The Journey - Day 14

Day 14 was actually yesterday...finally arrived home, home to the Miramichi. This is where I did most of my growing up and probably pick up where I left off when I visit. Home is always where you feel most comfortable, most familiar....the place where you can be your most "self". Anyone who has shared that feeling will know what I mean. Home for me is not an attachment to material things like a house or furniture...is is not substantive...it is a feeling..one of belonging or being a part of something greater. Usually that feeling is most prevalent when you are with family, the feeling of being part of something greater than just yourself....I think that is why we associate the "house" with being home.

My home is the Miramichi. That is where my family is, this is where I can be my true self, and this is where you will find the Miramichi River. This morning I woke up to sunshine and a beautiful view of that river.......home.

The Journey - Day 13 - Almost Home

A long ride today from Vermont to Bangor, Maine. Lots of time to talk about the adventures of the last couple of weeks. Lots to share and remember. Mostly we remarked how different things look since we left but also how different all the areas are from one another. It still amazes me how different the geography is and how quickly it changes as you cross the state lines.

In the end, it is really only yourself who has changed, generally in subtle ways. This trip has become something greater than the plan or any expectation either of us had. It has been an adventure for sure, a great deal of fun, and more importantly a few life lessons learned, or I should say re-learned...lessons about the importance of balance, taking time to enjoy what life has to offer.

See you in the Chi....as we take some time to enjoy our family and few libations.

The Journey - Day 12 & 13 - Trip so far

Outside of some searing temps there hasn't been a whole lot in the last couple of days to report. Frequent stops for water in and on the body to keep things cool...we have been riding thru 100 degree + temps. In order to minimize our heat exposure we have been leaving early in the mornings and taking the Interstates until noon, that way we cover more ground faster and stop earlier. Shame cause I really like the "other roads".

Highlight from yesterday, we got to stay in Scranton again at the Lackawanna Station Hotel. If you have followed the blog I included a link. BEAUTIFUL! This was a railway station that has been preserved in the best way ever. It apparently was empty for 13 years and was almost demolished until it was purchased and renovated as a hotel. Unbelievable detail, untouched in many ways like the terrazzo and mosaic floor, the original clock, marble walls and pillars. The whole first floor is pretty much as it was back in it's time. As you enter the front the dining room takes up the whole area that would have held the benches for people waiting. Front desk the ticket area. They did carpet over some of the flooring but did so in a way so as to not disturb the original flooring. The old benches are now located on each floor by the elevators and the stain glass ceiling.......priceless!

Today's highlight was a chance encounter. We had originally picked out two other routes once we got off the Interstate. In the end we decided on the route we had taken when traveling south. We stopped at a nice gas station that was a good stop for us previously (shade and REALLY clean bathrooms). When I came out, Larry, of course, was having a conversation with one of the locals. Turns out he has a new BMW 1200RT, his wife is a veterinarian and he has a new business ,making grip buddies.....neoprene hand grips...just what we have been looking for...quick side trip to his house and he custom outfits us. An hour later we are back on the road. Grips are awesome! No more sleepy throttle hand! Thanks Dave!

So here is some info on our trip, so far...........
Mountain ranges travelled - 10 not including Mount Washington!
States crossed - 10
Kms...so far 4800
What we did - visited Biltmore Estate, Luray Caverns, Erie Canal, Champlain Canal, historic Lackawanna Station, Mabry Mills; travelled thru or by - Glade Springs (tornado touch down site -April); Blueridge Parkway; Skyline Drive; Smokey Mountain Parkway; Tail of the Dragon; Mount Washington; Moonshine Trail (Route 28 South); Pepacton Reservoir; Hwy 91 with it's wild cows; Susquehanna Nuclear Reactor; Cherokee Reservation; to name a few.....
Animals we have seen....wild turkey including momma and about a dozen little ones, turkey vultures, deer (abundant); ground hogs and possums, turtle, locust and elk...most common road kill (Pennsylvania) possum, squirrel and skunk. Ya...yummy!

