Labor Day Ride To Marshall, NC

Monday, Sept. 4, 2017, Labor Day.  Morning temp. 57, high 78.  Going to play some before doing any laboring.  Pushed out of the garage on Redbug at 7:15 a.m. for a 8:15 departure from McDonald's at the 407 Exit of I-40.  I will be meeting up with Paul and biker friend Eric for a backroad ride to Marshall, NC.  It was very cool this morning and I found out a bit later that I needed an additional shirt on.  Too late now.

Looking East, my traveling direction, from my driveway.  Going to be a beautiful sunrise today.

About 2 miles from the house the sun is just peeking out above the tree line.

No traffic, clear sailing to the meet up point.

Oops, spoke to soon as I ride into some fog.

And the fog got heavier but not so that you couldn't see the sun.

Ole Sol burning its way through the morning mist and making a soft appearance through the fog layer.

Nearing my meet up point the area close to the river is still very foggy must mostly over the land, not the highway.

After playing hide and seek, it suddenly pops out at you.  Love the glow.

As we journey onward toward our destination we take the time to admire our surroundings and the peacefulness of the early morning light.

An old cemetery across the highway from the church and community it serves.

The tree canopy appears to show that you're riding into a tunnel.  However, there are no stone walls in this tunnel.

This area has some great farm land.
 












And with the large farms comes the large barns and silos to care for the stock.

No, the line shown here was not shorting out causing that glow.  It just happens to be the sun causing that effect.  Surely it couldn't be rocket boosters shooting upward from those silos.

Later we ride along ponds of water that belong to a fish hatchery.  Darn, I forgot my pole but these would be to small to eat anyway.

Vineyard in the foreground and hay ready to roll in the back.  Now that's what I call a combination.

Two health thinkers out doing a fast walk exercise.

Silhouettes in the sunlight.  An old barn and a small house that is about the same age.  Looks more like a work shop than a house.

Tomatoes tomatoes tomatoes.  They'll be picking them right up to the first freeze.

And this corn is on its last days of green as the time is coming for it to be harvested.

And next to the corn is beef on the hoof.  Hamburgers, steaks, roasts, ah, I can just smell the aroma of cooking meat.  Oops, sorry, my vegetarian friends.

That old river water is smooth as silk this morning and its throwing a good reflection of the trees too.

Rambling through the back country allows you time to think and reflect every once in a while with such a peaceful setting.

And we even worked in a short stretch of packed gravel along the way, about a half mile.  Here you don't gaze off into the hinterlands or take a snooze or you will dance right off the road on those rocks.

As the sun gets past mid-morning we find ourselves still several miles from our destination.

So you let those wheels keep turning, burning up the miles ahead all the while nearing the mountains.

Shadowy little roads keep you watching for farm tractors and loads of hay.  With no lane markers it's any body's guess as to how much of the roadway you will have to pass them.

A long bridge to almost nowhere.

A lot of the roads will take you almost into a house, a barn or a shed before it turns.  Okay speed in the day time but slower after dark.

I found this a bit funny with my warped sense of humor.  A red car beneath a Red Crepe Myrtle Tree.

A barn for old cars?  A country used car lot?  I guess it could be both.

No, it was not a drive up window but if it had gotten any more closer to the road it could have been a drive through or drive under.

After our stop at Ingle's for a cup of coffee and an apple fritter we saddled up and headed back to the house.  I needed to get back early anyway so away we rolled.  Another good day of twisted roads to go along with our twisted minds but fun all the while.

Door to door was 208 miles.  Not a lot but just enough.  So until the next Valkyrie Adventure, I hope you take some time to think of all of the people that you love and give them a hug or a call.  Ride/drive safe.

Riding Some North Carolina Backroads

 August 30, 2017, Wednesday morning.  Paul called me Tuesday evening to see if I wanted to ride and the answer was YES.  I told him that I had to start early and be back at the house by 2:00p.m.  The answer was still yes.  So at 6:40 a.m. I pushed Redbug out of the garage for the ride.  I had on my jeans, riding pants, T-shirt, rain jacket liner and my summer jacket.  Temps were around 58 and was to warm up to lower 80s.  Should have put on one more shirt after a short ride in the wind.

Leaving before sunrise with a pretty pinkish-orange creeping over the tree tops.  The view from my driveway.

A bit farther up Boyds Creek you could see some fog over the grasslands.

By the time I got to my old school house the fog was gone and the sun bathed everything in its yellow-gold.

Such a pretty sight, an early morning sunrise breaking the horizon.

Peering at the sun through a bit of fog makes everything look a bit different.

And the fog in the valleys and along the mountains added a touch of eerie to some of the landscape along the way.










