2018 FALL ADVENTURE 10-20

Today was the day we "SEIZED OUR DESTINY" at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, NC. I know what you're thinking....NASCAR? Really? Well, I'm here to tell you it was a real hoot. The museum is a shrine to the cars and the men (and maybe a woman or two) that brought this sport out of the Appalachian mountains and into race tracks all across America.

Map of the Day 152 Miles

Waiting to Seize our Destiny

The Winning Pit Team

The museum was very interactive. Many of the exhibits were designed to give you a sense of what it's really like on the track and in the pits. We got the chance to test our metal as a pit crew (Drew and Michelle beat the pants off of us.) and we got to get into the driver's seat of a stock car for a simulated 5 minute race. Check out the pictures below to see who won that race.

NASCAR converts

As Wendy said the museum was interactive.  One of the things we did was participate in a race in our very own race cars. 

Needless to say none of us are very competitive souls, that's the reasons the results don't really matter to all of us..........................but maybe one.

The Black Cat Reigned Supreme

I Take Solice in the Fact That I Still Have a Friend Who Loves Me

We capped off our afternoon with BBQ, what else and banana puddin. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

2018 FALL ADVENTURE 10-19

On to Spartenburg.

This morning we finished the last leg of our ride in The Great Smokey Mountains and then dropped down onto the freeway for a quick ride to our next destination -- Spartenburg, SC. Here, we will spend a couple of nights with Drew and Michelle, catch up on our laundry and some route planning then head out to the coast to visit Charleston and Savanna. We are going to try and squeeze in a wee ride with Drew & Michelle tomorrow before we start our journey to the coast.

It's official, we are going to Key West, Fl. We just can't let the opportunity pass. Who knows when/if we will ever have our bikes this close to those bridges again. Just gotta do it. There appear to be no hurricanes in the Atlantic, so far, so good.

Map of the day 208

2018 FALL ADVENTURE 10-18

We met the dragon!

So, The Tail of the Dragon. It’s one of those roads that is always listed on the “EPIC ROADS” list of every motorcycle magazine on the planet. I’ve been hearing about it forever, but today we road it. Sure, it was a great ride. The day was magnificent, and it was indeed a great run, but EPIC? Neither one of us would put it in that category.

Map of the Day 167 Miles

Taking a break to write some post cards

On a quick Brunch Break........

Oh well, it was a great ride and we are staying in a sweet little lodge in Tennessee. All in all, it was a grand day.

2018 FALL ADVENTURE 10/17

 The Blue Ridge Parkway – my, my that was quite a ride.

This morning was a bit cold after a good hard rain last night and we took off to meet this legendary road. We figured the ride would be good but W O W, what a ride. The road roams along the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I think our highest point today was something like 5,800. From that vantage point the valleys below spread out like little jewels below you. My pictures certainly do not do them justice, but Rudy’s video will give a much better idea of the beauty of the highway.

The forests we passed through were lovely indeed and quite varied. The frost has arrived and that means the leaves they are a changing. I wouldn’t say we had spectacular color today, but enough to make everything picture postcard beautiful.

Map of the Day 250 Miles

LUNCH. Yum.

Blue Ridge Parkway Video

We had one little wrinkle in our day. Rudy’s bike (that was just repaired) showed signs of an oil leak, so on to the repair shop we went. We got the problem fixed in short order and there won’t be a delay or interruption to our trip, but it was disappointing to have the repair fail after such a short time. GRRRR!

In the shop AGAIN!

Home Sweet Home.

A world renowned run awaits us tomorrow – Tail of the Dragon. 311 curves in 11 miles. YIKES.

2018 FALL ADVENTURE 10-16

We are officially in the Blue Ridge Mountains now, but we have not popped up on the parkway just yet. That’s tomorrow ride. We were waiting for the weather to improve a bit, so instead we rode through the foothills on the western slopes. You can always tell when the riding is amazing, because we never stop to take any pictures. Sorry. Rudy’s video will have to do to fill you in on this beautiful countryside.

Map of the Day 251 Miles

Dinner at the Motel Today Gormet Since We Shopped at Trader Joe's Yesterday

Christmas Planning Starts Early Around Here

We Are In Coal Country Again

2018 FALL ADVENTURE 10-15

Rain in the forecast today, so we are parking the bikes here is Charlottesville and turning our attention to planning the next week or so of our journey. 

Not much in the way of photos today, below are our meager offerings:

Here is Squirrel 1 Wearing My Clothes to Get Stuff Out of The Bike

(Check out the boots)

For Me It Was a Day of Reflection 

(And Spoon Practice)

More fun tomorrow. Stay tuned.

2018 FALL ADVENTURE 10-14

Today we began exploring the hills and valleys surrounding the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains. We began our exploration on Skyline Drive, which will eventually lead us to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unfortunately, the day was a bit drizzly and the vistas look a bit unimpressive in our photos, but I’m here to tell you that valley is lovely.

Map of the Day 151 Miles

Video of The Skyway in the Rain

We ended our day at Monticello, Jefferson’s home in Virginia. I’ve heard so much about this magnificent house, I couldn’t wait to see it. You must remember that we’ve seen a lot of grand homes on this tour and this one was one of the earliest built. The house itself seems quaint compared to everything else we’ve seen and a bit odd. The rooms seem arbitrarily placed – little experiments if you will, but for the time they were wonders to behold. 

The tour also fearlessly addressed the issue of Jefferson’s slave ownership. We toured many of the structures that were used as workplaces for the slaves Jefferson owned. Standing face to face with the conditions under which these people were forced to live is always a powerful experience.