Travelling Tales - Part 17

Benge Gap was where we left the last installment.  So quiet, I woke in the night wondering where I was.

18 July - odd sort of day weatherwise in and out of low cloud, not a day for taking photographs as you couldn't see anything, several encounters with deer, some a bit close for comfort.  Ended the day in Roanoke, luckily we got to an hotel just before a massive thunderstorm. Dinner out on the bike was abandoned, so we had to make a mad dash for the nearest eating place - pizza, the waitress was a real pain in the neck, very pushy and unpleasant.  The storm lasted 3 hours just bouncing off and around the surrounding mountains.  I don't think I have ever seen so much lightening.

19 July - Misty start but cleared later and much cooler.  Problem with the bike, turned out to be water in the starter from last nights storm. We stopped for picnic lunch overlooking a lake at the Peaks of Otter.  Not sure why I didn't take more photos, I think I was just photo'd out.  We completed the Parkway and headed into the Shenandoah National Park. Lots more twisty roads and at times scary riding on my husbands behalf!  We stopped overnight at the Skyland Resort.  We had a canyon view room - but this was obscured by cloud and mist!!  Another storm was rolling around and the midges OMG.  The walk to the dining room was through the woods uphill!  (at least the return journey was easy). I thought I was having a heart attack by the time we got there, I couldn't believe how unfit I felt.  We had a pleasant meal and there was a girl singing in the bar which was good.  Thoughts of the impending end of our trip had started crowding in.  In some respects I was ready to go home, in others I didn't want the trip to end.



20 July - Managed the rest of the park with no mishaps but still lots of deer about. Stopped for brunch in Front Royal - pancakes, eggs and scrapple, if you've not tried it do, its a bit like White Pudding, don't be put off by the description.  Our destination today was Intercourse, Pennsylvania so we went through 3 states in quick succession with just a couple of wrong turns. The weather had improved nice and warm again, we stopped at a farm shop for apple juice and a dealership in Gettysburg, we had now completed the loop as we passed the Harley factory in York which we visited on a first stop on 4 May.  It felt strange seeing Baltimore on the road signs again and realising how close to going home we were.

 




So what can I tell you about Intercourse?  Everything closes early, its very quaint, lots of quilt shops (more on that later) and they have strange food.  Dinner at the hotel as we left it too late to go out,  Peter had stuffed pigs stomach!!  I went for beef stew thought that would be the safer option followed by shoo-fly pie. We spent a quiet evening watching Witness on TV which gave us an insight to Amish life

21 July - quilt shopping day - who would of thought this could be so hard. So many to choose from.  We looked round several shops in town then decided to get on the bike and do a farm tour. We called in at the Bird in Hand Farmers Market and Quilt Shop - lots to see but still not anything that really took my fancy. Next stop Riehls Farm - I found a Heart and 9 Patch quilt similar to one I'd seen in town ($900) for $585 made by the same quilter, so I was happy.  Carrying it on the bike was fun.  We then headed for Lititz where Peter made a new friend!  It was great to ride around the quiet countryside looking at how 2 different cultures co-exist it was like being in a time warp.



Dinner was a Millers Smorgasbord - we ate far too much!!

22 July - our last week - Called the shippers to check everything was in place for the bikes' trip home then hit the road

Not sure how this lot is getting home!!

Travelling Tales - Part 16

We practically rode across Iowa today, but firstly popped into Nebraska just so we could take a state line photo.  We followed the Mormon Trail through miles and miles of maize and corn - what do you do with it all?




Arrived at Winterset for the Bridges of Madison County - we did the self guided tour. Most of the bridges are situated down miles of dusty gravel tracks.

John Wayne was born here

We popped into Ottumwa - its where Radar O'Reilly of MASH fame comes from, I went shopping, got yarn and patchwork fabric.  The yarn is long gone but the fabric I am ashamed to say is still in the drawer.  We over-nighted at Burlington  just 2 miles short of the Iowa border.

11 July - we rode clear across Illinois into Indiana, nothing to see but CORN, bottom hurting, bored, ran into a major rainstorm. Now on Eastern Time so another hour lost.



12 July (My Dad's birthday) - Week 11- another long day on the bike. Left Indiana, into Ohio, back into Indiana, then into Kentucky all within 15 minutes!!





13 July - took a Kentucky scenic route, through lots of small towns, at least it was more interesting than the interstate.  We arrived in Tennessee, helmets back on.  Decided to head for Pigeon Forge - we had stayed there in a lovely cabin a few years previous and thought that maybe they would have room for us.  The  Country Pines Resort was where we had stayed and I am happy to report they did daily bookings and we were able to book 3 nights just chill out.  It was more expensive than hotels but oh so good to be on our own, quiet and able to cook for ourselves.  We did nothing but read, watch the fire flies, sit in the hot tub



16th July - Back on the road our route took us firstly through the Foothills Parkway, which was great no lorries.  Lots of twists and turns, knee brakes in use again.  Following this Peter took us through Deals Gap, North Carolina or as its known locally, The Dragons Back - 318 bends in 11 miles.  It was permanent knee brakes for me but oh the smile on his face.



Late lunch then we drove until we reached the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway - 460 miles and no commercial traffic. Just popping off now and again for fuel or lodging. Lots of twists, turns and tunnels. Over night in Asheville at the Best Western, we stumbled on a free live music festival in town which was great lots of food concessions and beer, the music was good too

17 July - Grey day, wet day - stopped at Blowing Rock and looked round an Arts fayre, lots of lovely things but I think Peter was happy we had no room. Back on the parkway the visibility was so bad we were actually riding through the clouds they were that low. We ended the day at a little motel in Benge Gap, the only place we could get to with the weather as it was. Food was very basic, no alcohol, the waitress was also the receptionist and drove up and down the drive when anyone checked in!  She had not been any further than a 35 mile radius of the motel.  The motel was very basic, the TV had one of those V aerials on top of it and it had bits of tin foil stuck on the ends!!!! The waitress was amazed that we had come all the way from the UK. We had a good chat as we were the only people in the diner, other than a couple who were just finishing as we arrived. I actually wonder how people can stay so close to home, aren't they curious about whats out there?