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June 21-26,
2014 -- This was a very special trip as my son
and I would be riding the Blue Ridge Parkway
from the beginning in Waynesboro, Virginia to
the end in Cherokee, North Carolina (469 miles).
Leaving Silver Spring, Maryland at 10:30 am
Saturday morning the 21st of June we traveled
the Washington, DC beltway (I-495) to Virginia
then I-66 west to I-81 south and I-64 east to
Waynesboro, Virginia. Traffic was moving very
good on the Washington beltway, however it was
very slow on I-66 until we reached Centreville,
Virginia.
Cruising along on I-66 at Markham, Virginia
(exit 18) my son's bike suddenly quit running.
Suspecting it was an electrical failure, we
chose to try jump starting it from my bike. It
started and ran good from my donor battery and
his volt meter displayed good voltage indicating
no alternator issue. The battery had suffered a
“sudden death syndrome” that occasionally occurs
to bike batteries. We were only 30 miles from
Winchester, Virginia and I knew they had a
Battery Mart store. My son called them, they had
a battery in stock and would be open until 3 pm.
It was 12:45 pm and we had plenty of time to
ride to Winchester and purchase the battery. We
installed the new battery and his bike fired
right up.
About one mile after getting back on the road we
encountered a brief rain shower that only lasted
a few minutes. It had been cloudy/overcast and
we were thankful the rain shower held off until
after the new battery was installed. Lodging was
a little difficult to find without a previous
reservation but we did find rooms at the Quality
Inn in downtown Waynesboro. We would not
recommend the Quality Inn on Broad street in
Waynesboro. The Scottos Italian Restaurant was a
very good choice for our evening dinner.
Returning to the parking lot, we found the
restaurant owner admiring our motorcycles. He
was especially interested in my son's Kawasaki
Concours and told us about having one 28 years
ago. He shared his need for speed on that bike
all those years ago. We enjoyed conversing with
him.
Sunday morning we entered the Blue Ridge Parkway
at 8 am. There was very intense fog with a light
drizzle of rain until we reached the Peaks of
Otter at noon time. Surprisingly as we left the
Peaks of Otter it immediately cleared up. We
exited the Parkway on route 43 to the town of
Buchanan, Virginia for lunch. Route 43 is a very
interesting and challenging road with many tight
hairpin curves all the way to the bottom of the
mountain. We found an old time restaurant in
town, looked as if it had once been a soda
fountain type place with the bar and stools
remaining in place. However, the soda fountain
was gone and had been replaced with a modern
soft drink dispenser. Buchanan was only 5 miles
west of the Parkway and appeared to be a very
old sleepy little town with no industrial
activity. Returning to the Parkway we continued
on and stopped to visit the Mabry Mill. The Mill
was built by Edwin Boston Mabry (E.B. Mabry).
E.B. Mabry returned to Floyd County in 1903 and
began the construction of the mill. It was first
a blacksmith and wheelwright shop, then became a
sawmill. By 1905 it was in operation as a
gristmill. By 1910 the front part of the mill
was completed and included a lathe for turning
out wheel hubs, a tongue and groove lathe, a
planer and a jig-saw. Between 1905 and 1914 E.B.
Mabry bought adjacent tracts of land, mostly for
the purpose of acquiring more water power.
Continuing on we exited the parkway at Fancy Gap
(mile marker 200) on route 52 west to the town
of Hillsville, Virginia for lodging at the
Comfort Inn. The Rio Grande Mexican Grill was
another good choice for dinner.
Monday morning we continued south on the Parkway
with more intense fog and a light drizzle of
rain until around noon time. We visited the
Ranger Station at the Linn Cove Viaduct at mile
marker 304. The Blue Ridge Parkway was built
from both ends until they reached a difficult
area at Grandfather Mountain. This is where they
had to construct the Linn Cove Viaduct. The
roadway had to be built without attachment to
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mountain and
to preserve the delicate ecosystem; no heavy equipment
or traditional techniques could be used. In fact, the
means to construct the viaduct had to be invented, as
there was no precedent anywhere in the world. The
resulting bridge use’s pre-cast concrete and steel beam
construction. The pieces were cast to such tight
tolerance’s there was never more than a .01-inch
variance from the specified fit. No piece of the bridge
is perfectly straight except for the southernmost link.
