Weekly Update - May 31, 2006

Photos from last week are uploaded into our store here. Still uploading the Sunday and Monday stuff...

Had a little down time with the website last weekend, sorry about that...might have had something to do with that Swiss Cake roll. We're about to click over 4 million hits since Feb. of last year...I'd like to thank the academy.

Last weekend was the busiest I've seen it this year, and the weather was great. A little warm mid-day, but excellent for late or early riding, and night runs. ;)

On to the highlights!

Big Apple to Big Easy rally came through the Gap. Maximum vehicle value could not exceed $250.

This is not a photoshop.

Didn't even make it out of the city before someone graffiti'd his ride!

Team TuRD

Custom exhaust

NASIOC.com did their annual Subaru rally thing with some really nice vehicles and overall good driving...

They found some mud the day before and scored cool points by NOT washing the car.

Cool pan/zoom thing for added effect

Good to go for the night runs

Didn't know Popeye drove a MR2!

There was a bit of Lexus action, but we didn't see many during shooting hours. (noon-6pm)

Big Honda looking good...

A little too much throttle on a turn that rolls off-camber at the exit and away she went. I wonder if the car up the road ever even knew what happened right behind them.

Tuck and Roll!

The ole tow rope saw a lot of action last weekend...used for 3 accident recoveries. Keith is getting a winch for the Xterra.

Always make sure you don't leave any parts on the road! Something often overlooked after an accident, but due to the frequency of accidents, it wouldn't take long to clutter the whole place up like a junkyard.

Mindy got a few shots of the paddlers at Cheoah last weekend. She's got her own store going over at Flofotos.com

He looks a little anxious. Awesome shot!

Peter Pan Style!

Love the expression

Who says you need a SUV to go Kayaking?

Numero Uno

My friends Eddie and Kirsten snagged a rally Evo model car for me that turned out to be a slot car, and he gave me some sweet hand-me-down driving shoes. It was a good day.

Good form, good line. I think he crashed later because he saw his friend crashing up ahead of him. Try to prepare yourself for that type of thing mentally and just keep things under control until you can come to a stop.

Really awesome paintjob...stormy sunset panorama.

Hangin' off the big ST....it's not a sportbike thing, it's a physics thing!

Purdy shot

Purdy shot 2

You don't want to see the rest...they just get browner and browner...

Neat trick, but take it easy. We heard of a close encounter with y'all from a friend and fellow rider in a silver Durango. Love ya, want ya to come back and live to ride again!

That's about all she's got captain.

No snackin! =D

Boy Scout?

Hotrod Buell

What can I say, I like the Buells.

Mountain Bike in the mountains.

Chickonabike!

Nice headlights!

Buddy and Max were hanging out with us Sunday. Here Max shows you what he thinks of lane crossers.

First modified T-Rex I've seen. Again, you guys know it's tradition to have me drive your exotic vehicle across the Gap...for good luck or something. =P

Zoomin' KTM Duke

What can I say, I like the Duke

His bike is all swoopy

New kid on the block

Now there's a flame job.

He looks fast.

Wow.

Gutsy move there Maverick

Paige all smiles as always =)

Busted!

More diggin' for nose goblins

Needs more cowbell.

Guvnah Moody!

Oil Streak culprit. It could happen to anyone, but his partner right behind him could have done something. It caused at least one crash before I could get orange flags up and write OIL in the road with the chalk.

That's a lot of STUFF.

We got some hot tongue action last weekend...

See what I mean!?

Zoom Zoom!

Guys with pink bikes get all the chicks! (Which raises the question, why don't we wear the perfume and women wear the cologne?)

He's going 31. "BREAKIN' THE LAW...BREAKIN' THE LAW" --Beavis

I don't want none big man!

The new Toyota FJ

You know you want to touch it.

Steamy

Weekly Update - May 24, 2006

Photos from last week are online in our store here.

