While we love riding motorcycles, I would say a close second is vannin'. Hanging out in vintage vans, crusin through the mountains, listening to Steely Dan - what could be better?
This past weekend we hopped in an '85 Chevy G20 and drove the trail support van on the Vintage 500. We're long time riders of the Vintage 1000, this event is the shorter version, spanning 500 miles and 3 days through the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Day 1 had riders take off from Chattanooga and head into the mountains of north Georgia. It was a slow start as there were multiple bikes with issues that morning. We soon ended up with 2 bikes on our the trailer midway through the day. The groups of riders made there was through damp trails as the rain would soon start. We chugged along in the van coasting around the mountains, covering nearly 200 miles the first day. We soon caught up with the last group of riders and pulled into a rainy camp that evening.
Day 2 on the Vintage 500 was wet! Good thing we were in the van… As the trail support our main goal is rider safety. Each group rides with a GPS that can communicate via satellite if necessary. We follow the riders into the woods, track them as they navigate over the mountains, and catch them on the other side. We pull a trailer for rescues and hauls and had 2 bikes on there almost every day. Day 2 took us from Georgia up through North Carolina, pouring nearly the entire time.. Another long day on the road and late night back to camp as the last group got in and began their nightly repairs.
The third and final morning . We had spent the night camped in North Carolina just off of the Cherohala Skyway. The morning weather was still dry, but 100% chance of rain was forecasted by the afternoon. The groups packed their bags and hit the road back to Chattanooga for the last day of riding. They hit early trails through the mountains and back through Tennessee as the rain soon came. Only 1 bike made it on the trailer this day which unfortunately didn’t finish. A slow, wet ride back into town completed yet another awesome event by @vintage1thousand. Can’t wait for the next one!
