Curves & Color

On the Harley, in Harmony Valley, North Carolina. Warm enough to ride, the sky was a jewel-toned blue and the sun cut through the clouds like a beacon of promise. I love the way this tree curves and the colors that burst toward heavens

Beauty

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty – that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need know.”~ John Keats

Rode yesterday. Every shot I took was magnificent. 

Bull

Fireworks Celebration: A look back at 2011

I put together a slide show of photographs I've taken over the past 12 months.


What a great year! I have done a lot, seen a lot, spent time with precious people I love.


So here it is. About three minutes long, featuring 60 photos... And a lot of good memories. Enjoy.


"Let stars stand for those things which are ideal and radiant in life; if we seek sincerely and strive hard enough, it is not impossible to reach them... And how often do we touch stars when we find them close by in the shining lives of great souls, in the sparkling universe of humanity around us!" ~ Esther Baldwin York


Happy New Year, 2012!

Biker on a Swing

French Broad River Park, Asheville

Mile Marker 384

Sunset at Autumn

Mile Marker 384 Asheville. The setting sun dwindles. The colors of autumn are barely hanging on to the trees. The air is cold. It feels like our last chance to ride. Is this our last ride until winter? 


And so this evening, the road opened up one more new surprise, with the wind of delight and amazement. We saw another black bear. A fat one this time. On Elk Mountain Scenic Road. Just right off on the side.

Riverside Drive, Asheville

Glorious late afternoon ride along the French Broad River, north on NC 251, Riverside Drive. Up, up through Marshall and beyond. Spectacular views of the diminishing fall colors along the river. There were hardly any cars. We rode up through to the Tennessee border, lost in the ride.

"It took us longer than I thought it would," Steven said. My camera's battery was depleted halfway into the ride; my backup was stored behind, so I missed some glorious sunset and evening colors. Of course, I have them in my memory and now my words!

Cold and dark, we rode I-26 back. As the sky glowed orange and red, we were exhausted, but happy.

Wonderland

A wonderland of beauty, really, all ours... Just remarkable...

Nature is throwing a visual party. The autumn leaves are like confetti... Life is a celebration of passionate colors...

Pigeon River

We shared lunch along side the Pigeon River and Cold Mountain...

Autumn Air

"A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves with each step I made. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air."
~ Eric Sloane

In between visiting company and hectic schedules, we managed a wonderful picnic and ride up NC 215 to the Parkway. The sky was blue blue and the fall colors were spectacular!

Sun Rays & Autumn

Autumn Colors and the Sun Rays

In the midst of trying to clean the house for my company, I am loving the Fall colors.The reds, oranges, and yellows are even more vibrant against the clear blue sky.

I catch my breath around every turn. And I utter lots of "oohs" and "ahhhs."

Here, at the French Broad River near Bent Creek. Look at how fluorescent the yellows are. The treat of the mighty French Broad. And I love that curved dark bark of the tree.

French Broad River near Bent Creek

Do you ever get immune to this beauty?

"A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves with each step I made. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air." ~ Eric Sloane

Rising Up

Going up NC-151 to the Parkway

We experience such beauty regularly on our Road Glide that it is easy to take for granted things. This photograph captures the beginning of our trek up HWY 151 to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The canopy of lush green trees beckon us.

Come, enter the wonder.

On this ride, we turn on curves, switchbacks. Rising up, up to the top. The vista along the way is stunning. We rise with the trees, going from trunk to tops. When we reach the top, we can see Hominy Valley in all its breath-taking beauty.

We have done this ride dozens of times. The road is 15 minutes from our house.

Blossom

"There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~ Anais Nin

Clouds and Flowers...

The air is clean, the world wide blue.

Couldn't resist this shot of my jeans with its appliqué that I created. I'm riding down the road heading toward Greenville South Carolina, on the back of a Harley. Free and happy. An unexpected bonus on this photograph, the blue sky is reflected on the polished saddlebag.

ABATE Poker Run 2011

We joined our friends Dana and Kathy today on a fundraising poker run.

The Bikers Association/ABATE raised over $6,000 today to support the needs of hospitalized Veterans at the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville, NC.

It was a gorgeous morning, blue skies and great spirit. Stellar Asheville scenery at every turn. Here is the beautiful French Broad River near Weaverville, North Carolina...

Chickamauga Battlefield Park

Chickamauga & Chattanooga Battlefield State Park
Just outside Ft. Oglethorpe, Georgia, we visited the remarkable location of the 1863 American Civil War Battle to control the gateway to the deep south. Chickamauga is a Cherokee word meaning "river of death," and over 34,000 were lost during the bloody battle. Today this peaceful park features docile deer and 1,400 monuments and historical markers...
Steven wrote: "Battlefield...is 5600 acres of woods and fields, with hundreds of markers depicting all of the units that took part in the battle..."

"...We saw hundreds of cannons and dozens of memorials scattered about. They have 'restored' the woods to what they would have looked like in 1863, basically clearing out all scrub and leaving the hardwoods, because at the time, loose cattle had done that..."