It was a fairly wet weekend, but I guess that's to be expected in a rain forest in spring. No crazy police activity, and no major accidents. We've been told that there was an collision today between a bike and semi on the Gap. Rider apparantly has a broken leg. I guess someone will have to die before the DOT will take the semi thing serious up there.

My boy Josh K. informed me about this proposed race track in Oak Ridge. I thought you might be interested.

On to the highlights!

Welcome to Deals Gap folks!

The ZdayZ annual car rally was last weekend.

Say "Aaaaahhhhh"

Psst...I think you have someone peeping out of your trunk.

Of course it rained a bit, but that just made for a great play time for the car crowd.

We were digging the Z cars, but there was also a handful Infinity G35s and many were very nicely customized. These cars look so hot with just a set of wheels and maybe some springs and front fascia.

There was also a very respectable group of about 30 Chevy SSR trucks

Keith got high for that special angle.

Nice view of all the angles on the new R6.

This one dropped a few too many tires off the road, lifting the drive axles. I'm told it was a load of sand.

It took a few hours for the big tow truck from Butler's in Maryville to get to the stuck truck.

Custom? Looks like a really short wheelbase.

You Rawk!

Fontana Village posted up a sweet replacement billboard in place of their old Smokey Mountain Bikeweek board. They are putting a LOT of effort and money into making some of the other area roads and the Village itself into a real destination. Stay tuned...

They led the "Support the Troops" parade through in their custom Hummer.

Local Jaimey road his scoot from Robbinsville through Deals Gap for the first time!

The Canadians were on the scene...this sexy devil is Shayna. Sorry we missed ya :(

Saturday night we hung out at the campsite and played with some long exposure shots. Lori wrote her name in the air...

Rob (GapJedi) dripping fire.

Noah pulled off a Peace symbol

Chickonabike...with daisies...and a nice lean goin.

Crankin' cruiser.

BMW brought out another fleet of about 15 test mules for a killboy.com publicity run.

I guess this is the new Z roadster...the lower front fascia looks different/new.

V8 Powah!

There was so much poor driving last weekend it was hard to narrow it down to just a few shots. Most were not a part of the Z car group.

Maybe we should all just switch sides and the problem will be solved!

You guys do realize there are other people on this road right? Don't act surprised when you get to the end and there's a pack of unhappy riders and drivers who want to have a little talk with you.

Not a safe place to be hanging out last weekend.

Run froggys!

Serious camera setup.

Now that's my kind of camera mount...go duct tape!

Go Keith!

Icey Hot Stunta

Double Stunterz

We spotted a snake on the side of the road and Lori just had to touch it.

He didn't like being poked.

I love these cars! This one had some serious meat under the fenders too.

No knee draggin' for you two!

Sparkin' Cruiser

Different kind of sparky action.

My kinda attitude.

Not sure what it is about silver cars, but the flies flock to the color. I'm going to coat my car with glue.

Cute kid.

Now that's 2-wheeled dedication. He was very close to dragging a handlebar on every right-hand bend.

Until next week, free set of OESaccessories frame sliders to the first person that can identify Noah's watch. (note: any claims of prize merchandise made my killboy.com are total B.S.)

Weekly Update - May 18, 2006

Shots from last week are online in our store here.

Last weekend was a little slow, the area was crawling with Highway Patrol during peak hours. The Daily Times in Maryville ran a 4 part series you can see here, here, here, and here.

You may remember me talking about a fundraiser for downed rider Josh Price at the Sonic drive-in in Wartburg. He suffered major facial and head damage, and had to have 65 screws and 10-12 plates put in his face during reconstructive surgery. Here's an update on the fundraiser and more donation info from his friend Mike Cox:

Josh Price's Bike Benefit Show in Wartburg Saturday May 13
was a success.  They raised enough money so that his wife
won't have to work for another  month. Josh is healing from
his facial surgery and his fractures are also healing.

