The Farm, Up Close and Personal

March 26, 2013 by LB

About a month ago, I posted a photo of a red barn that I had been eyeing from the road for over a year. I took that picture while leaning way over the fence. The owner gave me permission to access the land and so this past Saturday I spent some time walking around taking pictures of the barn and miniature horses. It was a bright, beautiful day, so much so that the red on the barn was a bit washed out in the sun.

How strange that just two days ago, I was walking around on a sunny 50+ degree day and ever since, we have had low temps and a Christmas type snowfall.

Fall leaves … in a snowshower … at the beginning of spring

Close Ups of the Barn

Coming Soon!! More Shots from the Farm but from a distance!

Day 1 – Radford: A Home to Trains and Building Art

March 4, 2013 by LB

Why a post combining trains and building art? Mostly it’s about timing.

I am on the first night of a 7 night / 8 day, mostly business trip around Virginia. As I was trying to get out of Radford and head on down the road to Richmond, I was drawn to two scenes that I see almost on a daily basis. I’m not sure what made me stop to take pictures today, especially since I was already running late, but … have camera … well you know.

Trains and building art could easily fill several posts, but today, a few pictures will have to do.

Radford has been a railroad town since the 1850s when the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad (later the Norfolk and Western Railway) came through. The population grew dramatically as did business, industry and education. Passenger rail service no longer exists in Radford, but the railroad through the city is still a major component of Norfolk Southern Railway’s Roanoke to Bristol route. As is typical of those who live in a railroad town, it is easy to become immune to the sound of the trains and their whistles as they pass through the city.

The structure pictured below sits right behind the railroad tracks. I am sorry to say that I do not know what it is … I was guessing a water tower. A quick FB call out to local Radford folks revealed that most agree, especially given it’s proximity to the rail yard. I’m hoping I can learn the date it was constructed and any other interesting bits of information as well. We’ve got some serious history buffs in our little city. I’ll pass on what I learn!

Since I posted this morning I have heard from several who tell me that the tower served to store water for use by the steam engines.

As buildings are renovated or unfortunately torn down (or fall down), art in the form of advertisements is often revealed. Radford, like many localities, has many more examples of building art than just those pictured here. These particular ads were revealed when the City of Radford took down an old partially burned out building (which even had a tree growing in it) and created a community courtyard. This lovely little area is now called Carson’s Courtyard.

This next building sits right across the street from Carson’s Courtyard and the art provides a lovely backdrop for the Farmer’s Market.

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And as you look past the brick wall, you will once again see the tower.

Day 2 – Richmond

Aged And Useful

February 24, 2013 by LB

As I noted in the previous post, I captured a few different pictures yesterday. Back at home and in the process of editing, I realized that these four photos had a similar theme and needed to be posted separately.

Older structures but still very much in use!

One Morning in Roanoke

February 18, 2013 by LB

The Roanoke Valley is as rich in history as it is in natural beauty and has played a vital role in the growth of Virginia. The Wilderness Road migration route, traveled by pioneers in covered wagons on their way to settle the frontier, passed right through the region.

Roanoke is the 10th largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest municipality in Southwest Virginia. Formerly known as Big Lick, because of it’s numerous salt marshes (or licks), the city was renamed Roanoke in 1881.

Roanoke became a crossroads for the railroad, which eventually became the Norfolk and Western Railway. Its historic market, which also began in these early years, remains vibrant as one of the oldest in the country and still is an anchor of downtown commerce (http://www.visitroanokeva.com/visitors/history/roanoke-history/).

It was a lovely morning in Roanoke … perfect for a quick stroll around the downtown market area.

The variety of windows caught my eye

Historic Signs and Newer Signs

Old Buildings

And New

Inside the renovated market building

Outside on the market square

Downtown Roanoke has much more to see … restaurants and pubs, museums and historic hotels, renovated buildings and shops. Festivals too! You should come check it out!

Roanoke

February 16, 2013 by LB

While traveling to visit the GOAs in Richmond (see Feb 15th post), I had the chance to stop in Roanoke to meet my friend Ralph for lunch. It was a bright, sunny day and since I had some extra time, I was able to take some really fun shots of the downtown area.

I’ll be sharing more pictures later … this one is just to introduce you to this Southwest Virginia city, population just under 100,000 people.

Farmhouses and Barns in Fifteen Degree Weather

February 3, 2013 by LB

Despite the 15 degree weather, the day dawned beautifully and I spent a couple hours outside shooting the local scenery. One thing I learned? I need to get gloves that protect my fingers in sub freezing temperatures!

