Homeward for David and Patty.
Since David and I were just in Chattanooga a couple of years ago for sight-seeing and since no one from our group was going to be coming back to our house (Ted and Wanda were driving straight home from Chattanooga), we decided to come home early. We had breakfast with Ted and Wanda, loaded up the bikes and headed north and northwest. Along the way we discovered a highway we had never taken - TN-111. It is a wonderful highway, cutting through central Tennessee. Some of it is two-lane and some four-lane. It is being widen to four lanes for most of the run through Tennessee. At one time in the morning, the skies looked like rain so based on our past experiences, we pulled over and put on all the rain gear. We rode for almost an hour fully dressed in the slicks until David said he was starting to feel like a baked potato. We pulled over and removed the jackets and then as soon as we crossed into Kentucky, stopped for lunch and took off the rest of the rain gear. By late afternoon we were just about 30 miles from home. We stopped for milk and juice and put them in the cooler and got gas one last time. At about 20 miles from home, it started to rain. We went on. We were ready to be home and we had driven that stretch of road several times in the rain. When you get that close, it is hard to justify stopping for any reason.
Highlights: TN-111; home
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Day 10 - Monday, June 25, 2007
And then on to Tennessee.
Monday morning, we managed to get the bikes all loaded up and drove down the treacherous gravel driveway one last time. We went out for breakfast mainly because we didn't want to have to do dishes that morning and then hit US-74 west towards Chattanooga. This is a very scenic highway that follows the Nantahala River. There are a lot of rafting companies along the way and plenty to see. We stopped, of course, at the Tennessee line for pictures. Although this wasn't our first trip over the state line, it was the first opportunity we had for the picture thing since the other time we crossed, we were on the Tail of the Dragon and it didn't exactly lend itself for pulling over for pictures. We continued on west, then following the Ocoee River, again another white water rafting area, and on into Chattanooga. We drove staight to the Harley dealer only to discover that THIS dealer is closed on Mondays. What luck. :-( After getting somewhat lost and driving in a little mini-circle in eastern Chattanooga, we lunched at Subway and drove to our motel. As soon as I got off my bike, I realized I had left my purse at the Subway. David was kind enough to "volunteer" to go back for it and we checked in. This motel was the nicest chain motel we had been in all trip. The staff was friendly and helpful, the rooms very nice, and I had negotiated a good deal early on when we expected to be renting out 4-5 rooms. They honored my original price even though we were just two couples by then. After a swim in a pool the temperature of bath water, we did the two-up ride (sissied up) for dinner. For weeks, we had been looking forward to a place called Sticky Fingers, serving Memphis Style ribs. Sticky Fingers wasn't far from our motel but too far to walk. We got on the bikes and had only gotten a few blocks when the skies dumped buckets of water on us. That was bad but then the lightning and hail started. We made our way back to the motel, dried off, and called a taxi to take us to Sticky Fingers. One bite of the ribs and we knew we had picked the right place. They were definitely Memphis Style with that slow cooked flavor that goes all the way to the bone.
Highlights: scenic US-74; Sticky Fingers
Monday morning, we managed to get the bikes all loaded up and drove down the treacherous gravel driveway one last time. We went out for breakfast mainly because we didn't want to have to do dishes that morning and then hit US-74 west towards Chattanooga. This is a very scenic highway that follows the Nantahala River. There are a lot of rafting companies along the way and plenty to see. We stopped, of course, at the Tennessee line for pictures. Although this wasn't our first trip over the state line, it was the first opportunity we had for the picture thing since the other time we crossed, we were on the Tail of the Dragon and it didn't exactly lend itself for pulling over for pictures. We continued on west, then following the Ocoee River, again another white water rafting area, and on into Chattanooga. We drove staight to the Harley dealer only to discover that THIS dealer is closed on Mondays. What luck. :-( After getting somewhat lost and driving in a little mini-circle in eastern Chattanooga, we lunched at Subway and drove to our motel. As soon as I got off my bike, I realized I had left my purse at the Subway. David was kind enough to "volunteer" to go back for it and we checked in. This motel was the nicest chain motel we had been in all trip. The staff was friendly and helpful, the rooms very nice, and I had negotiated a good deal early on when we expected to be renting out 4-5 rooms. They honored my original price even though we were just two couples by then. After a swim in a pool the temperature of bath water, we did the two-up ride (sissied up) for dinner. For weeks, we had been looking forward to a place called Sticky Fingers, serving Memphis Style ribs. Sticky Fingers wasn't far from our motel but too far to walk. We got on the bikes and had only gotten a few blocks when the skies dumped buckets of water on us. That was bad but then the lightning and hail started. We made our way back to the motel, dried off, and called a taxi to take us to Sticky Fingers. One bite of the ribs and we knew we had picked the right place. They were definitely Memphis Style with that slow cooked flavor that goes all the way to the bone.
