5/4/16 Wednesday
Well here it is 1:00 a.m. and I am awake. This happens about every night before a trip. Leaving today at 8:50 for motorcycle trip, It is going to be a cold day. I hope it warms up as we go south.
Going to Moxie weekend in NC, little Switzerland. Then on to do the Natchez Trace parkway. So excited I can't sleep.
All packed with to much stuff and head out at 8:30, get to Dru's early but was good visiting as she loaded up her last few things. Susan joins us and we head out around 10:00. Meet Rosemarie, Donna and Dan at a church parking lot on 104 and 316.
Leave there about 11:00.
We take 104 to 35 and the stop in Jackson for lunch at Toro Loco. They had a Mexican buffet, first I have ever seen. Was good and Big Dan
treated.
We travel on down 93, nice road, to Ashland crossed the river there. Then 23 the rest of the way to Prestonburg. Stayed at a Comfort Suites.
We did dinner at a nice place called Billy Rays Restaurant. They had Greens and the first of the palmetto cheese spreads to exsperiance. we would enjoy on this often on the trip. Back to the hotel and right to bed. It rained a bit but not bad.
5/5/16 Thursday
We headed out around 10:00 we were all rain geared up and all head set were connected. Was a bit
cold but not to bad. We did stop early for gas and some warmed up with coffee.
Followed 23 down had lunch in Gate City, was suppose to be at smoke n pigs, but we could not find. It was on Google maps but not in the town.
We ended up at a Pizza Hut 😕 Our goal was to avoid
chain restaurants. But that is all we could find, we were cold and wet. Thank goodness no one decided they wanted a bike, Rosemarie left her keys on the ground under her bike. When we left
 |
| My lobster salad, yumm. |
we took a wrong turn and had to go through construction and turn around and then back through it. No big deal 11E to 19E to the blue ridge parkway, So beautiful. We make to little Switzerland Inn around 5:00 I think. We settle into our rooms and then eat at the resturant on the premises. Played a game of dominos. Rosemarie had all the rules down, was fun.
5/6/16 Friday
Breakfast, which was great a buffet with many choices.
Then a speaker, Dru, Susan and I take off for the Diamond Back.
 |
| Susan in front of me. |
 |
| see the road in the mirror |
 |
| Dru and Susan on the diamond back |
We do it two times and then come back to see if the others want to ride thru the afternoon. Rosemarie was in bed and Donna and Dan were head out to do their own thing. We we take off south on the parkway and start looking for gas we take 80 south not knowing it was the Devils Wip.
Wow was a lot of tight curves, at one point someone was taking pictures and we wondered why. Took it all the way down to Marion and gas station cashier told us best place to eat was at Holly's Deli. Really good broccoli salad and chicken salad. The table next to our we meet a nice guy and he tells us about some places to see around the area. He was camping and his wife was joining him after work. They both ride and he acted like they would come to the rally but didn't see them there.
We leave there and go to Linville Falls. Was a hike back and I winned about walking it in my new boots, but so glad i did.
Beautiful and peaceful place. After this we head back to the
Inn. Dinner was really good, they had a big spread buffet, wow top notch. Speakers were right after we ate, which made it seem like you were sitting forever. The lady from England spoke, I had bought her book, before I heard her speak. Then they had a girl who built bikes Susan and I left for that one and sat by the fire that over looked the mountains.
5/7/16 Saturday
Same great breakfast, speakers and then we all head out for one of their rides. We head south on the Parkway and then north on 80. At the town of Burnsville wa ate lunch at Bubba Good Eats. Nice place we ate on the front porch. Donne got a nice meal of pork rins and vegtables. I got a hamburger that had chili and coleslaw with no bun. Very good!
