Camping, Biking the Blue Ridge Parkway

Where there is a will, there is a way! Kathie and I like to do a lot of camping, every chance we get in fact. We can't always get into some campsites that we like, such as State Parks. Our rig is about 60' long, stem to stern. I'm including our tow vehicle in that number. Most of the State Parks have a 30' length over all. Smaller campers, tents and other sort of camping gear and set up have little or no problems in these area's. We got inventive and figured out a way to do the same.  We set out for the Blue Ridge Parkway, camping and biking along the way. It was mid October and the Fall foliage was in it's splendor. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs a total of 469 miles, starting in Cherokee, NC and ending Waynesboro VA.  If you'd like to continue on North it is by way of  Sky Line Drive, which is a total of 105 miles. Starting in Waynesboro and ending in Front Royal, VA. Our plan was to start in Cherokee, NC and go all the way to Front Royal, VA. and return the same route

 

The scenery was spectacular and breathtaking. We enjoyed all types of conditions and views along the way. The weather was a combination of lows down to the 30's at night and high's of 50's & 60's during the day. Before our trip was over we'd be in a winter wonderland of ice and snow. Our camper for this trip was our 20' Motorcycle Trailer. We loaded up our 2008 Street Glide and headed to the high timber. Our trip of two weeks was one we'd not forget. Starting at Cherokee NC and the foot of the Great Smokey Mountains We made our way to higher elevations on the crocked roads, via the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Sky Line Drive.

 

 

 

Our plan was to haul our motorcycle to the campsites. Once we were there, taking the bike out of the trailer and using it for our camper. We had loaded our generator and a small microwave for cooking. Our queen size pedestal air mattress was a great fit. We'd stay at the campsite several days and use the bike for our mode of transportation. We'd explore and enjoy the freedom of the open air ride all along the Parkway. The Fall Foliage was a rainbow of colors. The weather was great until we hit the 105 miles of the Sky Line Drive, from Waynesboro VA. to Front Royal VA. It rained all the way there and back. Staying for two days in a steady down pour, we elected to start back. We didn't see much of that part of VA. What we could see thru the clouds, fog and rain was beautiful. We plan to make that trip again soon. Hopefully it won't be so rainy the next trip. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of our camping adventures was at the Peaks of Otter. Most of the State Parks on the Parkway have limited facility's. Restrooms with cold running water, no showers. The individual campsites are limited as well. No electric or water. We took our bike off the trailer and set it up for sleeping, eating and shelter from the cold. The temperatures were cold at night and semi warm during the day. Rules of the campground was no generators between the hours of 8 PM & 8 AM. That meant that after 8 PM we lost our heat. The campfire then became more than just a glow in the nights darkness. Going to bed required flannels and wool. We looked like fleece blimps as we snuggled in for the long nights sleep. As soon as Mickey struck 8 AM I was up, cranked the generator made coffee and turned on the heat. By the time Kathie emerged from her cocoon, the interior of our temporary home was warm. 

 

 

 

 

Our rides during these cool days required dressing in our leathers and fleece. Face shields or face mask were a plus as well. We were on the road by mid morning. Waiting for tempts to rise a little and the frost to melt. There was plenty to see and do along our route. What we missed on the way north we caught on our way back south. The cold was of little bother to us as we enjoyed these days of ramblings and carefree adventures. Top speed on the Parkway is 45 mph, mostly 35 mph. We weren't bothered that much by the colder tempts as our speed and air moving past us wasn't that fast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we continued our track south the weather improved slightly. The bitter cold of the nights gave up some of it's bite. Next stop for us was Rocky Knob. It was a beautiful and large campground. We elected to park close to the facility so our trips during the night and early morning hours would be closer. As you get older you appreciate those shorter trips of necessity. I know I do as my bladder seems to be more active these later years, haha. The days were also more pleasant with higher tempts and more and longer hours of sunshine. When you ride a motorcycle, you really do enjoy those short rest stops in the warm sunlight.

 

 

 

 

The campground would be closing for the season by the end of the month. There weren't that many campers and it was nice to have the place mostly to ourselves and the handful of folks that were there. The camp host decorated their yard with Halloween props and displays. It was nice to see that they got into the spirit and shared it with us travelers. It's the little things that make the big differences in life. The park was clean and well maintained. These host come back year after year. This was their seventh year as volunteer hosts at this site. They had no plans to stop anytime soon. 

 

 

 

Our last day at Rocky Knob was very pleasant. A cold front coming from the south, moving north pushing the warm air ahead of it. The temperature soared to the low 70's. Kathie and I were enjoying this warmer air and milder climate. It was time to take off some of the heavy leathers and enjoy the warmth of the lazy fall day. We loaded up and rode to Toggle's Gap for lunch. This was to be our last day of nice weather. Tomorrow the cold front would have us in the grip of winter, the bitter winds and unstable conditions. It would be a winter's artic blast.