Highlights: scenic US-74; Sticky Fingers
Day 9 - Sunday, June 24, 2007
Time to Relax.
This was our scheduled down day; a day just to lay back and not do much. We did ride out to visit a local flea market where Wanda and I purchased a duffel bag a piece to carry home the extra "stuff" we were accumulating. We then did a little riding around just near by in the Sylva/Cherokee/Bryson City areas before heading back to the cabin for lunch and a nap. The nap, while we were at the cabin, became a daily ritual. How will we function when we have to go back to work. The evening we had another cook-out and planned on how we were going to load up the bikes when it came time to leave.
Highlight: perfectly grilled chicken breasts by David.
This was our scheduled down day; a day just to lay back and not do much. We did ride out to visit a local flea market where Wanda and I purchased a duffel bag a piece to carry home the extra "stuff" we were accumulating. We then did a little riding around just near by in the Sylva/Cherokee/Bryson City areas before heading back to the cabin for lunch and a nap. The nap, while we were at the cabin, became a daily ritual. How will we function when we have to go back to work. The evening we had another cook-out and planned on how we were going to load up the bikes when it came time to leave.
Highlight: perfectly grilled chicken breasts by David.
Day 8 - Saturday, June 23, 2007
Wheels Through Time -
Ever since David had heard about the Wheels Through Time Museum, he has wanted to go. It is a huge complex in Maggie Valley with thousands of vintage motorcycles, all American made. We left the cabin, rode over Soco Gap on US-19 and into Maggie Valley. We were fortunate that on the day we were there, the founder of the museum was available to lead our tour group. Dale told us the background on a lot of the displays, started several of the bikes (most of the bikes run and all are in the process of being completely restored to running order if not all ready running), and Dale even rode a vintage Crocker bike down the aisle of the museum at over 60 mph - twice.
We enjoyed lunch in Waynesville and rode back to the cabin for a cook-out that evening.
Highlight: Wheels Through Time
Ever since David had heard about the Wheels Through Time Museum, he has wanted to go. It is a huge complex in Maggie Valley with thousands of vintage motorcycles, all American made. We left the cabin, rode over Soco Gap on US-19 and into Maggie Valley. We were fortunate that on the day we were there, the founder of the museum was available to lead our tour group. Dale told us the background on a lot of the displays, started several of the bikes (most of the bikes run and all are in the process of being completely restored to running order if not all ready running), and Dale even rode a vintage Crocker bike down the aisle of the museum at over 60 mph - twice.
We enjoyed lunch in Waynesville and rode back to the cabin for a cook-out that evening.
Highlight: Wheels Through Time
Day 7 - Friday, June 22, 2007
Okay, Dragon, here we come!!
This was our day to ride the Tail of the Dragon, US-129. For those of you not familiar, the Tail of the Dragon is an 11 miles stretch of US-129 in Tennessee just west of the North Carolina border. This highway is reputed to have 318 curves in those 11 miles. As I said before, we couldn't verify that count because we were too busy turning the front wheel from the left to the right constantly. In case any of you are wondering if we did the "sissy up" thing - NO! Wanda and I rode our own and quite well, thank you. We first drove NC-28 to get to Deals Gap at the start of the Dragon. We went west on US-129, stopped at the lake at the bottom, and then turned around and did the Dragon going east. Yes, we did it TWICE! Afterwards we bought the t-shirts ("I rode/survived/slayed the Dragon") and then had lunch at Tapoco Lodge. That evening we celebrated our accomplishments with a great dinner at Stoney's Crab Shack in Sylva.