This old farmhouse sits right along side the road and I pass it on the way home each evening. I loved the shadows on the side of the house.

I pass this farm on the way to work each morning and in order to take pictures, I have to get on the highway and pull over just off the exit ramp. As usual, I wonder what the folks driving by think as I climb over the guard rail and wander around in the weeds.

50th Birthday Solo Ride Part 2 – The Tail of the Dragon

February 1, 2013 by LB

This is the second of a two part post about my 50th Birthday Solo Motorcycle Ride (2010). All pictures were taken with my old point and shoot camera. Part 1 can be found here:

https://lifeonthebikeandotherfabthings.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/50th-birthday-solo-ride-the-blue-ridge-parkway-part-1/

Day 3 – The End of the BRP and the Folks Along the Way

Hello from Bryson City, NC, located at the southern end of the BRP.

I rode the last 78 miles of parkway today and it took me a long time because I kept stopping to stare at the beautiful mountains! The section between milepost 400 and 425 is stunning with the elevation between 4500 and 5500 ft and the highest point of the BRP at 6053 ft. I have taken so many pictures, always thinking “THIS is the best one”.

I had hoped to be able to say I was writing from the Gearhead Motel outside Bryson City as recommended by a couple bikers I met, BUT when I went to check it out, it just didn’t feel right – no one was there and it seemed deserted. So, I headed on down the road and checked into the Sleep Inn instead. Later that evening, I rode back by The Gearhead and it was full of bikes and people and it looked like fun! I’d made a mistake by passing on it earlier.

The lively folks outside the motel reminded me that I haven’t said anything about the great people I have been meeting along the way. I met two bikers from Indiana (the ones who recommended the Gearhead) who used brute strength to adjust my highway pegs (which got out of position when I dropped the bike yesterday – yeah, I didn’t tell you that, did I?).

I also loved the folks, about my parents age, who said “if you were my daughter I’d kill you for riding alone”, to which I replied “why do you think I haven’t told my parents?”

I met a guy who hauled his bike from Missouri so that he could ride the BRP while his wife went shopping in Asheville. Smart man!

There have been lots of other fun people along the way … and I’m grateful that some have been willing to take a few pictures of me along the ride.

After checking into the hotel, I rode back down to town and had a great taco salad and a couple micro brews at a local dive bar (located in a 70 year old WWII quonset hut with no A/C). I followed that with a quick dip in the hotel pool and am now so ready for sleep.

Across The Tracks Bar and Restaurant, Bryson City, NC

I’ve ridden about 500 miles so far … not much compared to my friends who ride cross country but I’m proud and happy.

Tomorrow … The Dragon.

Day 4 – Curves

If you’ve been following along so far, you know that I’ve written about some of the fun curves and elevation changes that I’ve experienced during this trip. Those curves were nothing like the ones I have ridden all day today!!

The Tail of the Dragon is known world wide for its 318 curves in 11 miles. You get to put a sticker on your helmet and your bike if you finish (you have to ride it both ways), but your broken bike parts go on the Tree of Shame if you don’t.

The Tree of Shame

Well, I am proud to say I have a sticker on both the bike and the helmet!! Woo hoo!! So proud! And just like when you raft a river, there are professional photographers posted along the way taking your picture.

The road is a blast to ride – even though I went at granny pace- 30 miles/hr – but the route to get to The Dragon was fun, too. Rt 28 is just as curvy and I loved riding through the lush, green Nantahala National Forest.

I rode by signs like this all day long.

After 8 hours on the bike, I checked into the Iron Horse Station in Hot Springs, NC. The road to get to Hot Springs (Rt 209) was just as curvy as the Dragon and runs for 30 miles, a lot of it through the Pisgah National Forest. Beautiful! I was often entirely alone on that road, and I am grateful I had no problems.

The Iron Horse Station Inn and Restaurant, Hot Springs, NC

http://www.theironhorsestation.com/

Hot Springs is a cool little (very little) historic train town. I am staying in a restored train depot and my room is perfect! The “tourists” are an interesting mix of bikers, river runners, AT hikers and those seeking a getaway from as far away as Atlanta, Knoxville and Asheville. As always I had a cold beer and a shower, and after that, I enjoyed a wonderful glass of red wine with some delicious white bean & chicken chili. Yum!! I am soooo content. How perfect that the train came through as a fitting end to a wonderful evening.

