Monday, 08 June 2009
0654- Now where else but in the South, does the Holiday Inn serve up a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage patties, biscuits and gravy??? Breakfast was delicious!! Going to clean Baby's windshield and other bits, before proceding. I'll load her up and then we'll head to Roanoke where we'll get back on the BRP. Probably do a few more miles on her before getting back on the I-81 for good.
0720- Finished giving Baby her pre-departure clean-up. Time to pack and hit the road. Many more sights await us.
1055- Stopped in the James River Valley parking space on the BRP, for a water and butt break. I've decided that I'll stay on this road until the end...
1130- Stopped at the Peaks of Otter for a water break. Just as I pulled in, a female deer and her fawn crossed the roadway and approached the outbuildings. They were joined by another female which approached from the opposite direction and all three of them congregated around the Peaks of Otter sign. The fawn was just adorable. I managed retreive my camera from the back of the bike and squeeze off a couple of shots of the moment, before they hightailed it back into the forest.
1215- Went off-mountain at Steele's Tavern, looking for gas. Went 5 miles down roads which are surely worse than anything the Tail of the Dragon could ever throw at me. Seriously!!! To add insult to injury, there was no fuel at the bottom of the run and I had to climb back up, which was even hairier! There were several occasions where my heart was in my mouth. When you have to gear down to 1st to take on an uphill grade, you know it's serious... Made it back and carried on.
1307- Stopped off at the visitor's centre about 6 miles inside the BRP. My arm is killing me. The Northbound lane of the BRP is in bad shape in spots. Some pretty major potholes. I took a couple of pictures of this early-sixties woman, who is driving a 1913 Rolls-Royce. She is driving it solo along the Parkway and then down to Louisiana. Quite an adventure! The car is one of perhaps 500-600 ever built. It's truly a million-dollar car!! There are many vintage cars which can be seen cruising the BRP and the Skyline Drive. Some of them really take you back... old Chevs, Thunderbirds, Cords, Caddies...
1330- Leaving Rest Stop. Will gas up at the end of the Parkway and then strike out for the Skyline Drive. May stop over in Front Royal overnight.
1440- Short break at Trayfoot Valley Overlook on the Skyline Drive. Very hot!! Thank God for shade in many parts of this area. Gassed up in Waynesboro at the end of the BRP. Only 3 miles off-mountain and into town.
1500- Stopped at the Loft Mountain Comfort Station. Had a cheeseburger and a Pepsi. Got another bottle of water for the road as well. Trying to stay hydrated as the heat is brutal. Time just seems to melt away here. I look at my watch from time to time and am always amazed by what time it is. I am close to Mile Marker 82 by now and it is simply as beautiful as it was on the way South. I have to admit that I am sad to be leaving...
Loft Mountain is the same place I stopped in on the way down South. I had picked up two small peanut butter cups, which I ate for dessert at the Holiday Inn in Salem, VA last night. There are these two older Southern ladies who work the confectionary counter there. They are just as charming as can be and with their Southern accent, can get a man to buy just about anything from them. I told them before leaving: "Madam, you have me at a disadvantage. Surely you know that no Northern man can resist a woman with a Southern drawl...". They were just tickled pink by this. One of them gave me a wink and said blushingly: "Oh well now you just hu-uuush!!"
I have noticed the buzzards here. They are ever present and everywhere. It is almost magical to stand at an overlook, 2,800 feet high, and watch them hover there just in front of you, at eye level. The lush green valley a tapestry below them. You can see their spread wingtip feathers fluttering, as they are borne aloft by these massive thermal updrafts , created by these sheer mountain faces. It's absolutely fascinating.
1520- Left Loft Mountain. Headed back North.
1630- Left Big Meadows Wayside centre after a fill-up and a bathroom break. Had a stare-down with a deer on the second bend, 2 turkeys a half-mile later and another deer in the middle of the road, 500 yards after that!
At Mile Marker 43, 2 more deer in the middle of the road. At Mile Marker 42... my first bear!! Black bear, probably a yearling. He was climbing up the side of the hill, maybe some 20 feet from the roadway. NOW I can pick up that bear pin they have here. I wasn't going to get one unless I actually saw a bear in my travels... There were two cars pulled over to the shoulder, their occupants taking pictures. Being on a bike, I opted to carry on a bit further, stopping at the first overlook I found to jot these notes down.
Was following 2 bikes and had another 4 following me, as we were doing the final 12 miles of the Skyline. I pulled off at an overlook, to let them pass. I have a very heavy heart as I near the end of this part of the journey. I want to ride the last few miles to the end, with just Baby and me. I know it sounds maudlin, silly even, but as I stood there gazing of into the distance just one last time, I could feel my eyes welling up. How I didn't want to leave this enchanted place... But all good things must come to an end. I began thinking of an old Patty Loveless' tune: "How can I help you to say goodbye". That really didn't help. If you've ever heard it, you'd understand...
1750- Stopped at the Dickey Ridge Visitors Centre, just inside the Skyline Drive. They closed at 1700hrs. No bear pin for me on this trip... :( Back on the road...
