| Author | Message | ||
     Dino |
FB - The mill and flume photos are outstanding! | ||
| S2pengy |
And to try to de grinch myself... NO Trucks, No billboards and very little in the way of roadsigns... IT IS PARADISE... The road surface is very grippy... Just gotta watch out for bicycles and RV's. Also watch the gas stops | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Tennawhat? I guess you were tired. holy smokes, Ed, am i ever embarrased!  KENTUCKY is what i meant!!! well, yes, as a matter of fact i WAS tired. yeah, that's it, i was TIRED! sheesh. i'd had a few drinks, too, and that's the truth. i just wish i'd had a chance to get to this thread and fix my goober before YOU had to bring it to my attention. sorry dude, never meant to insult you like that. ok my friend, i fixed the post above, and i DO feel really stupid about this point - have i sucked up enough yet? sigh, it's all Ferris' fault.  | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Bigdaddy, wow man, i NEED to hear stuff like that after how badly i FUBAR'ed my friend Ed above! seriously, thanks for the compliments. since you live there you can appreciate how stoked i was FINALLY getting to ride the Parkway from end to end (with the exception of the Fran-induced detours we'd had to navigate to the south). i've purposely tried to keep my verbal descriptions of the Parkway to a minumum, because there is NO way that i could even begin to describe what it's like up there to someone who has yet to feel it with their own soul. you're right around Linville Falls, right? how's 181 down into Oak Hill? thanks again Greg. | ||
| Henrik |
Henrik (if you're lurking),i understand you took a very peaceful nap in this very spot. Sure did - city boy like me gets tired from all that clean mountain air  Can't wait for the next opportunity for some more of it. Ferris; Thank you for a great story. Henrik | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
S2pengy, good to have you back. i suspect bicyclists and RV's wax and wane with the seasons, and as we've mentioned several times, we had the Parkway virtually to ourselves. the biggest traffic jam we encountered, actually, was caused by a bunch of neanderthals on Harleys who were locked on about 35 mph come heck or high water, with traffic stacked up behind 'em FOREVER. me 'n JB2 were in the process of picking them off, one by one, when the group peeled off into one of the visitor's centers and took away all our fun. you're right, part of the experience is the quality of the road surface, and the manner in which the road glides thru the wilderness. it's interesting reading accounts of how much effort went into making this a DRIVING (and riding) road, in terms of corners, grades, banking, views, vistas, etc. it's really quite a wonderful accomplishment. re: gas, we were getting low and jumped off the Parkway in Roanoke to fuel up, and the transformation from idyllic to awful was astounding, all in the blink of an eye! traffic sucked, diesels and traffic lights up the wazzoo, noise, chaos, bedlam. sorry Roanoke, but you SUCKED! yet, salvation is so at hand, simply by slipping back up onto the Parkway. in the same blink of an eye the outside world suddenly ceases to exist, replaced, again, by green and flowing and peaceful and silent and still. thanks Todd. | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Dino, thanks! hard to take a bad photo of this place, that's for sure. amazingly enough, Mabry Mill came within a heartbeat of being demolished in 1936 as the Virginia state highway department was clearing right-of-way for the Parkway. the mill had fallen into disrepair by that time (Ed Mabry died in 1936), and a ranger happened to drive by the mill just as the demolition crew was entering the building, alerted his superiors, who alerted Stan Abbott - one of the Parkway's principals at the time - who ordered the mill saved. Mabry Mill is now the most visited cultural site on the Parkway. ok, here's another free plug for photographer Scott Graham before i move on in this journey: his book "Blue Ridge Parkway - America's Favorite Journey" is amazing. you'd think it's a book full of gorgeous photos, and you'd be right. it's also full of interesting essays about the Parkway and it's people, written in such a captivating manner by Elizabeth C. Hunter, and also includes a section of old, historical black and white photos taken during the Parkway's construction. it's really a very cool piece of work, and to have met the man behind it during our visit was an unexpected treat. the Holidays are coming, and his book would make a great gift for that special someone, even if that special someone is you. Dino, it's a small image below, but check out what a REAL professional can do at Mabry Mill:  copyright 2003, 2004 J. Scott Graham | ||
| Bigdaddy |