 

 

 

The beautiful tree's all adorned in their dress of yellow, crimson,  orange, multi reds, greens and gold's would turn to frost covered lifeless twigs by tomorrows end. In a way it was sad to see the changes take place so fast, we had enjoyed a mixed bag of weather and temperatures. We had enjoyed our time together spent in nature surrounded by the natural beauty of God's great creations. We would enjoy our last campfire and pack it all up and head home with the rise of tomorrows sun. Leaving behind what we had found and yet taking it with us thru our memories and pictures.

 

 

 

Packing away our camping gear, loading our bike on the trailer. We were ready to head south and the end of the Parkway. We would take two days and continue to enjoy all that we could on our return trip. As we pulled out of the campground and onto the Parkway it started to rain. The rain would be with us all day. Our mood wasn't dampened with the weather as we had enjoyed a great time and got to witness first hand all the natural beauty of this American Treasure. The Blue Ridge Parkway, a place every one needs to witness during their life time. The scenery is a constant change. Each curve of the roadway offers a new and refreshing view.

 

 

We made our way back to Little Switzerland. This would be our lodging for the night. After spending several days in the campground we were eager to get a hot shower and sleep in a room with heat. The TV and Fox News was good as well. Kathie says I live to watch Fox News, haha. I went out to the trailer for some beer and to check on our Motorcycle  (MYRA). I give everything a name. It's just easier to refer to it as a person, haha.

 

 

After a tasty meal at the Lodge Restaurant, we retired to our room for the night. It was still raining and I felt sorry for the Bikers who were there waiting out the heavy rain. It would continue to rain all night and still coming down the next morning. The bikers who were waiting had left for parts unknown to us. I can only imagine they went north as south was where the ice and snow was. After breakfast we walked around the yard, took a few pictures once the rain let up and then departed towards Cherokee and the Great Smokey Mountains.

 

 

A few miles south we could see the snow covered peaks of MT. Mitchel. From this point south it would only get worse. We pasted Ashville NC and continued to make our way toward home. The snow and ice was starting to fill the landscape and it was a total change from the day before. We were in a total white forest. The ice coating the tree branches looked artificial with the red berries caught up in the freeze. Nature must have been confused as there was still Fall Foliage, peaking thru  everywhere. We were dressed in our heavy winter clothing and wearing gloves and coats. The roads were clear where we were but word was not much farther. Just before Sylvia NC the Parkway was closed and we were put off in a strange place unknown to us. For an hour or more we traveled in a circle until we figured out where we were.

 

 

 

 

Home and the end of our trip was within three hours of where we were.  We decided to head for home. We had been gone for two weeks and had traveled lots of miles. We never tired of what we saw and were eager to see what was at every turn. The weather was great for that time of year. We were well satisfied and pleased. It would be a trip we'd not forget. We are looking for that next trip and revisiting all those places we discovered along the way. Each mile was an adventure and every view different. I will leave you with, this simple question. "Why go Dutch"? 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming full circle (continues)

I had worked on my Tennessee home for the last six plus years. Buying it in 2004 and selling it 2011. What once was rundown and in need of lots of repairs was now a beautiful home. The house had been a VA Foreclosure. It had stood empty for the last five years before I bought it. Vandals had stripped it of everything of value. The copper water lines had been cut from under the house, the heat pump heating system had been stolen. There was nothing as for plants or shrubs in the yard, not a single flower or flowering tree. The former owner must have had a rock fetish. Tons and tons of large boulders and smaller rock had been hauled in and dumped all over the yard. The two acres were over grown and nothing about the landscape was right. Not that I could see. As bad as the outside was, the inside was just as bad. The house had not been winterized before standing abandoned for all those years. Critters of all manner had moved in. The water lines in the second story burst and flooded the ceilings of  the downstairs. Large holes in the walls, ceilings falling out, trim missing and fixtures missing. That was the good news. I had a house that needed lots of everything. The bad news was I had no idea or help as to how I'd do what was needed. I would become a regular at the local Saturday morning "How to work shops". I bought books and watched video's on the web. I bought tools, materials, and went to work. I learned to be a carpenter, a plumber and electrician. I hung sheet rock and did the finish work on it as well. I built and repaired walls, ceiling and floors. It was a labor of love and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a challenge for me during a period of my life when I needed it the most. I completely changed the house inside and out. I gave it a name and it become real to me. I called my home Grace Lane. It was my wife and my family. I was consumed by the joy and the pleasure it gave me. I wanted to restore this Grand Lady. My goal was to make this old ruins of a house a beautiful home for a young family. A home is more that sticks and mortar. It's alive with laughter and smiles. Life grows and thrives within. That was all this house needed in the end. Everything else I could do except for what it would need the most.

