Monday, June 14, 2010

Day 3 - June 14, '10





Some of the more astute among you may have noticed that we have actually taken some pictures today. In a moment or two I'll share with you what each represent... if I can remember.
We left Fort Royal today at about 8:00. The sky was slightly overcast but otherwise the day was nice. The farther south we rode the more sunny it became; all in all it has been one of the most pleasant riding days we have had on one of our little outings.
The first 110 miles was spent on the Skyline Drive out of Fort Royal. The road was immaculate and the Feds provided well placed gas stations and sundry shops and many turnouts for stretching ones legs and looking at the scenery. The views were many and very appealing. An example of the view from a turnout is the photo above this paragraph. I thought the rays of sunlight through the clouds looked cool, and Charlie took the picture.
Also along this road we saw some of the local wildlife. On four occasions we rode past whitetails either crossing the road of standing along side the road trying to determine whether we were worth fearing... we were. Surprisingly, we also saw two bears. These were not large black bear, but bears they were. To prove this, Charlie actually turned around after we passed one of the beasts to take its picture. The picture of the bear is the one at the top right. Now if you're anything like me you can't see the bear. Do not allow yourself to be too disappointed as Charlie assures me that the bear is the black spot near the center of the photo. We're told that the photo is of the bear's ass and it can be safely assumed that most of us are not all that well versed in that part of the anatomy of a bear and for that reason should not be too upset by any failure to spot the critter.
After about 100 miles the Skyline turns into the Blue Ridge Parkway. This too is a beautiful road, but it lacks the occassional gas station, so one must leave the Parkway and go to a local community to purchase gas. We chose the town of Vesuvius for this purpose (the road there was every bit as entertaining a ride as is the Tail of the Dragon). Unfortunately Vesuvius didn't have a gas station either. It did however have a store and so we stopped to ask the proprietor (one Miss Gertie) The location of the nearest gas supply. While there, we noticed she offered food, so we had lunch and listened to some of the local patrons. This proved to be an educational experience. For example, did you know that if you live in the South and submerse a raw egg in water heated to 320 degrees for about 10 minutes you will have a bald egg which can then be made into egg salad, deviled eggs etc.
We ended the riding day in Christiansburg to visit my cousin Jack. This evening we had dinner with him and tomorrow he will ride with us for part of the day as we contunue south.
Today we rode 300 miles at relatively slow speeds.... it has been a long day so for now, adieu.

1 comment:

Andi said...

I think the photo of the bear may have Big Foot.
Loving your daily stories. Be careful out there
Andi