I climbed back aboard Baby and we continued our slow, downhill journey. As we were in the final mile and the exit gate came into view, I patted her tank and thanked her for this most amazing journey, to such a magical place. I recalled how only days ago, I had entered through this very same gate. I knew then that I would emerge from here a changed man.
1810- Landed in Front Royal, VA. Fuelled up and rented a room at the Shenandoah Motel on Commerce Street. Super seedy but at $44.00 a night, it'll do. I could have found better I'm sure, but I'm just lazy today. I got the only non-smoking room and the only room with a bath. I'm thrilled. What a change from the uber-swank Holiday Inn in Salem last night though.
1905- Baby is unpacked and I'm sitting here sweltering. Time to check in with home.
1930- No luck reaching home from the room. Apparently their phone system isn't made to do that in these here parts...
2116- Showered and fed. Great little Chinese food place next door. Had their Colonel Tao chicken and it was fabulous. Chinese tea, bropccoli and sticky rice too. I was the only customer who didn't dive into their buffet and who actually asked for a set of chopsticks. Go figure. Took a half-hour walk afterwards and it was great. I'm now sweating again but the room has A/C, for as scuzzy as it is. Well... ya get what ya pay for. I've promised myself to do better next time around. My better half would shudder at this... :)
Tried again unsuccessfully to place a collect call home. Finally hooked up with a live operator who advised me all in a huff: "Well... we don't do collect calls to foreign countries!" Well excu-uuuuuuuse me!!! Finally left a message home via my cell phone, which is now recharging.
2230- Last phone call to home for tonight. Still no answer other than the machine. Maybe she was working late and zonked out when she got home. I reckon I'll catch her tomorrow...
********************************
How can I help you to say goodbye?
Artist: Patty Loveless
Album: 16 Classics
Through the back window of a '59 wagon
I watched my best friend Jamie slippin' further away,
I kept on waving 'till I couldn't see her
And through my tears, I asked again why we couldn't stay.
Mama whispered softly, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
I sat on our bed, he packed his suitcase
I held a picture of our wedding day,
His hands were trembling, we both were crying
He kissed me gently and then he quickly walked away.
I called up Mama, she said, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
Sitting with Mama alone in her bedroom
She opened her eyes, and then squeezed my hand,
She said, I have to go now, my time here is over
And with her final word, she tried to help me understand.
Mama whispered softly, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
How can I help you to say goodbye?
0654- Now where else but in the South, does the Holiday Inn serve up a breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage patties, biscuits and gravy??? Breakfast was delicious!! Going to clean Baby's windshield and other bits, before proceding. I'll load her up and then we'll head to Roanoke where we'll get back on the BRP. Probably do a few more miles on her before getting back on the I-81 for good.
0720- Finished giving Baby her pre-departure clean-up. Time to pack and hit the road. Many more sights await us.
1055- Stopped in the James River Valley parking space on the BRP, for a water and butt break. I've decided that I'll stay on this road until the end...
1130- Stopped at the Peaks of Otter for a water break. Just as I pulled in, a female deer and her fawn crossed the roadway and approached the outbuildings. They were joined by another female which approached from the opposite direction and all three of them congregated around the Peaks of Otter sign. The fawn was just adorable. I managed retreive my camera from the back of the bike and squeeze off a couple of shots of the moment, before they hightailed it back into the forest.
1215- Went off-mountain at Steele's Tavern, looking for gas. Went 5 miles down roads which are surely worse than anything the Tail of the Dragon could ever throw at me. Seriously!!! To add insult to injury, there was no fuel at the bottom of the run and I had to climb back up, which was even hairier! There were several occasions where my heart was in my mouth. When you have to gear down to 1st to take on an uphill grade, you know it's serious... Made it back and carried on.
1307- Stopped off at the visitor's centre about 6 miles inside the BRP. My arm is killing me. The Northbound lane of the BRP is in bad shape in spots. Some pretty major potholes. I took a couple of pictures of this early-sixties woman, who is driving a 1913 Rolls-Royce. She is driving it solo along the Parkway and then down to Louisiana. Quite an adventure! The car is one of perhaps 500-600 ever built. It's truly a million-dollar car!! There are many vintage cars which can be seen cruising the BRP and the Skyline Drive. Some of them really take you back... old Chevs, Thunderbirds, Cords, Caddies...
1330- Leaving Rest Stop. Will gas up at the end of the Parkway and then strike out for the Skyline Drive. May stop over in Front Royal overnight.
1440- Short break at Trayfoot Valley Overlook on the Skyline Drive. Very hot!! Thank God for shade in many parts of this area. Gassed up in Waynesboro at the end of the BRP. Only 3 miles off-mountain and into town.
1500- Stopped at the Loft Mountain Comfort Station. Had a cheeseburger and a Pepsi. Got another bottle of water for the road as well. Trying to stay hydrated as the heat is brutal. Time just seems to melt away here. I look at my watch from time to time and am always amazed by what time it is. I am close to Mile Marker 82 by now and it is simply as beautiful as it was on the way South. I have to admit that I am sad to be leaving...