We hit I-40 and made a run for the NC state line taking the interstate in order to speed up the access to those hidden back roads.









Not much traffic out this early in the morning.  The air was crisp and clear.  A touch of Fall was in the air.












A long view up the interstate with the mountains in the background.

I really enjoy riding this interstate as it provides more scenery than most of them.  And over the years I've ridden a lot of interstates in the U.S.










We ran into a little fog but it was high enough off the highway surface to not cause any issues.











We also caught up to some traffic along the way.

Now for the back road riding.  But first, we have to acknowledge at least one Big Red Barn along our route.

And we think of a prayer as we pass one of the many churches in our area.  With all of the unrest of the people around the world one would think we need more of these churches.  We don't need more churches, we just need to fill those we have already constructed.

Early morning views are nice.  Rising sunlight, fog patches here and there, and the cool of the morning to see it all.

The fog hanging in the morning air lends a hand at making this a bit more interesting picture.

Hazy lazy day if I do say so myself.













"Play Misty For Me", an old Clint Eastwood movie but it would fit in here this morning.

Friend Paul zinging along ahead of me.  Just a tad bit of fog but nothing to hinder us in our travels.

And just that quick you pop out from behind the mountains and you're looking a sunlit farm land.

A nice little valley here and very picturesque. 

Corn, lots of corn.  I wonder for what it's for?  Farm animal's feed, grits and cornmeal, hominy, whole kernel corn, or, maybe for a bit of the sipping stuff.

Old traditional chinked stone fence and a one time useful building.  Both are showing their age.

Country road passing among large trees and lots of brush.  Cool air and dim light.  One in days past, the rumble of deep toned exhaust from the midnight moon runners.

A nice view overlooking the valley below and a plant far off in the distance.

Aha, a morning break, rest stop, coffee break and a must, an apple fritter.

After the break we're off again.  More curves, more turns and thank goodness for GPS as we would never have enough bread crumbs to find our way back to the house.

Up a hill and then down a hill.  Straight lines are only good on paper.

It is just so refreshing to ride these roads early in the day.  And when there are very few vehicles to contend with.

Smoky mountains in the distance, a view that never seems bad.

And let's not forget our overly friendly Kudzu vines.  They are blooming right now and the air is filled with a very light sweet fragrance that is very pleasing to the nostrils.  But in some of these locations you cannot stand still very long or you become covered with these friendly twigs and leaves.

That farmer should be ashamed of himself placing those rolls of hay so close to the pasture fence.  You know those cows can smell that fresh cut and rolled hay.  Like walking by a hamburger stand and smelling the cooking burgers.  Tempting.

Fields of rolled hay awaiting transportation to the barn or shed where they will be stored for later use.

And some fields grow tomatoes, big green round delicious looking fruit just waiting for the time they turn bright red and become grocery items to purchase.

Corn field and curves.  

This neighbor needs a little help with cleaning and removing.  Not much but just a tad.












Just about as straight of a stretch as we will get today.  Helps to clean out the engine a bit.

And the scene is fence posts, green grass and mountains.  Not a bad combination as you're riding along.

Once an elegant old farm house.  Now just an old farm house.  Time passes all of us eventually.

Kudzu corner, trying to take over the country.  Have to ride fast through here in order to not become a topiary. 

Nice smooth swinging curves, keeps you focused and on the edge.  Stay sharp.  Lulled into boredom will cause you pain here.

And yet another road leading to somewhere but we will not reach the end of it.  And that's the plan.

The plan, this stretch of crushed rock, in other places it might be gravel.  Narrow, no signs and little traveled.

Back brake, back brake, constant reminder when riding gravel, rock or dirt.  And stay in the rut as much as possible.  That other stuff is loose and causes lots of problems of control.

A wild flower in bloom.  What it is I have no idea.  Just pretty in its own way.

Friend Paul stopping for a little brake while we're still on the rocks.

Up the mountain, down the mountain as we travel this rock road.  No lane markers, no side guardrails and no stop signs.

Keep your eyes peeled for the best route around a curve as rains cause washes and makes for some very bad bumps to have to cross at slow speeds.

Onward we go looking for the end somewhere up ahead.

Just think, in a few more weeks this road will be covered with colored leaves and the trees will be bare.  This will change the whole picture from today's view.

We continue our travel until we arrive at another hard surfaced road.  Then it's time to cut and ride back to the house.  It's been a good day to ride.  Did a bit of laughing and talking at our stops, enjoyed an apple fritter and spent a few miles on the bike.  Todays ride totaled 232 miles with several miles of that in isometric status.  That means muscle tenseness.  So until the next Valkyrie Adventure, ride safe, think positive and enjoy life.