"Anyway, I’d never seen anything quite like that, on that scale. The park was built in 1887, 25 years after the war’s end."

Satisfaction!

"Personal satisfaction is the most important ingredient of success."
~ Denis Waitley

Absolute Satisfaction! Great, full day of riding in the hot Tennessee sun. Day's end and here's my delicious Thai Tea... and Steven...

Exploring Chattanooga Backroads

We love exploring quiet, winding roads and were lucky to find this backroad along the Tennessee River...

"In wisdom gathered over time,
I have found that every experience is a form of exploration."
~ Ansel Adams

Bennett Lake, Chattanooga, TN

"To get to heaven, turn right and keep straight."
~ Wesleyan Methodist
Here we are at the lovely (& deserted) reservoir near Bennett Lake, Tennessee.

Sunrise Chattanooga

Early morning ride through downtown Chattanooga, over the Tennessee River. Barely no one awake. Caught the sunrise over the Walnut Street Bridge.

Then breakfast at Waffle House...

Small Moments

Along the Nantahala River

These are the small moments when our hearts beat in time and life is pure joy.

Lake Ocoee, East Tennessee

Catching our breath...

Scenic Lake Ocoee in East Tennessee

Here we are, "winding between rock bluffs and the spectacular Ocoee River gorge, past the Ocoee Whitewater Center - home to the 1996 Olympic Canoe and Kayak Slalom competitions, and into the historic copper mining towns of Ducktown and Copperhill..." Tennesseeoverhill

Chasing the Sun

Heading to Chattanooga, Tennessee, chasing the sun in the Cherokee National Forest along Highway 74...

"Delight in the little things."
~ Rudyard Kipling

Looking at Things

"If we are always arriving and departing,
it is also true that we are eternally anchored.
One's destination is never a place but rather
a new way of looking at things."
~ Henry Miller

Nantahala River Rafters, North Carolina

Heading to Chattanooga, we of course stopped for a picnic lunch along the Nantahala River and watched the dozens of spirited white water rafters go down the stream. Beautiful, peaceful entertainment on a glorious summer afternoon...

Beaucatcher Tunnel, Asheville

Cool evening ride east through downtown Asheville and the two-laned Beaucatcher Tunnel...

Completed in 1928, the tunnel "cut" was blasted out of solid granite. Here we are, riding through granite and light.

Blue Skies

From the back of the Harley, my view of the world is unfettered. When I look up, it is magnificent colors, the jazz buzz noises, and pumping possibilities. The earth's heart beat soars.

Sunrise, Blue Ridge Parkway

7:30 am, sunrise on the Parkway together...

Got my new angel tablecloth (One can never have enough angels around). Coffee, camera, tripod. Nothing finer...

"We can love completely without complete understanding."
~ Norman Maclean

Black Bear Cub

Astonishment and Adrenaline...
This morning at about 7:30, heading north on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just before the Bull Creek Valley Overlook (Milepost 374), I was happy to get this shot of a black bear cub. The bear was in the middle of the road, looked at us head-on, and had a sweet face.

"Life is full of surprises, isn't it?"
 ~ Charlton Heston

Sunrise

Sunrise on the Parkway, near Biltmore Forest... Absolutely beautiful to be out on the road early Sunday morning. No traffic and so much to soak in.

Tunnel & Fog, Parkway

"We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out." ~ Ray Bradbury

Fog on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Riding through the tunnel near Craggy Gardens...

Foglesong Valley, Virginia

"Nature is always hinting at us. It hints over and over again. And suddenly we take the hint." ~ Robert Frost
We rode Hwy 42 along the North Fork Holston River. Beautiful road, stunning vista of Foglesong Valley, looking toward Griffith Knob, Virginia.

New Oak

“Everything we do seeds the future. No action is an empty one.”~ Joan Chittister

Burke's Garden, Virginia

State Route 623, just off Blue Grass Trail 42. Gigantic trees stand, streams meander, and the forest is abloom with fragrant rose-bay rhododendron. No one here for miles and miles...

Here we are near Tazwell, Virginia in Burke's Garden, sometimes referred to as "God's Thumbprint" because of its view from the air. At just over 3000 feet, the bowl-shaped Burke's Garden is the highest valley in Virginia and the story goes that it was George Vanderbilt’s first choice for his mountain retreat before Biltmore Estate.

Looking Glass Rock

Late afternoon ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway. With all the Independence Day activities in downtown Asheville, we had the road virtually to ourselves.

The weather was perfect. We had to stop and put on our jackets and I took this photograph of Looking Glass Rock in Brevard, NC. How stunning a view, amid all of summer's green. I love the rock's beauty and enjoyed hiking to the top of it. We need to do that again soon.

"Truth comes to us from the past, then, like gold washed down from the mountains." ~ Carter G. Woodson

Snack & Shaka Sign

Fun times. Stop for a snack and shaka sign along the Blue Ridge Parkway, Western North Carolina.

"Getting there isn't half the fun-- it's all the fun."
~ Robert Townsend