Autumn in Asheville, 2016

Highway 151

We had fun riding through the colors on the Parkway. Asheville is a wonderland of beauty. The road felt good. I tried capturing the day with my new iPhone 7 plus. I like how I can freeze the moment, but of course there is more in that moment. The sounds, the feels. Life vibrating, alive. The sky was clear with billows of clouds, the air clean with autumn.

Another perfect day.

Blue Ridge Parkway

Happy!

“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” 

L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Asheville Steve

Another Sunday in downtown Asheville, Steven with his Harley...

"You do not need a therapist if you own a motorcycle, any kind of motorcycle!"

Dan Aykroyd

Biltmore Lake

The folks at Biltmore Lake subdivision near our home seem to be fixing the drainage of the Lake. The water level is very low and the new look is pretty dramatic. From the bike, we catch a bird's eye of what's going on there...

Downtown Asheville, Lunch at Heiwa Shokudo

Delightful ride today with a stop in Downtown Asheville...

And lunch at our favorite restaurant, Heiwa Shokudo.

Our Harley, parked next to our table

Very pleasant sitting outside together. Steven ordered his favorite, poki lunchbox.

Green Asheville

Everything is green on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville today. We are sharing the road on this beautiful Spring morning with bicyclists.

Reeves Cove Sunset

When there is no one on the road, the photograph becomes poetry and a love letter to the day. The sun is setting and we are almost home. (As usual, my reflection is in the rear view mirror.) Here we are on the final mile, Reeves Cove in Candler, North Carolina. I feel tired, but satisfied. A good ending to another good day.

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” 

Gustave Flaubert

Good Day

Yes, it is a good day to ride...

Gold is the color of my spirit today. The sun shines like a holy beacon. The road again opens for us.

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.” 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Looking Up at the Horizon

As 2015 comes to a close, we were able to take one last ride, enjoying the winter beauty and the unseasonable warmer weather. We have had so much rain this month, it was nice to find this quiet time in the sun.

"You can walk faster with your head looking up at the horizon."

~ Molly Ivins

Autumn in Asheville

After days of rain, the sun returned and we finally got the chance to ride.  Camera in hand, everywhere I looked was a beautiful shot. The late evening sun and the clouds were spectacular. Early autumn in Asheville. Nothing finer, Carolina.

Blue and white spectacular

Lots of light and shadows

"The joy of looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift."

Albert Einstein

Hominy Valley

Didn't expect this selfie to turn out so cool.

Fun with my camera and an unintentional collage. Here my hands, holding my camera, and the setting sun, are reflected in my helmet visor.

Greenville Green

Great ride with Cathy and Dana through Greenville, South Carolina. Old Greenville Highway is definitely green. Nothing like getting into the green and letting it soak your skin.

"All good things are wild and free."

Henry David Thoreau

Cathy and Dana

Lunch at Quaker Steak and Lube

Ride On...

Seneca, South Carolina

Blue skies and sunshine at Seneca, South Carolina's 9th Annual Fest. Small town, USA, near Clemson University and between Atlanta and Greenville. 

The city closed the main streets and we had fun walking around downtown, listening to the live music and checking out the food booths. They even had "Shaved Ice." (It would need to be "Shave Ice" for Hawaiian authenticity.) The town folk were friendly and we shared lots of smiles.

Jefferson Airplane was supposed to play there at 8, but we needed to head back home before dark.

Flags waving in front of Pickens Court House

"I may be going nowhere, but what a ride.” 
Shaun Hick

Cathy and Dana

Dana got a new bike and they both look great on it! Look at how they sparkle, like the chrome.

Here they are in front of us, riding on Highway 25, south toward Greenville.

My lens through the mirror.

New Headlights

Taking apart the fairing

Changing the headlights on our '07 Road Glide is difficult because you have to remove the turn signals and fairing to get to the headlight box. The procedure may sound simple, but it is definitely a two-person operation. One person to read the manual, the other to operate the Phillips-head screwdriver.

Both jobs requires, time, screws, and patience.

When we finished, we celebrated with dinner at the new Pan Asian Restaurant in Asheville called Ganko. So many delicious things to choose from, but I ordered crab and avocado sushi.

Steven enjoying his Tom Yum soup

After dinner, we rode home on I-40. With very few folks on the road, we breathed in the beautiful colors of sunset. This photo below captured the elegance of our moment and place.

Near Perfect Ride

Reeves Cove, Candler, NC

And so we begin again...

A pretty near perfect ride today, our first of 2015. The sun covered us with a warm welcome and we were happy to be bending and moving together. Even with a little chill in the air, the road feels good.

There are joyous signs of Spring everywhere. Our neighbor's giant willow at the bottom of our mountain is beginning to shimmer in green and there are buds forming on the trees.

Rose Hill Road, Fairview

We stopped for lunch and I happily ordered my favorite Carnitas Taco Salad at Ay Caramba Grill.

Riding a Harley

Riding a Harley is my commitment to living life fully. The ride is a promise to myself that I will celebrate each day with joy in my heart.

Like the Leaves of Autumn

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” 
~ John Muir

Autumn on the Parkway

We will be traveling to Boston in a few days and will miss a couple weeks of the Asheville autumn colors, so we decided to take a fast ride up the Blue Ridge Parkway and down Highway 151 to take a look at how much the leaves have changed so far.

The forest is mostly green, still, but the reds and yellows are making an appearance! And everything seems so vibrant and full of life.

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” 

~ John Muir

Parkway Magic

What a stunning day on the Blue Ridge Parkway today. Perfect clarity and intense colors everywhere.

We are heading south, toward Mount Pisgah. 

What is around the next bend? 

The road to discovery... and freedom!

Looking up. Soar.

It sure felt good to be on the Harley.

"Let's take a selfie with Pisgah in the background," I said.

Two Trees

You and me

Together 

like two trees.

Weathering vibrant.

So close

our roots thrive 

tangled in love.

Blue Heart

Blue Heart in the Sky

Another fantastic ride on the Parkway today up to Mt. Mitchell and back. It takes us a little over an hour to get there. Today there was little traffic and lots of beauty.

We shared a spectacular ride. And even looking up, the blue sky formed a heart.