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.