wake up on day 1 exited as a schoolgirl on Christmas morning, go through the ten minute process of doning all my riding gear, pack up the final items and even start up the bike and lock the front door when I realize that the one object that I absolutely can not do without was gone. I couldn't even ride to get a new helmet because I didn't have a helmet to ride with!. Not only that, but the next day was Labor Day, so it seemed like I would be grounded for at least forty-eight hours until stores opened again. I was supposed to be shredding America and delving into french cuisine (I promised!) but it looked like I was going to be watching Judge Judy and eating grilled cheeses in bed until Tuesday.
I put in a last ditch call to Gabe: Landlord, friend and Guy Who Knows How to Make Things Happen. He had just finished a grueling 100 mile bicycle ride but nevertheless was able to get a line on a Regan-era skid lid from Sid, the connsumate rennaissance man. Well, needless to say they saved the day. Thanks again guys!
By this point Sunday was already halfway gone so I postponed departure, devoting the time to sharpening the knife I carry in a holster on my right calf. Standard biker protocol.
Ole' sway back on day zero: Tired, overburdened and still in the driveway.
So anyway, I woke up the next morning overjoyed that no one had stolen the blanket off of me during the night, put on my new helmet and quickly got out of town before anyone could unbolt my engine.
I motored out of the horse-and-hound infested V-A red clay and up-up-up into the Blue ridge mountains. As soon as I reached the storied heights of Afton Mountain and the Blue Ridge Parkway I was swallowed by a fifty-foot-visibility fog bank that wouldn't clear until hours later, and then only to reveal ominous grey clouds that would stay with me until I reached Utah.
My descent into the "Gnarled Tree as Art" school of photography begins immediately.
The subsistence farm I hewed out of the wilderness on my first night.
NC rainbow gathering.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is considered holy ground to many motorcyclists, given it's flawless pavement and banked turns, and indeed on Labor day when I rode it it seemed like a really long private driveway between Charlottesville and Asheville. But I still find it kind of sterile, as it lacks any human component. No ten commandments posted at intervals along farm fences, no old man at the grocery store telling you about the Suzuki 125 he used to own in 1965, and nowhere to impulsively buy donuts and coffee, which happened a lot during this trip, I promise you.
My first night destination was Asheville, NC: Mountain paradise, home of my beloved alma mater WARren wilsON COLLEGE as well as the few remaining friends who have not yet managed to pull themselves free of the powerful energy vorticies here. However, the downside of having a goon squad of friends is that they can be slightly unreliable. I couldn't get a hold of anyone so I bedded down at Motel 6 #345 , Swannanoa, NC for the night.
The mandatory bike in motel room shot.
The next morning I continued west on the parkway, slowly climbing up and above the valley fog. Realizing that my legs were going to get zero exercise on this trip the way things were going , I opted for a little hike up Mount Pisgah, but only after my bike had brought me to within a hundred feet of the summit.
The Smokies were not named in honor of Donald R. Smoky.
Asheville Good Vibes transmitter #1
After I headed off my developing bed sores at the pass, I continued on through Cherokee, NC, where the casinos are always full, and all the signs are in Sylabbary, invented by my man Sequoyah:
Getting directions to Knoxville from the man himself!
Western NC truly is a special place. There isn't a flat spot anywhere and due to the rain and heat the vegetation here is truly out of control. Moisture laden limbs hang down into the road and every inch of road shoulder, right into the travel lanes is covered with Kudzu. But before I knew it I blasted involuntarily into the Volunteer State, the subjectively longest state in America. Stay tuned!
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