Shenandoah, A Big Bridge and a Hole in the Ground

     We beat the girl's softball teams to the hotel's breakfast area to fuel up and take off heading back south.

     Our original plan was to see the sights and on the return trip to North Carolina we were to ride the Skyline Drive, hook up with the Blue Ridge Parkway. That plan was changed at the last minute after watching the morning weather report. Rain, rain and more rain was forecast for the entire area of Virginia and Tennessee as well as North Carolina.

     After our breakfast we prepared the bikes and checked the weather once again as we watched rain clouds form around us.  Without a chance of changing the weather we head for the Skyline Drive a run down the 105-mile road that runs the entire length of the National Park Service's Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. After 105 miles at 30 miles an hour we change plans and don't take the Blue Ridge at a 45 miles an hour rate and interstate it south to the Natural Bridge located in...you guessed it!  It is in Natural Bridge, Va.  Those Virginia folks sure are clever.
The bridge is a geological formation in which Cedar Creek has carved out a gorge in the mountainous terrain.  Now get this. The big claim to fame is that George Washington carved his initials in the side of the bridge.  Who would have guessed that old George W. was a vandal.  People get arrested for doing this nowadays. George W. does it and becomes President. What a country!

     After the bridge we head down the road to the Grand Caverns where they claim to have had underground tours for the past 200 years.  Maybe George Washington went there.  The bridge is 20 stories high, the arch is 215 ft high and spans 90 ft with highway 11E crossing over it. It consists of horizontal limestone strata and is the remains of a roof of a cave or tunnel through which the creek once flowed.  Did I mention that George surveyed it and then defaced it with his initials?

     Enough of Virginia, the rains are closing in so we hit the highway and race towards NC.  We dodged rain the rest of the way through Virginia and then Tennessee.  Just as we cross the state line into NC we are hit with rain.  The bad stuff held of until we enter Asheville city limits and a four-inch-an-hour rain gets us.  We shelter in a flooded convenience store waiting for the rain to slow. Slow down it didn't so back on the highway we went with four inches of water on the road to make it home wet but safe.

      It took two day to get over the trip and a cold I carried with me. I'm now rested and thinking about the next trip...Maybe I better ask my wife first.


     The trip by the numbers

            Miles traveled...............1250.5

            Days on the road...........5

            Gallons of gas...............21.31

            $ spent on gas...............79.20

            States visited..................5 -  NC, TN, VA, WV, MD

            Accidents.......................1 -  Although I didn't mention it in any of the previous posts because I had to tell my  precious most lovely wife in person.   It actually was not a moving type of accident. I was on the bike in a parking area with the engine off trying to get into neutral when the bike began to fall to the left. My foot got caught in the shifting lever and down it went with me under it.  No damage to me or the bike.  A few scratches on my bright yellow helmet and a big hit to my ego.  It also happened last trip too. Maybe the next bike should have three wheels.

           

A Repirmand, Two more States and Civil War battlefields

     I received a reprimand from my good friend Ken back in Florida.  I was severely reminded that I must keep up the blog and don't take two days between posts.  I stand corrected and now will continue the updates even though two days have past and I am really at home.  Just pretend I didn't take a break.  Damn that reprimand hurt Ken.

     Once again we load the bikes early and head out for another adventure.  The miles click past as we head up to Appomattox, Virginia for a visit to Appomattox Court House National Historical Park.  As a quick review, This is the actual village of Appomattox Court House and the McLean House where General Robert E. Lee surrendered the army of Northern Virginia  to General Ulysses S. Grant and thereby reuniting our nation.  This preserved village gives us a peek into the past.  The most interesting thing about the place was the small-sized room where the Generals met to end such a large and protracted and bloody war. 

     After Appomattox we kinda go in reverse as far as history goes.  We make it to the Antietam Battlefield, the Civil War site where the Army of the Patomac, commanded by George McClellan mounted  a series of power assults against Robert E. Lee’s forces near Sharpsburg Maryland on September 17, 1862.  The battle raged on through the day and the bloodiest single day in American military history ended in a draw. The Confederate retreat gave Abraham Lincoln the “victory” he desired before issuing the Emancipation proclamation.  You would think we (this country) would have learned a lesson from all this.

     With this very hot day’s daylight running short we make a quick run back south back into Virginia  for a hotel room we don’t yet have.  We luck out and find a room , the very last room available as there was a girls youth softball tournament in town.   A quick check-in and a stroll down the street for a steak dinner and a couple of very cold beers finished off the day.

