We were in 16 of these well-crafted tunnels today. I have a love/hate relationship with the tunnels. I loved it until I realized there was ice in some of the tunnels, then I hated it! It was loud, really loud in the tunnels because of our loud pipes on the bike. I felt the light played tricks with your vision in the tunnels...creepy! It's an entirely different experience for me traveling though the tunnels from my experience in a car. The stonemasonry was gorgeous.
Blue Ridge Parkway Tunnels
Friday, May 23, 2008
Memories - Day 4
Memories of the Trip - Day 4
Here's our bike, Honda 1800 VTX Retro, and our trailer, a Bushtec Roadstar Retro. I'm really fond of this set up that carried us on our trip for more than 2800 miles. On Day 4 we were traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of my favorite roads ever. It's a smooth ride, well maintained roads and overlooks. The speed limit is 45 mph and there is limited access to the parkway.
When we are on the bike, I feel like we are invisible to other drivers and in danger from all other vehicles on the road. On the parkway, no one is going to merge into our lane without seeing us, no one is going to pull out from a busy side street in front of us. People are on the parkway for the ride...just the ride...just like us. They aren't distracted by rush hour traffic and their busy lives...they are on vacation, on a pleasure ride, not in a hurry, taking time to enjoy the view and meeting others on the road...just like us. It's a place of peace, and it is beautiful. I miss it already.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Couple of Bears - Day 3
I'm still posting some images from our trip. Sid and his burly friend strike similar poses in the lobby of our hotel in Cherokee, NC. This hotel had the most gorgeous landscaping - everything was in bloom!
Fading Image from Day 3
Remember "See Rock City" barns? If you traveled anywhere in the southeastern United States in the 1950's or 1960's, chances are you've seen hundreds of the barns, each with the roof or sides pained with white letters on black background, "See Rock City." "See 7 states."
It all began in the 1920's, when Garnet and Frieda Carter developed a garden walkway on their estate atop Lookout Mountain, in northern Georgia, overlooking Chattanooga. America was in the Great Depression when the Carters opened their gardens to the public in 1932. In what would become one of the most unique advertising gimmicks ever, Carter hired Clark Byers to paint "See Rock City" on hundreds of barns located along highways leading to Chattanooga.
Clark Byers died February 19, 2004 at age 89. From 1937 until his retirement in 1969, Byers painted over 900 barns in 19 southern states
The barns are so cherished by America's baby boomers, that miniature replica "See Rock City" birdhouses are sold worldwide. Most of the original barns are but a memory. If you are lucky, you still may see one on America's backroads! We saw this in Robinsville, North Carolina.
Deal's Gap & The Falls
Sid posed for this photo on Day 2 at Fall Creek Falls. He wanted to make sure his shirt was viewable on the photo. We picked this up last year when we rode the "Tail of the Dragon" at Deal's Gap. It's a stretch of Highway 129 in North Carolina that has 318 curves in 11 miles. What a challenging ride through the mountains!
Additional Photos from the Trip
We met this curious little guy and his parents on Day 2 at the base of Fall Creek Falls. He was such a cutie, posing nicely, racing around, ready for the trip back to the top of the falls. How can you resist such a face?
Monday, May 19, 2008
Day 17 - May 12, 2008 - The Last Day
Our Ride - This Honda VTX1800 Retro carried us safely for 2800 miles - a memorable trip from start to finish. It was a relief to finish our trip on a sunny Monday morning heading toward our haven in West Tennessee.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)