2009 May 19th: The Blue Ridge Parkway. What can I say that hasn’t already been said?
I woke up this morning with an eager feeling. I wanted to get going. I went to the office area of the hotel and had some breakfast. The room was crowded with other tenants, but I was still able to get some food and sit down with some other riders and talk about the coming day with them. I felt the same eager feelings from them. It was almost like a fever, very catching. I hurried through the meal and went back to the room to load the bike up and get on my way.
As I drove out of town I could feel the chill in the air. I was worried at first that I may have a similar day to yesterday with cold hands and having to stop, but that didn’t happen today. My hands did get cold and I did have to stop a couple of times but I warmed up my hands when I stopped at the visitor’s centers along the BRP. I got several more stamps in my passport today as a bonus.
The BRP was wonderful in many ways. It was better than Shenandoah NP because the speed limit was 45 mph instead of 35 mph. The wildlife was fearful of the road. Instead of hanging out by the highway it ran from the highway. The traffic was very light in the early part of the day but it got heavier in the afternoon. I seriously doubt if there was a straight stretch for more than a thousand feet in any of the 280+ miles that I covered today. The only things that I didn’t like were the motor homes and other RV traffic. They really don’t belong on that road. I was lucky in that I only had to pass 3 the whole day. I saw many of them going the other way however. The road is very winding and the RV’s have trouble navigating such roads.
There were several sections under construction, which slowed things down for me. They are making the road better though and it gave me a chance to warm up and talk to the flagmen a couple of times. Those guys have a boring and lonely job.
I saw a lot of wildlife near the road. I saw a lot of wild turkeys, deer and even a coyote. The squirrels must have gotten together this morning and had a meeting to discuss all the different ways to cross the road. There seemed to be a squirrel crossing the road every few hundred feet. Some would stop in the middle of the road and taunt me by moving back and forth. I didn’t let them fool me with their games though and they all survived my passing.
There was a detour that took me off of the parkway and onto the country roads. The traffic got heavy and the roads weren’t nearly as fun, but soon I was back on the parkway with less traffic and more curves. There was another detour that led me into the town of Boone, NC. This is where I had thought about staying the night and when I was detoured into this town, that is what I did. I found a cheap place to stay and then went to get a bite to eat. When I got back, I answered my email and called some friends.
I have about 180 more miles of the BRP to do yet tomorrow and at the end is the Smoky Mountains NP which also ends with Deals Gap. I’m not sure if I will be able to do all of that tomorrow but I will certainly try.
I woke up this morning with an eager feeling. I wanted to get going. I went to the office area of the hotel and had some breakfast. The room was crowded with other tenants, but I was still able to get some food and sit down with some other riders and talk about the coming day with them. I felt the same eager feelings from them. It was almost like a fever, very catching. I hurried through the meal and went back to the room to load the bike up and get on my way.
As I drove out of town I could feel the chill in the air. I was worried at first that I may have a similar day to yesterday with cold hands and having to stop, but that didn’t happen today. My hands did get cold and I did have to stop a couple of times but I warmed up my hands when I stopped at the visitor’s centers along the BRP. I got several more stamps in my passport today as a bonus.
The BRP was wonderful in many ways. It was better than Shenandoah NP because the speed limit was 45 mph instead of 35 mph. The wildlife was fearful of the road. Instead of hanging out by the highway it ran from the highway. The traffic was very light in the early part of the day but it got heavier in the afternoon. I seriously doubt if there was a straight stretch for more than a thousand feet in any of the 280+ miles that I covered today. The only things that I didn’t like were the motor homes and other RV traffic. They really don’t belong on that road. I was lucky in that I only had to pass 3 the whole day. I saw many of them going the other way however. The road is very winding and the RV’s have trouble navigating such roads.
There were several sections under construction, which slowed things down for me. They are making the road better though and it gave me a chance to warm up and talk to the flagmen a couple of times. Those guys have a boring and lonely job.
I saw a lot of wildlife near the road. I saw a lot of wild turkeys, deer and even a coyote. The squirrels must have gotten together this morning and had a meeting to discuss all the different ways to cross the road. There seemed to be a squirrel crossing the road every few hundred feet. Some would stop in the middle of the road and taunt me by moving back and forth. I didn’t let them fool me with their games though and they all survived my passing.
There was a detour that took me off of the parkway and onto the country roads. The traffic got heavy and the roads weren’t nearly as fun, but soon I was back on the parkway with less traffic and more curves. There was another detour that led me into the town of Boone, NC. This is where I had thought about staying the night and when I was detoured into this town, that is what I did. I found a cheap place to stay and then went to get a bite to eat. When I got back, I answered my email and called some friends.
I have about 180 more miles of the BRP to do yet tomorrow and at the end is the Smoky Mountains NP which also ends with Deals Gap. I’m not sure if I will be able to do all of that tomorrow but I will certainly try.
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