Just two more questions to cover for our blog visitors!
Why do bikers ride in groups? It's safer to travel with a group. If something happens to you on the road, you already have the Biker Brotherhood with you. It is easier for motorists to see bikes when they travel in a goup. Sid and I seldom travel with a group because we ride slower and stop more often for sight-seeing than most groups prefer. I've noticed that riders in groups are less likely to let the others know when they are tired and need a break. I think they are reluctant to hold the group back, or maybe it's a testosterone thing. I'm not sure. I just know that we do better when we travel alone or with just one or two other bikes.
What's up with some of these unusual bikes like the one pictured above? Frankly, Sid and I have no idea. Sid is convinced that this rider's hands must go numb from lack of circulation. I'm not convinced he has full control when steering from that position. Regardless, we both agree that this bike is really made for shorter day trips and not the two or three week rides that we take.
In spite of the unpredictable weather and our frailties, we had a marvelous trip. We saw beautiful sights, visited family, met fascinating people, made new friends and learned a lot. Traveling our country on two wheels provides a unique combination of sights, sounds and smells! You don't know what you are missing. Thank you all for taking the ride with us and supporting us along the way with your good thoughts and prayers.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Day 19 Motorcycle Mystique Continued
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Day 18 Motorcycle Mystique Revealed
I want to give you some insight into what I call the "motorcycle mystique" based on my personal experiences and observations over the past few years. Who knows? I might shed some light on questions that have been keeping you awake at night.
When we purchased our Honda VTX 1800 Retro, we became automatic members of the Biker Brotherhood. There is no application, there's no membership fee, there's no initiation ritual. The closest thing we have to a secret handshake is the biker greeting. Members of the brotherhood greet each other when we pass on the road with the low profile wave seen in the photo above. Why the low profile wave? If you wave at shoulder height à la the beauty queen wave, your hand is caught by the wind which can jerk your hand backward and create instability. The low wave is safer and looks cool.
Aside from the cool greetings, the best thing about being in the brotherhood is knowing that bikers stop to help other bikers, even when you just LOOK like you might need help. On day 3 of our trip when we pulled over to look at the map, a local biker (who was driving a pickup truck) stopped to check on us. It's comforting to know that the Biker Brotherhood has our back.
So, what's with the unattractive things bikers wear on their heads under their helmets? Do-rags (short for hairdo rags) serve several purposes for those who ride motorcycles. According to our neighbor and motorcycle mentor, Terry, a do-rag keeps your helmet from getting "funky" because it absorbs sweat. For those with longer hair, the do-rag keeps hair from slapping you in the face and getting tangled in the helmet visor. Once the helmet is removed a biker exhibits helmet hair - flattened and disheveled, and may prefer to wear the do-rag while off the bike. Sid was wearing his do-rag at a restaurant when a little boy approached him and asked, "Are you a pirate?" Of course, lots of people who are not on motorcycles use do-rags for many reasons.
So, what about the black motorcycle clothing? It makes practical sense. Any period of time on the road results in road dust and dirt on the clothing. I wore a pale green shirt on a ride one day. By the time we stopped for lunch I looked like the character Pigpen from the old Peanuts comic strip!
And, why are there skulls, skeletons, the Grim Reaper, flames and cross bones on motorcycle gear? I believe this is a holdover from the old skool notion that motorcycle riders are gang members who carry out widespread violence, drug dealing, trafficking in stolen goods, and extortion. Although this notion is not true, the "bad ass" aura is perpetuated by these images and might be a little bit titillating to the solid citizens who make up the majority of riders today. Please note that my do-rags (shown above) reflect smiley faces, yin & yang, stars & stripes, and an eagle.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Day 18 Motorcycle Miscommunication
Remember the glass shop from Day 3? Well, this is what we purchased. We made it to our weekend place in Lobelville where Sid installed our new windchimes on the back deck. I'm heading to our home in Somerville tomorrow, then back to the office the next day.
I wanted to share a few things from our trip that I thought might be of interest.
MISCOMMUNICATIONS
[We're on the bike on a mountain, going fast, wearing helmets.]