Those of you out there that believe in the power of prayer
please pray concerning his eyesight. It has not come back
as of this email. Thedoctors say there is a chance it will
return when the rest of the swellinggoes down due to the
head trauma.

The address to mail contributions for Josh Price is

                 Citizens First Bank
                 PO Box 1189
                 Wartburg Tn 37887

The two-stroke club was on the scene doing their annual rally thing and ridding us of that pesky mosquito problem.

The orginal "Champions Edition" paint scheme.

Purple Kawi Trippple

I gotta say it's cool to be able to see all of the outer-workings of the engine and drivetrain.

"Operation Dragon 2006" went down last weekend and there were plenty of eyes on everyone.

Made for some tense riding situations.

Officer Friendly offers up some directions.

These poor guys got ticketed twice in one run for speeding...51 and 46 in a 30 I believe. Please take it easy when you KNOW the cops are running a big operation like this.

I can hear y'all now..."That killboy is workin' with the cops!"

Late Saturday a rider went over the hill and somehow about TWENTY EMS vehicles arrived for the one-man accident. One of the larger vehicles sprung a radiator leak, so we posted the flags and wrote on the road with big chalks. It rained that night and washed it all away for the next day.

Lori's dad needed to bring his truck (no trailer) through and didn't want to spook anyone, so asked if Lori would escort.

She also escorted a semi for the last time on her F4. We sold it last week, delivering tomorrow. Time for something new...maybe an Aprilia motard or something...

Gotta admit he was doing an impressive job of trying to stay out of everyone's way.

My boy from Dragon Donuts brought us a little bartering power in case the 5-0 started roughing us up. He's got a new little donut shop just a half-mile inside Robbinsville on the left if you're coming in from the North on 129. All fresh-made every day.

This crazy bee just kept landing on us and crawling around looking for pollen I guess. It got on Mike's face and we were laughing so hard I could barely shoot...

"You got a little something right there."

Last picture...guaranteed to give you nightmares.

A handful of cyclists were on the scene. They've got a big rally in June that takes them across the Gap, then across the Skyway! It takes place early on a Saturday.

These two were running back and forth all weekend in good form. Congrats!

Welcome to the US Mr. Bond.

Sprocket-head

It was a little chilly for May.

One way to get your own video.

Phat tow-vehicle and trailer...too bad they aren't color-matched.

Perfect Gap toy! 250cc two stroke.

Shiney rear rotor.

Whoo-Hoo

Sparky Motard

The whole fleet!

Whoa! He was ok...said he just wasn't paying attention. Y'all stay focused out there. (didn't see us until after he crashed)

Thanks for the cooperation!

Little car, big motor.

This week's bling

Spikey!

Hands-free cruising?

And y'all say those sportbikes look uncomfortable!

Sweet shot!

Interesting custom paint

SUV worth a small country.

So fast he blew the windscreen right off!

Motard coming over the hill

Sparky Ducati shot

Until next week, here's Lori doing her part to collect litter while adding a cheezy Price is Right product pose.

Woohoo!!

Photos from May 1-6 are finally online in our store here. I sincerely apologize for the long delay...I ended up going back to using the old version of the software.

Police have been pretty active at the Gap, and there is a 3-part article in "The Daily Times" that has run over the past 2 days (Fri, Sat) and the final part will be in Sunday's paper. More to come soon...

It's about 1am and I just noticed the little thumbnail image in my menu bar over on the right that is constantly updated from the US Forestry web cam at Look Rock near Deals Gap was a lit up image. (read it again...sloppy sentence structure) I pulled up the image and this is what it just captured:



Apparently it was lightening at the moment their camera took the shot just now...what are the odds!

