Back to Tennessee.

Fairly uneventful ride yesterday. Got out early as I knew the weather was going to be iffy in the afternoon.  Ton of people on 81 heading to the VA Tech game.  Did manage to get gas for $2.99 at one point.  Trip was pretty uneventful aside from having to pull off as soon as I got to Knoxville because of rain.  Just put on rain gear and got back on the road.  Bike now has over 99,000 miles. 

At the Tennessee Welcome Center.  

And it begins...

Started my quest to get all the NPS Passport Cancellations in VA, MD, and DC.   I'll go through and add more pics later.  Ones on here now are from my phone. 

First stop was Prince William Forest Park.  Seen the signs, but never been before.  Not a bad little place.  I did the scenic ride there.

From there it was south to Fredericksburg.  First stop was Chatham Manor. I could spend a lot of time there taking pics.  Road isnt paved leaving there, but otherwise a good time. 

Next stop was the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields National Military Park. Mainly just got the cancellation stamps.  Will go back later to really explore and take pics. 

Then it was onto the Stonewall Jackson Shrine.  This is where Stonewall died. 

Train tracks run by the Shrine, so figured I'd get some pics, once the trains passed.  

From there it was on to another battlefield site. This time Chancellorsville. I was a bit pressed for time as I was worried about weather so I couldn't go as scenic as I wanted. 

Then it was on to Ellwood Manor.  I didn't pay enough attention and didn't realize it was a gravel drive.  Talk about getting your attention.  Nice place and did the tour of the house. Didn't do the tour of the grounds.  Next time. Didn't go to the other sites either. Again, next time.  Did go to the cemetary there and saw the marker where Stonewall Jackson's arm is buried. 

From there I went to the last stop on this run, Old Salem Church.  I had already passed it, and was doubling back. The reason for that is it is only open from 3 to 6 on weekends.  The volunteer there was great to talk to with lots of interesting info as he went to that church when he was a kid. 

I'll go back later to all these places for more pics when I have more time to focus on each place.  Had a great time and enjoyed the riding.

There be Dragons in those hills....

Today was a fun but hot day.  Got up to about 90, which was quite a change from the 39 degrees last week.   

We got stuck behind some Model A club.  They wound up gettin gas at the same station.  

Then we went up on Cherohala Skyway. Always nice up there.  Lotta bikes.  I only took a few pics up there.  

From there it was more riding heading towards the Dragon.  I pulled off on the bridge by Cheoah Dam before getting to Deal's Gap to snap some pics.  

If you've seen The Fugitive, thats the dam  Harrison Ford jumps out of.   We stopped again at the top too. 

From there it was on to Deal's Gap for lunch and to get a couple shirts.  Also took some pics of the Tree of Shame. 

Then it was dragon slayin time.  Will be lookin for pics of us on the Dragon later.  This was us after the Dragon. 

Then we rode down and went on the Foothills Parkway.  

 

Once we finished that, we were hot and tired, so it was time to head back to the lake. Slightly sunburned, but great time.  

265 miles ridden today

1778 total miles ridden on trip. 

Lynchburg, TN

Well, did the ride to Lynchburg today.  Wasn't a bad ride at all, just took a bit to get there.  There was bike parking, so that was nice. 

I planned on the sampling tour, so paid the fee and it was starting a bit after we got there. 

The tour was a lot of fun and very interesting.  Was a bit of walking, but was fun to see the various stages of Jack Daniels. You can't take pics in the buildings, so I didn't take many pics other than with my camera outside.  We got samples of Gentleman Jack, Black Label, and Single Barrel for the 3 samples.  When we got back to the Welcome Center, I bought a Single Barrel bottle and had it engraved to commemorate the BRP Ride. 

We headed to the square from there and got lunch.  We looked around some, but didn't get anything.  

311 miles today

1513 total miles on trip

Fall Creek Falls

Me and my pop hit the road this morning for Fall Creek Falls. Was a nice twisty ride there and back. We stopped at the Inn there and had lunch before going to a couple of the falls. 

When we were heading back to the bikes, a guy originally from the Detroit area now in Florida, was taking pics with my bike. We chatted with him a bit before heading off. 

This was one of the overlooks.  There was a trail that led to a cliff.  I went down to take some pics with the other cameras.  

Then we rode to the next fall and suspension bridge.  Me and my pop hiked to both the fall and bridge.  Not the easiest thing, but we made it.  Fantastic views and a great time. 

And yes, I did go out on the bridge.  I had my pop take a pic with one of the camera's.  lol. We then headed back to the Inn to get a drink, then headed home. 

We stopped off and I grabbed a couple pics at the lake. 

On the way home, Tidwell's Berry Farm was open and we stopped off for 8 qts. of strawberries which are being worked on.  

Miles ridden today:  175 miles

Total miles ridden on trip:  1202 miles

Memorial Day - spent with family.

Nice relaxin day today. Chilled out some at the lake with the folks. Then we made the trip to see my Aunt Snookie, Uncle James, and my cousin Dwight.  

Took the backroads staying off the interstate to their house.  Always fun to visit with them and catch up.  

(Pic's taken by my cousin Dwight, cropped by me)

We were gonna stop by Litton's for dinner, but they were closed for the holiday.  We wound up at O'Charley's then beat feet back to the house cuz the Wings play at 8..   Now just relaxin waiting for the game to start. 

164 miles ridden today

1027 miles ridden on trip so far

Day 2 of BRP

Left Boone this morning to complete the remainder of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Wasn't as cold of a start today, but I did wear the new cold wear stuff

(or I joined SWAT)

The section of the Parkway was a lot of fun, though would be even more fun in like July when it's warmer.  Anyhow, lotta twisties and amazing views.  Went on Lynn Cove Viaduct. 

And Linville Falls, though we didn't hike to the falls as we didn't have time (that's the story and I'm sticking to it). 

We did stop at Craggy Gardens for the views, and cuz we were freezing.  Was a nice stop.  

Almost missed the sign for the highest point on the Parkway but I caught a glimpse of the sign and stopped and grabbed a few pics.  

From there it was lots of twisties and lots of tunnels (I counted like 23 I think) til we got to Cherokee, completing the Blue Ridge Parkway.  

We stopped for food, then went into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park headin to my pop's house at the lake.  We stopped at one spot to see where the tornado came down that took out a section of the road. 

From there it was a lot more twisties and traffic as all the sightseers were out.  Beautiful views, but a gazillion cars.  

But we got here and had fun.  

345 miles today.

863 miles ridden on this trip.