Loft Mountain is the same place I stopped in on the way down South. I had picked up two small peanut butter cups, which I ate for dessert at the Holiday Inn in Salem, VA last night. There are these two older Southern ladies who work the confectionary counter there. They are just as charming as can be and with their Southern accent, can get a man to buy just about anything from them. I told them before leaving: "Madam, you have me at a disadvantage. Surely you know that no Northern man can resist a woman with a Southern drawl...". They were just tickled pink by this. One of them gave me a wink and said blushingly: "Oh well now you just hu-uuush!!"
I have noticed the buzzards here. They are ever present and everywhere. It is almost magical to stand at an overlook, 2,800 feet high, and watch them hover there just in front of you, at eye level. The lush green valley a tapestry below them. You can see their spread wingtip feathers fluttering, as they are borne aloft by these massive thermal updrafts , created by these sheer mountain faces. It's absolutely fascinating.
1520- Left Loft Mountain. Headed back North.
1630- Left Big Meadows Wayside centre after a fill-up and a bathroom break. Had a stare-down with a deer on the second bend, 2 turkeys a half-mile later and another deer in the middle of the road, 500 yards after that!
At Mile Marker 43, 2 more deer in the middle of the road. At Mile Marker 42... my first bear!! Black bear, probably a yearling. He was climbing up the side of the hill, maybe some 20 feet from the roadway. NOW I can pick up that bear pin they have here. I wasn't going to get one unless I actually saw a bear in my travels... There were two cars pulled over to the shoulder, their occupants taking pictures. Being on a bike, I opted to carry on a bit further, stopping at the first overlook I found to jot these notes down.
Was following 2 bikes and had another 4 following me, as we were doing the final 12 miles of the Skyline. I pulled off at an overlook, to let them pass. I have a very heavy heart as I near the end of this part of the journey. I want to ride the last few miles to the end, with just Baby and me. I know it sounds maudlin, silly even, but as I stood there gazing of into the distance just one last time, I could feel my eyes welling up. How I didn't want to leave this enchanted place... But all good things must come to an end. I began thinking of an old Patty Loveless' tune: "How can I help you to say goodbye". That really didn't help. If you've ever heard it, you'd understand...
1750- Stopped at the Dickey Ridge Visitors Centre, just inside the Skyline Drive. They closed at 1700hrs. No bear pin for me on this trip... :( Back on the road...
I climbed back aboard Baby and we continued our slow, downhill journey. As we were in the final mile and the exit gate came into view, I patted her tank and thanked her for this most amazing journey, to such a magical place. I recalled how only days ago, I had entered through this very same gate. I knew then that I would emerge from here a changed man.
1810- Landed in Front Royal, VA. Fuelled up and rented a room at the Shenandoah Motel on Commerce Street. Super seedy but at $44.00 a night, it'll do. I could have found better I'm sure, but I'm just lazy today. I got the only non-smoking room and the only room with a bath. I'm thrilled. What a change from the uber-swank Holiday Inn in Salem last night though.
1905- Baby is unpacked and I'm sitting here sweltering. Time to check in with home.
1930- No luck reaching home from the room. Apparently their phone system isn't made to do that in these here parts...
2116- Showered and fed. Great little Chinese food place next door. Had their Colonel Tao chicken and it was fabulous. Chinese tea, bropccoli and sticky rice too. I was the only customer who didn't dive into their buffet and who actually asked for a set of chopsticks. Go figure. Took a half-hour walk afterwards and it was great. I'm now sweating again but the room has A/C, for as scuzzy as it is. Well... ya get what ya pay for. I've promised myself to do better next time around. My better half would shudder at this... :)
Tried again unsuccessfully to place a collect call home. Finally hooked up with a live operator who advised me all in a huff: "Well... we don't do collect calls to foreign countries!" Well excu-uuuuuuuse me!!! Finally left a message home via my cell phone, which is now recharging.
2230- Last phone call to home for tonight. Still no answer other than the machine. Maybe she was working late and zonked out when she got home. I reckon I'll catch her tomorrow...
********************************
How can I help you to say goodbye?
Artist: Patty Loveless
Album: 16 Classics
Through the back window of a '59 wagon
I watched my best friend Jamie slippin' further away,
I kept on waving 'till I couldn't see her
And through my tears, I asked again why we couldn't stay.
Mama whispered softly, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
I sat on our bed, he packed his suitcase
I held a picture of our wedding day,
His hands were trembling, we both were crying
He kissed me gently and then he quickly walked away.
I called up Mama, she said, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
Sitting with Mama alone in her bedroom
She opened her eyes, and then squeezed my hand,
She said, I have to go now, my time here is over
And with her final word, she tried to help me understand.
Mama whispered softly, Time will ease your pain
Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same
And she said, How can I help you to say goodbye?
It's OK to hurt, and it's OK to cry
Come, let me hold you and I will try
How can I help you to say goodbye?
How can I help you to say goodbye?
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