Christmas Holiday Swing through TX and LA

At 4:45 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, Dec. 17, 20017 I backed the van out of the garage for a trek down into TX where I use to work and over to LA to visit friends and family.  It was chilly here but I knew the farther South I drove the warmer it would get.  I had my little buddy, Amadeus, with me.  Packing for a trip with a pet is almost like packing for a trip with small kids.

The van was loaded with my gear along with several bags and boxes of Mr. A's stuff, including a cooler bag filled with his dog food for the days we would be gone.  He's a particular eater and won't eat just anything.  But it just required a bit of planning.

We headed down to Chattanooga, TN and into the NW corner of GA.  Our first stop was in GA for my first cup of coffee and a pit stop for Mr. A.  This type stop was about every two hours.  Kept him relieved as well as I and me charged with my cups of decaf coffee.

Georgia sunrise.

Graying sky of Alabama.

Wet skies of Alabama.

Sunshine again in Missippi.

We found where the meat was.

And they also had shakes.  Bag is standing there because Mr. A needed to find the perfect spot.  My sandwich did not spoil nor did my shake go to waste.  And Mr. A loved his roast beef.

Coming to the bridge that Crossed the mighty Mississippi River at Vicksburg, MS.

Heading West after crossing over into LA from MS.  I've crossed this bridge to many times to count.

Humming across LA headed for TX.












 My passenger felt secure of my driving so much that he took a nap on his red blanket.

Coming into Shreveport, LA.  A bit foggy as rain was coming.

A straight shot across out of LA headed for TX.

After driving 45mph for about two miles and then 35 for about a mile I came into a spot in the road town in LA, crossed the river there and immediately the speed limit went to 55.  A miles or so down the road it went to 70 and then 75.  Love those TX speed limits.

Couldn't miss the Christmas Season without driving around looking at Christmas lights.

Lots of LED bulbs on this lawn.

Same here.  Some very pretty displays and a lot of work putting them up and taking them down.

Had to drop down and take a look at the beach and Gulf of Mexico.  Slow rollers were coming in and the day was beautiful.

Passed this way a few times over the years also.

Sunlight reflecting off the waves making shadows of motion.

Built for high water.

Amadeus was sniffing all of the various odors on the beach.  Probably mostly fish and crabs.

Two birds were wading around near the water.  I guess looking for a meal.












Passed through and stopped in Denham Springs, LA to drop off some Christmas presents and take Mother-in-Law to lunch.  Then on to Marrero, LA to visit with my 94 year young Mom, my Brother, his wife Patsy, and son Shane and girlfriend Michelle.  Also mad a trip back to Denham Springs for a couple of days to visit Mother-in-Law, Memaw, as we call her.  Enjoyed my visit there and to see Granddaughter Alexis, her husband Geno and of course, the three little Great Granddaughtses, Eva, Zara and Mila.

Due to the weather heading toward my house in TN I departed Marrero Jan. 1st and headed for TN.  So I missed out one day at Mom's and a sleep over at my Aunt Jewel's in MS.

Whole trip was over 2700 miles and my passenger was a great rider.  We arrived at our house in TN to make ready for a 17 degree night.  It was great to see some friends, spend time with family, and enjoy the Christmas Season with my close relatives.  Overall, I count this as a blessing and a great trip.

Country Roads Group Ride

Saturday morning, Dec. 2, 2017.  I backed Sweet Thang out of the garage and headed out for Exit 407 of I-40 to the McDonald's there.  I was going to meet up with the Country Roads Group Riders for a trek to take in some really good roads.  There were 16 bikes all together.  Got to meet several people that I had not met before and to renew some past acquaintances.  We pulled out at 9:30 a.m., taking back roads up to Hot Springs, NC, run The Rattler, run over to Cherokee,NC and come back through the Smoky Mountain National Park via US441.  At Sugarlands visitor center we all split for individual homes.

My old school house in a light fog.  It was a chilly mourning with a bit of ground fog but a good day to ride.

Riding up Boyds Creek Hwy. to TN 66 and then across I-40 to Dumplin Valley Rd. and Micky Ds.

I got there early enough to grab a breakfast burrito and a cup of coffee.

 Some of the other riders had the same thing in mind.

We had a bit of everything riding today.

And I think the average would have been 65.

Dumplin Valley Rd. is a neat narrow ride with some curves that were sweepers and a few sharpies.  Those were thrown in just to keep you attentive.

We road up and crossed the end of Norris Lake.

As you can see, the lake is way down on the amount of water.

Old house on the hill.  Seems a shame to just let it go.

Heading toward the mountains, those far off in the distance would get a lot closer before the day was gone.

Bush's Bean Plant located at Chestnut Hill.  

A stop about an hour after departure just to make sure everyone was okay.  Dan Harvey, the man facing on the left, is the leader of the group.

Here's a pose of Sweet Thang in her resting position.

And we had a trike or two, a Spyder and a few different brands to go around.  It's not what you ride, it's just ride.

And a lot of stories and tales of sorts.

We took various routes but US 25/70 is a great road to ride.

 Crossing the French Broad River.

The mountains are getting a bit closer.

Then we get to this one laner that parallels a railroad track.  River is on left, train tracks on right, mistakes must stay in the middle.

And the sun is having a difficult time trying to burn its way through the morning mist and clouds.

Finally, some blue and a very pretty bridge built in the past few years.

Scenery is the word here.

Here you can see the golden color of the remaining leaves of the pear trees leading up the driveway to the house.

Just a nice road scene.

Now we're running among the pine trees more than the hardwoods.  We are climbing in altitude but have a ways to go.

Running parallel to another river and riding in the dark shadows of the mountain.

An old tobacco barn, remnants of an almost by gone era.

Going to church, well, going by the church is better said but it wasn't Sunday today.

Winter has come as most of the trees have lost their leaves.  Yet a few seem to hold on to them until almost Spring.

A nice quiet valley.  Road noise will not bother those folks.

Riding by a rock farm.  Yep, lots of rocks mean less grass and sore backs hauling them to make fences, road markers, etc.

Then we take the road back home.  A great day to ride and a good group to ride with.

For me it was 149 miles door to door.  Enjoyed chatting with the folks, sharing a meal with them in Hot Springs, and getting out into some of the created nature we have.

Until the next Valkyrie Adventure, look around a bit whether on two wheels or four.  Stay safe.