Note: We learned to pay attention during the trip to the highway signs that let you know a steep an upcoming grade is with the graphic of a big truck going nose first down a hill. Often the signs will let you know how steep the grade is with a percentage number. With a 5% grade, you pay attention and maybe slow a little. A 7% grade, you might down shift, especially if there are curves involved. With 9%, you definitely down shift. On NC-28, one of the hills was marked with a 12% grade. My first reaction was "oh crap" and I may have said that out loud. We did manage it and again, quite well, thank you.
Highlights: THE DRAGON; lunch at Tapoco; and dinner at Stoney's
This was our day to ride the Tail of the Dragon, US-129. For those of you not familiar, the Tail of the Dragon is an 11 miles stretch of US-129 in Tennessee just west of the North Carolina border. This highway is reputed to have 318 curves in those 11 miles. As I said before, we couldn't verify that count because we were too busy turning the front wheel from the left to the right constantly. In case any of you are wondering if we did the "sissy up" thing - NO! Wanda and I rode our own and quite well, thank you. We first drove NC-28 to get to Deals Gap at the start of the Dragon. We went west on US-129, stopped at the lake at the bottom, and then turned around and did the Dragon going east. Yes, we did it TWICE! Afterwards we bought the t-shirts ("I rode/survived/slayed the Dragon") and then had lunch at Tapoco Lodge. That evening we celebrated our accomplishments with a great dinner at Stoney's Crab Shack in Sylva.
Note: We learned to pay attention during the trip to the highway signs that let you know a steep an upcoming grade is with the graphic of a big truck going nose first down a hill. Often the signs will let you know how steep the grade is with a percentage number. With a 5% grade, you pay attention and maybe slow a little. A 7% grade, you might down shift, especially if there are curves involved. With 9%, you definitely down shift. On NC-28, one of the hills was marked with a 12% grade. My first reaction was "oh crap" and I may have said that out loud. We did manage it and again, quite well, thank you.
Highlights: THE DRAGON; lunch at Tapoco; and dinner at Stoney's
Day 6 - Thursday, June 21, 2007
Let's just get where we need to be.....
After saying good-bye to our good friends and then loading up our bikes, we made the decision just to bypass the Asheville part of the Blue Ridge. We got on I-40 and headed west. We got off the interstate at Waynesville North Carolina at about the same spot where we would have gotten off the Parkway. We went to the Harley dealer :-). After some browsing, we asked the clerk for recommendations for lunch. She not only provided one clear answer but gave us the rundown on the specials for the day at Clyde's. So it was off to Clyde's for lunch where the plate special was in the $6.00 range. Do we know how to live or what? We weren't far from the cabin we had rented but it was still a little early to check in so we killed time at the super Wal-Mart in Sylva. Since Sylva was about the closest place to our cabin, it gave us a chance to look around and get a feel for our excursions for groceries, restaurants, etc. Our cabin, we had been assured, was on a paved road and fully motorcycle assessible. Well, the road was paved but the cabin compound was gravel and not easy to drive on gravel - you bikers know the difference. We did the short incline into the compound and breathed a sigh of relief - no one dumped. We checked in and cabin was very nice including views of mountains, hot tubs, laundry facilities, and at night bonfire with marshmallows (didn't enjoy or need a bonfire though when daytime temperatures reached the upper 90's). We had plans to eat some meals in the cabin but not all so we did the two-up ride (or as my sister-in-law Wanda calls it - we sissied up) back to Sylva that evening.
Highlights: Clyde's
After saying good-bye to our good friends and then loading up our bikes, we made the decision just to bypass the Asheville part of the Blue Ridge. We got on I-40 and headed west. We got off the interstate at Waynesville North Carolina at about the same spot where we would have gotten off the Parkway. We went to the Harley dealer :-). After some browsing, we asked the clerk for recommendations for lunch. She not only provided one clear answer but gave us the rundown on the specials for the day at Clyde's. So it was off to Clyde's for lunch where the plate special was in the $6.00 range. Do we know how to live or what? We weren't far from the cabin we had rented but it was still a little early to check in so we killed time at the super Wal-Mart in Sylva. Since Sylva was about the closest place to our cabin, it gave us a chance to look around and get a feel for our excursions for groceries, restaurants, etc. Our cabin, we had been assured, was on a paved road and fully motorcycle assessible. Well, the road was paved but the cabin compound was gravel and not easy to drive on gravel - you bikers know the difference. We did the short incline into the compound and breathed a sigh of relief - no one dumped. We checked in and cabin was very nice including views of mountains, hot tubs, laundry facilities, and at night bonfire with marshmallows (didn't enjoy or need a bonfire though when daytime temperatures reached the upper 90's). We had plans to eat some meals in the cabin but not all so we did the two-up ride (or as my sister-in-law Wanda calls it - we sissied up) back to Sylva that evening.