Tomorrow we’re off south towards North Carolina as we see from varoous weather reports that Virginia and Tennessee will getting a lot of rain.  Let me say that rain and two wheels is not a great mixture. d

Monticello and more crooked roads

Up and out the door early. So what's up with this early stuff, I'm retired you know. Anyway it's been that way the entire trip. A quick breakfast and a quick bike ride to Monticello the home of Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826). What grand place it is. Not only did Jefferson draft the Declaration of Independence, he designed Moticello, inventor and an adapter of other inventions. The design, construcion and modifying of his home and out buildings and landscaping took over 40 years. Monique and I took a few years and we thought that was a long time. They say he spent the last 33 years of his life after the writing of the Decleration at his beloved Monticello where he died. He is still there in a private cemetery still owned by the family. The folks that work there are fantastic, not because they have to be but, just because they just that way. One nice lade I met working an information desk went over and beyond the call. I asked where a certain landmark was located near town. She excused herself, went off and returned later with a printed sheet of driving directions. Sorry I forgot her name. As we walked the grounds of Monticello we came across the slave quarters and met up with Leni Sorensen standing in the slave quarters kitchen by a pile of fresh veggies. As usual my smart mouth asked when lunch was ready? Her reply..."as soon as you get done weeding the garden you'll get lunch". There was no lunch from Leni. I now knew where I stood. We talked about the bike trip, were we were from, where she came from and what she was up to. Now Leni has enough credentials too be called a "Rocket Scientist of Human Life and History". Her bio lists things such as Folk Singer, Teacher of Cookery, Farmer in South Dakota, and working at Monticello interpting African American Life in Slavery and writer of Blogs. for more about Leni go to WWW.Indigohousehistory.com Thanks for a great time Leni. Back on the road heading North to Stephens City, Va. for a Italian dinner, cold beer followed by some blogging. The blogging goes OK but uploading photos from an Ipad to Picasa back to the blog continues to be a problem. I'll keep trying but photos might have to wait a bit. One last bit of news...Monique reports that we had to visitors to our Asheville house today. Momma Bear and her young one came by for a visit searching for food. Sure sorry I missed that. She did take a few photos.
I'll post some photos Monique sent me.

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.

Back On the Road

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.

A Scary Phone call puts a halt to the trip for now

     We received an unexpected and scary call Sunday. My son Mike was discovered to have a pulmonary embolism and admitted to a hospital  ICU in Tampa, Florida.  Pulmonary embolism  (PE) is a sudden blockage in the arteries of the lung.  The trip is off for now as I left North Carolina this morning and flew to Tampa to be with him.
     I'll post an update once everything settles down.

Still in a Rain Delay

     Not much to report except one more day of keeping the bikes dry as rain storms continue to surround Asheville, North Carolina.   We did what seemed the second best thing to do.  Open a bottle of wine and burn some steaks.
     Chef Dan cooked them to perfection and we feasted with hopes of hitting the highway the next morning.
     Tomorrow is a new day and we're expecting better weather.

#$@^!

     All great plans are subject to fail.  Fail it did!  A huge storm covering an area from Birmingham, Alabama to almost the Great Lakes area is making its way through Asheville.  Riding a motorcycle in this kinda weather isn't advised. It's one thing to get caught in the rain while riding but to begin a day-long trip in the middle of a storm isn't my idea of fun things to do on a Sunday afternoon. The bikes will stay dry today as we lounge around. There's always tomorrow.
     Ain't retirement great?

Here I Go Again

     Not long ago back in 2010 I took off on a solo motorcycle trip to Illinois, Texas and all states in-between before  the return trip to Tampa, Florida after chasing my past.
     It was a great trip, but my bragging rights have now run their course and now I've  nothing more to add to my last adventure.  That said - Here I go again.
     Tomorrow morning I leave Asheville, North Carolina for a week or so of exploring the back roads of North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.  I'm not going alone this time as my friend, neighbor and motorcycle riding buddy Dan is coming along. On our agenda are some great motorcycle roads, strange places and some serious historical Civil War sites.
     Dan and I have talked about, planned and re-planned the trip and now on the eve of the launch we see lots of rain in the forecast.  Rain or not, we're going to attempt to keep on schedule with the first stop in Roanoke, Virginia if we can beat the rain.  If we hit a wall of rain, we'll go as far as we can paddle.
     Tomorrow evening I'll have a riveting report complete with photos on where we went , who we met and what and where we ate.

