Freelance Writing

      

Published in Rider Magazine, July 2009 A secret to no one east of the Mississippi River, the Blue Ridge Parkway is a road made for riders. Designated an "All American Road" and a tourist destination in its own right, the rolling hills, curves and stunning scenery mile after mile, as well as the elevation's cooler weather make a summertime tour on the parkway something that every rider should consider. Having lived in Atlanta for over 25 years, I had often traveled sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but had never ridden its entire 469 miles from the southernmost point in Cherokee, NC - technically where the road ends - to its beginning in northern Virginia. A family reunion planned for the July 4th holiday week near Roanoke, Virginia provided an opportunity to do just that. Beginning at 8:30 AM on the 4th, I left Atlanta to take the fastest route north, I-85 to 985, then Hwy 365 to 441 into Cherokee, arriving at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway almost exactly at noon.  Before starting the ride on the parkway, I chronicled the start of the event by taking photographs of the bike at the parkway entrance. From its entrance at Cherokee, the Blue Ridge Parkway runs southeast for approximate 45 miles before turning northeast toward Asheville, NC. With Virginia as a destination, most would not want to travel in a southeasterly direction, but since the focus was to travel the parkway, the enjoyment of riding the road was the rule of the day. July 4th fell on a Friday and began a long holiday weekend, so I expected heavy sightseeing traffic, but to my surprise traffic was very light, with as many motorcycles as cars on the road, allowing a good pace and an opportunity to enjoy the scenery. And of course, the scenery is some of the best in the eastern US. The parkway begins at the eastern border of Great Smoky Mountains, rising over 4000 feet to the highest point on the parkway (6047 feet) within the first 30 miles. Carved through the Blue Ridge Mountain chain, travelers can view hundreds of miles of rolling foothills that stretch out toward the east, and valleys in the mountain chain's interior.  Researching the history of the parkway, the project was started in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) under President Franklin Roosevelt, and was constructed to connect the Great Smoky Mountain and Shenandoah National Parks, which the road does in fine form.  The project was finished, finally, in 1987 with the completion of the Linn Cove Viaduct. The BRP has a speed limit throughout of 45 mph. For those who haven't traveled this road before, it has no traffic lights or stop signs, does not allow commercial vehicles and has limited access for its entire length. That does not mean, however, that you can make good time on the road. The entire length runs through several eastern mountain chains and while on it, you will spend the day negotiating curves for almost every mile. You'll probably average less than the posted speed limit, especially if, like myself, you find it difficult to pass up a "photo-op", as they are around every turn. Expect 200 miles to be an all-day ride. Prior to the week, I had spent some time researching the state of the parkway, and learned that a section between Craggy Gardens Picnic Area to the entrance to Mt. Mitchell State Park had been closed due to a landslide. Unfortunately, this twenty mile closed section required an approximate 90-minute detour, which considerably extended the riding day. I would like to thank Blue Ridge & Smoky Mountain Motorcycle Adventure Maps (www.motorcycleadventuremap.com) however, for providing several more scenic alternatives to the DOT directed detours. I chose what the website called the "most direct route", which exits the parkway at Bull Gap (MM375) through a series of local roads to Hwy 19 and SR80, then back to the parkway at mile-marker 345. While on Hwy 19, I took a break to take photos of my V-twin cruiser in front of an old service station that had that "Classic Americana" look of the 1950s. Back on the parkway at mile-marker 345, the sun was progressing toward the horizon, and finding lodging was edging its way up the priority list. If I have one complaint about the parkway, it would be the lack of information available at entrance/exit locations on the road.  Signs indicate the towns closest to each exit, but with no mileage shown.  For this information, you must exit the parkway to find mileage signs placed on the intersecting road.  Towns can be as little as three, but as far as 30 miles away, making choosing stops for fuel and food more difficult.  A BRP map in a tank bag is recommended (the ones available from the park service are best) but why not just add mileage and common fuel, lodging and restaurant icons to the existing road signs?  Increasing the available information would not add additional clutter, just worthwhile information. With the July 4th holiday, I anticipated the possibility of a scarcity of lodging.  