Weekly Update - H. P. Crackdown this weekend

Shots from last week are uploading into the store now, and should be completely finished uploading within the next couple of days. I went ahead and uploaded the weekday shots early in an attempt to speed up the process...I hope it doesn't cause problems with people ordering earlier then finding more shots later and wanting us to combine or modify the order. (we can't do that)

Highway Patrol agencies from both NC and TN will be patrolling heavily this weekend, so strap on your recording devices if you're heading this way. This from the local paper: (thanks Willz)

"Highway Patrol conducting Operation Dragon
Graham Sentinel Newspaper – May 3, 2006
Graham County , North Carolina

The North Carolina Highway Patrol will conduct "Operation Dragon 2006" in an attempt to reduce speed related collisions on Western North Carolina involving motorcycles. Speed remains the leading cause of traffic collisions and fatalities in the state and motorcycle collisions in the five most Western North Carolina counties have increased 56 percent from 2004. Locations in this area of North Carolina and in bordering Tennessee have become some of the leading motorcycle, destinations in America . "Operation Dragon 2006" is a joint initiative with North Carolina and Tennessee Highway Patrol that addresses these concerns.

The campaign will be conducted on Saturday, 13 May 2006 . During this period, Troopers from both states will create a highly visible presence aimed at targeting speeding, along with all other state violations and regulations.

Troopers will be assigned to work Deals Gap (US-129) and the Cherohala Skyway area (NC-143) where we have experienced numerous problems with the reckless operation of high performance motorcycles. Troopers have been instructed to aggressively enforce the speed limit laws in addition to other violations such as tailgating, improper lane changes, and other traffic law violations to ensure the safety of motorists on our highways and to reduce collisions.

The Highway Patrol will utilize special marked, unmarked vehicles, motorcycles and aircraft to combat speeding in these areas.

Speed Kills and Seatbelts , Save Lives!"

Also:


And finally, another cool motorcycle photography website out on the west coast: Seppes.com

Moving on to the highlights from last weekend now...

Last weekend was all about the Mini Coopers.

They gathered at Tapoco Lodge here and Fontana Village.

It was hard to capture the quantity, but we tried. Lori got this purdy shot (and many like it) on Hwy 28.

Their Friday morning parade was very impressive.

There was a 3-way Gran Tourismo 4 setup in the Tapoco Lodge main building.

They asked me to be one of 3 judges for their Iron Chef Chili Cook Off. There were 8 entrants and they all made great chili right there on-the-spot with a small selection of ingredients! The contestants were allowed to bring one ziploc bag of their own ingredients. I couldn't believe how good they all were...it was very hard to pick one. There was chili with bison meat, 3 kinds of liguor, even chocolate and cinnamon!

It poured for a short time Friday, making for a rare shooting opportunity.

Those who were smart enough to get out and play got the whole road to themselves.

Pank!

Mini as a tow vehicle.

Mean Mr Bean got a craptastic makeover!

Lori says "Kkkkkoooooooo" *cough* *hack* *cough*

Shalom y'all

Love the plate!

kilroy was here

Mini Airstream.

Yes it played the song when he hit the horn...never saw it jump anything or run from the cops though.

He's got a lot of neat stuff on that one.

He rolls 20s. (or something close) I think he said each wheel weighed 55 pounds.

Lori got down to the Blount County High School Saturday to shoot the autocross. They used the student parking lot, which was a little dusty.

Several of the Minis were slinging fluid during hard turns.

VWs aren't the only ones tripod'n

Cone muncher

Hang on momma!

Check out the flex on that front tire!

This little open-wheeler sprung a major leak.

Jacob popped off this tight shot of David. It's cool sometimes to stick the camera in someone else's hands and see what they get.

Arg.

BMW had a couple of SUVs out in disguise.

Pushing the new BMW SUV hard...I guess they're still working on the "Driver Oblivious to Road Konditions System".

Tough looking Toyota.

Almost there!

Blue!

Keith got this great shot of 3 bikes in transition.

There were a lot of bikes out Saturday.

Name that bike.

Hey he's driving the Gap with no hands! (right-side drive ;)

Saw my first Ford GT in real life last weekend.