That's all folks

I arrived home Sunday afternoon after a long ride from Panama City Beach. I elected to take the back roads and not the interstate. I was rewarded with a beautiful albeit hot and slow return to Tampa. I followed U.S. 98 most of the way until I hit the Sun coast Parkway.

Did I say hot? Hot doesn’t seem an adequate term. Hotter than Hell seems more like it. I went through a lot of water., drinking and just pouring it on me. I kept wishing all morning for rain to cool me down and got my wish but I was only five miles from home.

The bike ran well until I pulled into the driveway. The electrical system decided to go south and now it’s in the shop.

I can say it was a great adventure and easier than I thought it would be. There is something about being on the motorcycle all day as the countryside full of sights and smells that never seems to get old.

The trip is over and my Bucket List has one less item so it seems as I should be adding to the list. Can’t say what it is just yet as my wife reads this blog.

My adventure by the numbers


4130 miles traveled

12 states

80 or so gallons of gas

50 miles per gallon approximate

10 different beds (Alone. Ok there was one night with a dog).

16 family members I shared a meal with

2 people who stopped to offer assistance to me when I ran out of gas and had a minor mechanical problem

3 horses, 2 mules, 5 dogs, 3 cats, one plastic elephant and Zirky received a pat on the head and a scratch behind the ear

Too many detours to count ( I took a lot of right turns just out of the blue to see what was down the road. (My thanks to Dick H who suggested that)

Bugs on windshield were too numerous to count

1 submarine visited

1 laughing horse

1 30-foot tall Harley guy

1 spaceship

1 airplane made of hay

1 Longhorn cattle drive

1 scooter ride in Hannibal, Mo

1 embarrassing chicken dance

49 degrees the coolest morning

100 degrees the hottest day

1 person who mooned me

1 house found with 2 airplanes, submarine, and helicopter sticking out the walls.

1 photo of me in president Clinton’s the oval office.

0 accidents

4 of my friends standing in a cornfield with me

many mistakes by Zirky my plastic frog that was blamed on me.

1 really great trophy presented to me by my daughter Kellie. (new photo)

Thanks to all my family and friends who supported me in this trip ,especially my lovely bride Monique.


Mike Pease

ps. It was about time.

Family pics, New Orleans, big guns and an ass and heading home

Finally got to a place where I could get some family photos uploaded. Made it to my Daughter Toni's house in Justin, Texas. She also invited my daughter Kim, my grand daughters Meghan and Bailey. Also there was Collie, Toni's husband, grandsons Noah and Thomas and Kim's boyfriend Mo. There was also the assorted dogs, cats and horses. Thanks for a very nice evening.

After Texas I arrived in Alexandria, La. in good shape. Another little know fact. I was stationed in Alexandria a long time ago and went looking for recognizable places after I checked into the motel. Nothing found. Even the Air Force Base was gone and the house I once owned was gone. Gotta say Alexandria is very low on places for excitement and fun. A quick dinner and back to the motel and early to bed.

An early start for New Orleans got me there before noon. Found the Condo (Thanks Lynn) located in the French Quarter, checked in and walked the streets in the quarter looking for some entertainment. Saw a guy advertising 'Big Ass Beers'. Sign should have said Big Ass Guy selling Big Ass Beers.(photo) I also saw the assorted sax players, hookers, drummers, hookers and Mule drivers but the best was one was Uncle Willie and his stuffed toy dog Little Willie. Uncle makes his money by wearing a white tux and posing with the dog at street corners. He was one of the best I've seen in the quarter. (photo)
The Rains didn't spare the French Quarter. A downpour scattered tourists and locals and of course the hookers.(photos)

The next morning I left New Orleans at 5:30am heading for Panama City Beach. Thick fog covering the highways (photo and yes I stopped to make the photo) and a pretty sunrise was a nice surprise. Then the rains came. I changed into and out of my rain suit so many times I thought I was Mons Venus stripper. I did Make a tourist stop in Mobile to check out the USS Alabama and assorted military plans, tanks and submarines. It's Worth a stop if you ever go through there.

Panama City Beach greeted me with temps in the very high 90's. God I hate hot weather. Went to the beach to see if there was oil. Beautiful sand and no oil. Made a photo of condos lining the sand and an artsy photo of a Gull.

