Day 2 was Awesome

When we left Natural Bridge this morning at first it didn’t look so good. There was patchy fog and a very heavy looking overcast. The further south we pushed the warmer it got and the skies started to part. By the time we pulled into Blacksburg for fuel, we were pulling off a few layers because temperatures were rising fast. After filling up we left Blacksburg and pushed toward Floyd Virginia to intercept the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Parkway ride was dry, warm, and free of any rains. We had partly scattered skies and views that were priceless. Tree damage along the side of the road was incredible and showed signs of a very rough winter, more on this later. Since we have done the parkway so many times, I just pushed to get to Grandfather mountain and did not stop at a single overlook. At lunch time, we bailed off on some side road in somewhere North Carolina and had our first vacation episode. When I pulled out my wallet to use the credit card for gas, it was gone. No where to be found!! Oh no!! I handed Lori the wallet and she start rifling through it and in the mean time, I reach in coat pocket and there it was. Whew! That was scary. I pumped the gas, pulled the receipt, reach for my wallet now it was gone. What?? Lori has stuffed it in the trunk of the bike while I was pumping gas and didn’t tell me. Ok, that whole episode was un-nerving, but no words were said in either direction, just a sigh. DisClaimer: Lori disputes she had any part in the incident. Hehehe…..For better or worse, and she just got some worse.

With gas and lunch done, we got back on the parkway and made it to the entrance of Grand Father Mountain. I was a little surprised when I pulled up to the pay station, they told me I would have to detach the trailer before proceeding up the mountain. Ok, but why, I thought to myself. We did the disconnect, lock the trailer to a post, and went back to the station. This time they handed me a paper to read for motorcyclist only. Because of the extremely tight 180 degree uphill switch backs, it is recommended that maintain a constant speed and not stop through the corners. Dropping the motorcycle is highly likely. Great ! Did I tell anyone I was afraid of heights?

Hell with it, we’re going. Let me tell you something, image yourself crawling up a roller coaster to be dropped down a hill. Now add turns that are climbing with no guard rails. Sweet !! I’m glad I wasn’t pulling the trailer, but I could have made! Right!

We climbed the rest of the way to the top and I managed to get wobble legs, (Lori), to cross the bridge, but it wasn’t easy. As we started crossing, suddenly I feel fingers locking into the belt loops of my pants. I thought I left the trailer at the bottom of the hill? Now I got a human trailer as in Lori! We got some great shots on top and as we started down the mountain, so I will upload those soon.

One of the employee’s and local said, December 24 they had a terrible ice storm and then Christmas day the winds picked up. With the cold temps and the branches heavy with ice, he said it sounded like a war with all the branches break for hours.

Once back on the parkway, the day events must have started wearing on me. My neck was starting to tighten, back was little sore, wrist were starting to hurt, and then I came to the conclusion that I’m not 35 anymore. Sucks getting older. Mt. Mitchell was totally in dark cloud bank and it was cold, so we by passed this stop to continue to Asheville. Good move on our part. Once we checked in, went back out for a quick dinner, got back to our room, boom thunder and rain unleashed hell on Asheville. So that 45 minutes to an hour that I save at Mt. Mitchell paid off.

We have our tickets in hand and tomorrow we will tour the Biltmore Estates and do the shopping that I promised the wife. Ugh! Tomorrow is a non-travel day so other than Biltmore there will no travel news, but I’m sure I will have some story to tell.

Check out are Bed & Breakfast pictures because this place doesn’t look like much from the road, but on grounds and inside are awesome.