And Away We Go

Five days and we head for Parkersburg West Virginia; Mineral Wells to be exact, and some of the best riding roads in the east for the UTR rally. We have a lot planned this year, museums to visit, an African Safari, a visit to prison and all include a great ride. The bikes have been serviced, lights and oil checked again, polished and shined and the trailer checked. I finished packing today (I know maybe a little early) but I am ready to point the bike towards the west and have cool breezes in my face. Did I say cool? Well weather.com is predicting highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid 60’s through the first half of the rally. So join me as we climb mountains and survey the valleys below as the residents of the sleepy villages go about their daily lives. Smell the sweet hay being mowed or the wood smoke from a kitchen stove as breakfast is being prepared in a log cabin near the road as we pass. What will we find? No one knows what waits for us around each turn but we do know that at the end of each day we will enjoy laughter with some of our dearest friends.

Just a Few Pictures

Mile Marker 469 - End of the Blue Ridge Parkway

Wheels Through Time Motorcyle Museum

Bill and Sandra Relaxing at the Azalea Garden Motel in Blowing Rock

Grandfather Mountain and the Mile High Swinging Bridge

Riding the Blue Ridge Parkway

Home Again Home Again

Up early and what a beautiful day for riding; mid to upper 70s. Had 290 miles to do today in order to get home; arrived around 2 PM. We have covered 1910 miles total for this trip. Just ordered a new CB because mine went bad on our first day out. Bill led today because he is very familiar with this part of Virginia and traveled home by way of the Bridge Tunnel. Leaving the hotel at 7 put us around Hampton and Norfolk at morning rush hour but we only had major traffic for about 30 minutes or so. Don kept referring to me as "iron butt" yesterday because of the distance and time between rest stops but I noticed today Bill rides for 100 miles or 2 hours before stopping as well. Of course not a peep out of Don! But I must admit there is a big difference between riding an hour when teh teop is close to 100 compared to riding an hour when the temp is 75. Well, this trip is over all except for printing pictures, doing the laundry and putting everything away.

Heading Home

Breakfast at 7 and on the road by 7:30. Up and over the mountains and down into Maggie Valley for the last time; well the last time for this trip. I’m sure it will not be the last time – I love this area and there are still so many places I’d like to visit here. It’s pretty warm at 7:30 and by 10 it is very warm. We travel 19 and then 40 for more than 150 miles; a few miles on 29 around Danville and then 58 across Virginia. The heat is stifling and by 3:30 we are just hoping to reach our goal for the day and get a room. Three stops for gas and one for lunch, I think we have done very well. Don says I’m going to make all our friends not want to ride with us if I don’t start stopping more often. We have covered 393 miles by the time we stop at the Quality Inn in Emporia Virginia.

Last Day to Play

Breakfast at 8:30 for Bill, Sandra and us; Dwayne and Sherry slept in planning to leave around noon. We said our goodbyes last night knowing we would be out on the bikes before they even thought about getting up. When we walked out of the room for breakfast it had started raining – and was coming down in buckets. Then the sun came out so we were climbing the mountains heading for Maggie Valley by 10 AM. We were heading to the Wheels Through Times Museum. This would be our 3rd time to visit this museum but every time is different because Dale continues to add new bikes. All the bikes are American made and almost every one runs. We were so fortunate to have Dale’s son wonder around the museum with us and start up many of the old bikes and tell us about the bike, where his Dad bought it, how they put it back together. He even suggested I sit on one of the old antique bikes to see how the old seats felt; gee I had been wondering if they would let me sit on one but I hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask him. It was such a thrill to be in the saddle of a bike built in the early 1900s. Of course I had to buy some raffle tickets for a 1947 Harley Davidson; get a T-Shirt and a couple of DVDs. Then off to find lunch at the Bear Den and then ride the last 14 miles of the Blue Ridge again. Back at the hotel Bill, Sandra and I head over to the Bear Zoo to feed the bears and watch them dance and beg for food. Packing is next on the list so we can pull out early in the morning.