Highlights: Clyde's
Day 5 - Wednesday, June 20, 2007
We are dry and ready to ride!
We left Galax, probably for the last time, and headed to North Carolina. Just a few miles after returning to the Blue Ridge, we stopped for pictures at the North Carolina state line. Again, the breakfast at the motel wasn't much so we drove to Bluff's Lodge, just south of Doughton Park. Dave and Manuella had eaten there before and it was as wonderful as they said. (Is everyone seeing the trend here? Eating is one of our favorite pastimes.) Our next big stop of the day was at Blowing Rock where we parked and walked the main street, looking at all the little shops and boutiques. We needed lunch before getting back on the Parkway. Bill was the only sensible one, he had a sandwich; the rest of us had ice cream. :-) We next drove over the Linn Cove Viaduct and then watched a documentary on how it was constructed. Afterwards, Dave, Manuella, Bill, Shelly, and I walked the path under the viaduct. It was awesome. Since it was the last section of the Blue Ridge Parkway to open, most of us had never been on it. To describe how the viaduct just seems to float in mid-air as it circles past Grandfather Mountain doesn't do it justice. Our last sight-seeing stop of the day was at Linville Falls. On the way there, our "sensible" Bill tested the off-road worthiness of his Road King - and survived. We were all impressed, and relieved. At the Falls, we split into to hiking groups; Dave, Manuella, Bill, and Shelly took the longer hike to Linville Falls; Ted, Wanda, David, and I took the wimp hike to the smaller falls. Even though we didn't do many miles on this day, with all the sight-seeing, we were ready to call it a day. We ate dinner at Famous Louise's Rockhouse in the town of Linville Falls. Three things really stand out about this place - the food was outstanding and very reasonably priced, they don't take credit cards (good thing the prices were reasonable), and by walking across the dining room you can go in and out of three counties. We had reservations for a Bed & Breakfast at the Inn at Blue Ridge. I am telling everyone who has any plans at all in the general vicinity of Linville Falls - this is the place to stay. It was very luxurious and priced very reasonably. Our hosts were Jan and Charlie and they were warm and friendly. Our breakfast the next morning was the healthiest we had eaten the entire trip for any meal. Our one down side was that evening, Bill and Shelly received word of a family emergency and had to make a decision about the rest of the trip. After considering many scenarios, they decided to ride their motorcycles back to Columbus. For safety, Dave and Manuella agreed to accompany them. So on Thursday morning, we waved good-bye to those four and there was just four of us left.
Highlights: Linn Cove Viaduct; Famous Louise's Rockhouse; The Inn at Blue Ridge and our hosts, Jan and Charlie.
We left Galax, probably for the last time, and headed to North Carolina. Just a few miles after returning to the Blue Ridge, we stopped for pictures at the North Carolina state line. Again, the breakfast at the motel wasn't much so we drove to Bluff's Lodge, just south of Doughton Park. Dave and Manuella had eaten there before and it was as wonderful as they said. (Is everyone seeing the trend here? Eating is one of our favorite pastimes.) Our next big stop of the day was at Blowing Rock where we parked and walked the main street, looking at all the little shops and boutiques. We needed lunch before getting back on the Parkway. Bill was the only sensible one, he had a sandwich; the rest of us had ice cream. :-) We next drove over the Linn Cove Viaduct and then watched a documentary on how it was constructed. Afterwards, Dave, Manuella, Bill, Shelly, and I walked the path under the viaduct. It was awesome. Since it was the last section of the Blue Ridge Parkway to open, most of us had never been on it. To describe how the viaduct just seems to float in mid-air as it circles past Grandfather Mountain doesn't do it justice. Our last sight-seeing stop of the day was at Linville Falls. On the way there, our "sensible" Bill tested the off-road worthiness of his Road King - and survived. We were all impressed, and relieved. At the Falls, we split into to hiking groups; Dave, Manuella, Bill, and Shelly took the longer hike to Linville Falls; Ted, Wanda, David, and I took the wimp hike to the smaller falls. Even though we didn't do many miles on this day, with all the sight-seeing, we were ready to call it a day. We ate dinner at Famous Louise's Rockhouse in the town of Linville Falls. Three things really stand out about this place - the food was outstanding and very reasonably priced, they don't take credit cards (good thing the prices were reasonable), and by walking across the dining room you can go in and out of three counties. We had reservations for a Bed & Breakfast at the Inn at Blue Ridge. I am telling everyone who has any plans at all in the general vicinity of Linville Falls - this is the place to stay. It was very luxurious and priced very reasonably. Our hosts were Jan and Charlie and they were warm and friendly. Our breakfast the next morning was the healthiest we had eaten the entire trip for any meal. Our one down side was that evening, Bill and Shelly received word of a family emergency and had to make a decision about the rest of the trip. After considering many scenarios, they decided to ride their motorcycles back to Columbus. For safety, Dave and Manuella agreed to accompany them. So on Thursday morning, we waved good-bye to those four and there was just four of us left.