 

Like all things, the repairs went thru stages of completion. The finished product was something I could and would always be proud of. What I was the most proudest of was the fact that I did it all myself. I had grown with the house. We were patient with one another and in the end we both got what we were seeking. The house was sold to a young couple with children and pets. I can only imagine the laughter that now fills those rooms. The love that grows daily and the future lives that will be born, if not now in the years to come. Grace Lane has breaths of fresh air, no more tears of being abandoned and left for ruin.

 

 

I was leaving Grace Lane but never would I forget her. She had given me as much as I had given her. What I learned during our time together will continue within me for the rest of my days. I learned to put aside my fears. I would never again say I couldn't do something without trying. I learned to stand on my own and to depend upon myself for the strength and wisdom we all possess within. I learned to use my mind, to think and to act without hesitation. I learned that with the change of season also brings a new beginning.

 

 

I could talk endless about my Lady Grace Lane. I think you would either get bored or think me a braggart. What I really want to leave with you is less simple, just this! Regardless of what you think you cant do, you can. Regardless of what you may think or how you may feel. Unless you try, you will never know for sure. Don't wait until the time is right. Satisfaction comes from doing. Can't is a poor exercise for not trying.

 

I was headed off to face the next adventure in my life. I had come full circle and was now starting a new circle. Only this one was in reverse. As soon as I sell Rose Lane I will be once again, RVing. Until then, I continue to learn more about myself  :) 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Coming full circle.

It's funny how life makes so many turns. The more it changes, the more it stays the same. What once was old becomes new again. No matter how far we move away from where we are, the closer we come to returning. So it is with me! I feel I have once again come full circle. I bet you also find that you repeat parts of your history. We all do it sooner or later. I don't think I'm unique in that way. At least I'd hope I'm not.

I first started my camping in a make shift motor home. I was stationed in Alaska. I wanted to spend more time out in nature and enjoy it all with the kids. Not having a lot of money in those days  I did the best I could. I bought an old 1955 Ford bread truck. The year was 1975. I put in all that I knew how and went camping. The large front split windshield was a great view. I raced snow machines on the frozen lakes during winter, enjoyed fishing them in the summer. I had put in a propane heater, water tank and sink, bunk beds for the kids, table that made a full size bed, bathroom closet for the  portable toilet, large captain seats in the front. It was the 70's so the walls were all orange carpet, haha. We did all our cooking on the open camp fires and everything seemed to just work great. We even took that old truck to the local drive-in theater. When the kids got tired, they went to bed. We toured all over Alaska and camped the many miles of shorelines. Mt. McKinley was a favorite of ours.

Many years later I would again buy a motorhome. I had retired from the Military. It was now 1999, I was living in Florida. The boys were now grown and had their own family's. My new to me bus was a 1986 Executive. It was a grand old lady with lots and lots of oak wood trim inside. It was 37' long and had everything my 1955 didn't have. I drove it lots of miles and visited lots of places. For some reason I didn't enjoy it as much as I did that old Ford. Maybe because of the poor mileage and the high cost of gasoline. After a year I sold it and bough my first Fifth Wheel Trailer

 

 

The Fifth Wheel Trailer was more of what I felt I need. I bought and sold several of them. Each floor plan was different and each was equipped with extra's the others didn't have. Finally I bought my first new one and hit the road. It was a 2003 Wilderness by Fleetwood  I had bought a new 2001 Dodge Dully a year before that. I was divorced and hit the road and discovered much about myself. I had lived a sheltered life. Now I was alone and having to do for myself. What I discovered during those days was that I actually liked myself. I became a stronger person and found I liked the nomadic life style. The freedom of travel and the peace it gave me as I moved about the country with no cares or worry's. I visited many of our National Parks and traveled thousands of miles. Selling my rig, I again took up the responsible life of a homeowner and settled into what I found to be a dull life.

 

 

 



 

 

 
Once I settled into my dull life of homeownership I found my mind was never on the life I was now living. I had long days of my mind always wondering back to my travels and the life I enjoyed. I tried to settle into the life and make repairs on the house. I had bought the house on a Foreclosure. It was a large home, five bedrooms and four baths. It needed lots of work. I had planed to make the repairs, sell the home and return to full time RV lifestyle. I worked long and tireless days. It seemed the house needed much. I landscaped and poured all my time and money into making this old house a beautiful home. After six years I felt I had achieved about as much as I could. Real-Estate values were dropping  and if I had any hopes of selling, it needed to be now. Then Life took another turn. More about that in my next blog :)