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?