Highlights: Linn Cove Viaduct; Famous Louise's Rockhouse; The Inn at Blue Ridge and our hosts, Jan and Charlie.
Day 4 - Tuesday, June 19, 2007
The Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia!
Our motel didn't have any breakfast so we made the decision to eat at the Peaks of Otter Lodge. We headed out, back south on the Parkway, stopped at just one overlook before reaching Peaks of Otter. The place was as beautiful as it had been described. The dining room looks out over a serene lake. And the food, of course, was great. At Peaks of Otter, we split up. David and I headed to Bedford Virginia to see the National D-Day Memorial (if you get a chance, please look at the pictures.) and the other six were headed to Roanoke to visit the Harley dealer and for some other shopping. We had tentative plans to meet at Mabry Mill but if not there, our motel that evening. After the D-Day Memorial, David and I got back on the Parkway near Roanoke. We were headed to Mabry Mill when the skies opened up. We didn't have a chance to put on the rain gear before we were soaked completely through. Visibility was terrible and we had to pull over often until we could see enough to drive on. Finally we made to Mabry Mill but the other bikers weren't there. We assumed they were ahead of us so we went on to Meadows of Dan for lunch. We met the "locals" and especially enjoyed talking to a local farmer who told us how to predict rain, although that bit of wisdom came a little late for us on that day. We then drove on to our motel in Galax Virginia. This motel was our biggest disappointment of the trip and I won't be recommending this place to anyone. Another disappointment was that the other six in our group wasn't there yet. They were behind us on the Parkway, also got caught in the rain storm, but did Mabry Mill anyway. Their pictures are also posted on Picasa. After drying out, we walked a couple of blocks to a restaurant. This was our final disappointment of the evening. We got there just after 7 but it took the staff 10-15 minutes to seat us. That should have been a warning for the rest of the evening. We got a "new" waitress; she forgot to put in our orders (more than once); the last of us were finally served at 10:30; we were not happy. The management "comped" our food but we would have rather paid and eaten in a timely manner.
In two separate instances, a turkey tried to attack our group. In the pouring rain and just before Mabry Mill, a turkey flew right in front of me and at only windshield height. And in almost the same spot, Wanda had a similar experience. I'm thinking the turkey just wanted to end it all and not have to wait for Thanksgiving. In fact, Ted made the story funny by saying he was thinking about the phone call he would have to make to Wanda's mom, "Well, I have good news and bad news. Wanda is no longer with us but the good news is I have the Thanksgiving meal covered."
Highlights: Peaks of Otter for breakfast; D-Day Memorial (me and David); Mabry Mill (the rest of the group); Meadows of Dan farmer.