At 7:30 PM, I exited the parkway at Hwy 221 near Grandfather Mountain and headed north toward Boone.  As it is a fairly large town, it seemed more likely to find accommodations there.  Unfortunately, a town-sponsored fireworks display caused every available room in town to be booked.  A helpful front desk clerk directed me back to a hotel with vacancies in Banner Elk, but requiring that I backtrack 17 miles south.  After 12 hours on the bike, I took what I could get.  Programming the hotel address into my GPS led me to the end of the first day's ride.  Arriving at approximately 8:30 PM, and after a quick run to a local watering hole for dinner to go, I called an end to a twelve-hour riding day. The next morning, I was back on the road by 8:30.  The sky was overcast from horizon to horizon.  I donned the rainsuit before leaving the hotel. Oddly enough, the necessity to backtrack to the hotel the night before allowed me to enter the BRP at the same location where I exited the previous evening, missing none of the road in this area. Several stops for photos at scenic locations over the next thirty miles (which included the Linn Cove Viaduct) slowed forward progress, but the memorable scenery was difficult to pass up, and added worthwhile additions to the week's portfolio. A few miles further north, a light rain began to fall, and intermittent rain would be the order of the day.  Stops for photos and at scenic overlooks became fewer and farther between, owing to the desire to get to my destination and out of the bad weather.  One other parkway closure, a six-mile section beginning at about mile marker 292, also required a DOT directed short detour that slowed forward momentum a bit.  At about mile marker 180, the steady rain became a strong thunderstorm, signaling a stop for lunch to wait it out.  At Meadows of Dan (mile marker 175) I was lucky enough to find the Mountain House Restaurant right off the parkway.  It was the perfect choice for the circumstances, offering an uncomplicated and welcome country buffet lunch and hot coffee, both needed to increase body temperature and recharge. After lunch, I checked phone messages.  A cousin who lived near Roanoke who was the host of the week's family festivities had arranged lunch for the family at the Chāteau Morrisette Restaurant and Winery, by coincidence only four miles north near mile marker 171.  One last detour of the day allowed me the unexpected pleasure of saying hello to 21 family members who would be in Virginia for the week. Five miles later, I exited the BRP at SR8 just north of Rocky Knob, taking this to Hwy 40, which led northeast toward Smith Mountain Lake.  My wife and her parents had rented a house there for the week, and were already settled in.  I arrived at about 5:30 PM, and after a long day riding in the rain, I was read to get off the bike.  I had ridden 19 hours in two days. Rain and thunderstorms over the next several days limited the amount of riding that could be comfortably done, but thankfully gave me time to "decompress" and spend time with family.  By mid week, a high pressure system brought a trend toward dryer weather, allowing an opportunity to resume my plans to ride the parkway from end to end. On Thursday, a family dinner planned at the well-known Homeplace restaurant on Hwy 311 outside Roanoke allowed an afternoon's ride before meeting.  From Smith Mountain, state roads 122 and 24 led to the entrance of the parkway. I would ride as far north as time would allow, and start back at mid-afternoon to arrive in time to join the family.                              Lora and Bear go for a swim at Smith Mountain Lake The weather had now become completely cooperative, with clear blue skies and temperatures in the upper 80s.  The afternoon's stops included the Peaks of Otter and James River visitor's centers, as well as any scenic location where a worthwhile photo could be had.  Near the James River, you pass the lowest point of the parkway, at just 649 ft. above sea level. I got as far north as the Indian Gap area, approximately 50 miles from the end of the parkway, before starting back to Roanoke to meet family.  Having previously programmed the restaurant address in the GPS, picking the "fastest route" option took me off the parkway at Bearwallow Gap (MM89), and onto SR43, a twisty little mountain road in need of serious repaving, then to Hwy 11 and 311 to Catawba.  Hwy 311 is one of the nicer roads in the area, and is one of the roads mentioned in William Long's Extreme Twisties.  It is a beautiful road in its own right.  After dinner with the family I made the ride home in the cooling late afternoon, enjoying the orange and reds of a Virginia mountain sunset. On Friday, reaching the goal of riding to the end of the parkway left only one day to accomplish the task.  From Smith Mountain Lake, I took Hwy 122 north through the small town of Bedford.  Called Big Island Highway north of town, 122 is another beautiful stretch of road.  