel if needed, we decided to go for it.
Horizons Unlimited is a series of meetings that take place all year long and all over the world. Each meeting is a unique experience mixed with adventure travelers their vehicles. The locations are also waypoints left by founders Grant and Susan Johnson from their round the world journey. They began the trek, as well as taking on the limits of the horizon, back in 1987. This was three years after Grant, a former motorcycle racer, and Susan, a quiet accountant met. Over the next decade, the organization grew, and eleven years later became their occupation.
Our decision to go would be tested nearly everyday leading up to the event. If it wasn’t, “That’s not
 |
| Does this bag make my bike’s rear end look big? Maybe, but the fish-eye lens on the camera also exaggerates the appearance. |
It was a Thursday Morning, and we started where we have started a lot of rides, with breakfast at The Wayside Restaurant in Stanfield, North Carolina. We didn’t want to take off too early only to quickly encounter Charlotte rush hour traffic. We made our way west on Highway 24/27 until we reached the outer belt of the Queen’s City, which took us north. It didn’t take us long on I-485 before it became grueling and boring. Getting around town didn’t give us immediate relief, as we had to take I-85 west away from town. We were both ready for a break, so we pulled off the ramp to State Road 321 and quickly found a gas station. Our legs got stretched, and we quenched our thirst with some water.
Before heading back on the super slab, I checked all the luggage, including the large bag bungy corded on the rack atop the trunk. Despite the fact that this bag was stowing the tent, sleeping pad, and some other small items, it was pretty light, and still very secure.
A few more miles down the road, we veered off on US-74, and while not an interstate, it wasn’t much different, except the traffic was much lighter. Near Forest City, we took Alternate US-74, or the business route. We would take another break in Rutherfordton to get fuel, and stretch our legs bit more. We knew we had camp to set up once we arrived, but we also didn’t want to rush the trip.
We pushed on, and the road got better as we did. We closed in on the trio of scenic and touristy towns
 |
| Because it is late in the season, Lake Lure was not too heavily populated. It was nice enough for us to take a break. |
We continued on US 29 heading west through the foothills and into the base of the mountains. Just passed Clyde, we re-joined US 74. Shortly after entering the Nantahala National Forest, the road starts winding, and getting far more interesting. US 74 would take us close, but we would stay on State Road 28, also known as The Moonshiner, and head into motorcycle campground land. If you have looked into accommodations in this area, you know there are many motorcycle lodging options.
At Stecoah, we pull into the Wolf Creek General Store to fill up the bike. I wanted a full tank when we pulled into Iron Horse Motorcycle Campground.
Gunter Gap Road is a back-country road through fields and farms, and just as you think you are lost, signs appear, and guide you to your arrival at Iron Horse. Our expectations, of the campground and the event would begin to meet realty. We didn’t have any definitive idea what to expect, but it wasn’t my vision. We both expected more venders, and maybe even more people in general. While we would have liked to do some more shopping, neither of us are big crowd kind of people, plus we were relieved that the campground wasn’t full. Heck, there was even parking spaces open under the overhang at the lodge. We didn’t take one of those spaces, but parked along the split rail fence, and entered the building to check in.
Once registered and checked in, we staked our claim to a plot of grass that would host the tent and motorcycle. There are no defined sites, except for electric, so we just grabbed plot where we felt like we wouldn’t be on top of someone else.
We were settled, and were able to take a look around before we prepared our dinner. I figured a big cruiser would be unique at a Horizons Unlimited Event, and I wasn’t wrong. There were others, but dual sports and adventure bikes far outnumbered us. A surprise was the amount of people that were heading to the lodge to take part in the meal prepared by the lodge. We really thought more people would bring food, and prepare it, as we did. We weren’t doing anything complicated, just heated up some water for our Mountain House meal in a bag.
Darkness seemed to have come quickly, so we snuggled into our canvas home. The sleeping pad made it able for us to have some cushion from the ground, but it might be an area we need to improve. We awoke the next morning to cool air. Once again, while droves made their way to the cafeteria, we heated up water making coffee for her, and tea for me. The next batch of water would heat up another Mountain House Bag Meal.
We spent the day traveling the Cherohala Skyway, and I would elaborate on the trip, but that is a whole another story and article. The end of this day seemed the same as day before. We arrived back at the campground, strolled around a bit, and then heated up another pan of water for our dinner. We didn’t have room to pack chairs, so we inquired about renting some, but were told we could take the patio chairs to our campsite. Our neighbors, two jolly guys from Ohio followed our move, and we spent the evening trading stories. Even though we were more tired this day, sleep was hard to start. Most of it was because of a loud group that was not part of the event. Once the amount of alcohol they consumed kicked in, and they went down for the night, we could start sawing logs.
We had sat in on a few presentations the night before, but we dedicated Saturday to visiting
 |
| One of the presentations involved touring the campgrounds looking at “Farkle”. Our guide led us to this creation, which was ridden from New Jersey. |
We made a change for that evening for dinner, opting to take part in the Prime Rib offered by the Iron Horse Campground Cafeteria. They have ample eating areas, but rain fell upon us at dinner time, rendering the outside are not usable. Because of that, it was hard to find a table to sit and eat. Kasey improvised by stripping the checkers table of it pieces, and we had a table for two.
While I’m here, I should share my review of Iron Horse. We had a truly wonderful experience. The people were friendly, the campground was nice and well kept. With the exception of the group mentioned before, it was a tranquil place to rough it for a few days. Also, the Prime Rib was some of the best I have ever had.
Sunday came around, and it was time to pack up, and make our way home. The worry is that you will never get things packed back up on the bike. We had eaten quite a bit of our luggage, so packing was actually easy. I also remembered where everything came from, so it went back, and fit.
We didn’t eat breakfast, as we planned to get some miles in and make it to Cherokee to have breakfast at the Frontier Pancake House. If you have read about our trip last year to Fontana, you know we have visited this place before. We decided it was worthy of a repeat visit.
We passed through Maggie Valley, and wound our way back to Clyde, and continued to reverse our trip to make it back home. Most of our talk over the intercom was how we had ridden, roughed it, and made it through. We may be back next year, but first, we need to go back and forth on attending a spring time event in Virginia.
 |
| The Iron Horse Motorcycle Campground proved to not only provide scenic accommodations with their grounds, but also hosted some pretty tasty chow. |
Rodney Myers is Rider, a Writer, and Video Storyteller. He started riding around age 5. He made up stories before he knew how to write, and was fortunate enough to attend a high school that had a television station.
To read more of my motorcycle stories, you can check out my Motorcycle Blog at:
www.Blogspot.RodneysMCBlog.com
For more information:
Horizons Unlimited: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/
Iron Horse Campground: http://ironhorsenc.com/
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