Fall Trip- Day Four

"...its the journey, not the destination..."

Our airbnb just outside of Brevard North Carolina. A neat, rustic place complete with an outdoor fire pit.

     The house we rent is about three miles east of Brevard North Carolina. It is really a neat house, BUT... it is up a rutted dirt road which turns muddy in the rain...which it did last night, and the night before! Today's forecast: rain by 2 pm. Oh well, "...into each life a little rain must fall."

A typical morning in the Sunrise Cafe. If you look closely you can see Gary ordering.

     Brevard is a college town, home to Brevard College. Right across the street from the campus is a strip mall, and in that strip mall is a good breakfast place. The Sunrise Cafe is a small place but the food is good. It is usually crowded at breakfast time, and today was no exception. We ordered breakfast, ate, and then rode out to find an adventure.

Parked along US 276 to relax and read for a while.

     I followed the guys up US 276 into the park, and then when they turned off to go their hiking trail for the day I continued up 276. I soon found a pull over place with a picnic table, and I stopped to read for a while, and watch the cars, trucks, and motorcycles go by. Since it was a Saturday there were quite a lot of bikes going past. Many of them waved as they went by.

Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

     After about an hour I got back on the BMW and headed up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Turning south I rode for about 20 miles or so, enjoying the twists and turns, the changes in elevation, but sometimes frustrated riding behind a slow moving car or two. Since it was a Saturday there was some traffic, and there were many cars parked along the Parkway from people going for a walk in the woods.

I really like the shape off the clouds in the back round 

     I rode past the overlook at mile marker 428 where we usually stop to watch sunset, which we wanted to do after an early dinner. I continued on to another overlook at mile marker 431 where there is another great overlook to watch sunset. I got out my little camping chair, set it up, and then sat down in the sunshine to read a little and enjoy the view. A very nice lady, who was taking pictures, came over and we had a little conversation. She was 68, her husband 85, and they had also ridden motorcycles, but had given it up as they got older. She told me the Parkway was one of her favorite places, and that they had a small cabin on the North Carolina/ Georgia border. They came up to the Parkway as often as they could because they loved it there so much. Once again it is the people you meet that make motorcycle touring so much fun.

The overlook at mile marker 431 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I suspect a GREAT place to watch sunset. 

     After another hour or so I got back on the bike and rode north on the Parkway. When I reached NC 215 I got off the Parkway and rode it south towards Rosman North Carolina. NC 215 is a GREAT motorcycle road, with many twists and turns, some straightaways, and some very tight corners. It can truly be a challenge to your riding skills. At Rosman I headed east on US 64, to and through Brevard, and on to the house. Gary and Curtis arrived at the house by 4 PM, and by 5 PM we were at the local BBQ restaurant. Unfortunately when we went out to the bikes after dinner it had started to rain. No sunset for us tonight. Instead we rode back to the house, and watched the most recent Mummy film, with Tom Cruise in it, and after the film we all turned in. The weather looked iffy on Sunday, but we'll find a way to  make the most of it.

The view is beautiful. ( I think the bike is too!)