| May 26, 2007 - Blue Ridge Parkway (NC) to Chattanooga, TN (the Matriarch's!) |
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I broke camp this morning and headed straight back to NC-80. Heck, I wanted to see in full
sunlight what this road actually look liked since I essentially coasted down it last night on
fumes as the sun was setting, and my return ride up was in sheer darkness! This morning's
ride was much more enjoyable to say the least. Take a look at these maps for proof this is
one badazz road:
A local rider I met last night said that occasionally the riders in the area have “coasting
races” where they ride to the top then shut down their engines and see who can coast the
fastest to the bottom. I assume speeding down the hill even with the engine off would
be illegal (for more than one reason)...
Anyway, if you have plans to be in this area I would HIGHLY recommend a side trip to NC-80. Just
take a little detour off I-40 if you're passing through on the slab, or if you're planning to ride the
Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) and you yearn for wicked twisties then NC-80 is for you. There was no
place for me to safely pull off for an extended time (which can also be translated to there being no
place for others, namely those with blue lights, to pull over and stop either-hehehe), so I was limited
with taking photos.
Back up NC-80 (oh, what fun!!) to re-enter the Parkway (no, I'm not on the wrong side of the road, it's a left entrance)...
...then I quickly approached my first overlook of the day:
A few miles after that overlook I was coming around a blind sweeper (they're all blind on the Parkway!)
and a car pulling out of an overlook heading northbound was proceeding so slow and was looking down in
his lap that I was forced to jump on my beloved air horn.
My last overlook stop before exiting the Parkway:
As far as deer while on the Parkway, I saw a few deer (a critter the Parkway is known to have in
excess). One particular deer was so close to the road that if I was totin' a broom in hand
I could have wacked it on the rump. Actually, being a Parkway deer it probably wouldn't
have been the least concerned since Parkway deer are like critters in most National Parks in that
they are habituated to machine and human noise, behavior, and crazy shenanigans - much like this
one, who could care less that about the FJR's engine or the opening of my tank bag or camera bag:
Speaking of critters on the Parkway, here's a complete list of wildlife and foliage that call the
Blue Ridge home:
My most memorable animal experience during this particular BRP ride has to be the chipmunk that I
came upon today. It was in the middle of my lane and facing the same direction I was
heading. As I neared, it was obvious it heard me as it's pace picked up considerably,
but it seemed quite confused which way to run since it scurried left, then right, then left
again. I decelerated to give the little guy a chance to make up his mind, but since he was
obviously having difficulty doing so, I thought perhaps Miss Stebel (my recently installed beloved
air horn, details: HERE)
might encourage him to take a definitive direction. So, as he's doing his left-right running
dance, I pounced on the horn. The darting chipmunk was so frightened and started running so fast
he did a compete “endo”!! Yup, he tumbled end over end then regained his orientation and ran off
the road. I laughed so hard my eyes watered and I had to slow even more. I don't think I'll
ever see a chipmunk again that I don't think about that little guy on the Parkway.
My other memorable critter experience came as a couple on a motorcycle was coming out of a lazy curve
that I was approaching. Their bike was appropriately placed in the lane but then began running
wide. I slowed and watched it ride on the double yellow line and watched the passenger
energetically point toward the ground in front of the bike. As I neared I could see the reason
for the ultra wide turn on the Ultra Glide... a HUGE, live black snake that was taking it's time
crossing the road. The driver did a great job of avoiding the snake since it took up 3/4 of
the entire lane!!
I later talk to a Ranger who said it was most likely a Black Rat snake and that they can indeed reach
eight feet in size. Yikes!! Speaking of snakes, I've yet to get a reply identifying the
snake I saw earlier during this East Coast 2007 jaunt in New York. A photo of the snake is near
the bottom of the page: HERE.
For those wanting a bit of history on the Parkway:
While stopped at my last Visitor Center on the BRP and for my last stamp, I met a fun group of folks
out enjoying the beautiful weather. They said I could be an honorary member for the day:
The group had gone inside and while I was re-gearing beside the FJR, I cruiser couple pulled into
the lot with an Alabama tag. The passenger removed her helmet and made several comments about
“Bay-mers.” It took me a minute but then I realized that being from the deep south she was
referring to the “Beemers” beside me.
I bid farewell to the Parkway and hit I-40 with the hopes interstate traffic on Saturday of Memorial
Day weekend wouldn't be too nauseating; after spending the last 450 miles on the Parkway, it's always
a rough transition to the land of the superslab. As I passed loud trucks and holiday travelers
more interested in a destination than the journey, I longed for all that the Parkway offers. I
spent most of the 150 mile ride to the Matriarch's house in Chattanooga, TN wanting to reflect on
my previous experiences but feeling a need to direct my focus more to my upcoming solo ride to Alaska
in July. (Details on that journey: HERE
Thankfully, the traffic was conducive to a timely arrival in Chattanooga, which came as great relief to
the Matriarch (grandmother types are experts at worrying!). I always pull into her garage under
her watchful eye, then as I'm getting off the bike she will make some kind of observation and comment
(last time when it was pouring rain she said: “You look like a drowned rat, I think you need a new
recreation”). This time it was my bright yellow helmet she had not yet seen in person: “That helmet
would get the attention of a blind junkyard dog!”
I'll be spending a few days here with her and undoubtedly going over every single photo I've taken since
we were last together, which was in February during the “F-A-R Journey” when I came from AZ to pick up
the new FJR in Alabama. (That report is:
HERE.) She
immensely enjoys following my travels (which is one of the main reasons I created this website and started
reporting about my journeys), but there is something very special in sitting down and sharing the detailed
stories and photos with her. Her comments are priceless and so is our time spent together.
If you wish to receive direct emails when future reports are posted click
This Link
AGirl
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Each day and each ride is a unique experience unto its own, but yesterday's 450 mile journey
down the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) ranks among the best. I camped last night at the
National Park's “Crabtree Meadows” campground. By consulting the map below you'll see
where it is located on the BRP as well as the wicked twisty road of NC-80 (shown on the map
as “Buck Creek Gap”) leading into Marion, NC, that I mentioned last night. (Yesterday's
report is: 
A shot of the road and the vicinity from my topo mapping program (yup, it's steep!):
...but if you were in the saddle of a bicycle it'd be legal, which seems weird.
This is an indication though of the type of turns (same turn... first shot is behind me, second is in front):
The exact GPS coordinates for the intersection of the Blue Ridge Parkway and NC-80: N35 46.253, W82 9.855
What made the situation unusual was it was a member of the law enforcement community in the form of a
Park Ranger (yup, those gun totin'-ticket writing ones). His startled response was a wave as if
to say “oops, sorry.” 
Yes, that would make the darn creature 8 freakin' feet long! I turned around and went back to
see if I could take a picture of the beast but once I returned to the site it was gone. I took
a photo of the area anyway since I knew the 84 year old Matriarch would enjoy seeing it when I tell
her the story this weekend:
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