Gail: "That's an unusual car, what is it?"
Sid: "It's called a 'Can-Am.'"
Gail: "Canned ham?"
Sid: "Yes, Can-Am."
Gail: "Strange name. It doesn't look like a canned ham. Is the weird name about the shape of the car?"
Sid (yelling): C-A-N. A-M!
Gail: "Oh..."
[We're on the bike in Winchester, Tennessee, riding through town with a lot of traffic, wearing helmets.]
Sid: "What's the name of this street?"
Gail: "Dinah Shore Boulevard."
Sid: "Dinosaur Boulevard?"
Gail: "Yes."
Sid: "Why would they name it that? Did they find..."
Gail (interrupting): "Well, she was a celebrity in the 1950s & 1960s, maybe she is from Winchester."
Sid: "...bones around here?"
Gail: "Bones? What bones?"
Sid: "Dinosaur bones."
Gail: "Whaaaat?"
Stay tuned. In my next post I will unveil the magic behind the "motorcycle mytique."
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Day 16 & 17 From Coalwood to Cumberland Gap
I told you we were fortunate to stay at the Count Gilu (pronounced "Guy - Lou") Motel with a group of friends who book their rooms a year in advance for their annual reunion during the October Sky festival. Most of these interesting people are connected by their long history with Coalwood; some of them are festival attendees who have returned year after year. In fact the entire founding board of the Coalwood Historical Society is in this photo. [If you click on the photo, you will be taken to my flickr album showing all the names and current cities of the folks in this photo.]
So, the festival exceeded my expectations largely because of the fun times and interesting stories shared by our new Coalwood friends. As Rhonda Goad (a Coalwood native) put it, "I love coming to the festival to meet people like you who come all the way here to see Coalwood!" Among those pictured are David and Lucille who are from London, um, that's London, KY. They ride motorcycles, and we have talked about a spring bike trip to meet somewhere in the middle between our hometown and theirs. Lucille sings like an angel. In addition, we met Jerry and Peggy who live in Erin, Tennessee. That's just 35 minutes north of our place on the Buffalo River. In fact, they drive by our place on their frequent trips to the Mennonite store just 8 miles away. I'm counting on having them stop by to visit on their next trip to the store. Folks, it's a small world just filled with interesting people.
Our journey to Cumberland Gap via mountain roads took us back through the coal mining towns of Coalwood, Caretta and War, West Virginia. I managed to get this shot of the homes built by the Carter Coal Company in Coalwood on Substation Row. It looks like the roofing material is the original from when the houses were built in the 1930s! The coal company rented the homes for years and supplied free coal for heating. In the late 1950s the company decided to sell the houses to the residents and charge for coal for heating. That's when the homes went from the standard white to whatever color the resident wanted.
Although West Virginia towns are small, they are long. The buildings are built along the roads in valleys and hollows between the mountains. Some of the communities cling tenaciously to the mountainsides. During the festival, I met two bikers from Webster Springs in central West Virginia. They told me the mountains there are twice as high as those in Coalwood. They assured me that sunlight has to be "piped in" to their valleys.
I was thrilled to catch this shot as we drove through Caretta. The morning sun created a silhouette of the inactive skip hoist. The coal mine in Coalwood and Caretta shut down in 1986 which really changed the face of these towns. Of course, I had the lyrics of a song in my mind. I can just hear the deep voice of Tennessee Ernie Ford singing this:
I think this is the Bay Star Coal Mine outside of War, WV. Take note of the green canvas at the bottom of the photo. This is a screen (8 to 10 feet high) erected all around the coal yard. We saw it at all of the active coal mines that we passed. It is a visual barrier only or does it have an additional purpose?
We were hoping to make it to Cumberland Gap before the end of the day. When we stopped for a late lunch in Duffield, Virginia, Sid was visibly exhausted - pale and shaky. Our trip through the West Virginia mountains in addition to Virginia Highway 65, a winding two-lane mountain road that follows the path of the Clinch River, really took a toll on Sid's stamina. His shoulders were really aching. I suggested we stop for the evening, and we were fortunate to find a nearby motel to give us a respite from the road. I immediately took a "sympathy nap" in Sid's honor.