Our motel didn't have any breakfast so we made the decision to eat at the Peaks of Otter Lodge. We headed out, back south on the Parkway, stopped at just one overlook before reaching Peaks of Otter. The place was as beautiful as it had been described. The dining room looks out over a serene lake. And the food, of course, was great. At Peaks of Otter, we split up. David and I headed to Bedford Virginia to see the National D-Day Memorial (if you get a chance, please look at the pictures.) and the other six were headed to Roanoke to visit the Harley dealer and for some other shopping. We had tentative plans to meet at Mabry Mill but if not there, our motel that evening. After the D-Day Memorial, David and I got back on the Parkway near Roanoke. We were headed to Mabry Mill when the skies opened up. We didn't have a chance to put on the rain gear before we were soaked completely through. Visibility was terrible and we had to pull over often until we could see enough to drive on. Finally we made to Mabry Mill but the other bikers weren't there. We assumed they were ahead of us so we went on to Meadows of Dan for lunch. We met the "locals" and especially enjoyed talking to a local farmer who told us how to predict rain, although that bit of wisdom came a little late for us on that day. We then drove on to our motel in Galax Virginia. This motel was our biggest disappointment of the trip and I won't be recommending this place to anyone. Another disappointment was that the other six in our group wasn't there yet. They were behind us on the Parkway, also got caught in the rain storm, but did Mabry Mill anyway. Their pictures are also posted on Picasa. After drying out, we walked a couple of blocks to a restaurant. This was our final disappointment of the evening. We got there just after 7 but it took the staff 10-15 minutes to seat us. That should have been a warning for the rest of the evening. We got a "new" waitress; she forgot to put in our orders (more than once); the last of us were finally served at 10:30; we were not happy. The management "comped" our food but we would have rather paid and eaten in a timely manner.
In two separate instances, a turkey tried to attack our group. In the pouring rain and just before Mabry Mill, a turkey flew right in front of me and at only windshield height. And in almost the same spot, Wanda had a similar experience. I'm thinking the turkey just wanted to end it all and not have to wait for Thanksgiving. In fact, Ted made the story funny by saying he was thinking about the phone call he would have to make to Wanda's mom, "Well, I have good news and bad news. Wanda is no longer with us but the good news is I have the Thanksgiving meal covered."
Highlights: Peaks of Otter for breakfast; D-Day Memorial (me and David); Mabry Mill (the rest of the group); Meadows of Dan farmer.
Day 3 - Monday, June 18, 2007
Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway - Here We Come!!!
The breakfast at the motel consisted of toast and coffee so we skipped that and made the decision to eat on the Skyline. We loaded up the bikes and headed south to the entrance to Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park. We all had our fees ready but there was no one manning the gate at the entrance. A sign told us to pay on our way out of the park. No problem; we can do that. The drive was as beautiful as we expected. We ascended immediately and immediately felt the need to pull over for some pictures at an overlook. Overlooks will cut into your miles per hour but boy are they worth the sacrifice! After a couple of overlooks, we were at Skyland Lodge where we had a great breakfast. By now we are starting to worry about our clothes fitting by the end of the vacation and we are only on our third day!! From the pictures posted on Picasa, you can tell we ordered plenty and that we weren't going to starve. At the end of the Skyline Drive, there was still no one manning the gate so we left for free. We did get pictures of the Entrance/Leaving sign and those are also posted at Picasa. By now we were ready for some lunch. Since Waynesboro was nearby, we drove there and ate a small local diner called Weasie's. As with most local places, the food was really down-home great. After lunch, we got back on the Blue Ridge Parkway and heading south. Our motel for the night was in the little town of Buena Vista Virginia. I was concerned when I booked but the motel turned out to be nice. It won't earn any stars but the rooms were large and clean. We were able to park our bikes right outside our rooms and that evening we all sat outside on the porch and talked about our ride.
Highlights of day 3: seeing black bear cubs on the road side (only if you were in the front - I scared them off, apparently, before the riders in the back could see them); breakfast at Skyland Lodge; lunch at Weasie's; BBQ at Todd's in Buena Vista; the scenery.
The breakfast at the motel consisted of toast and coffee so we skipped that and made the decision to eat on the Skyline. We loaded up the bikes and headed south to the entrance to Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park. We all had our fees ready but there was no one manning the gate at the entrance. A sign told us to pay on our way out of the park. No problem; we can do that. The drive was as beautiful as we expected. We ascended immediately and immediately felt the need to pull over for some pictures at an overlook. Overlooks will cut into your miles per hour but boy are they worth the sacrifice! After a couple of overlooks, we were at Skyland Lodge where we had a great breakfast. By now we are starting to worry about our clothes fitting by the end of the vacation and we are only on our third day!! From the pictures posted on Picasa, you can tell we ordered plenty and that we weren't going to starve. At the end of the Skyline Drive, there was still no one manning the gate so we left for free. We did get pictures of the Entrance/Leaving sign and those are also posted at Picasa. By now we were ready for some lunch. Since Waynesboro was nearby, we drove there and ate a small local diner called Weasie's. As with most local places, the food was really down-home great. After lunch, we got back on the Blue Ridge Parkway and heading south. Our motel for the night was in the little town of Buena Vista Virginia. I was concerned when I booked but the motel turned out to be nice. It won't earn any stars but the rooms were large and clean. We were able to park our bikes right outside our rooms and that evening we all sat outside on the porch and talked about our ride.
