After at least 10 years after our last trip up the Auto Road, conditions were perfect to make another run. This would be my 11th or 12th time going up on the bike.
I was trying out my new GoPro Hero3 Black and upon watching the video, I noticed a few things. Although not saved in widescreen for this video, it does record in widescreen. Objects in the video within 50 feet seem to be up to twice their distance away. The camera has a much better ability to see in the fog ( actually, we were in the clouds ) than my eyes. There were many times where I could only see about 15 feet, while the camera could more than double that. At the parking lot at the top, the fog was so bad, I wasn't even sure where to park the bike.
The other thing I noticed is my almost complete lack of interest in the view... let me explain. When I first started going up, it was WOW. I constantly whipped my head around looking at the the beauty of the mountains and valleys, while trying to not run off the road. As my confidence in riding the road grew, I could sight see most of the time, only needing to change the focus of my attention in the tight corners. Fast forward 10 years, many trips and MANY miles later. The ride up has changed for me, the drive isn't for sightseeing, its a technical ride involving narrow roads, dirt, steep climbs, hairpin turns and dodging people who are barely able to navigate the road.
In the past, I was told at the entry booth to pass when safe and enjoy the ride. I have been stuck behind cars and trucks CREEPING up the mountain at speeds as low as 10mph. Speeds that low are fine in a car or truck with an automatic transmission, but on a motorcycle, that's just above idle. Certain styles of bikes, notably the big twins, seem to handle the creeping speeds much better that the multi cylinder bikes. Vapor lock, plug fouling and overheating are all possibilities that can be encountered when lugging a motor at low rpm and heavy throttle... I've had them all.
I admit that the current instruction when paying for the road is no passing, which I did do. I only passed when the road was straight, visibility was good, and it was safe. I was able to navigate the difficult sections without worry of somebody coming to dead stop in a hairpin turn - yup, had that happen - or even just stop on a steep grade just to look at the view. When I was in the dense cloud, I didn't have to worry about somebody coming to a sudden stop or being rear ended ( that's happened to me twice on the m/c, but not on the mountain ). I do not recommend nor advocate that other riders pass going up the mountain. The possibility of making a mistake and driving off the road is very real.
Негізгі бет Going up Mt Washington into dense clouds on my Motorcycle
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