Pizza and beer in the room tonight and an early start for the last leg to Tampa. I am about ready to finish this great trek. I'll publish a wrap-up when I get back.

Cheers

Bad drinks, a big chicken, a sale and Hermine chases me

Hurricane Hermine chased me into and around Texas got me wet only one time. My daughter Kellie and family took me out for an early Birthday dinner and I got to make a fool of myself (photo) It was some sort of ritual where restaurant staff sing as the Birthday person gets to look stupid during a dance. Of course I couldn't let that go by with playing it up and really looking stupid. Had a drink early in the evening and it really made my eyes light up...I need more of that stuff.(photo) Thursday I Went to my other daughter Toni's house and she got the rest of the clan to her house in Justin, Texas. Toni, her sister Kim, with Grand Kids Noah, Thomas, Bailey and Megan. Collie, husband of Toni and Mo, Kim's boy friend along with two dogs, couple of horses and a cat. Great dinner, great company and a chance to catch up on the past.

This morning I left Justin, Texas with Hermine howling at me but no rain until I got near downtown Dallas in Atlanta kinda traffic. Crazy, Crazy, Crazy traffic. I just scratched Dallas off my list of places to move to.

The rain began and I pulled off the road to a funeral home covered driveway and put on my bright yellow rain suit. Just as I was leaving, the funeral guy pops out the door and asked if he can be of help. I told him he was too early " I'm still alive". A blank look and retreat back inside ended that encounter.

Of course I proved the old adage of - the faster you put on your rain gear the faster the rain stops. Not one to tempt an adage I kept the banana suit on until I hit Longview, Texas. I think I know why they named it longview. If you look around you will have a long view. There are just miles and miles of miles with nothing much to see. Back to the rain suit. Off came the gear and guess what, it rained on me. Not bad as it cooled me off from the 95 degree heat.

Just before I left Texas a for sale sign caught my attention. I sure would have liked to buy it but couldn't figure how to get it back to Florida (photo.
That may be too much for this old guy to handle.

I'll report tomorrow or the next...

Back in Texas and it sure is hot, wild cows and watering system

Mostly an uneventful trip from Little Rock to Weatherford, Texas. Left Little rock in 50 degree weather and landed in Texas at 95 degrees. What a swing of temps. Little Rock has an area like our beloved Ybor City with the exception it was done right. Lots of places to ear, several bars and tons of tourists. Ate at place called the Flying Fish. Catfish was outstanding and the decor is pretty funny. Fish with wings hanging on the walls.

The road to Texas was what some would say boring, straight, flat with little to see but miles and miles.

Speaking of boring, this posting is smack in the middle of boring but hope to liven it up later.

It's now later and I have at least something to report. I arrived at Brother Rick's and his lovely bride Gloria's house. Oh yeah, their two dogs greeted me at the gate.

Had a great time catching up with Brother Rick and his lovely bride Gloria, the old dog Sam (it was was too old and tired to care who I was) and the new dog Hanna who was a bit standoffish and liked to bark at me. Maybe she thought I was a new (old) dog coming into the household. We did come to an agreement. She would bark and I would ignore her.

Got a tour of Ft. Worth and the surrounding area. I've been gone too long and things sure have changed. The even a new Cowboy new stadium (photo). Made a trip to
TCU football field. Someone left the door open and Rick and I just walked in. (Little know fact. I attended TCU about a hundred years ago). (photo)

Made it to north side of Ft. Worth where the famous Billy Bob's Texas bar and rodeo arena are located . Got to see some wild and not so wild cattle on the way to the Northside. Met some honest to goodness cowboys and cattle drivers and the new watering system they recently installed and lots of fresh road apples. (Photos

Rode in the rain to my daughter's house. first rain I have been in for 2600 miles. (see photo of me in my fancy rain suit)

Now at my Daughter Kellie's house and being entertained by her kids Kayla (her artwork) and Jared his itouch he won. We spent some of the time in the garage with their dad Wayne looking for a tornado that was sighted nearby. No tornado touched down so no photo. Dag-nab-it!

I guess that is it for a while unless a tornado hits and then there will be lots of photos.

Don't drop that, road to little rock and Clinton Library

I guess I gotta confess to something. I dropped my bike. Standing still in front of the motel yesterday down it went. I've always heard it happens to everyone and I got my turn yesterday. No major damage to the bike but my ego sure took a hit along with a few very sore ribs. Hard to explain unless you saw it happen. I've a sneaky suspicion the frog had something to do with it for keeping him confined during the trip. Can't prove it but there were frog prints on the tank.

