Bridge, Banjos and a history lesson

      Up early and the best news...No rain so we're off again to continue down the "Crooked Road" until we find an equally crooked road without the name Crooked.   before we left we said goodby to Dr. and Mrs T----e  of Erie, Pa. Who told a story about her surgeon husband trying to ride a motorcycle and crashing into a fence. Needless to say he never got that bike.        Nearly 150 miles of twisting, turning, going up and down mountain sides we arrived at Meadows of Dan so my buddy Dan can get his photo made in front of the sign. Later we  found  Jacks Creek Covered Bridge, an Oak, hand made  hundred year-old single lane 48 foot long bridge crossing Jacks Creek.  They sure don't make em like they used to.      The road brought us to the Blue Ridge Institute & Museum that housed a historical look at early Blue Grass music and specifically the Banjo.  I was in Banjo heaven as I play the banjo. Well...I can almost play 1 1/2 songs very badly.  So bad our cat has tried to leave home. I don't think my name willl ever be mentioned in that place.        Sixty miles later we arrived at  Appomattox Court House where Generals Grant and Lee ended the Civil War.  A very sombering place if you listen to the history.  One highlight of the visit, Dan insisted he try out the single hole outhouse. He gave up as he was drawing a crowd.     With the day ending and a couple more hours of ridiing to go before getting to Charlottesville, Va and a hotel.  The big suprise of the day was the cost of a hotel room since there was 35 thousand additional people in town for the University of Virginia graduation.  So we end up in a much lesser quality hotel than the days before.  Oh Well.       Tomorrow we are off to Monticello, The home of Thomas Jefferson.  He won't be there but we're confident we can look around.

My Son is Getting Better

Good News. Mike my Son is getting better with the good care of all the Doctors and Nurses along with his friends and family. I got back to Asheville on Wednesday evening and we headed north with no particuliar destination. After a a stop for the photos of the state line of Tennessee we decided to stop at Bristol Motor Speedway. It is much bigger than I had imagined. While there trying to get a photo we met up with Keith Wynn of Wynn Wood Wildlife Rescue. He was there picking up an injured bird to transport it back to Elizabethon, Tn for some rehab. He obliged us by making our photo and then took off with the bird in a box strapped to the back of his Harley. Off we go on the backroads to avoid the interstate highways. With directions supplied by Keith we ended up on a couple real twisty roads called the "The Snake" and "The Crooked Road" with a stop at Shady Valley for a burger and drink. We traveled about 150 miles of twisty and curvey roads that had a million miles of beauty. After a couple stops to for more photos of us and the bikes at various landmarks we met up again with Keith who was on his way to release a couple of Bobcats he had rehabed. Keith volunteered to make yet another photo of us and show off his soon to be free Bobcats. We rolled onto Hillville about 5:30 PM just in time to hit with a downpour. Into the rainsuits we go and of course the stops soon after. The is a bike rule that says "the sooner you put on your rain gear the sooner the rain will stop" and so it did. We grabbed a room, called to check on my son, ate some great Mexican food and called it a day. One word of advice about traveling in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virgina. Leave early and stay off the Interstates and hit the back roads. You will love it. Tomorrow it is off to Front Royal, Virgina and some touring around in the north part of Virgina. Hope to see some Civil War histor. I'll let you know tomorrow what we find.