This one goes to 220.

It was a regular supercar show at the Overlook.

Hard to believe the Ford GT racecar this is based on had a roof more than 4 inches lower than this.

There was a new Z06 Corvette on the scene too, but most weren't even noticing it. Cool shot though...GM's best performer and Ford's best.

Aw look, a butterfly! Which reminds me, for any of you Monarch butterfly fans, the place is practically infested with the damn things. I can't go anywhere without a dozen of them splattering on my faceshield or clogging up the intercooler on the car.

Wow, killer line Mr. "Elusive"...don't worry about anyone else on the road, it's all here just for you.

Last Monday/Tuesday there were a handful of original Cobras in the area, seen here in the parking area of Snowbird Lodge. I heard it was about $3 Million worth of cars.

"A little off the left side please."

This is why we call it "Mud Corner". There is always a pond of mud on the inside, and semis trail it out into the road.

We know you love us.

Thank you for escorting the dangerously oversize vehicle!

Duuuun, duuun, dun, dun, duuuuun! (CHiPs theme ;)

Yet another supercar.

I love this backdrop.

1672 horsepower Miata?

Chickonabike.

Timeless design.

Laaaaaaid back.

Look at the butt on that!

Ka-Ching

3D cruiser shot.

Cute hair!

Santa Claus? (nah, Papa Smurf!)

I jumped down in the creek for this super-low angle. (there is a dry rock in the middle of the water to stand on ;)

I like the reflection of the yellow lines in this one.

Cool goggles.

Here Buddy cautiously approaches my balloon "Sickle" after popping the handle part. It was the first thing that came to mind when I asked the balloon artist with the Mini rally to make me a "killboy".

Jacob shot the rafting down on the Cheoah river last weekend. Those shots are also available in the store.

Always love the expressions.

Until next week, here's a long exposure shot of 70+ Mini Coopers with their hoods raised so the headlights shined up into the night sky...and a airplane flying by.

Success!

Photos from April 24-27th are now available in our store. If you have any questions please look over our Store Info/FAQ section before emailing me. ;)

We're working on the shots from May 1-6 right now, hang in there...

Weekly Update - May 3, 2006

Uploading photos from last week into our store here. Please check back in a day or so, we got a TON of shots.

It was pretty busy Saturday, but not as bad as I had anticipated. Sunday was a little damp so we didn't even shoot. Highlights are below as usual.

This weekend is the big Mini Cooper rally, with over 600 registered participants, and many more who chose not to register. It may well be the largest Mini gathering ever in the US.

I want to mention a couple of things. First off there is a benefit bike show on Saturday May 13th in Wartburg TN for Gap regular Josh Price. He was in a tragic accident on April 15 and had to be flown to ER. He ended up requiring brain surgery and reconstructive facial surgery with 65 screws and 10-12 metal plates in his face. He was wearing a helmet and riding gear and I believe this happened in town. The benefit is to help raise money for him and his wife of 9 months, and will be held at the Sonic drive-in in Wartburg. Registration is $20 from noon to 2pm, and $25 after 2pm.

I also got this letter last week that I want to share:

My name is Cecile and this was my third time on the Tail of the Dragon. Once riding with my husband and twice by myself. Only this time I wasn't as fortunate as the first time I rode alone I did not make it all the way through. I also probably made some statistics by surviving going down one of the ravine's or as I say it was the side of a mountain. Going North on the tail about 8 1/2 miles I was being over taken by some sport bikes passing me on "of course a curve" even though there was a double yellow line they didn't pay any attention to that. My husband saw in his mirror that someone went off the road as the bikers passed him. He laid his bike down to help out who ever went over the side. At that time he didn't know it was me. Other bikers stopped and looked down at me. The bike was about 50 feet down on its side and I was about another 50 feet from it. How I got off the bike I don't remember but I remember rolling and then a sudden stop,
It was a nice size tree that caught me right in the middle of the back. I straddled it as soon as I got by bearings and I basicly stayed agains that tree on and off for three hours. I tried belly crawling up the side and would keep sliding back down. Once again, I rolled down and the tree caught me again I just couldn't take much more. About an hour later my husband slid down the side and got to me and then he climbed back up by stomping foot steps in the side of the mountain. Finally he got me out. I was down there almost three hours. The vines that I held onto had worms crawling on them, ants, spiders, creepy crawl bugs. I thought I should have been on Fear Factor.

