|
July 28, 2005 Appalachian Vacation The other half had been reading about some of the world's "best" roads for motorcycle riding thrills which evolved into a road trip to the States to check out routes through Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. The main objective was to ride "The Dragon" ( 11 miles with 318 turns) officially beginning at Deal's Gap (Robbinsville NC) and ending at Fugitive Falls in Tennessee. We decided to take the slower scenic route to our destination, which took four days (plenty of "numb butt") and included some gorgeous scenery through the Shenandoah Valley, Skyline Drive, and Blue Ridge Parkway.
Sight seeing from a motorcycle should only be done when fully STOPPED at a designated points or "out looks" as posted along the various routes. After a while, it can be difficult to tell the difference between Virginia and North Carolina when traveling the Appalachians. Scenery begins to blur into the same image when trying to glimpse it from the twisting turns at 5000 feet, along two lane roads through the mountains.
I'm not sure which was scarier when we found ourselves within 25 miles of our destination in North Carolina - several strategically placed "off ramps" for run away trucks on the incredibly LOOOOONG downhill stretches of steeply inclined highway or the fact that we noticed that they were well used as indicated by the number of tire ruts etched into the gravel as we passed by them. Scattered showers are a daily occurrence but thank goodness for well maintained highways in the region. A far cry from the cracked, rutted highways through New York and Pennsylvania. The visitor's center staff in North Carolina were most helpful in pointing out accommodations and were well versed with amenities. We stayed at the newest hotel in Robbinsville, "Microtel". After several days traveling, I've decided that the only things that truly matter are a clean bath room with plenty of hot water and a clean firm bed.
We enjoyed the trip away, the beautiful country and hospitable folks ( even if they don't serve HOT tea in Virginia). It's true that there's no place like home. To view all the images
|
