September 11, 2016 Fishing trip to Mills River

We are packed up again and you would be shocked at the amount of stuff one rider and a pink flamingo can carry on the GSA.  Keep in mind that the fly fishing gear takes up one whole bag.  The weather was good and in the 80's so we were off to WNC.

Since we had such a late start I decided to blast it up I-40 through Asheville by the airport then into the Mills River Camp.  I had recently received a new bluetooth headset that communicated with my Sena Cam on my helmet so this was a chance to test it out on a night ride into the Camp.  It is 12 minutes with the best part the final 5 minutes when I hit the gravel road.  It is too big to upload to Facebook so here is the link:

https://youtu.be/l3iY5e8CFms

On Monday the 12th we worked on the Cabin, finishing up the work we did in the spring and my brother Jay sprayed to kill the weeds along the drive in.  Then on Tuesday we invited some old friends (or is that friends that are old?) for burgers.



My favorite picture is the one of the old barn at the entrance to the property.



I was due to return home Wednesday morning since my wife needed me home and I also only packed enough medicine for the 3 days.  I awoke on Wednesday with a severe case of vertigo and had a serious balance problem.  This is the first time I have ever traveled without a safety net of 2 extra days of medicine (I am type 2 diabetic).  I stopped eating all sugars or white carbs, which I eat little of anyway and started drinking plenty of water.  No riding home today and since there is no cell connection or phone at the cabin it was looking pretty ugly.  It lasted all day and I pretty much spent the whole day in bed.
Thursday morning things felt better.  I was pretty sure that if I just kept my head steady and didn't move it around much that I could get the motorcycle home.  If I could make it down the gravel road and then the winding road to a main road I would be alright on the interstate.  Jay followed me to a diner for breakfast, my first real food in 24 hours.  After breakfast I decided to try it, worst case I have to pull off and find a motel.  
I was in luck, traffic was light and even though in the 90's, with frequent stops for water I made it home.
Lesson learned on packing for a trip!

It is now a week later and the vertigo is moderating.  I have seen a Dr. and he gave me instructions on how to rotate my head before bed to lessen the effects and it seems to be working.  I have had vertigo before, about once every 3 years, but never on a trip.  It is very unsettling!  I could end up stuck somewhere for a long time so I will be prepared next time.