Hottest temp - Pennsylvania at 41 degrees
Coldest temp - Mount Washington 9 degrees
Rode thru 4 major thunderstorms (amazing really - one we were riding at the same level as the cloud)
Most state lines crossed in one day - 5 - this was done twice in two different areas.

..and that's it....so far!

The Journey - Day 11

Today we set off early taking the Interstate to get us up to the top of the Parkway closer to Route 211 to Luray Caverns....it was a hot one today so moving fast on the Interstate when it is early is preferred to doing so in the afternoon heat. This morning started at 9 with a temp of 22 and quickly climbed to 33 by the afternoon when you were moving. When you stopped it was more like 38 and 40. We have been drinking loads of water which usually results in a lot of bathroom breaks for the first hour and a half but after that the stops are less frequent...this is a phenomena that I have started to call "pisspiring"......

By the time we stopped for lunch it was noon and 2 pm before we reached the caverns. We were not disappointed in making the time to see this site. You go down into the tunnel inside the main building and you are immediately greeted by some of the most beautiful natural wonders ever seen. Stagmites and stalactites, reflecting pools, huge chambers and small pathways. Two of my favorite were the reflecting pool where the formations are mirrored in the still water and it appears as though there is this great abyss when in fact the water couldn't be more than 3 inches deep, and the music chamber. In this chamber someone installed little rubber hammers like a piano to a cellinoid switch which is triggered by a large organ. There are 37 of these which when triggered "tap" specific stalactites each giving an individual note. From this they can either play the organ or use a template on a drum (old fashioned way) and they play a sound that is so pure, almost like crystal being played. It is beautiful and almost haunting at the same time.

After we left the Luray Caverns we decided riding in the shade would be the best bet so it was 10 miles back over to the Skyline Drive and we rode the last 30 miles to the beginning of our Parkway journey. It had an almost melancholy feeling really. So little time had really passed since we first made our way through here but we had covered so much ground and have done so much since our last ride through only a week ago......

I will miss Shenandoah.....it is indeed, almost heaven!

The Journey - Day 10 (the Adventure)

Well today started like any other. Up early to get on the road by 8:30 so we could clock some miles and beat the late day heat and humidity. We took a quick run up the Interstate (no traffic) to Johnson City, Tennessee and then moved over to some of the bi-ways. The roads and scenery were beautiful as always.....we made a quick stop to a visitors bureau in West Virginia and then got off the highway on to a highly recommended West Virginia bi-way known as Hwy 91...destination Lewisburg, West Virginia for the night. Hwy 91turned out to be a sweet road with nice easy turns, some shade (29-31 degrees all afternoon).....like I said...easy ride until this conversation....

Cindy - "sign said gravel for 3 miles and suggests alternate route of 604"
Larry - "no I think that route is only for trucks...there's no gravel up ahead"
.....2 miles later...
Larry - " here's the gravel road...it doesn't look too bad"
.....as the gravel road starts to narrow and climb high up in the hills with switchback turns narrower than the road.....
Cindy - "next time will you listen to me?"
Larry, as he rounds a corner out of view -"oh my God, there are cows on the road!"...laughing
Cindy - "you got to be kidding!", as she rounds the same corner and catches sight of two cows, one standing, chewing on the grass on the side of the road staring at the two bikes slowly making their way towards him, the other running across the road on down over the hill....
Larry, as he is passing the staring steer....laughing.."I don't friggen believe it"..then toots his horn at the cow as he passes...
Cindy - "Don't piss him off, I still have to go by him!"

Trust me we weren't stopping to take pictures, not only was the road nothing but gravel with very little room for two vehicles and very steep cliffs (I did mention we were climbing a very steep hill with lots of turns), but what I didn't mention is that there were no houses, farms or seemingly inhabited areas anywhere. Have no idea where the cows came from, but pretty sure there was a gun totin' hillbilly in the woods somewhere...we did see one small log cabin off in the woods to which Larry suggested we knock on the door to see if they would invite us to tea, which I respectfully declined. I don't think they drink tea in these here parts lol....Halfway through the gravel road adventure I started laughing and when we reached the pavement finally, I did take a moment to thank Larry for the great adventure. Who knew that 45 minutes of terror could be so much fun...while we laughed our way through, we both confessed to having a "moment" up there on that hill....