After a good nights rest it was off to Little Rock, Arkansas. Stopped off to see a concrete wall that is supposed to hold back the Mississippi River. Yeah
right. Made one last shot of a corn field and was surprised to see some of my friends there. Almost got to the fair city when I begin to see pigs everywhere, on the road, off the road, at gas stations and even in front of the hotel. After checking around I discovered they were really razorbacks as Arkansas had a football game planned for that day. Go Hogs! Go Gators with their first win of this year. They sure better get better.

I got a bit of an education today. Went to the President Clinton Library. Five bucks with a senior citizen discount got me in the front door. Pretty impressive place. Saw his Limo, and tons of photos of his campaign and all manor of presidential things. There was even a replica of the Oval Office. Couldn't believe the photo that was on the wall. (look closely at the photos).

Back in the room and resting up for tomorrow when I take off for Fort Worth, Texas.

Connecting with my roots and back in the saddle

Sorry for the break in this great literary piece. I spent the last couple days with my cousin Judy and her husband. I was treated to some great home cooking, a night at their lake house complete with a boat ride as well as some great red wine. Judy and I went exploring the countryside looking for my past. I found the one-room-schoolhouse I started school, the farm where I spent lots of time with her family. Nice to see the barn that brought back memories of building forts in the hay loft and her dad teaching me to drive a truck.

I tried to find some of my ancestors head stones in a cemetery overgrown with 7 foot high prairie grass. No luck. I did find the farm that my Grandfather (Gramps) farmed over 40 years ago. That place brought back some memories of farming, and living with no indoor plumbing or electricity. Man things sure changed in the past four decades. It couldn't be that I waited abut forty years to go back. My bad.

There was one surprise for me. I spied a beautiful lady with shining hair that hung over her brooding long lashed eyes. I tried playing it cool, teasing and my own brand of flirting to no avail. I then thought of a gift of some wild flowers and that did it. She slowly come over and snatched the bouquet from my hands and walked away. All hopes of spending quality time with her were crushed. (click on the slide show to see a picture of my beauty.

Now off to another day on the road. A 7 a.m. departure planed. The temperature was a brisk 49 degrees which means that at 70MPH it's sub-artic. Planning payed off with a jacket I had tucked away but it still was chilly for a few hours.

I cruised south on Missouri highways nursing my sore butt and began thinking of alternate forms of transportation. In Hannibal, Missouri I ran across a different type of wheeled vehicle but after a trial ride it seemed too small and besides I looked a bit stupid on that thing. (click on the photo show to to pictures). I left Hannibal behind and then came across one more potential ride in Wellsville, Missouri. No pilot was found but as I began to think that the one only one capable of flying that thing was the scarecrow from Oz. (hint- it was made out of straw)

Anyway I made it to Hayti, Missouri. Hayti by the way is pronounced 'hey-tie'. just in case you might come through here to experience a little bit of nothing. I did find a pizza joint that would deliver a pie and cold beer. Ain't America great?

Off to Little Rock, Arkansas tomorrow. Staying across the street from the Clinton Library. Can't wait to see the dress.

Cheers.

Flying saucer and a pink elephant

What day would not be complete if you didn't happen to see a flying saucer sitting in a field along I-55 just outside of Livingston, Illinois. After a quick exit and a ride back through town I came back to the saucer. Turns out to be an original Futuro home and as the web site says the Futuro house was designed by Matti Suuronen. Its design encapsulated the distinctive themes of 1960's Utopian architecture; mobility, increased leisure time and new materials. Residents of Tampa will recognize the distinctive shape. The 2001 Odyssey adult entertainment club on Dale Mabry Highway has one at their establishment. The saucer I found is empty but was once was a house until the Racoons got to it. The web site http://www.futuro-house.net/ says there are only 6 know homes left. Don't know if the one I saw is one of them. Bye the way, Zirky thinks it is a space ship sent by his planet Zirkonion friends to save him from this earthly life. But I wouldn't believe him since he's a plastic frog after all.
Along with the saucer is a 30' pink elephant and no I was not drinking and a 30 or so foot Harley Davidson Guy. (The statue began life as a Muffler Man who used to stand outside a muffler shop. Along side the The Pink Elephant Antique Mall is a giant Twisty Treat Ice Cream man who is claimed to have had a part in a 1990 Julia Roberts film called Flatliners. Anyway that was what i was told by the shop owners. If you are ever in Illinois and traveling along I-55 at exit 37, take some time and grab an ice cream and look over the collection. The owners are great.