We travel on after lunch trying to follow the map we had gotten from Moxie and ended up in Ten. Were great roads but had to back track to get back to little Switzerland. On this trip Dru commented that she was amazed I had not used my brakes ( I was leading)around all of the curves. I said I had been so we relized my back light was dead. So when we got back Dan was so nice to go to the store and pick up two brake lights and put them in. He did this as we enjoyed the wine and cheese before dinner. He joined us afterwards. Also a cute thing that happend on this ride we were coming to a stoppes light and I hear honking like a car. Later I find out it was Dan he was the tail and some cager pushed in between some of us riders so she could turn left. Dan yells at her"Hey don't mess with my Harem."
5/8/16 Sunday
We pack up before breakfast so as soon as we are done eating we head out, Susan, Donna, Dru and I. We have 325 miles to go, we went thru Mars Hill, close to my parents home. I am haveing a hard time remembering this ride. I am not sure if we stoped for lunch oh yes we stoped at a Burger King, some got ice cream I got a hotdog. The trip wasnt so bad until the end we had a lot of stop and go traffic. That is rough after a long day of riding.
We got to our hotel in Brentwood at the Courtyard, just as we landed I got a Facetime call from Laban and the children wishing me a Happy Mothers day. That was great see and talk to them.
Nice relaxing dinner.
5/9/16 Monday
I got up early and got coffee for all from Mcd's next door. We relize we could open a door that faced out the back parking lot so we drove our bikes around to pack them up.
We take off pretty early and head to the Loveless Cafe which is at the top of the Trace.
Great place to eat!!
And now for the Natchez Trace Parkway
Beautiful scenery.
We traveled along the trace stoppeing alot on the first day. Let me see if I can remember all of our sight seeing stops.
Jackson Falls nice little hike.
This was a stop where the others hiked back to see but I stayed with the bikes. Rock Spring,
I was so worried a bear might come out and get me. Ha.
I don't remember stoping for luch on the Trace. We would have such large breakfasts that we did fine with just snacking for lunch. When we pulled into the town of Houston,where our bed & breakfast was, we were kinda of scared. Was such a small southern town looked pretty rough. The B&B was perfect, a southern bell Miss Carol was jsut as sweet as could be.
 |
| My guardian angel |
Carol recommended a mexican restuarant down the street, I didnt get pictures of that but some others of the town.
Nice meal but was a dry county, no margaritas.
I can say this was the best nights sleep I had the whold trip. So we go back to the B&B to decide if we want to keep the plan route or do we want to do more the 200 miles, hit Natchez and then bounce back up the Trace a hundred or so miles to get a jump on the return trip. We decide to stop less the next day and see how we feel once we get to Nachez.
5/10/16 Tuesday
So breakfast was great
on beautiful china with the table set so elegantly. She made homemade buscuits. eggs, bacon, and hashbrown casserole,also fruit, coffee and Juice. Wow that was a great exsperince considering how we felt when we drove into town. So we head further south stopping at some mounds and then to the Windsor Ruins. In Mississippi visiting the Windsor Ruins. This once was the biggest mansion in Mississippi with hundreds of slaves and over 21,000 acres of cotton. Survived the Civil War but then burnt to the ground.
Was off the Trace a bit and had a long gravel drive but we survived it all. At some point we decided on a place to eat in Natchez. So Susan is leading and we get into town and both our GPS we acting funny like the one way streets were messing with them. Susan pulled of quickly at a car wash to check the gps. I and Donna follow into the drive. Dru did not and she pulled over on the road and it was unleval and down went her bike. It shook us all up, Dru was not hurt other then the emotions of droping the bike. So we get to the street where the restaurant was suppose to be and could not find it. Was very hot and we found a bar to go into right across the street from the river. Not sure who or how we decided to stay. Which is what we had planned all along anyways. Donna found another B&B was a bit different then the last one. We were told we had to park in his driveway which was steep and scary to me. But we managed to do it.
Susan and I wanted to drive over the bridge to get the State of Louisiana under our biking belt. So we take off to do that before we park the bikes up the steep drive way in the back ally.
This is the bridge we crossed and the we sat here along the river and relaxed for a while.
Dru and Donna were gone so we got our bikes up the drive and I got my shower. Man it was hot.