The next morning it was chilly and gray, and we hit the road again - refreshed, but with a new plan to travel shorter distances each day to make sure we are not "biking while exhausted." Sid suggested we get off the Hwy 58 bypass to drive through this little town, Ewing, Virginia. "Who knows?" he said, "We might even see a movie theatre!" This town was so tiny I never expected to see this theatre. Clearly, it had seen better days. We had hoped to find a cafe for breakfast. No such luck! Where do these folks eat along Hwy 58? I would be happy to see a convenience store.
We followed this bank of clouds for miles on the way to Cumberland Gap. Wouldn't it have been nice to run across a Rock City barn? In spite of this gray, drab morning, this is a beautiful drive. Gorgeous farms line this wide valley. Such a difference from the constant mountains and tight valleys of West Virginia.
Cumberland Gap is, without a doubt, one of the most important pieces of land in American history. It is a low point in the Cumberland Mountains where the states of Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia all meet. It was the path generations of Native Americans and early pioneers took. Historians now estimate that between 1760 and 1850, almost 300,000 people walked, rode, or were carried through the Cumberland Gap. We headed to the town where we had eaten a lovely lunch at the Tea Room cafe in the past. My stomach growled as we rode up to discover the cafe had been replaced by the Wilderness Road Outfitters store - not a muffin in sight!
Before the day was over, the sun came out when we finally reached Tennessee. We saw several of these barns with quilt patterns which told us we were on the Appalachian Quilt Trail. It is a great way to experience the variety of rural life in one of the country's most scenic areas. It's easy to spot waypoints and trail stops along the trail: just look for the painted wooden squares. We have seen these squares throughout our trip...sounds like a good excuse for the next bike trip.
We drove through Allardt, Tennessee, home of the Giant Pumpkin Festival and Weigh-Off, which was held on Oct 3 & 4. This year's winner was John VanHook of Somerset, Kentucky, with a pumpkin that weighed 1266.10 lbs! I hate it that we missed this event...After a late lunch in Livingston, Tennessee, we stopped for the evening at a motel with no internet.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Day 15 October Sky Festival
It's a glorius day on Auk Road next to the welcome sign. (If you've read the book, you know what Auk means.)
Coalwood celebrities and Rocket Boys who attended the October Sky Festival. O'Dell Carroll, Homer "Sonny" Hickam, Roy Lee Cooke, Billy Rose, Jack Likens. They seem to be in the midst of a conversation...
(l to r) David Goad, author and President of the Coalwood Historical Society; Jack Likens, rival Rocket Boy not mentioned in Homer's book; Doc Likens (Jack's brother), featured character in 'Sky of Stone.' Doc and Jack's father was the principal of Coalwood School for many years. Their mom was a teacher.
Homer Hickam graciously signed this "Rocket Girl's" Coalwood books. Note that I am wearing a t-shirt purchased at the US Space and Rocket Center during our 2009 Spring Bike trip to Huntsville. Could I possibly be a bigger space geek?
We were interviewed during the festival by Bill Archer, a reporter from the Bluefield Daily Telegraph who described the day in detail. I am thrilled that our interview was included in the article about the festival. A shortened version of Bill's article is shown below. Our interview is at the end.
Hundreds of visitors come to Coalwood’s October Sky Festival
By Bill Archer
Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 10/3/2009
COALWOOD — A clear blue October sky was the limit Saturday as a sun-splashed crowd full of dreamers of all ages saw the stars and enjoyed the warmth of a McDowell County fall afternoon.
“I don’t know how we came here,” Garrett Ripa, 18, of Cleveland, Ohio said. Ripa is a student in the Galileo and Hypatia class of Virginia Tech’s Center for the Enhancement of engineering Diversity. Ripa traveled from Blacksburg, Va., to Coalwood with a group of about 30 students in the class.
