June 20, 2007
Time of departure: 9:30 A.M.
Temperature: 75 degrees
Elevation: 848 feet
Total Mileage: 181
I’ve never been one for believing all things have a purpose. But, if I did, there would seem to be ample proof.
Last night I’m going through the routine of prepping the bikes for the next days ride. When I try to crank Meredith’s bike, nothing happens, zip, zilch. A quick check showed that the switch for her heated grips had been left in the “on” position for the last five hours, effectively ruining the battery.
Motorcycles, like cars with a standard transmission, can be “bump” started. I figured I might as well crank it with that method. Maybe, just maybe, the battery would charge enough to crank it again. Hey, at 9 P.M., I didn’t have any other options.
Twenty minutes later, my luck was out. Our other options would be to either leave at our normal time, push starting the bike each time we stopped. Ugh. Or, we could wait to leave the motel until local businesses opened. Maybe we could find another battery.
Not wanting to push the bike 14 times during the day, and chance not finding another battery at our destination, we decided to press our luck by waiting where we were.
Shockingly, the first place I called, at 7:30 A.M., said they didn’t have a replacement, but knew where I could get one. An hour later, I had a new battery in my hand. Another hour of mechanic work and light packing, saw us on the road.
Since we had to wait an extra two hours, the weather couldn’t have been better. A cloudy, rainy sky parted to sunshine and very nice temperatures. A dead battery helped us.
Soon after leaving Martinsville, we began climbing into the “mountains”. I’m not sure I would call them mountains, but people here seem convinced.
Rounding a bend, close to the top of the first ridge, we saw a black bear peeking over the guardrail, just admiring the traffic, or maybe deciding to cross or not. I made a u-turn, but the bear just lumbered back into the woods, not wanting to be gawked at.
Very soon after that, we made our way onto the famed Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway is interesting in many ways. Construction on the Parkway began during the depression, as a way to help unemployed workers. It runs for over 400 miles between Shenendoah National Park in the north and Great Smokey Mountains National Park in the south. It’s administered by the National Park Service. As a result, there are no signs for advertising of any kind. Forty-five
miles an hour is the speed limit at all times. The road is always two lanes and keeps to the high ground.
Because of these, the road is meant.... no, it begs.... no, it demands, for the traveler to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the scenery. Motorcycles or convertibles are just what the doctor, or Parkway, ordered.
It’s an absolutely spectacular way to travel. I believe there should be way more of these in the country. I never noticed how nice it is to not have to look at any signs, not have to worry about getting anywhere. Just sit back, relax, and cruise.
Of course, the scenery sets it off, green, green, and more green. Ferns are in many places, with the rhododendron showing its beauty almost everywhere.
At one point, we came to a sign that said, “Blue Ridge Music Center, next right”. I knew we much check it out.
Turns out, it was a museum and interpretive center documenting the music history of the Blue Ridge area, since the turn of the century. In an adjacent building were a nice couple showi
ng and playing instruments, a dobro and six-string guitar, they had built themselves. We sat and listened to a song.
Just like the rest of the Parkway, the singing and playing was easygoing. I could have sat and listened for days.
After 40 miles or so, we left the parkway. We needed to move more west than it was willing to allow. So, with a sad goodbye, we parted ways.
Once off the parkway, we began riding into valleys and then out of valleys. The scenery just 
kept coming. At one point, we paralleled a large river on a gravel road. It’s valley was gorgeous.
Late in the day we came to our destination of Abingdon, VA. We were happy to see the motel.
See y’all down the trail.
Ron and Meredith
