Unknown's avatar

Hangin’ With the Big Dogs: A 500 Mile Weekend

by

I just LOVE the first long rides of the summer!

Those who truly love riding motorcycles, will ride all year long.  Even on cold winter days, as long as the sun is shining.  Winter rides are incredibly satisfying but they’re often shorter in duration, with far fewer miles covered.   So when the warm weather arrives, the long riding begins, and there is nothing like it!

This past Saturday, during the middle of an early morning hair appointment, I got the call to ride.  My two favorite bikers, Dave and Michael (My Guys) are great friends, awesome mentors, and have taught me so much about riding these past 5 years.  They told me I had 10 minutes to be ready (I made it in 15) and off we went!

We rode 350 miles,  through 8 counties, and on too many country roads to count.

010

This bridge was built in 1896 and was just closed to traffic this past year.

006 009 008 007

I’m told that this tower was used to measure river water levels.

003

004

It was a glorious day for riding!

026 027

Lunch at Devils Backbone Brewery offered much needed fuel for our bodies, and then we turned and headed for home.

029 036

We hit the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) and pulled back into Radford around 8pm that evening.

051 052

Sunday morning found us back on the bikes, this time joined by our good (and fun!) friends Cherie, Tim, Diana, and Jeff. Dave always leads the way and while I may not always know where we are headed, I am always confident that the ride will be a blast!

Total mileage today was  145 miles.

After a brief stop at Tuggles Gap, a restaurant and motel serving BRP customers for over 70 years, we took off in earnest.

050

Wide sweeping curves on the BRP and much tighter curves on Rt 8 in Floyd and Patrick Counties, eventually took us to Squirrel Spur.

017 023

024

Our final stop was the Kanawha Valley Arena.  The arena “was formed in the interest of Equestrian Enthusiasts” and in addition to the professional arena, barn, and corrals, Kanawha has a Carriage House Museum and a Carriage House Saloon.

And a covered bridge!

034

045 037 036

027 028

This scene just made me chuckle and I had to take a picture!

025

032 043

What a weekend on the bike!  I simply can’t wait for the next one!

Unknown's avatar

Solstice Party

by

The longest day of the year inspires many things … photography, mass yoga gatherings, 5k races, dances, and parties.  My friends held a Solstice Party, a wonderful celebration of summer, family, and friends.

We enjoyed great food and drink in a beautiful outdoor setting.  Children played, adults laughed, and everyone danced, waving sparklers and glow sticks around with abandon.  All this and a lovely garden tour, too.

I wish I could say that I had taken photos to capture all those moments, but it’s hard to dance and shoot pics at the same time.

Hopefully, you’ll enjoy these, taken earlier in the evening.

021 020 017

025 050 051

038 033 023

044 043

047

And in the Fairy Garden, for Boomdee 🙂

041

Unknown's avatar

Piano on Solstice

by

While most of the photos from the Solstice Party on Friday were taken outside, this one was shot while I was inside getting a glass of sangria.  Something about the light on the keys and the lovely wood …

046

More photos coming later!

Unknown's avatar

Come On Over!

by

Come on over, ya’ll!!

It’s a beautiful evening here in SWVA, just perfect for Porch Time!

003

Sit back and relax with your favorite beverage …

007

I’ll be here all summer!

Unknown's avatar

One Hour on the Bike

by

In just one hour after work, I was able to ride the motorcycle from the river …

002

008

014

to the farm …

029

to the woods.

041

Not a bad way to spend an hour!

Unknown's avatar

Planning the 4th Solo Trip

by

My last post glorified the joy of being home, and I truly am excited to have the next four weeks at home without travel (other than day trips on the bike of course).   It’s time however to get serious about planning the 4th Solo Bike Trip.

So many places to ride; so few vacation days!

You may remember that I rode the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Tail of the Dragon (in Tennessee) in 2010 as a way to celebrate my 5oth Birthday (photos taken with my old Canon Powershot SD1000)

110

2011 found me riding to the Outer Banks of North Carolina (again, with the old Canon)

151

Tennessee was the destination in 2012

038

So it seems that I have, not with purpose, alternated between the  mountains and the beach.

This year then, I’m going back to the beach!  I’ll ride to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Annapolis, and possibly Delaware.

The near constant rain has had me less than motivated to pull out the maps, but this weekend I WILL get to it!  After all, the day of departure is just 7 weeks away!

Let the planning begin!

Unknown's avatar

It’s Nice to be Home

by

As much as I love to hit the road and explore new places, having traveled the last 5 of 7 weekends, I was missing what my friend Debbie calls “bonding with your house”.  

I missed the baking and cooking …

Chicken Salad for a friend’s birthday

028

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits for a couple other friends on Father’s Day

005

The potting and planting …

006

022

017

I can never have enough basil!

024

The time for photography …

010 014 011

Time to catch up on reading and blogging … currently reading Born To Run by Christopher McDougall

029

And even the time for cleaning and laundry (but you don’t need to see a photo of that now do you?).

Of course, there was time to call my father …

This is my father, mother, and me at our annual Mothers Day / Fathers Day Dinner 2 weeks ago

029

and this is Daddy, the most amazing father, back in the 70s.  He is now Captain USN, Retired

Scan0069

If I’m lucky and it doesn’t rain, I’ll get some time on the bike …

025

Yes, traveling and exploring are two of my most favorite things to do … but staying home isn’t bad at all.

Unknown's avatar

Prepping for the Bike Trip

by

My annual solo trip is just 2 months away and the new bike has been in the shop getting ready for the road!  It was due for it’s first check up at 1400 miles, but I also had the guys add highway pegs and a heat deflector.

 Since I couldn’t be on the bike, I pulled out the camera (ha! when don’t I pull out the camera?)

018

020

I loved the shadows of the leaves on the bark of  this weeping cherry tree (is that the playboy bunny I see?)

001

008

This one is with flash …

034

and this one without.  Which do you prefer?

025

Not a bad way to spend the evening!

Unknown's avatar

The Middle of the Road

by

I was supposed to hit the lake with friends this evening, but threatening rain early in the day led to a reschedule.  The sun was shining brightly as I headed toward home after work, and it was still shining during a brief but beautiful rain shower.

I only had moments to get the camera out and push the shutter .  The rain was slowing down and I was – after all – stopped in the middle of the road.

Pretty cool moment, for sure!

014 - Copy