Ryan Hubbard, from Collinsville, Va., a graduate student at Tech who teaches students in the program said that when he mentioned the idea of traveling to Coalwood, “Almost all of the students leaped out of their seats to say yes,” he said. “As part of our community service work, we brought gliders, slime and rockets to reach out to the younger generation to get them interested in the field of engineering.” Hubbard is in Tech’s aerospace engineering masters program and hopes to pursue a career in that field.
When the dignitaries arrived for the welcoming ceremony, Natalie Canerday, the actress who portrayed Elsie Hickam in the movie, “October Sky” was obviously moved by the reception she received from several hundred people attending the event. Elsie Hickam is the mother of Homer Hickam, author of “Rocket Boys,” the book that the movie, “October Sky” was based on.
This marks the 11th annual October Sky Festival in Coalwood. The event is hosted by the Cape Coalwood Restoration Association, and the concept was ignited by the widespread positive reaction to Hickam’s book. Hickam grew up in Coalwood and was the leader of a rocket club at Big Creek High School.
He said the book “entered the national consciousness with a message of hope and understanding that the world has needed,” he said. “I’m honored to be the vessel that this message came through.” He said that it is the people of Coalwood that make the community special. “They trust in God, but rely upon themselves,” he said. “I am proud to be from Coalwood.”
Bert Allen served as master of ceremonies to keep the program flowing. Hickam and Red Carroll arrived together on a Coalwood Volunteer Fire Department truck. Carroll delivered a moving opening prayer, comparing the event to a homecoming. Other rocket boys including Roy Lee Cook, Billy Rose and Jimmy “O’Dell” Carroll participated as well as fellow Big Creek schoolmates, Emily Sue Buckberry, Dr. Bobby Likens and Jackie Likens who lead a rival rocket club at Big Creek who weren’t mentioned in the book, Hickam said.
Sid and Gail Spragins from Summerville, Tenn., took a 15-day motorcycle ride that terminated in Coalwood. “I picked up a copy of ‘Sky of Stone’ about six weeks ago, and I had to come here,” Gail Spragins said, referring to another one of Hickam’s books about growing up in Coalwood. “Sid wanted to go to Helen, Ga., so we went there first and then came here. Just last night, we met Bobby Likens in the motel, now here we are."
[Note from Gail - Bobby Likens was featured in the book 'Sky of Stone' which was about the summer after Homer's freshman year at Virginia Tech when Homer and Bobby worked together in the Olga Coal mine. Bobby earned his tuition to attend West Virginia University School of Medicine by working in the coal mine each summer. Known as "Doc," Dr. Robert L. Likens is a family practice physician in Florida.]
With Allen urging her on, Canerday issued her famous line from the movie: “Just don’t blow yourself up,” and the day-full of activities was underway.
— Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com
The back side of the home of Olga Coal Mine foreman, Homer Hickam Sr and his family. Note the sign for Homer Hickam Lane!
Bill Bolt was in charge of the Olga Coal Mine machine shop and helped the Rocket Boys create the rockets. I was thrilled to meet him and his wife, Reba, who worked at the Coalwood School.
Steve Date is a Minneapolis teacher who became interested in Coalwood during a field trip. He just released a documentary, 'Welcome to Coalwood.' He is also the Vice President of the Coalwood WV Historical Society.
Our new friends at the motel invited us to a dinner and party after the festival. At some point in the evening we piled on to the bed in the "Elvis Room." Doc Likens records the incident. Sid captured this photo. Our trip to West Virginia has really been memorable. I'm so grateful to Sid for his willingness to travel to coal country to attend a festival that he really wasn't interested in attending.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Day 13 & 14 Natural Bridge, Virginia & Coalwood, WV
We traveled from Roanoke via Highway 11 North to visit Natural Bridge, Virginia. Along the way we passed through the town of Buchanan where we stopped to take photos of the Buchanan Theatre. This quaint burg is on the bank of the James River in the Shenandoah Valley. While walking down Main Street, I greeted several people, none of whom spoke to me. Could it be the motorcycle helmet, leathers and neck gator that put them off?
We were surprised to see this grand hotel at the site of the Natural Bridge complex. Folks, this is in the middle of nowhere! Clearly this is a well-established tourist destination.