Jerry, I'm no longer up On Top. Moved about 40 miles south, but my route up is 181 and it's legendary in these parts. From Morganton all the way up to the BRP, big long sweepers that just keep coming at you and then it tightens up on top. That entire area is infiltrated by my clan or the wifes. You have one pic that I believe is right past Wilson Creek bridge? I rescued my wife from Clan Wilson many years ago :-) Keep up the good work! Greg | ||
| Edmanning |
No problem Jerry, just get your Kentucky BK shirt on before those CA chapters show up and try to make them think your me and I beat'em to the punch. Another day another dounut,Hillbilly | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Dino, you seemed keen on Mabry Mill, so i thought i'd hang a few more pix from there before we move on.  (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
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| Jerry_haughton |
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| Jerry_haughton |
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| Jerry_haughton |
 um, greetings from Lake Isabella? (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, Thursday 9/16/2004  we're off, toward Kentucky (hey Ed, i got it right this time!), but not before slicing off a chunk of West Virginia. altered states. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  yo Ed, whatcha doin', and why does JB2 think it's so funny??? (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  Ed, i didn't take good notes today, so you're gonna have to help me with the name of this body of water. ("Grayson Lake," says Ed! ) and man is your bike ever YELLOW!!! (i know, i know, takes one to know one...) (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  so, Ed, what i wanna know is, why are we up here... (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  ...and not down THERE??? (ps: please help with name of road and river? "Laurel Gorge," says Ed! ) (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  we stopped in eastern Kentucky on the way to Ed's place to grab a refreshment. cool country place, the name of which escapes me, but it fit. Ed help? (yeah, i know, i took crappy notes today...) "Robo's", says Ed, "an infamous biker hangout!" (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  gotta love it when FOOD prizes rank above MONEY prizes. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  where EVER it was we stopped at, it's in country music star Keith Whitley's hometown of Sandy Hook, Kentucky. Whitley died of an alcohol overdose in 1989, but the town has not forgotten his talent and contributions. in 1988 he had the nation's #1 country hit with "Don't Close Your Eyes", and released three #1 country hits in 1989 before died. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  not sure why this gambling machine tickled my funny bone so... (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  ...but it did, enough so that i waited patiently while the various graphics cycled thru so i could get a close-up shot of Ms. Master herself. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  this would be the lovely Manning Manor in West Liberty, Kentucky. (contrary to earlier reports, the lovely M.M. is NOT located in Tennessee, nor is it located in EAST Liberty. i am, offically, losing my mind. ) btw, astute BADWEB'rs will note that Hurricane Ivan is knocking on the door... (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 09, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  wow, some welcoming committee! (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  these things are big enough to pack off a small child, and there were several of them working the porch. i've got no issues with crawly things (why, just last night i had to escort a tarantula to safety, which, in this case, is defined as taking it the very far side of the property and WAY away from the long arm of Denise...) providing they stay OUTSIDE!!! late braking news from Ed: Oh! Cindys spiders on both sides of the front door are Spidel and Spidette. thanks bro. so, is this Spidel or Spidette? (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  we'd ridden thru our fair share of muck and mire today, getting from Virginia to Kentucky, and JB2 was justifiably proud of the coating on his VFR. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  "patina" he calls it, and the bikes certainly had all that and more. at first glance JB2's bike looks sanitary enough, but the discerning eye will percept the makings of a chocolate mess. and JB2 couldn't have been any prouder. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
DAY FOURTEEN, cont.  i gotta hand it to Fozzie. despite an entire day of mist, rain, and gloom on the interstate, he still manages a smile. i want some of what he's smoking. (Message edited by jerry_haughton on November 08, 2004) |