The 'Busa bash was last weekend. They had quite a turnout!

Carbon Fiber much?

Some of these guys were so stretched it was crazy. Stuff like that is common on the east coast though.

Shelby-style double stripes all the way across the helmet. Classy!

Love the copper color on this turbo custom. Note the lack of muffler...turbo kills most of the exhaust noise.

Triumph Rat Raid took place.

Triumph brings back the classic cafe racer.

A few shots from the Warrior rally...

I know y'all love us.

Tribal custom job.

Local Mike mixing it up with some other speedy types.

Streetfighter Warrior

Draggin' those drag pipes.

Awesome joker-based custom.

There was also a little VFR rally mixing it up.

VFR's representin' on Hwy 28.

The Cobra group was on the scene Thursday and Friday with what has to be one of the most widely adored car designs in history.

There were several very clean examples, like this silver on silver roadster.

Man that is a sharp little hotrod!

Someday we'll look back on this stuff and laugh in amazement that this was ever allowed.

James here takes one for the team to show why you don't stop mid-corner for a semi. He was trying to back up before getting run over by the rear axles and the bike started to fall over on him so he bailed.

Expect to see a TON of these little guys this weekend. Over 600 people registered for the rally.

Handsome Jason Harper here was doing an article on the new Porsche Cayman S and Deals Gap for Men's Journal magazine.

We were interviewed for a TV pilot/possible motorcycle show on A&E. They were fascinated with Lori but I weasled my way into the shot.

Ride it like a sportbike!

Clean white cruiser.

Nice lean on a nice custom. Pretty rare sight.

Notice where his camera is aimed.

Jason shows how to show a kid the Gap. Nice gear!

Keith once said he'd like to see all of these pictures that people take of us in one place. =P

Adam's Family!

Tyler seems comfy there...just goes to show you don't have to be flying to get a knee down. He's got a nice spycamera video setup going too, so get with him if you want a personal video.

The rear of the bike seems so precariously attached...makes me think of an ant.

Please note, stuff like this will not get you on the front page. Thank you.

Shocker! Thanks to this guy and his friends in other sportscars for stopping to help a downed Goldwing rider Saturday.

The Big Nanner!

Our friend Lisa from KY with her hair in the wind. (getting knotted ;)

My partner David got a chance to play a little Saturday.

Mean little Honda...the front mount intercooler would seem to suggest forced induction. ;)

Nice smile!

I think he likes it.

Rock on baby

The #2 guy in jeans scares me.

Hey Robbinsville, sometimes it's best to just let them by rather than running everyone else off the road (or over) to try and stay in front.

A little sparky action...

He's number 1...or number 5. Sweet ride and gear though!

Hope your chain lube isn't flammable.

Here's what he thinks of traffic.

Custom Choppah

Watch out for those Ninjas...they're sneaky.

Funky deep shot.

#19

Full dresser at full lean.

Bring the whole toybox!

New formation?

Appearantly Yamaha was out shooting for a possible commercial or something...we'll see.

Cool cycler shot.

Another sweet Porsche.

Dawgie!

Double-decker trailer?

Pretty sweet paint.

What can I say, he loves his bike.

Classic Royal Enfield

Skurry paint job.

Cool lighting on the face.

Again with the Airstream trailer...this week there were two.

Cool cruiser shot.

Those curves can be a little rough on bodywork.

Nice line for a left-hander!

Until next week, here's a sweet shot of the road.