Day 5 - It's Christmas!

Tree Farms Galore, originally uploaded by Gail S.

We were back on the Blue Ridge Parkway where we saw many Christmas Tree farms. It seems that evergreen trees must flourish in this mountainous area of North Carolina and Virginia. Who knew? Aside from that we saw wild turkeys along the way, including one in full feather! Unfortunately, the loud motorcycle deters the turkeys and I couldn't get a decent photo of one. Take my word for it, with trees and turkeys it felt like Christmas.

Yes, it was cold and we were in all of our layers, but it was much better than yesterday. In fact, we had a chance to really enjoy the Blue Ridge Parkway and appreciate the marvel of this fantastic roadway. I took a few photos of the construction display at Doughton Park in the cafe. Take a look.

Incredibly Hard Work, originally uploaded by Gail S.

Every bit of this roadway took lots of persistence and hard work. Imagine creating this for 469 miles.
History of the Parkway

Craftsmen at Work, originally uploaded by Gail S.

Creating this marvelous roadway took 52 years. Everything on it was created with an eye to artistic detail. The stone work is a signature for the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Tunnel Construction, originally uploaded by Gail S.

New techniques were created for building the parkway tunnels.

Stonemasonry at the parkway, originally uploaded by Gail S.

Different Modes of Transportation, originally uploaded by Gail S.

I thought this scene juxtaposed three modes of travel: camper behind a sports utility vehicle, bicycle, and us on a motorcycle!
Traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway

Sister Judy - Biker Chick, originally uploaded by Gail S.

We arrived in Roanoke, Virginia, and found my sister's house just off the Parkway. We were in luck, there was a surprise party for family friend, Brian, who was celebrating his birthday. Fifteen of us gathered at a fantastic Mexican restaurant, Alejandro's, in downtown Roanoke. Eleven of us are family, and I was so busy catching up with Judy, niece, Stacey, and her hubby, Dave, and children, Forrest and Dakota, that I totally forgot to get any photos. Sid spent most of his time talking with nephew, Pete. His wife, Dawn, and daughters, Isabella and Jasmine, were partying with us, too. It was fun.

Judy and Sid and I decided to have a quick photo shoot back at Judy's place -- just before midnight. Yes, we are wearing our do-rags and biker garb. We are all pretty tired after a long and enjoyable day. Tomorrow, we strike out for the coast of Virginia/North Carolina. I should be checking mapquest.com, but I'm doing this instead...

Check back to see if we made it to the coast in one day!