Memorial Day is always a good weekend for a nice long ride, the weather is nice, not too cold and not too hot yet. But we planned on heading up the Blue Ridge Parkway with the elevations up there the temps can change radically, This is also the time of the year where rains start to creep in on us. We almost cancelled this trip due to lots of rain in the forecast but luckily enough we only caught about 2 miles of rain before reaching our final destination in Roanoke VA.
So for those of you that do not know the BRP (Blue Ridge Parkway) go check this out to learn more about it, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ridge_Parkway and those of you that have not driven/ridden it, you are in for a treat, the road, the views, the BRP is a national treasure for us. I drove the BRP some years back returning from Washington DC, the BRP officially starts in Waynesboro VA (Rockfish Gap), and ends in Cherokee NC, but you can actually start your ride in Front Royal VA at the Skyline Drive https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_Drive through Shenandoah National Park, the two roads today are fully connected you only know you are about to enter the Skyline Drive because it actually requires you to pay a fee, where the BRP is free.
My first time on the BRP on a motorcycle was with Jeannie in our Goldwing, when we rode to DC to watch the fireworks, we returned on the parkway, we did not complete the entire ride since we were short for time so I left the BRP around Roanoke VA and headed south on Interstate 81/77. Shortly there after we completed the ride North from Cherokee, to Roanoke two up on our K 1600 GT.
Here is a picture of two years ago when we rode it two up:
But this year there was a big difference in our ride to the BRP, the difference is that Jeannie would be riding it on her own bike, so we could not pass the opportunity. Off course I will ride the Parkway multiple times a year, I don't care I LOVE IT!
So weeks before Memorial Day we started planning a ride, we would leave home on Friday afternoon after work and ride up to Cherokee NC, Jeannie likes to have some fun at the Casino and we can start fresh on Saturday morning at the southern end of the Parkway and head northeast. The plan was to ride to Boone NC the first night (Saturday), than ride north to Roanoke VA the second night (Sunday) than take off early in the morning back home on Monday, using the Interstates in order to cover more ground faster. One has to realize that the speed limit on the parkway is 45 MPH, and its well patrolled, so much the crotch rocket hooligans stay away from it, so whomever rides or drives the parkway is there to enjoy it. 55 MPH is "tolerated" for motorcycles but honestly you will not find the need to go any faster than that, because if you do you will be missing so much.
So here is the route for Friday afternoon, Saturday, Sunday and Monday:
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday return home:
Friday afternoon proved very nice with great temperature and no rain in the forecast. The only issue we had was dealing with Friday afternoon traffic out of Atlanta, I used to think getting out of Atlanta heading south, when my parents lived in Columbus GA, was bad, well heading north these days is just as bad, we eventually made it passed the madness but it took a long time, forcing us to ride at night for the last 45 minutes, something Jeannie and I have been trying to stay away from. But we arrived safely in Cherokee. Now its time for a nice shower, some nice evening clothes and head to the Casino, she plays I watch, one day I guarantee you security is going to kick me out unless I stick $20 in a machine, because all I do is walk around. :)
Ready for departure: (this time we posed the bikes for a proper picture) and yes for those who know me and are wondering why my truck is parked outside, well I have too many bikes inside the garage, shame on me! :)
Day 1 on the Parkway
On Saturday we were up early, I think between my excitement to ride the BRP, and Jeannie's somewhat limited uneasy feeling, since it was her first time, balanced things out and we ended up having a wonderful day. The BRP is a very technical road, for most of its length there is no "paved" shoulder, in some places the forest grows right up against the road, you have to pay attention on what you are doing, specially on a motorcycle, but you also have to enjoy the views and try to absorb as much of it as possible while not making mistakes and staying within the speed limit. That is why it takes most of the day to cover a little under 200 miles, its slow paced and you will stop a lot.
This time the blog will have a lot more pictures with a little description of what they are since the BRP is about the views and the pictures, so ENJOY!!
Our First stop, Mount Pisgah Inn and store.
The Rhododendrons (man!! this is a funny word, I can say all day and laugh while saying it) where in full bloom.
There are 26 tunnels on the 469 miles of the parkway, most of them are in the North Carolina side, they usually have overlooks before and after them so you can take pictures, but traffic was a little busy at this stop so we just hung out and took more pictures.
