The Banquet

Tank Museum

Saturday - the rally ends

We saddled up and followed Mike Brittingham to Danville to tour the Tank Museum. Heading east brought us over the gentle rolling hills of Virginia and easy curves in the road. I have never seen so many tanks, uniforms, trucks and weapons in one place. I find it very interesting how the whole group enjoys such a wide range of interests. Returning to the hotel by 3 gave us time to pack and to prepare for the banquet. The banquet is always so much fun and this year was no exception. The committee had scouted out a wonderful restaurant right across the parking lot and the two little waiteresses were great. Of course, for every joke they dished out this group of UTR members tossed back two. The situation of Andy always being served first was shared with them and they were so careful to make sure he was served last this time. I'm not sure Andy ever did figure out who made that request. Bernadette had a great UTR bingo game where she had a little known fact about each person written in a square and we had to get that person to sign the square. It sounded like an auction as people called out "blue eyes, who has blue eyes" or "March birthday who has a March birthday". But now it is all past for another year and some have gone to their rooms to finish packing. Small groups are discussing what time to leave and head for home. A few have said they are going to gather for one more game of cards, not willing to let this rally end.

Out for a ride

Paint Bank, VA

Glenn and Kathy led the ride Friday to Paint Bank. The road over the mountain and into the valley to reach Paint Bank is 311 and what a road! The curves vary from smooth and easy to hairpin. All at a very steep down hill grade. They are having a contest to name the road much as the Dragon's Tail in West Virginia. Paint Bank is a wonderful little town with less than 25 people now but at one time it was over 2000. They have restored the train depot, a cabin, a house and a train caboose all of which are rented out for visitors. We were given a tour of the town, the buildings, and the mill. The depot is surrounded by a wrap-around porch with plenty of rocking chairs and a stream running all around the property. The mountains circle the whole town so no matter where you turn the view is beyond words. We all agreed this would be a wonderful place for a rally. The general store and restaurant are so well know that people actually fly in by helicopter to get their famous sandwiches. Needless to say several in the group gathered information. After lunch and some shopping in the Swinging Bridge store above the restaurant, we headed out to Floyd for the evening of Bluegrass Music and some ice cream.

Thursday

Bill and Sandra had a full day planned for us. It rained buckets last night and it was threatening this morning, so we pulled out the rain suits and headed for the Blue Ridge Parkway around 9:30. About 20 miles and we entered the parkway at Roanoke and traveled the 35 miles north to Peaks of Otter. The fog hung low and covered the mountain top. The bus to the top would not run until the fog lifted so we waited. Maybe half of the group decided to ride the bus to the top and then climb the 1500 feet to the summit. If you have never ridden this bus, be prepared for a small road barely wide enough for the bus tires and hairpin curves. It was impressive how the driver could handle the bus. The climb to the summit was rugged but well worth the effort! Even with the clouds the view was specatular. Glenn decided to walk the 1.5 miles down the mountain while the rest of us took the bus. He reached the bottom just minutes after we did, face red but all smiles. I give him credit - there is no way I would even think about making that walk. Leaving Peaks of Otter we headed back south on the parkway and then off towards Catawba to the Homeplace. This was the most wonderful restaurant. The setting was a large, old house on 64 acres of rolling hills with cattle grazing in the back field that had been restored. The meal was served home style and the food was excellent and the staff friendly. Bill and Sandra had eaten here last year and their raving comments were right on target. We all left full from the good food, tired from the day climbing mountains and ready to sit around the hotel and play games and socialize.

What a wonderful day!

George and Bernadette led us on a great ride today which was also very educational. We visited the Booker T Washington birthplace and watched a short documentary about his life and accomplishments. Our second stop was the Smith Mountain Lake Dam which was not easy to find but after riding miles over some great motorcycle roads we entered the visitor center and wonder around reading history and then walked the short distance to the overlook area. Getting back on the bikes and retracing our route we stopped at the Mayberry Diner. It was obvious they don't normally have a crowd of 22 people at one time because they didn't have enough menu but the food was good old American bergers or hot dogs. And again Andy Hale was served first. All UTR members will understand - no matter where we go Andy and the people at his table manage to be served first. After lunch we headed to Bedford to visit the National D Day Memorial. This was a very interesting and educational tour. The whole day was spent visiting places close to the hotel but we still managed to log over 100 miles. Chrissy and George arrived today while we were out and joined us for the after hours gab session as we shared stories of rallies past. We now have 24 UTR members present for the 2009 rally.

Booker T Washington Monument

Smith Mountain Lake Dam and Lunch at Mayberry

Our second stop for the day was a trip to the Smith Mountain Lake Dam and then lunch at the Mayberry Diner. Reaching the dam was a great ride over more back mountain roads; roads with no center or edge lines; no shoulders and lots of turns. I know I keep saying this but every night we all think we have spent the day riding the best roads only to find more the next day. The dam was impressive and the Mayberry Diner was a step back in time. They also have a drive-in theater. There doesn't seem to be much for people to do in this area other than travel for 50 miles or more to the larger cities so I'll bet the drive-in is pretty popular on the weekends.