Not sure how I will ever go back to ordinary living....a stop overnight in Lewisburg, West Virginia and off to the Luray Caverns tomorrow. Oh and we found out the deserted place has a name...it is called Aris Mountain, one of the highest peaks in Virginia and is apparently quite spectacular to see.....from the Interstate!

The Journey - Day 9 (Down Day)

Still in Asheville we decided today would be a no ride day with the exception of dropping the bikes off to have the oil changed. Once we had them in the service shop we took a walk over to do some Yammy shopping. Great service again (can't say enough about how polite and friendly everyone here is)! Travis, our sales guy helped us with all of our inquiries as did Scott and Fred. When we finished purchasing our FroggToggs, boots and new gloves they offered to hold them until we came to pick up the bikes. When we asked if they could call us a cab to go to the Biltmore Estate, Travis offered to drive us over in his car (mini Coopers are way cool).

I think I took more pictures today than I did all week.....OMG, this place is unbelievable, the largest private residence in the US......250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, a heated indoor pool, bowling alley, exercise room, fire alarm system, electricity and refrigeration...this may not seem like a big deal except it took 6 years to build and was officially opened to guests and family on Christmas Eve in 1895. Yup 1895.....and the gardens are absolutely beautiful, designed by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead...Olmstead was also the architect of New York Central Park but always considered the Biltmore Estate to be his crowning glory and finest achievement. Needless to say I could go on for hours but suffice to say we are seriously considering coming back during the Christmas season to see it decorated. Apparently there is nothing like it and I am sure that this would be the case..the people here are immensely proud of the Biltmore and what it has meant to their history as well as to their economy since being open to the public in 1930.

Well, tonight we pack all our clean clothes and various trinkets and other purchases for our trip north. Next destination is the Luray Caverns near the top of Skyline Drive. Two days ride but can't wait!

The Journey - Riding the Dragon

The morning started early....7 am to be exact was the first rev of engines warming up to tackle the Dragon. Some of the racers (professional) like to get on that stretch before the traffic starts. By 9 am the parking lot was almost full and a half hour later there were bikes EVERYWHERE! Bikes of all kinds, Harleys, Goldwings, Goldwings and Harleys with trailers, sport bikes (known as Popsicles by the locals), cruisers, enduros, cross, you name it it was there. We took a bunch of pics and then started gearing up. I had sent Larry out for a run of the Dragon so he could enjoy it without the tag along...when he came back he was more than a little revved up. Once we had everything packed, we headed for the Dragon.....while we had ridden many twists on our route to the Dragon, i can now say it is truly challenging,,,strangely it doesn't seem like 318 turns when you are on it, however you are totally focused on the road and counting is the last thing you want to be doing.

As we neared the end we pulled over into an outlook, did the celebratory "woohoo" with the traditional fist punch to the air.....and pictures!

All in all the Dragon had been all we had hoped...the day before we had unknowingly tried another route, the "Moonshiner", quite by accident (right highway, wrong direction)....I must say Lee has us more than a little interested in some of the other routes there. I sense we will be back. When we finished the Dragon, we keep heading north on Route 129 and turned off on the Smokey Mountain Parkway. The route was a little busier traffic wise, but we had been told it was one of the prettiest rides ever. We were't disappointed! We followed along a river that had beautiful falls, pools and rapids. It was very relaxing and the road was again as smooth and windy as always. This route brought us back out to the Cherokee reservation and back on the Blueridge to Asheville. We got to enjoy all the tunnels again.....more than a few laughs as we passed thru them..

We got into Asheville around 7pm, went for a much needed swim and then shower. After eating some take out pizza and beer (thank you Larry), we took all our clothes aka dirty laundry down the hall to the laundry room...yep, this nice hotel has EVERYTHING! We weren't long for sleep time, as it had been a very long day...again!

Oh ya....and if you are wondering what happened after we slayed the Dragon...take a look...he's riding Bitch on MY bike.........