Sue and I walked along the river and thinking that they would come back from the bar and meet us. So that didnt happen, they were waiting on us to come down to the bar. We get back to the house. we got into the house but could not get in the room until they got back. Slept well.
5/11/16 Wednesday
We get up early and eat our first cold breakfast, or microwave oatmeal. Pack up and Donna gets my bike down the drive. I drive out to a road we know we will be heading out. We gather up and head out, so this is going back over the roads that we had traveled before and we plan to go as fast as we can to get in 467 miles. Some of us worried we could not do this, but was not to bad. We did not stop for lunch other then a break at a gas station were we sat down at a table. I got boiled peanuts and Donna had cracklins that we shared. Also protien bars and fruit.
We stopped by French Camp for a picture of the horses. One of the things Donna came up with, to help with this trip back over the same roads we had traveled already, was entertainment questions. She would ask and then we took turns answering. Really helped pass the time on the Trace.
We got off on 64 which was great riding, it felt good to be off the Parkway.
Crossing the Tennesee River
Not sure why we happened to stop here but I grabed a shot of the pipe ppl. Check out the person in the garage door opening. She was not in the other shots I got of this.
We stop about 20 miles and book a hotel. We get two rooms at the Double Tree Hilton with Donna swings us all a discount amd free brealfast! Dinner was at Outback Steakhouse.
Nice evening, I got a bit snippy on that day, I seem to do this towards the end of the all my trips. I think it is just being with ppl 24-7. I don't think its because I am tired just not sure, would hate to give up the long trips. I don't think it happen on our trip to Wisconsin and Michigan. I will have to go back and read the end of that blog.
5/12/16 Thursday
We get our free breakfast at the Hilton and head out. Not sure what time we are out but I think around 8:00. We do good and stop around lunch time for a break and this was just before Lexington. We kept thinking we were going to get hit by rain. I decided I was not putting rain suit on knowing I would be home that night. At our break we figured out how to get around Lexington with out going through the middle of the city. Dru lead and we all stayed close because of all the traffic. We took 4 around the north and it worked out well. Dru did a good job leading us through that mess. Back on 68 North, we stop just before going into Maysville on the state line, at a gas station so some could gear up and gas up. Some lady came, saying how bad the rain was up in Maysville. So Donna and Susan decide they were going to stay put for the day and Dru and I took off. We did good, the roads were wet near the state line and a tiny bit of rain. The rest of the ride was clear as could be. We stopped for Dru to take off rain gear and get a drink of water in Hilsboro. That was our last stop, we seperated outside of Washington Court House. I took 38 and Dru stayed on 62. I got home around 7:00.
Was a great trip I wish I could do one every month in the summer. I have no pictures of this last day just focused on getting home.
6/27/17 So we meet at Delaware around 6:45 Susan lead most of this day. It mapped out to be 381 miles but we ended up at 450. I am having a hard time figuring out how the change. The ride went off the mapped out route quite a few times. I believe the worst was around Cadiz. we got onto 151 and then the GPS wanting to get us back to the waypoint tried to take us on gravel roads, which was Mt. Moriah Rd. Then it tried another and another finally we got onto Bloomingdale-Smithfield Chanel. This added 20 miles. We then went through Steubenville and over the bridge. Once we were over the bridge the GPS wanted us to go back (assuming it wanted to hit a waypoint) so we turned and went over a grated metal bridge ( Market Street Bridge) that was very scary because of it grabbing the wheels. Once we went that way the GPS seemed to say to go back, so we did a loop and back over the grated bridge. We stopped for lunch to relax and figure out why was were so off. Was a great place called the Station
27 to 844, this takes us into Washington, PA where we connected to 136. In Monongahela, we missed our turn over a bridge on 136 so we had to do a turn around. We were on the till we came to 31 and the eventually 30.
We went to the museum to watch a video about Gettysburg and the cost was more than we wanted to pay. So we head into town for lunch found a nice little place called Pings Cafe