National D Day Monument

Our last stop for the day other than dinner was the National D Day Memorial. As we drove up the long driveway I wasn't sure what to expect but as we rounded the curve we could see the huge monuments in honor of the men who gave their lives for freedom. This park is located in Bedford VA because Bedford lost the highest number of citizens based on their population at the time. A small town of 3000 where everyone knew everyone and most were related, it was devastating to receive one telegram after another telling them of the deaths on the beached. The park manager gave us a very informative tour for about 2 hours. After this we were ready for dinner and stopped at Joe's Pizza and Restaurant for a great buffet and then raced back to the hotel just in time to miss the rain.

National D Day Monument

A day at the Indian Village

Don and I were joined by 13 others for our trip to the Wolf Creek Indian Village this morning. The day started damp and overcast and remained slightly chilly all day but no rain. The GPS was set for back roads and we traveled 226 miles total. The Indian Village was a hands on exhibit and very interesting. No one knows which tribe this small band belonged to or where they went when they left this area. They are still learning from the digs and hope to some day be able to identify them. We learned how they lived and shared the work of their small village. Since today was a pretty full day we stayed close to the hotel for dinner. Mike Brittingham arrived just before dark. The guys are all gathered in the conference room to play cards. My laptop has finally given up the ghost and died. I've contacted our tech person back at work and he has confirmed we are not going to be able to retreive any of my email (and I had years' saved). Thank goodness I backed up all my files the day before leaving.

Monday Early Arrivers

The tops of the Blue Ridge Mountains were concealed with a blanket of fog as we left the hotel this morning. The sun and the clouds seemed to be having a war in the sky above us; the sun would seem to be winning and then the clouds would take over again. The elements apparently came to a compromise because we had a sunny, dry but cool day. Perfect for riding. We set the GPS for shortest distance and headed out for back roads to find a couple of covered bridges which you see pictured below. Then we pointed the bikes to the west and climbed up and over the Blue Ridge Mountain range traveling through one small town after another. Each had a fire and rescue building, a couple of churches and a mini market, however, our destination was Floyd which is some what larger. Bernadette had heard of some 'goings on' in Floyd which we wanted to check out. It seems Floyd is on a Bluegrass tour route and local bands perform every Friday evening in the General Store as well as on the street. It is reported that hundreds of people show up for the event. The hardware store and the general store were both a step back in time (see the pictures below) and we could hear Bluegrass music being played over speakers outside while Bernie and George showed off their clogging talents. The plan is to take the group to Floyd this coming Friday. Finding our way back to the hotel took us over some great twisty back roads one being Shooting Creek Road; no shoulders, no lines; trees right to the edge and hairpin turns. It was obvious this had probably been a cow path at one time and someone decided to blacktop it. Upon arriving at the hotel we were told the road had been the location of many moonshine stills and no one traveled there back in the day for fear of being shot - hence the name. We have a couple of hours before dinner and we are waiting for more to arrive. We just got word that Minos is in the hospital and will not be joining us as planned. We will miss he and Lucy.

George found some great back roads

Covered Bridges

Look at all this stuff! Don said it pulled pretty good over the mountain roads today. Don and I have toured several Civil War Battlefields and watched numerious films on the subject so touring Appomattox Court House where the end of the war took place was very interesting. The court house as well as several other buildings have been restored. We were on the road by noon heading for Rocky Mount just 85 miles away. Gabby, the GPS, took us over some great back roads across Virginia, climbing and twisting our way through some beautiful country. We arrived at the hotel around 2:30 but we had to wait for the rooms to be prepared. George and Bernadette arrived around 4:30 and we all headed out for dinner around 6PM. Great Italian Restaurant about 15 miles away.

Appomattox Virginia

We pulled out as the sun was slicing through the dawn and leaving part of the night to hang over the fields like a blanket draped over a sleeping child. The air was crisp and we needed jackets for the first couple of hours. Fall is approaching evidenced by the scattered gold and red spots in the trees much like spotty blush or lipstick on a young girl just learning to blend her make-up. We traveled 301 to Fredericksburg and I thought finally we were going to find more motorcycle friendly roads. It is such a shame that we have to travel almost 150 miles south before we get into the foothills of Virginia but at last we began to see the wineries and the horse farms on the rolling hills. By late afternoon the temps had climbed to 90 degrees as we pulled into Appomattox, Virginia. Total miles that first day 280. Bernie and Shirley have gone to church right now while I did some INI work and when they return we will head for the Appomattox Court House NP and then on to Rocky Mount where we will settle into our "home away from home" for the next week. Then I'll be able to find the cord to the camera so I can post a picture or two. You have got to see the trailer and how full it is. Bernie said there is just no hope for us - the more space we have the more we pack.

On the road again

Well I originally planned to only post about 'bucket list' items as I completed them but several people asked me to post about our upcoming trip to Rocky Mount, Virginia. We are all packed (have been since last Saturday) and ready to pull out at 7 AM tomorrow. This time we have a trailer. When we purchased the trailer two days after the cross country trip, we were sure it was too large but the price was right. Well, we have not packed anything more than we did in June and the trailer is full. So we must have carried a LOT of stuff. This is the UTR rally so we will be joined by about 30 club members. We have one hotel for a home base and will be making day trips. Bernie, Shirley, Don and I are leaving a few days early so we can make a few side trips - I mean why waste any days in a week working when you can be riding with the wind in your face? So join us as we visit museums, ride mountain roads, play games and have a great time at the 2009 UTR Motorcycle Club Rally.