I thought my day was complete with unusual things until I came across a Dutch
Windmill along side a back road outside the town of Industry,Illinois. Seems as it was part of a Tourist camp from around 1927.

I gotta say that Things have changed in the farm land since I was last here. Gone are most of the small farms with pigs, cows, some corn and replaced with thousand acre corn and bean operations with no fences as far as you can see. The equipment has gone from the small John Deere tractor to monster machines with more electronics than Best Buy.
Check out the photos. I'll be back in a couple day when I hit the road again heading towards Texas.

Day 2 and what a day it was

I guess if things go wrong it should all happen on the same day. Since I have a navigator and copilot named Zirky I defer all responsibility and accept no blame other than letting a small brained plastic frog take command. This was my day...Someone left the fuel switch in the wrong position and instead of having a small amount of reserve gas, the bike burned the every last drop 1/2 mile from an exit and gas. Needless to say the frog is also blamed for stopping the bike on the uphill not downhill for an easy coast to the station. The day was saved by Robert, another biker on the way home from work who stopped and took me to the station and back for a round trip of about 5 miles. He Would not take any payment, only a promise I would help the next stranded biker I saw. On the bright side I did however miss all the rain showers.

The next minor screw up was a fat frog finger punching the wrong destination into the GPS resulting in a scenic tour around Tennessee. All Zirky would say in plastic frog talk after my ranting was, #$@*# *&%, which is pretty strong language for a frog.

In spite of the above listed frog caused problems I did see some pretty cool places and sights.
Managed to make it to Lookout Mountain in North Georgia, Ruby Falls and Rock City. Now Rock City is that place that used to be advertised on barns around the nation. Well Rock City really isn't much. A local advised me not to waste the money, I did however make a photo of a Rock City souvenir. The craziest thing I found is a place called Sam's Tree House. (see photos) It's multi level conglomeration of a house, airplane, helicopter and submarine. According to info I found on the web it also features a submarine prop from an 1960's Elvis movie. It is supposed to be owned, built and lived in by Sam Edwards, author and adventurer, former aid to President Jimmy Carter. The airplane is a bedroom. There is also a den, library, kitchen. He has to duck under the branches to get around in his home. It was also featured on a network TV program on unusual homes. No one was home or maybe Sam just didn't want to get involved with a guy with a pet plastic frog.

Off to Illinois tomorrow and meet up with my cousin Judy and her husband Jim. I may not get through the door after she reads about my misadventures.
CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS.

First Day Out

I made it through the first day of riding. What was I thinking! Leaving Tampa at 7 a.m. with 476 miles on the first day out sounded OK but about half way through I said to myself, Self, this ain't too bad, until my butt chimed in and over-ruled my first thought. It took me a total of 7 hours 26 minutes of traveling time and a grand total of 8 1/2 hours total time. I am writing this standing up.

I managed to dodge rain the entire trip with just a few drops hitting me. Overcast all day and on the cool side.

I didn't see much along the way as I took the interstate. One big billboard I did see said
"What in Hell did I miss"? I'll try to find out what the hell that meant.
Traffic was unremarkable except for Atlanta. At least one million cars going bumper to bumper at 15 miles over the speed limit and me right in the middle. Maybe that sign was suggesting something. This was on a Sunday afternoon. I don't even want to see it during Monday rush hour.

In the future I'll eliminate Atlanta as a favorite place to drive. In comparison, Saigon and Paris seemed like a country drive.

Anyway, Zirky (my plastic frog traveling companion) are checked in a hotal so all is well here in beautiful downtown Kennesaw, Georgia.

I'm off for Paducah, KY in the morning. Not as far as today and maybe I'll see something worth writing about.

Aug 29th - Heading Out

It's Saturday and I'm all packed up with everything loaded but the big-screen TV. It seems as I just might have too much stuff, but I'll let you know. Tomorrow is Sunday, August 29 and I have about 400 miles ahead of me to my first stop in Kennesaw,Ga. That's my goal and here are my hopes...it's cool, It won't rain, I haven't forgotten something important, I won't run out of gas and 400 miles on the bike will be a piece of cake. Tomorrow night I'll check in and and let you know if any of the above came true so stay tuned.
I hope to make a few photos to add to the slide show you see on left of this post.

Mike