Monday, November 16, 2009
When Men and Mountains Meet
Heading south on the Blueridge Parkway, between US 70 and US 74, the winding road forms an "S." Add a blue sky and a warm autumn day and you've spelled: H-E-A-V-E-N!
(AskAsheville blog excerpt. Full blog entry: http://ashevillenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2009/11/when-men-mountain-meet.html )
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Leaves Are Changing
Vibrant Harley ride yesterday with high visibility and the colors so clean and bright after all the rain we've had. The tree canopy so close, I could reach up and touch the bright colors. Up on NC 215 & Blue Ridge Parkway, the leaves are starting to turn and drop...
NC 215, West Fork Pigeon River
Rushing water over rock beds
Angler fishing, nearby waterfall.
Beauty, peace, light.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Cloud Ten
Saturday, August 01, 2009
Blue & White Sky

No way to describe the spectacular sky. Bright blue, with billowy clouds, white, clean, as light as the joy in our hearts. We...are...so...lucky...
So easy to lean forward and whisper, "It's just the two of us. On top of the world."
Look at what we share.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
CR11 - Auto, West Virginia
Monday, July 13, 2009
Humpback Covered Bridge, VA

Humpback Covered Bridge
Covington, Virginia
Very easy to find, even with the rain drizzle, this covered bridge over Dunlop Creek is made of white oak and hickory, was built in 1857, and traversed until 1929. Rising eight feet from the ends to the center, the bridge is a celebration of simple beauty and arching grace, from a different, long gone time.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Over 500 Miles...

Not a bad Independence Day weekend--over 500 miles in two days, exploring beautiful Virginia. Mile upon mile full of blue skies, lush greens, and full hearts.
"The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness." ~ John Muir
Hungry Mother State Park

Almost 35 years to the day, he spent the summer along this 108-acre lake as a 16-year-old member of the Youth Conservation Corps. One of his jobs was cleaning out the Spillway.
Independence Day
Friday, July 03, 2009
Thompson Valley, Virginia
Tazewell County, Virginia
Isn't it appropriate that we are traveling through areas that were settled in the infancy of our Nation? The photos do not do the beauty justice.
Southwest of Tazewell, the fertile Thompson Valley is nestled between the Rich and Clinch mountains of Southwest Virginia. The 17 mile-long agricultural and grazing wonder attracted the first pioneer settlers and was named for William Thompson who settled there in 1772.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
NC-90 Turns to Gravel

NC-90 Turns to Gravel
In our quest to find NC roads we have NOT been on, we tried to get to the Parkway via NC-90 West. It looked great on Google Maps and the air cooled as we climbed up, along the river. There was virtually no traffic, which should have been a red flag: No Go. We hit gravel.
Ugh. (Sometimes when you explore, you hit unpaved roads. And evidently, it's eight miles of steep gravel before you hit the Parkway.)
Turn around.
"A dead end is just a good place to turn around." ~ Naomi Judd
Johns River
Dragon Garden in Morganton, NC
Glenwood, North Carolina
We did almost 300 miles in nine hours, about 75 miles and two hours over my desired limit. We took the back roads through the fertile but blazing hot tree farms of Glenwood toward Lenoir. We then headed up to Blowing Rock, then home via the Parkway.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
French Broad River

Here we are crossing the mighty French Broad River. The French Broad's majestic ebb and flow... More than just another snapshot, of the timeless and humbling beauty that surround us...
Marshall Gravel Road
Leicester, North Carolina

"When I paint green, it doesn't mean grass;
when I paint blue, it doesn't mean sky." ~ Henri Matisse
when I paint blue, it doesn't mean sky." ~ Henri Matisse
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Herrin Knob, Jackson County, NC
Legend says that nearby Tanasee Bald is the home of the mythical, slant-eyed Cherokee giant Tsul 'Kalu, a great hunter who resembled a deer.
Blue Ridge Forest
South on the Parkway
This stretch on the Parkway is less traveled, through rugged terrain. How many times am I amazed at all the beauty to soak in?
Flame Azaleas
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Mt. Mitchell Rhododendron
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Green Tennessee
Cows in North Tennessee
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Cove Lake State Park, Tennessee

Hwy 61, 62, & Big Brushy Tennessee

We continued north through Sugar Grove to Hwy 61, then 62, through the town of Petros and Big Brushy, site of a State Penitentiary, referred to in John Grisham’s The Firm and housed James Earl Ray. There are 89 inmates on Death Row there.
TN 116 was great for the Harley. No cars, lots of bikes, windy, mountain-forest road. The road soars from 1440 to 2140 feet elevation at Armes Gap in 1.6 miles. The rural spirit of the area permeates. This is old coal mining area and The Devil's Triangle.
Watts Bar Lake

Friday, June 05, 2009
Cherohala Skyway

Trying to get over the Cherokee National Forest before dark, we rode through the damp, low clouds that settled thickly over the Cherohala Skyway. No visibility and Steven said, "How about taking some pictures with your camera now."
Sometimes he is such a wise guy.
The clarity was unbelievable once we got down below the clouds. I was able to take this shot on the Tennessee side of the Skyway.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Mt.Mitchell Restaurant

Mt. Mitchell is 6,684 feet up, in the midst of the billion-years-old Black Mountains. Sitting on top of the world, we had such a relaxing stop, great service, excellent food. How can you beat this view? A very special experience, well worth the trip. Steven enjoyed the chili and corn bread. I highly recommend the mountain trout.
Surreal Magic, Blue Ridge Parkway

What a stunning ride to the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains--peaking at 6,684 ft (2,037 m).
Just breathtaking, with a spirit of surreal magic. It humbles you to see all the magnificent beauty. We got back just before dusk, with the Asheville sky awash with glorious colors.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Nantahala River
Bryson City Train
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Riding Gravel in Georgia

Beech Gap Forest
Hwy 215 Waterfall

Saturday, April 18, 2009
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