After spending the past week in Nashville, I rolled out this early Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend heading towards Roanoke, VA.  My dear friend (who also happens to be the webmaster for SeizeTheJourney.com here!) Scott had planned to head to West Virginia this weekend so we decided to ride east together until the TN-VA state line where he would peel off to WV.  When we met at 6:30 this morning it was under dark skies and the threat of thunderstorms: After entering I-40 East it didn't take very many miles for my radar detector to be called into duty, and it's service was needed multiple times before we ate breakfast 90 minutes later in Crossville, TN at “The Bean Pot”: Having been born and raised in TN and making countless trips along I-40, it's safe to say that The Bean Pot is one of those childhood memory places that I'll never forget.  I mean, c'mon, how could you ever forget a place with a menu like this? Before leaving The Bean Pot, Scott and I were approached by a man who asked us where we were heading and then told us he was heading towards Sturgis.  He was quite excited and told us how long he'd been planning his trip.  I didn't really understand why he went into a lengthy explanation about the reasons he was trailering his bike especially since neither Scott nor I asked him any questions.  Nonetheless, after hearing him talk I was very glad to be heading eastbound since I've ridden in the flow of Sturgis traffic and I'd definitely prefer to avoid it; I've experienced heavy law enforcement patrol on the side of the interstate where the Sturgis traffic is heading (or returning) in lots of places across the country.  No one could convince me they are not well aware of the Sturgis beginning and ending dates. After eating breakfast and returning to I-40 East, the holiday weekend traffic was noticeably heavier.  Though I ride all year, there are times when I prefer not to be on the road, namely holiday weekends.  I'm making an exception this time because I am scheduled to start my “WWOOF” opportunity in Maryland tomorrow.  (More info on that click: HERE) I was rolling through Alabama recently and a waypoint popped up on my GPS that showed a covered bridge that I had apparently logged at some point (report: HERE).  I ended up going on a covered bridge “hunt” (successfully, I might add).  Well, the same thing happened today while Scott and I were riding along I-40 through Knoxville.  It was only a few miles off the interstate, so I decided to take a quick detour.  Trust me, I have no doubt when Scott saw my blinker turning off the interstate and heading in the opposite direction of our intended destination that he wasn't the least bit surprised! No signs or information were seen around the old bridge, but we did enjoy a nice rest break without the roar of the interstate traffic nearby.  We also saw this unusual site nearby: After crossing the Virginia state line on I-81 there is a large Welcome Center.  At the entrance to this Welcome Center are a plethora of signs that state various laws and information about the state you just entered (speed limit, seat belts, speed checked by aircraft, etc).  I've always found it quite odd that of all the signs (there must be a half dozen or more) that one particular sign isn't posted until after folks have passed (or stopped into) the Welcome Center – the “Radar Detectors Illegal” sign.  What's up with that?  I wasn't real excited about exiting and re-entering the interstate once again just so I could unplug my radar, especially when I could have done it a few miles back at the rests area. Made it to Wytheville, VA, which is where Scott headed to WV and I continued on towards Roanoke: Not long after separating from Scott, I decided to ditch the interstate.  Wow, what a relief it was to get off the roaring and congested slab and onto the calm and quiet back roads! I zig and zagged until I made it onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, a road I've ridden probably 50 times or more but one I could never tire of! End of day GPS, but certainly not end of day! *****Standby for the rest of the report..... Copyright © 2006-2012, All Rights Reserved.