Highlights of day 3: seeing black bear cubs on the road side (only if you were in the front - I scared them off, apparently, before the riders in the back could see them); breakfast at Skyland Lodge; lunch at Weasie's; BBQ at Todd's in Buena Vista; the scenery.
Day 2 - Sunday, June 17, 2007
Happy Father's Day to our guys and to our Dads!!
We had breakfast at our motel and then headed out on US-50 east. As my dad told me, US-50 wasn't going to be a super highway and would be a warm-up for the rest of our trip. US-50 is a windy, twisty, up and down road but very scenic. We traveled across the northern part of West Virginia, crossed the tip of Maryland that juts down into West Virginia, back into West Virginia and then into Virginia. We searched for the Harley-Davidson dealer in Winchester and eventually found it, past the city and out in the country east of Winchester. But it is still one of those dealers closed on Sundays. So then it was on to Front Royal, the city that is at the start of the Skyline Drive, and our motel. Today we had a pool! All of us took a quick cool down and relaxed before walking to a restaurant for dinner.
Highlights of the Day: picture taking at the state line signs for West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia; the curves and scenery along US-50; the pool.
We had breakfast at our motel and then headed out on US-50 east. As my dad told me, US-50 wasn't going to be a super highway and would be a warm-up for the rest of our trip. US-50 is a windy, twisty, up and down road but very scenic. We traveled across the northern part of West Virginia, crossed the tip of Maryland that juts down into West Virginia, back into West Virginia and then into Virginia. We searched for the Harley-Davidson dealer in Winchester and eventually found it, past the city and out in the country east of Winchester. But it is still one of those dealers closed on Sundays. So then it was on to Front Royal, the city that is at the start of the Skyline Drive, and our motel. Today we had a pool! All of us took a quick cool down and relaxed before walking to a restaurant for dinner.
Highlights of the Day: picture taking at the state line signs for West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia; the curves and scenery along US-50; the pool.
Day 1 - Saturday June 16, 2007
Ready to Ride!!
After a quick breakfast in Shelbyville KY, David and I hit the interstates for 368 miles to meet the rest of the group in Bridgeport WV. We had no problems and rolled into Bridgeport at about 4:30. The six from Ohio were already at the motel. Our group was now complete with David and Patty from Taylorsville Kentucky; Ted and Wanda from Waldo Ohio; Bill and Shelly from Delaware Ohio; and Dave and Manuella from Westerville Ohio. Manuella rode behind Dave on his H-D Road King and Dave was pulling a small small trailer with his bike. Bill has an H-D Road King as does Ted. Wanda and Shelly both have H-D Sportsters. David has an H-D Ultra Classic and I ride an H-D Dyna Low Rider. We were all very anxious for the adventure to begin.
Highlights of the Day: riding that many miles and having no problems; just sitting and talking with the group.
After a quick breakfast in Shelbyville KY, David and I hit the interstates for 368 miles to meet the rest of the group in Bridgeport WV. We had no problems and rolled into Bridgeport at about 4:30. The six from Ohio were already at the motel. Our group was now complete with David and Patty from Taylorsville Kentucky; Ted and Wanda from Waldo Ohio; Bill and Shelly from Delaware Ohio; and Dave and Manuella from Westerville Ohio. Manuella rode behind Dave on his H-D Road King and Dave was pulling a small small trailer with his bike. Bill has an H-D Road King as does Ted. Wanda and Shelly both have H-D Sportsters. David has an H-D Ultra Classic and I ride an H-D Dyna Low Rider. We were all very anxious for the adventure to begin.
Highlights of the Day: riding that many miles and having no problems; just sitting and talking with the group.
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