It’s a blast to ride. There is a walkway that goes out
under the bridge and of course we wanted to see the
underside of the bridge. We have a picture of us
standing directly under the bridge and hearing vehicles
running across the bridge above us. It was a pretty neat
experience. One mile south of the Linn Cove Viaduct we
exited the Parkway to see Grandfather Mountain. There is
a 2 mile ride to the top of the mountain with very
intense and challenging curves along the way. We were
considering the ride however it was relatively expensive
at $20.00 per bike to do the ride.
We respectfully declined the ride and returned to the
Parkway. Continuing on we exited the Parkway at mile
marker 382 to Ashville, North Carolina our destination
for the night. Dinner at the Chili's restaurant next to
our hotel was very good. We would not recommend the Days
Inn on Tunnel road in Ashville.
Tuesday morning at 9 am we continued south on the
Parkway to Cherokee, North Carolina. Only having 87
miles to ride on the Parkway, we decided to leave a
little later and allow some of the Fog to burn off. We
did encounter some Fog but nothing compared to the two
previous days. There are many tunnels on the Parkway
between Ashville and Cherokee. I didn't count them but
there must have been at least fifteen or so. There are
only a couple of tunnels on the northern part of the
Parkway. I didn't see any Deer but did see three very
large wild Turkey's along the way. We stopped at the
comfort station and gift shop at the top of the mountain
prior to the end of the Parkway. It was clear and the
view was good. I purchased a 500 piece puzzle (picture
of the Linn Cove Viaduct) for my wife. The Parkway ends
at route 441 on the east side of the Great Smokey
Mountain. We turned left and rode through Cherokee en
route to our lodging at the Comfort Inn on route 19.
Acting on a tip from the front desk clerk, we had a very
nice lunch at Anthony's Italian restaurant in Bryson
City, North Carolina. It was only nine miles south of
our hotel. Later we ordered Pizza for dinner and it was
delivered in one of those little smart cars.
Wednesday morning at 8 am we started our return trip
north. Riding north on route 19 we crossed over the Blue
Ridge Parkway and desended down the mountain through
Maggie Valley. It was a steep and curvy climb with
considerable fog from Cherokee over the mountain to
Maggie Valley. Our plans to visit the Wheels Through
Times motorcycle museum in Maggie Valley were changed as
they are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I will visit
the museum in September while attending the North
Carolina District Rally in Cherokee. Continuing north on
route 19 connected us with I-40 east to Ashville.
Skirting around the west side of Ashville on I-240, we
turned west on route 23/I-26 to Johnson City, Tennessee
and I-81. Traveling north, we stopped for fuel at the
Kangaroo station in Wytheville, Virginia. With great
riding weather, we decided to ride on to Harrisonburg,
Virginia for the night. Close to Christiansburg,
Virginia a large Doe crossed the interstate about 30 –
40 feet in front of me. It was close enough that I
needed to do some serious braking. She crossed from the
shoulder to the median strip, I hope she was successful
in getting across the southbound lanes without getting
hit. After lunch at Wendy's in Christiansburg, we
continued on arriving in Harrisonburg at 5 pm. Shortly
after check-in at the Days Inn, there was a brief rain
shower and we were pleased it waited until we were off
the bikes. Later, we had dinner at the Texas Road House
then detoured back through the James Madison University
Campus on our return to the hotel. It is a large
beautiful campus.
Thursday morning at 9 am we continued north on I-81 to
Stephen City, Virginia then route 277 east to the
Dinosaurs to connect with route 340. We traveled route
340 through Berryville, Virginia, Charles Town and
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia to I-70 at Frederick,
Maryland. Continuing east on I-70 we stopped for lunch
at the McDonald's restaurant in Mount Airy, Maryland.
After lunch we continued east on I-70 to Ellicott City,
Maryland then departed toward our separate homes.
It was a very enjoyable 1,367 mile trip with my son.
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