#58 Guilford Courthouse NMP

Guilford Courthouse NMP

October 26, 2006
Thursday
393 miles

I made it home to Fredericksburg, VA Thursday night at 7:35pm. Since there was rain coming in, I decided to just hit the freeway and get on home. So by Friday morning I was taking it easy with the fire going in the fireplace, drinking my coffee, and watching it pour down rain!

Thursday morning it had warmed up significantly, to 47 degreesby the time I left Boone in the late morning. I had a delayed start from Boone because I spent extra time that morning having coffee with new friends I met in the lobby of the motel. Judy & Bill from, of all places, Willis, Texas. It was great to meet some Texans in Boone, NC!

In Greensboro, I visited a National Military Park, then I got on the freeway and rode the last 250 miles home.

I crossed the VA/NC state line about 5pm --the sun had finally come out, but now it was so late in the day it was already low behind the trees. It was cold riding after dark, but better than riding in the cold rain! It was about 41 degrees when I arrived home.

This old bridge is about 18 miles east of Boone, NC. The colors were beautiful even though the day was overcast. Imagine what it would have looked like if the sun were out shining some light on those brightly colored leaves!

I found this old bridge off US421.
I made a stop in Greensboro at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park.
The park had a nice 2 1/4 mile loop road though the park.

Along the loop road were several monuments and statues. This is a monument to Major Joseph Winston, an American Revolutionary War hero, who is buried nearby. The town of Winston, later to become Winston-Salem, was named for him.
About 5pm, I crossed the state line back into Virginia.
This trip included 10 states. That brings the number of states fleetered in to 22.

Total trip in miles: 5,122
Total states visited: 10
Total trip duration: 7 weeks
Total trip in pictures: Too many to count!

#57 Some Ying with That Yang

Some Ying with that Yang

October 25, 2006
Wednesday
123 miles

Okay...so I can't always have it perfect on the road. You have to have some highs with your lows, some Ying with your Yang, and so forth. I get all packed up this morning when the temperature reaches into the high 30s...thinking I'm ready to hit the road for another excellent day without a hitch... but noooo. Today decides to throw me a bit of a challange. Today... Fleeter won't start.

Where you saw him parked last night, is where he seems happy to be staying...like he's cold and tired or something. I tried to push start, then I had help trying to push start, but it's just not happening.
But I still have options...
I brought a Battery Tender along on the trip. Now just to find an outlet where I can get plugged in. Here comes motel maintenance to the rescue by providing an extension cord and a push to the side of the building where I can access an outlet. We get Fleeter hooked up then I have an hour plus to waste while Fleeter gets a boost intravenously...so to speak. I sit around the motel lobby until I think it's time to give it a go. I unplug him, get all set as if I know he will be ready to go now. Sure enough, he cranked right up. We fially start our roll down the road...late. Really late. But what the hay...it's only time.

It warmed up to 44 degrees by the time I got the wheels turning again ...under Fleeter's own power.
So today was short and a little rushed once I got on the road, but I still saw lots of good sights and had a great weather day.

I made a quick drive by to drop off some postcards at the Parrotsville Post Office.
Parrotsville is noted as being Tennessee's oldest town...according to the sign coming into town.

Cool river.
Not sure how this bridge got its name...Love Bridge.

Pet Milk established a plant in Greeneville, TN in 1928.
Also in Greenville is the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site.


Here's another covered bridge I stumbled across today. Well, not really. Actually, I just rode up to it on Fleeter. This one is in Elizabethton, TN.

Highway US321 offered some excellent views...especially when the Watauga Lake was within view. The sun was a little too low for optimal shots, but here is what I came up with.

Can you see why this would be a fun road to ride astride? (click to enlarge)
Made it to Boone, North Carolina as the sun sunk low enough to significantly make it a chillier ride. Time to stop and get a room.

Still Loving the Ride

#56 Great Smoky Mountains

Great Smoky Mountain National Park

October 24, 2006
Tuesday
105 miles

At 6:30 am when I peeked outside, there was Frost on the Fleeter and 32 degrees outside.
I think this would mean we might have a cold day ahead so I went back to bed. Maybe it will be warmer next time I wake up.

The sun came out and it turned into a great day to be astride! The fingers still get a bit cold...even with liners and winter gloves, but it was a world of difference from yesterday. The temperature warmed up from 39 degrees while a I was packing, to 42 degrees by the time I made it 50 miles down the road. I saw the sign ... Great Smoky Mountains ... that way. So that way is where I went. The sun felt so good, I decided to take a detour and extend my day on two wheels

By mid-day, I was in Pigeon Forge heading to Gatlinburg. First, I stopped by the new visitor center in Sevierville to get a park map and a stamp.
This is a special place I found last year when I was looking for an out of the way place for Fritz to piddle.

I was compelled to go visit it again...it's still a special place.
While I was there, these local women came up to check the view. So it seems that the locals know about it too. (They are from Kodak, TN.) I thought I was going to be chased away since it wasn't public property, but they were just there like me...to enjoy the view.
That's where we were...up on that hill.
Alabama keeps showing up...here is their tour bus in Pigeon Forge.

(They also showed in Fleeter Log #40)
Wonderworks is a theater turned upside down in Pigeon Forge.

Upside down buildings to camels...you could see anything in Pigeon Forge!
There's plenty of entertainment in Pigeon Forge, but it's a little too commercial for me. I want to get on to the park.
Made it to the Smokies!
The visitor center at Gatlinburg. Got another stamp here...


Looking down on Gatlinburg, TN.
Notice the Space Needle? It's 342 feet high, but it looks kinda short down there...
Sugarlands Visitor Center...another stamp.
I think I saw all these...all over the place!

That there is snow on the mountain! Ain't life great!

As long as it stays up there and not on the roads where I'm riding.
Someone offered... so I posed.
Downtown Gatlinburg, TN.
Remember seeing the space needle somewhere before?
Here we go down a small loop road.

Good thing this is a one way road. That or it is meant for motorcycles...
The sun is out, but the trees are so dense...
It started getting a bit cool again down in the shadows away from the warming rays of the sun.
We had a bit of a traffic jam back a ways when some black bears were spotted. Everyone stopped to watch and take pictures. We had a bear jam for sure! I wasn't in a good place to maneuver the camera...sorry no bear pictures.

But I did better when I saw the wild turkeys.
Hopefully you won't get tired of seeing my pictures of trees and mountains...

I didn't get tired of the roads, views, or photo ops.

Past the scenic overlook and back to our small loop road...
This small road crossed several streams...

..and passed a small water fall.
This angle gives you an idea of the roads I have just been traveling.
This one is a bit wider since it's a two lane road outside the park. Check out that drop off...
I find home for tonight up the road in Newport, TN.
Home is a less expensive when you get away from the busy touristy areas.


Ying today, Yang tomorrow...