As we approach our destination for the day, Boone NC, we always make a point to stop in Little Switzerland, this community has been here for 100 years, and there are two interesting facts about this area, the first is that is the narrowest point of the parkway because of a law-suit filed back in 1960 by the community, complaining that the road was going to take a large portion of their land, they won!!, and because of that win the second interesting fact is that it is the ONLY commercial entrance on the parkway that is not National Park Service, which is the entrance to the Little Switzerland Inn.
LS is an unincorporated community and it was founded in 1909 by a North Carolina Supreme Justice, that liked coming up here on his time off, he bought the land and started the community.
It is also interesting to note that the John Mack Oboe Camp is held here every summer.
We arrived early in Boone NC, we have a connection with this place since my oldest niece came to school here, it feels familiar every time we come, and because of it being a college town there are a lot of good bars and restaurants to chill out from the long day's ride. There are plenty of accommodations in Boone as well. and most of them walking distance to many of the bars and restaurants mentioned above. There are no hotels on Main Street downtown, but mostly because of the school, but one can take a short walk and be downtown, its a college town with a mountain feel, very nice, very cozy.
Next morning it was time to head up the Parkway to our second destination Roanoke VA, I like this town, to the north is Interstate 81 and to the south you have the parkway and also US 221. We stayed in the newly renovated Hotel Roanoke and although slightly pricier than the franchises its worth the stay for its historic beauty.
Day 2 on the Parkway
Day 2 started a little wet, it was not raining but it had been raining for most of the night, with the bikes dried out, and luggage loaded we headed out of Boone, heading south back towards Blowing Rock in order to catch the same entrance to the Parkway that we exit from the day before. The Parkway was wet, not splashing wet, it made it for a cool, naturally air-conditioned couple of hours but as we entered Virginia in Fancy Gap the road was dried and temps were up. You know when you ride the parkway that you entered into Virginia, yes the road is not as nice as in North Carolina, but as funny as it is the vegetation and geography change, Virginia has more rolling hills and the parkway passes through some beautiful farms and farming communities. On the second day you also look forward to passing by Mabry Mill, a watermill right off of the parkway, build by Edward Mabry in 1903 as a blacksmith stop but eventually was used as a water grits mill. This spot is claimed to be the most photographed location in the continental US. Not sure about that, but it is sure in an awesome place because it will be lunch time when you stop by, the food is country but very good and a nice place to take a little over an hour break as you can walk over to the mill, go inside and visit the little museum that shows how these mountain folks lived up there than. Worth the stop!.
We also made our stop at the Devils Garden overlook., if you noticed the picture of 2 years ago when Jeannie and I went up there two up on the same bike we took a picture on this same overlook, so it has become a tradition to stop here.
Bull Run knob is another place we like to stop, its a large overlook with a nice area between the overlook and the road that gives you a nice sense of privacy, off course there are many overlooks on the parkway we have a tendency on stopping on some of the same ones also because it is when we get tired and need a break.
As I mentioned earlier in the post, the last 2 miles of the ride before arriving at the Hotel Roanoke it is when it started to rain on us, pretty hard, we rode on and reached the hotel which for lack of better words is absolutely gorgeous inside and out, world class service and greatly decorated rooms, I enjoyed staying here and would do it again when we are up this way.
They were also nice enough to let all us motorcyclists to park under an area that was at least for a bit covered from the rain, Jeannie and I were the first ones to arrive, 30 minutes later there were well over 10 bikes parked there. Very nice of them to let us do that.
Downtown Roanoke is literally over the tracks from the Hotel, the big glass walkway you see to the left on the picture above, or the inside of it on the picture below, walks you over the large railroad area and directly into downtown. By the time we made it out of the room was a bit dark and raining again but you get the idea :)
The next morning we left around 7:30 am, we headed southwest on US 221 out of Roanoke and rode all the way to Hillsville VA, where we hit Interstate 77 and rode south all the way to Charlotte NC, where we caught Interstate 85 down into GA.
This was another amazing trip, although any trip that involves The Blue Ridge Parkway will be. Happy that Jeannie rode it on her own. Happy that we had the chance to do it and do it safely. And cannot wait to head up again, this time my brother will hopefully join us.
Till next time!!. Thanks for keeping up with us.
