Day 36  Sunday May 18  - Boone, North Carolina to Orchard Gap, Virginia

After an entire day yesterday doing very little, I couldn't stand another motel-bound day watching 67 channels of crap.  Boone's a cute town and nearby Blowing Rock too, but there's only so much to do, unless it's mid winter and you can go skiiing nearby.

So, wearing my waterproof ski pants, 2 shirts, a sleeveless vest and a fleecy parker under my leather jacket, I decided to see how far I could get before it became unbearable.  Conditions: mist to heavy rain, dense fog with at times visibility to 20 feet and about 45 degrees F on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I considered taking another route, but everywhere for + a hundred miles in any direction had heavy rain forecast, so it made no difference but to continue northwards, crossing into Virginia, heading towards DC on the BRP.

Naturally when you're in the Appalachian mountains you expect some bad weather, but I hit the jackpot! Naturally there were no other fools on bikes out in these conditions, and only then a few cars.  The day started with a heavy mist, down to road level, which wasn't in itself too bad, but for the condensation inside my visor (I realize I breathe more heavily from my right nostril), but it soon got worse to driving rain, and dense fog once again so that I was riding in this wierd surreal world, surrounded by whiteness, with no idea of where I was, other than a brief glimpse when I wiped my visor with my glove every 20 seconds.  With every possible inch of my body in contact with my bike, partly to stay dry and as warm as possible hugging my machine, we became one against the elements.  With chest pressed against the tank, chin resting on my tank bag and legs squeezed in tight and elbows tucked into my knees, I felt as if the bike and I had become one unit.  That didn't stop the water running inside my visor, or inside my legs and down into my shoes. Nor did it help my hands which froze into a locked position, long before I finished the measly 100 miles, whcih was all I could manage.

Passed places with fantastic sounding names, like Roaring Gap, Green Knob, The Lump and Jumpinoff Rock, albeit I didn't see much of them for the weather!  Have to do this trip again in good weather as it really is spectacular when you get a glimpse of distant valleys through the drizzle and low clouds.

I made it to my destination - the Lonesome Pine Cabins about 30 miles into Virginia, where I checked into a fabulous remote cabin (one of 10), and thawed out in my own, in-cabin jacuzzi, and sat next to a roaring fire place, sleeping, eating and reading for the rest of the day. Forecast tomorrow : more of the same! Oh great.

Day 37   Monday May 19 - Orchard Gap to Roanoke, Virginia

More grey drizzle interspersed with fog, but hey I am getting used to riding in this.  With one exception - suicidal wildlife. I feel like someone's dropped me in a scene from Bambi, except all the animals are on acid.  Today both a rabbit and a squirrel (together holding paws*) ran across my path, inches infront on me, which gave at least one of us a bloody great shock.  Then there was Bambi the deer standing on the road, blinking. Now I truly know what it means: "like a deer staring into the headlights"!  It jumped the barrier before I had to consider doing the same, thankfully.

Because of more generally abysmally crappy weather, today's ride was another short 70 miler, still on the BRP. Turned off for shelter and headed 7 miles northwards to Roanoke, a mid sized town/city nestled in green valley behind the highest mountain within a city limits, 2000 Mt Roanoke. Great views. Not much more to do though - oh unless you're into seeing a transport museum. Lots of cars parked in the city centre's entertainment district, the "circle in the square" but on-one to be seen.  Aah another of the great American monument to the motor car.

* I'm joking

Day 38 Tuesday May 20 - Roanoke to Staunton, Virginia

Man there are days when things are just perfect - and this was one!  The sun came out, aaagh, the roads dried up and the Blue Ridge Parkway (yes I am still on the same road) offered up the most spectacular scenery and provided the most incredible riding imaginable.

Curves winding up and down through forests, banking around sheer cliffs of red and deep brown rock, valleys 3000 feet below stretching to the horizon, and no sign of mankind on either side of the road: pure heaven.

Glasgow, a small town on the way to the Natural Bridge (one of the worlds 7 natural wonders) is fortunately not ugly and grey like its Scottish namesake.  The Natural Bridge however is rather over rated, especially after some of the fantastic things I've seen in Arizona. But oh well, I coughed up the $9 to hike down 137 steps to see it, along with the Japanese tourists.

Then back on my dream road, northwards and off again, slightly west to Staunton, a magic village preserved in time with all manner of historic buildings, chapels and church steeples everywhere, built on hills so the place has a san Franciscan feel too.

Wonderful! ahh but all wont last...forecast tomorrow is for rain and lots of it. UGH

Russell rugged up for winter...before the leather jacket and gloves go on

Day 39   Wednesday May 21 - Staunton, Virginia  - 50 degrees F (10C) wet and grey

How could I forget to mention my wildlife experience yesterday?  Notable amongst the winged wildlife in this area of the Shenandoah Valley are these huge (and I mean huge) black, evil looking Condor-like buzzards.  A search today online tells me that I had seen a Turkey Vulture (a cousin of the Californian Condor apparently).  Well, seen isn't quite apt. Dive bombed by one is what happened. I started out seeing a few, large ones settled on the roadside or in nearby trees, on the high ridges way up overlooking the Shenandoah Valley. Nearly all of them take off hurriedly - startled by me and my bike hurtling along. One, however, must have seen me as some sort of large and possibly tasty tidbit for breakfast, as this thing did such a close fly, that I could see it's ugly red fleshy jowls as it swooped to about 2 feet above my head!