We were especially surprised to see this dinosaur being ridden by a cowboy just outside the Natural Bridge gift shop! It is an advertisement for the wax museum located in the complex. Our ticket included admission to the museum, but we didn't take advantage of it because we spent so much time at the natural bridge site.
This 20-story natural bridge was created by erosion from Cedar Creek which runs underneath. Take a look at the scale of the bridge compared to the people in the photo!
In 1750 it was surveyed by 18-year old George Washington who left his initials on the wall of the bridge. Later, Thomas Jefferson purchased the bridge along with 157 surrounding acres. It is still privately owned today.
We were surprised to learn that we had crossed the bridge via Highway 11. How did we miss this enormous gorge when we crossed over? We examined it on the way out and discovered a 10-foot fence obscuring our view along with a distracting billboard pointing the way to the complex.
The mile-long Cedar Creek nature trail features a re-creation of a Native American village complete with two interpretive guides - a married couple. We spent some time chatting with the guides about the area and the exhibits in the village.
This dried corn was part of the corn cake cooking demonstration at the village.
If you are going to hike a nature trail, you must be prepared for nature! We encountered three of these non-poisonous snakes on the banks of the creek. It was a relaxing hike that we thoroughly enjoyed. We recommend a visit to this Virginia destination located just a few miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
I must confess that I am posting this entry about events that took place almost two days ago. Since our visit to Natural Bridge, we have left Roanoke to head to the October Sky Festival in Coalwood, West Virginia. The festival came about after the movie based on a book by Homer "Sonny" Hickam about his days in the 1950s as a "Rocket Boy" in a small coal mining town in West Virginia. Fans of the Coalwood books (3 memoirs written by Sonny) are interested in seeing the town, meeting Homer and the folks from Coalwood and helping to preserve the rich heritage of this fading area.
Because of a last-minute cancellation, Sid and I were fortunate to get a room at a motel filled with people from the town who return every year for a reunion. We spent the evening visiting with people featured in the books and others who grew up in Coalwood. We learned about the town and its people, but mostly we were privileged to be included in a group of old friends who enjoy being together again. Since Coalwood has no motel, we are staying in Welch, WV. It is early Saturday morning. In a couple hours we will travel to the festival. I'll post my impressions of the experience tomorrow.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Day 12 A Day in Downtown Roanoke
We spent the day exploring downtown Roanoke. I love this historic and bustling little city, which was created at the junction of two main railroad lines by the visionary owner of the Norfolk and Western Railroad.
We lunched at the Cornerstone Bar and Grill across from the City Market. The Historic Roanoke City Market, also called the Farmer's Market due to the profusion of plants, fresh fruits, and vegetables available during the growing season, is the oldest continuously operating open air market in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It began when 25 licenses were issued to "Hucksters" (Vendors) in 1882.
The Taubman Museum of Art opened in November of 2008. What a treat. Sid has promised that we will spend the entire day here in a future visit.
The Hotel Roanoke was built in 1882 by the Norfolk and Western Railroad, (formerly headquartered in Roanoke) as a haven for travelers. It was owned by the railroad until the 1980s. Its rich history has been carefully preserved. [I wonder if they have special parking for motorcycles...]
Judy took me to the renowned Miniature Graceland which is on the front lawn of a Roanoke resident who lives at the base of Mill Mountain. It shows all the major buildings in Elvis' life and even has a working fountain in the meditation gardens next to Graceland! I was so fascinated to find a piece of Memphis in Virginia.
The day ended with a visit to 7-year-old great-niece Isabella's soccer game. There was a great deal of controversy about the opposing team's larger players. Although the allowed age range is 7 to 10, several of the opposing players were unusually tall for their age. According to Isabella's dad, Pete, one of the boys "must have driven himself to the game and has more facial hair than I do." Needless to say, Isabella's team was outmatched, but they were able to put a goal on the scoreboard. Their coach ended the game with a heartening pep talk. It was fun.
I caught this parting photo of nephew Dave and his 2-year-old son, Dakota, heading home for the night.