SCAR Adventure – Day 1: Rolling South Into the Unknown
Getting ready to take off after a quick lunch stop along the SCAR
There’s a special kind of energy that hits you on departure day—the kind that buzzes through your gloves before the bikes even fire up. Day 1 of our SCAR adventure started at the Southeast Moto rental & training facility in Mill Spring, NC. Four of us—Matt, Heath, Larry, and myself—stood next to our packed ADV bikes, excited, awake, and ready. Larry was only joining us for the first day, but having him along felt like the perfect sendoff.
We rolled out and headed south toward Gaffney, SC, topping off the tanks for the miles ahead. And just a mile later, the pavement gave way to our first stretch of gravel. Long, sweeping curves opened up views across the countryside, and right away you could feel the rhythm of the ride settle in. The long weekend was officially underway.
Through Kings Mountain State Park at Peak Color
The route carried us east toward Kings Mountain State Park—one of the most beautiful state parks in the Carolinas and, on this trip, an absolute explosion of fall color. The timing couldn’t have been better. Reds, yellows, and oranges lit up the canopy as we carved through the park, each curve begging us to lean a little farther and trust the bike a little more.
You could feel everyone pushing their comfort zone just enough to wake up the senses. Not recklessly—just that perfect balance where skill and adrenaline meet. It’s the reason these bikes exist.
Matt, Larry and Heath after lunch, we’re getting ready to keep moving
The Quiet Backroads of Rural South Carolina
From Kings Mountain, the SCAR drops south toward Chester, SC. The landscape slowly shifts—dense forests give way to pines, rolling hills stretch into rural farmland, and the roads, both paved and gravel, twist gently through country that feels untouched by time.
We rode past houses miles apart, small farms tucked deep into the landscape, and long stretches of road where it was just us, the bikes, and that steady engine hum. It’s the kind of riding that reminds you why you choose the backroads over the highways every single time.
Around midday we pulled off into a quiet patch of woods for lunch—packed sandwiches, a few jokes, and a chance to stretch before diving back into the ride. It was a quick stop. We were eager to get moving again.
The dust on TJ’s face just before getting humbled by the sand...yet again
Larry Peels Off & The Challenge Ahead
A couple hours later, Larry split off toward home, and the group narrowed to three—Matt, Heath, and myself. The next stretch was pure flow: gravel, smooth pavement, sweeping turns, and another gas stop as we pushed east toward Lake Wateree.
And then… the sand.
If you’ve ridden ADV bikes in the Southeast, you know the kind. Deep, loose, half-a-wheel high—just waiting to bury your front tire. I knew this stretch too well, mostly because the last time we came through in March, the sand had handed me a very humbling moment.
Unfortunately… history repeated itself.
About halfway through, in the exact same spot, the front end dug, I got tense, and down the bike went. Sand 2, TJ 0. It happens to all of us. The trick is to pick the bike up, take a breath, loosen up, and keep moving. Which is exactly what we did. The sand eased up after that, and the momentum returned.
Dinner, Camp, and a Fire by the Lake
Late in the day we decided to grab a real meal before heading to camp. We found a small-town steakhouse near the lake—one of those local places where the food is hearty and the people genuinely want to hear your story. We told them about the route, the bikes, the sand, and the miles still ahead. They wished us luck. We appreciated every minute of it.
Camp that night was perfect: a lakeside spot with a stone-column pavilion and plenty of flat space for our setups. Matt and I strung our hammocks while Heath set up a one-person tent. The fire started easy, the wood popped and cracked in the cool night air, and we spent the last hours of the day talking about the ride—what challenged us, what surprised us, and what we were excited for tomorrow.
When the fire burned low, we settled into our hammocks and tents, listening to the quiet ripple of the lake and the distant night sounds of rural South Carolina.
Day 1 was in the books.
And the best part?
We still had three more days of adventure ahead.