According to information I found on the "Turkey Vulture Society" web site  http://www.accutek.com/vulture/ (do you believe it?!)  "The Black Vulture is often aggressive, can kill small animals, and will even attack horses, cows, and people.  Raptors, including hawks and eagles, have a much larger and stronger grasping claw.  Sometimes the Turkey Vulture takes the blame for the Black Vulture's actions." ... well I am here to say that it SHOULD take the blame...I was nearly it's prey for the day.  I don't know but if anyone wants to bring a kid to see nature in action, forget the zoo...bring them for a drive along the Blue Ridge parkway. This place is wild...literally.

Once again due to forboding rain and cold weather I spent the day in the place I stopped last night. Staunton is worth staying around in though, with lots to do and great history and architecture and the type of people that say HI all the time with a real smile! How nice.

Useless bits of information gathered on a tour of historic sites, thanks to Rick, excellent guide to Woodrow Wilsons birthplace and museum. 

* the old name for a living room was commonly "parlour" which comes from the fact that in ages past, frequently in Manses (presbyterian  reverends' homes) the main living room also doubled as a place for laying of a coffin for mourners to view their dear departed. Once funeral "parlours" came into existence, these rooms became known as "living" rooms, as no longer were they used to display the dead.

* heavy cast iron stoves were used to cook and to heat old solid irons with which clothes were pressed.  As these kept their heat for just a little while, often more than one was placed on the stove at one time to heat up, whilst another was being used. Forgetting which one had been on the stove for how long gave rise to the expression "too many irons in the fire".

Things you learn in a small town !

Political comment " I see Pres Bush is again waxing lyrically on TV here about being successful in getting rid of the evil doers, while abroad (and even locally at Yale albeit that's not a confirmed terrorist action) bombs are goiing off left right and centre thanks to a new wave of suicide nuts.  Seems like fears that Bush's war on Iraq has had the expected effect of inciting more people to voilence than ever before.  Now we see on TV here, constant reports creating fear, alarm, and probably amongst some idiots, even panic.  Once again it seems the government has the people trapped in fear - so much a similar state to Hitler's Germany, pre WWII.

Day 40   Thursday May 22 - Staunton, Virginia  to Washington DC

Virginia has that green scenery you see in movies - with white split rail fences enclosing acres and acres of green lush farmland and stately manors nestled in the middle of it all.  It's sort of an upscale richer version of the English Cotswalds. Spectacular.

Left Staunton and headed for the historic home of Thomas Jefferson,  "Monticello" outside Charlottsville and joined the 4 coach loads of school kids and a few other bewlidered looking adults, in a 2 hour wait for our allotted time to get in and see the place. Worth it  - just.  The road 20 which heads north from Charlottesville through Orange and Montpellier provides long straight stretches with slow undulating hills and curves for +30 miles, with few stops.  Amazing riding and scenery.

 

After 7100 miles (11400km), the sense of pure exhillaration on arriving into DC was so great...  until I crossed the Key Bridge into Georgetown and M Street and hit roads that are just unbelievable.  Oh Louisiana - all is forgiven.  Anything you threw at me couldn't prepare me for what DC has to offer. And it's not just M Street either - every street is the same. Patched, repatched, some with gigantic metal plates covering holes: it's a motorcyclists nightmare.  And in this - the capital city of the country!  Unbelievable. Maybe Uncle George W should have just saved $100million of his tax cuts and spent some here?

I love DC and it feels great to be here again. However I reserve further comment on people in this city until the end of my long weekend stay here.  However, what is immediately noticable is the friendliness factor that has all but dissappeared here - compared with the more countrified and gentrified folk south of the Potomac.  And why does every moron behind a wheel of a car here have to blow his horn all the time?  This city is nosier than New York!

Time to catch up with friends and do some serious drinking!

Days 41 & 42   Saturday and Sunday May 24/25 - Washington DC

Without doubt the highlight of the past few days spent in DC has been the opportunity to participate in the "Rolling Thunder" annual motorbikers rally of over 30,000 bikes (and even more bikers) through the streets of Washington on Sunday. The event, which supports veterans and troops listed as missing in action, started at the Pentagon, roared past Arlington National Cemetery then across the Potomac River and past the Lincoln Memorial, Washinton Monument, Capitol Buildings and adjacent parks, to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial - all while thousands of people lined the streets cheering and police cordoned off roads and waved us through red lights and stop signs with smiles on their faces!

Words can't describe the feeling of being able to ride in such a parade, with so many people in such an important place - some strange sort of kinship amongst 29,998 people I've never met before in my life.  And the best bit...having a buddy to do it with, thanks to Shawn who rode his BMW K100 down from Connecticut to hang out and spend the weekend together.  Very cool.  Safe trip home, my man.

And of course, there was the chance to congratulate Jon Rebell, who stepped up on stage to collect his diploma and degree in Law from George Washington University, around the time I was surrounded by the deafening din of 20,000 Harley Davidsons and maybe 10,000 other assorted bikes.  Congrats buddy...3 years past pretty quickly, didn't they?

With Monday as a day of rest and a chance to relax, the journey begins again, Tuesday as I move south again - towards Florida and hopefully out of this grey and rainy weather I've been in for the past 10 days.