Almost 700 miles so far! I’m supposed to hit the road for home tomorrow … I am really not ready for that!

Day 5 – What a Ride!!

A huge storm woke me during the night and I wondered how wet my bike would be. The sun was shining brightly this morning though and I thought all was well. I am not sure why I didn’t think about all the water that the seat had absorbed during the storm – I rode with a wet ass all day! Lessons learned! 🙂

I truly enjoyed my stay in Hot Springs. I loved the fact that every single person wished me a good morning as I walked to the Smokey Mountain Diner for breakfast. I passed several buses loaded down with rafts and tubes and I kind of wish I had stayed and spent some time floating the French BroadRiver.

But … it was time to ride on.

I rode 275 miles today (a record for me) and I spent almost all of it on back roads. I rode through parts of the Cherokee National Forest, the Jefferson National Forest and the Mt Rogers Recreation Area. I rode on a long stretch of road that passed through multiple “no stop light” towns in Tennessee. I loved the names – Minneapolis, Cranberry, Plumtree (which had flower boxes on the bridge through town), and one place called Lick Log. Really? Who names a town Lick Log?

I’ve been really lucky in terms of weather on this trip, but today was the best day yet! An “Idaho sky” for sure! I have loved these past 5 days – no plan and the freedom to spontaneously pick my route. Today I literally went from one town to the next, choosing the roads as I went along. The folks I met, who helped to guide me, were wonderful.

I often hear bikers talk about the wind in the face and the freedom of the road … I feel like I finally get it!

It has been such an amazing trip and I really was not ready to come home. Even still, I was glad to cross over the New River for the first time in 5 days. Thanks to Fred and Cindy for welcoming me back home with a glass of wine, and to Amy for sharing my traditional end of the day beer with me.

What a ride!! 925 miles over 5 days and 3 states. What a great way to celebrate my 50th Birthday!!

The Early Morning Colors of Winter

January 26, 2013 by LB

While I didn’t really want to be up and on the road to Charlottesville at 6:30 am for a professional meeting, the views and colors along the way were beautifully subtle.

As I traveled farther down the road, the sun gradually came up and the colors became brighter.

Adding a soft focus to this photo really highlighted the red.

The colors of the cows added to the palette.

But my favorite colors of the day were those found in this tranquil farm scene … the smoke from the chimney, the fog over the mountain, the barely rising sun against the brown of the trees and the white of the snow … just lovely!

50th Birthday Solo Ride – The Blue Ridge Parkway, Part 1

January 8, 2013 by LB

“To some, turning 50 is anticipated with dread. Me? I started planning my 50th birthday celebration a year or two before I even reached that age. I considered 50 a milestone to celebrate; a time to revel in the joy of feeling young and alive with endless possibilities!”

This blog entry is based on my 50th Birthday Solo Ride journals and emails. Each summer when I take my solo ride, I send an email to the folks back home – to let them know I’m okay (they worry) and to share the joy of the ride. I was not blogging back then and have been wanting to post about the ride ever since I started this blog in June of 2012. Since 2010, I have taken two other solo rides. I rode to, from, and along the Outer Banks of North Carolina in 2011 and in 2012, I rode through Tennessee. The Tennessee story can be found in the August 2012 archives.

I have used journal entries and publications to write this post. My ride was featured in The Roanoke Times http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/community/wb/258574, WomensRidersNow (http://www.womenridersnow.com), and my local HOG chapter.

All pictures were taken with my old Canon power shot. This is the first of two posts about the 2010 trip.

I decided to simultaneously celebrate my big 5-0 and the 75^th Anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway by riding the North Carolina portion of “America’s Favorite Drive”. This route offered me the spontaneity I longed for while never being more than 400 miles from home … the perfect way for an intermediate rider to venture into solo riding. Yes, other women have gone farther and stayed out longer, but my 925 mile / 5 day / 3 state ride were perfect for me and one that I think any woman would feel comfortable attempting.

T-Minus one day “til the 50th Birthday Solo Ride

Tomorrow morning I leave on my very first solo motorcycle trip (and actually only my second long distance trip altogether). I am so excited … mostly because of the trip, but also because I have two weeks off of work. I know that some are nervous about me traveling on the bike on my own, but I am taking every precaution and I am well prepared. I’ll only be gone for 5 days and will never be more than 400 miles away.