Meet the Cherokee People

Today is the Festival of Voices for the Cherokee and located at various locations throughout the village are two or three Cherokee in full ceremonial dress singing and dancing. We went to the Museum and there were many tents setup outside where the Cherokee people were displaying their talents; stone carving, pottery making, jewelry making, bow and spear making just to mention a few. There was storytelling, singing and dancing by the Cherokee people. The museum was so interesting and a really good place to start since we were going to the show tonight. Leaving the museum we wondered down town to check out the stores but as normal for any tourist location one was just like the next. After dinner we called the Cherokee Transit and arrived at the Unto These Hills outdoor theater by 6:45 PM. The show was fantastic. I’m of the Blackfoot decent but I felt a deep respect for the Cherokee people and the unforgivable treatment they received at the hand of the white man. They tried so hard to live in peace with the new settlers only to be pushed out and killed for their land. They have been true to their heritage and even during the years when they were hunted down, and their children were forbidden to speak in their native tongue the Cherokee people held fast to their beginnings. They are a proud people and everyone we have met has been warm and friendly. The Cherokee believe in taking each day as it comes and I can relate to that.

Great riding today

Left around 9:30 heading out on route 19 for Fontana Dam. The dam was built in 1945 and is the highest dam east of the Rockies. Fontana Lake, which was created by the creation of the dam covers over 10,000 acres and covers a small town and the access roads to many other small communities. The lake is drained every 5 years and you can still see the town sleeping quietly beneath this watery grave. The Fontana Dam generates electricity for much of the Tennessee Valley. Next we traveled route 28 which is a very curvy road and is beginning to be recognized by the motorcycle crowd as one of the best riding roads in this area. This route is called the Moonshiner Run because it was a famous route for moonshiners to travel to avoid the Feds. As I slowed to a safe speed around some of the tight turns and then climbed the next grade I imagined the old cars speeding up and down the mountains loaded with illegal liquor. Then we arrived at our second destination for the day – The Tail of the Dragon. The Dragon can be entered from the North Carolina side and the whole 11 miles traveled but at the Tennessee end you have to turn around and travel the whole 11 miles back again. A stop first at the Tail of the Dragon resort and store. There must have been a hundred bikers – some had just ridden the Dragon and others, like us, were just getting ready to tackle this monster. Ok – I’m ready so off we go with Bill and Sandra in the lead. The first few curves were pretty smooth and then I see a tight hairpin up ahead. Around the curve, pull it tight, then up we climb into another tighter turn. No guard rails, just low shoulders and grass or woods. Another easy turn then suddenly you are upon a tight turn again; down shift and get ready to pull it tight and go into a climb. I do not like to drag my floorboards but it happened several times. At first I heard the metal scraping on the blacktop and instinct told me to straighten up slightly but no I cannot do that or I’ll be off the side of the road, in fact, I must lean even more to maneuver this turn. I feel the vibration of the metal dragging on the road. Don was behind me and he said he could hear the metal scraping the road. Along the way you see Killboy and a couple of others parked in a safe location taking pictures of the riders. You also see at least 4 police cars parked ready to pull over anyone riding this Dragon at unsafe speeds or passing illegally. Today or at least during our 22 miles trip everyone is enjoying their ride and testing their skills. Reaching the end we find a very nice turnaround. Bill stops and asks if I’m ready for the next 11 miles. I nod my head and off we go to tackle these curves and master this Dragon in the other direction. I’m ready as I first turn right, down shift, climb left, turn right and drag floorboards again. The Dragon is an 11 mile stretch of mountain road with 318 curves. The official name is Deals Gap. I found the Dragon fun to ride and yes challenging but I have found myself on many mountain roads with curves just as tight and challenging but never with so many curves in such as short distance. Coming down from the Dragon we head back to the motel and meet Dwayne and Sherry. We had dinner and sat and talked until late.