At Hwy 501 I went west, and decided to ride past the parkway entrance to make a quick visit to the Natural Bridge Historic Landmark at the junction of SR130 and Hwy 11. While it was a bit out of the way, the decision to detour was a case of "we may never pass this way again" and it ended up being a good choice.  Hwy 501 to SR130 is a simply gorgeous route that runs through the mountains and along the James River, and a highly recommended side trip if time permits. A 30-minute stop to see the Natural Bridge and take a few photographs, and I was riding again. Calculating travel time, I decided that taking I-81 to I-64 would be the fastest route to the parkway's northern entrance, where I could then ride the last 50 miles of the parkway not ridden this week.  At 3:30 PM, I arrived at the Blue Ridge Parkway - I had finally made it!  After taking photos of the bike at this entrance of the parkway, I began the ride south. Congratulating myself, I took my time and enjoyed the afternoon's leisurely ride south, viewing the stunning panoramic scenery available everywhere along the ride.  I stopped several times to take photographs of the bike with memorable backdrops, and to capture images of other riders traveling the perpetually curving road. To complete the full run of the Blue Ridge Parkway, I only had to ride back as far as Indian Gap where I had turned around the previous day.  Once there, I counted it as an accomplishment.  My wheels had rolled through every available mile of the parkway in the previous seven days. Returning to the lake house by 7 PM, I packed the bike for the start of the next day's ride home before congratulating myself with a cold Corona and soak in the lake house’s Jacuzzi. Saturday morning, back on the BRP, it was another beautiful day - clear blue, cool, and perfect.  That I had ridden this section in the rain on the ride up gave me incentive to stop for photos more often than making good progress allowed.  It's difficult to pass up an opportunity to record the beautiful visuals around every turn. South of Doughton Park, I was due for a fill up.  Once again, no indication on parkway exit signs showed the distance to towns, so I took a guess and exited on VA18 at Laurel Springs, and by pure luck picked the exit that featured the Station's Inn Motorcycle Resort.  Several hundred bikes and riders of all stripes were socializing in the full parking lot and in the open patio restaurant across the street.  A quick question to a patron as I slowed and I was pointed toward a gas station three miles up the road.  On the way back to the parkway, I stopped to photograph the huge scene, with bikes and bike clubs constantly going into and out of the place. An hour later, I exited the parkway near Boone.  Knowing the roads in this area, I would typically take 221 south and other rural highways southwest toward Atlanta.  This time, intending to shorten travel time, I used the GPS to pick the "fastest route" to my home address.  It indicated 321 south out of Boone. I followed the unit's direction without consulting a map, and this was a big mistake.  From Boone, 321 goes in a southeasterly direction toward Lenoir and Hickory, and away from Atlanta (what was its little computer brain thinking?)  At Hickory, I bagged on the GPS route and headed east on I-40 towards Asheville, realizing that I had added over 90 minutes to the day's travel time. Near Asheville, an afternoon rainstorm put the kabash on any idea of riding further.  Providence was with me however, as the first exit after the rain began led to the Holiday Inn Asheville on Tunnel road.  The nice hotel featured a restaurant and lounge on the premises - just what was needed at the end of a long traveling day.  Dinner and drinks in the lounge along with conversation with other riders also staying at the hotel, and I called it a night. The entrance to the BRP was very close to the hotel, so on Sunday morning, while other routes home would have been faster, having a full day to travel put me in no rush.  Once again, everything happens for a reason, as the early morning light and some great views of the parkway gave opportunities for some of the best photos taken all week. By the time I reached the parkway's southernmost point at Beech Gap, I was ready for the direct route home.  NC215 wound its way out of the mountains to Rossman.  From there, Hwy 64 west to Highlands, and NC106 southwest to Hwy 441 led due south towards Atlanta on Hwy 365, I-985, I-85 and finally home near 4 PM. I pulled in the driveway with 1956 miles on the odometer for the nine days on the road.  With three days with either very little or no riding due to rainy weather, the daily average was about 330 miles a day for the six days on the bike.  Touring the Blue Ridge Parkway was certainly a memorable experience, and for myself and motorcycle riders as a group, I would like to thank FDR and the CCC for constructing the BRP, one of the best motorcycling roads in the country, QED.   A Ride on the Ridge, Copyright (c) Philip A. Buonpastore, July 2008, reprint by permission.   (Just a note - I would like to send my thanks to the fellow vacationer who took this picture, whoever he is!)