mattb [is] always sleeping » Travels

Mountain riding report

Matt Britt — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:39:51 +0000

Today myself and a co-worker decided to go on a ride in the mountains around Hanging Rock Park. What resulted was six full hours of engine-flogging curve-eating wrist-damaging twisty goodness. Trip report follows after the map of our route.

Mountain twisties near Hanging Rock Park, NC.

Our trip took us up Highway 89 and back down Highway 66 into Winston-Salem, with a brief diversion into Hanging Rock Park for some fun on a few steep hairpin curves. My co-worker went his own way after we reached Winston-Salem, and I re-traced the route backwards to get home (certainly the long way, but far more fun than Interstate 40). Highway 89 is fantastic as long as you don’t get stuck behind (or cannot pass) cars in one of the handful of little towns it meanders through. Highway 66 also has some great curves, though for much of it the road quality is somewhat poor, and the uneven pavement and potholes can be somewhat unnerving when you’re pinned in a tight turn. It’s still a worthwhile stretch of road, just one which you might want to tackle at a slightly slower pace than normal. Next time I’d like to take Highway 89 all the way out to Mount Airy and see how the curves measure up. Here’s a link to the route on Google Maps, good for as long as Google doesn’t change the map URL API.

I didn’t bring a camera with me this time, so no obligatory photograph of me in my riding regalia against a scenic backdrop. However I did take this photo of my throttle hand soon after arriving home (no that’s not leather color from my gloves).

War wounds sustained during six hours of pounding mountain curves.

After a prolonged hiatus, something brief

Matt Britt — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:35:41 +0000

This past weekend me and my friend David took advantage of the gorgeous weather and rode up in the mountains for an afternoon. We headed towards Pilot Mountain in NC, then proceeded up to Virginia and rode along the Blue Ridge Parkway, eventually making our way through Stuart, VA before heading back to Greensboro by way of Ridgeway, VA. I hope I’m recalling the sequence of highways accurately enough, because I was more concerned with enjoying the mountain twisties than paying close attention to where my friend was leading us. All that matters is that we made it back whole and no worse for the wear (well, aside from a bit of a sore back from six hours of riding). Below is a photo David was kind enough to take of me on Pilot Mountain (yes, I do wear that hat everywhere).

Pilot Mountain, NC, 2009-03-08

Bandits and farmland

Matt Britt — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:58:36 +0000

This morning I took a drive out to a town about ten miles northwest of Durham. Along with me went a friend by the name of David and a wad of cash. On the return trip we were light the cash, but heavier by 500 pounds of Japanese liter bike. It’s a 1997 Suzuki Bandit 1200, originally equipped with a front fairing that was removed by the original owner to give a naked street fighter look. It’s in pretty good shape for its age and mileage, and it’s an outstandingly fun ride, with sufficient torque that I rarely need to down-shift unless I am coming to a full stop.

In fact, so much fun is the Bandit that I rode about 80 miles of country roads on it this afternoon! Here’s the route I took along some nice, scenic, low-traffic highway not too far from where I live.

New pad

Matt Britt — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:05:48 +0000

So about two weeks ago, I packed up most of my things into my car and this cargo van:

Now that I’m more or less settled in my new apartment here in Greensboro, I took a few photos so you guys can assess my living conditions and evaluate whether visiting me will be a safe and sanitary experience. Read on, fearless friend.

Click any of the photos below to see a larger version.

Living room and dining area (that’s Genny’s picture):

Bed room:

View of my porch through the sliding door, my closet, and a view from the entrance to my kitchen:

Bathroom and a view of the kitchen from the entrance to the apartment:

Looks pretty safe, no? It just occurred to me to take a photo of the outside of the building and related environs, but it’s raining at the moment so I’ll have to post those photos later. If you need my new address here in Greensboro, call or email me for it!

Of Gardens and gifts

Matt Britt — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 22:19:01 +0000

I’m back from my trip to Seattle, Victoria Island, and Vancouver (the Butchart Gardens are absolutely amazing). Sometime in the next few days I’ll probably sort through the 600-plus photos I took and post some highlights. I’ve been busy as a bee this past week packing some of my things and cleaning up this place in preparation for my and my brother’s graduation party yesterday. Tomorrow morning I am having four wisdom teeth pulled, so for the next few days I’ll be hopped up on pain killers trying to recover. Maybe I’ll write the rest of the pages I intend to publish on the theremin while I’m recouperating. Maybe not.

Something from yesterday that deserves special note is the gift my dear friend Genevieve gave to me. It’s without a doubt the most meaningful present I’ve ever received, and I’ll treasure it for the rest of my life. It is a hand-drawn collage of scenes from my experiences as a student and researcher at Georgia Tech. Some of the images originate from photographs I took during my tenure there. It will always remind me of the good times I’ve had these past four years and of my special friendship with the artist. Thank you so much, Genny. Words fail me.