My plan is to tour many of the places along the North Carolina portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I have no specific schedule nor do I have any hotel reservations … I’m looking for a bit of spontaneity! I do know that I want to ride a lot, eat some good local food, enjoy a cold beer in the evenings, hike and swim along the way, and end it all by riding the Tail of the Dragon on the NC/Tenn border … 319 curves over 11 miles!

Day 1 – The Adventure Begins

I can’t believe that the first day of riding is done!

I was wide awake at 6am – so ready for vacation and this long planned ride. Michael and I pulled out of Radford at 9am (after taking pictures and making sure that my bags were tied down well). He also rode behind me for quite awhile to make sure things stayed tied down. I’m so glad I had such a great friend to ride part of the first day with!

We rode to Stations Inn in Laurel Springs, NC where I ate a “Harley Dog” (hot dog, bacon and cheese – no calories there, huh?). That is where we parted and I have to confess to a few tears as I headed off on my own. But within 5 minutes I was fine and ready for my adventure.

I got caught in my first rain storm and spent 20 minutes hanging out under an overpass. Guess I’m a real biker now – ha! The rest of the ride went smoothly and the NC portion of the BRP is beautiful!

I rode on to Blowing Rock, NC (200 miles the first day). What a cool place! There are lots of shops and restaurants in this little mountain town. I found a cute little motel where the owner offered to bring out towels to wipe down the bike in the morning. My clean comfortable little room , with a porch out front, only cost me $69! How cool is that?

I just finished a couple of cold beers and some Fish and Chips at a local pub. I plan to read a bit on my little porch and then I promise you, this woman will sleep well tonight!

Day 2 – Exploring the BRP on Bike and on Foot

I slept better than I have in weeks!! And started the day by enjoying scrambled eggs on the porch of a cute little coffee shop … And for only $2! I really enjoyed my short time in Blowing Rock.

I was on the BRP by 9am and rode back and forth several times across the Linn Cove Viaduct, a part of the parkway that swings out adjacent to the mountain. It was designed to preserve the scenery and the fragile environment and I just laughed and hooted out loud as I rode, it was so cool!!

From there I headed to GrandfatherMountain and walked over the mile high swinging bridge.

I followed that by hiking to LinvilleFalls. It was overcast all day so the pictures won’t be great but my memories are wonderful.

I knew that today would find me stopping a lot but when 1p came and I’d only gone 40 miles I decided I’d better head on down the road. The NC part of the BRP is beautiful – so much different than VA. The route is full of constant elevation changes, curves, tunnels and gorgeous views. Makes for very fun riding!!

Next stop was 40 miles later at Mount Mitchell, where the elevation is over 6500 ft. Even though I couldn’t see far, it was neat to have the fog swirl around me as I walked around up there. From that point it was a curvy ride back down out of the mountains.

I checked into a hotel in Asheville (where I was able to talk down the price by telling the desk clerk about my 50^th birthday solo ride – my friend Dave told me never to accept first price and it worked!!). I enjoyed beer, fried pickles and bluegrass in a place called the Fiddlin Pig. They even played the Hokie Pokey! And I just happened to have a VT shirt on! Life is good!

Southwest Virginia!!

January 2, 2013 by LB

If you’ve read even a couple of my posts, you know that I frequently tout SWVA as a beautiful and fun place to live. Now, it’s not just me who is spreading the word! Thanks to my friend Brandon for sharing this article from Mens Health Magazine entitled 13 Places to Visit in 2013.

The world’s an endlessly vast place for exploration. And the more you travel, the more ground you realize you have yet to cover. With that in mind, here are a baker’s dozen of places—close, far, known, and relatively obscure—that you should visit in the coming year.

Guess what #12 is?

12. Southwest Virginia (woo hoo!)
It’s hard to beat the Blue Ridge mountains for watching the leaves change in the fall. The 12,000 acre Primland resort offers postcard views along with a wide range of activities, like tree climbing, geocaching, clay shooting hunting, and mountain biking. Drive south along to the crooked road music trail (stops include the Carter Family Fold, the home of Johnny Cash’s in-laws) to Abingdon, a scenic town with vineyards, breweries, theaters, and the 34-mile Virginia Creeper Trail. Also of note, the Star Museum, which showcases an extensive rotating collection of movie memorabilia including a smoking jacket worn by Clark Gable.

When to go: October, to watch the leaves change.

http://news.menshealth.com/13-places-to-visit-in-2013/2012/12/27/