258 miles, 11.5 hours

I slept in this morning. I knew I didn't have a horribly long day ahead of me, and the motorcycle campground was very quiet. My fellow riding friends left sometime before 7am- I didn't hear them, and the owner of the campground didn't hear them either.

After about a dozen miles, I got onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. I can't say I completely understand the significance of the Parkway, but it is pretty amazing: 500 miles along the ridgelines of the various mountain ranges, commercial vehicles are prohibited, and little to no retail or even signs. It's pretty magical.

My first stop (after some detours off the Parkway) was Grandfather Mountain. It's a touristy place. After paying my $14 admission, I rode about 1000 feet up to the top of the mountain. The mountaintop is granite, and they have a cable-stayed pedestrian bridge to reach part of it. I was amused to see people who couldn't look down while crossing the bridge- it was only maybe 60 feet down and the bridge hardly moved.

Since I was still wearing my riding gear while walking across the bridge and taking photos, quite a few tourists asked about riding. My favorite was the guy who asked why motorcyclists love the Blue Ridge Parkway. I didn't even know how to answer that- why wouldn't motorcyclists love a road with great curves, good pavement, low traffic, and great scenery? I mean, that's what motorcycling is about. If someone asked why I commute year-round on a motorcycle, that would be a tougher question to answer. But asking why a motorcyclist would like spending a summer day on a mountain road just boggles my mind.

I took the requisite number of pictures and panoramas, then went about halfway down the mountain to their "nature center" (aka museum). It was mildly interesting- there were displays of the geology of the area, displays of local birds, and so on. They also had a little zoo, with otters, a bald eagle, bears, cougars, and deer. The bears were very tame and friendly since they were fed by tourists. While that isn't good for the bears, it meant I could get some good pictures of them. They were cute!

My next stop wasn't far away- Linville Falls. I figured it would be good for me to get some exercise while hiking to the falls. Because it was still a little on the cool side, I left my riding gear on (and didn't change out of my moto boots). That turned out to be a mistake. I thought I'd be hiking 1/3 mile or less, when in reality I ended up hiking about 1.5 miles. I was pretty tired and sweaty by the time I got back to the bike.

The falls and gorge are really pretty. The upper falls just cascade over rocks, but then they enter a very narrow opening and shoot out of the rocks. I met several nice people- some were riders who recommended some roads for me to take later in the day (which I did).

The rest of the day can be summed up with two words: "more Parkway". It was frustrating to have double-yellow striping for dozens of miles before a legal passing area (especially since nobody seems to look in their mirrors, even other bikers), but the road is breathtaking. Since you are literally on the ridge of the mountain ranges, you frequently get these incredible views. I stopped at several viewpoints, but there were too many to count.

At one stop, there were a ton of "butterflies" (actually moths). They were black, with shimmery blue sections. They were beautiful- I'm not sure why they liked that viewpoint, I assume the flowers/berries were tasty to them. I wish I know exactly what kind of moth they were!

After getting through the endless tourist traffic of Cherokee, NC, I zipped over to the Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge. While High Country was a very rustic campground, the Iron Horse Lodge is luxury camping for tents and RVs, cabins, bunkhouses, and motel-style lodging. They also have a huge dining area and lounge with satellite TV and satellite internet access. The lodge is decorated in a rustic motorcycle theme- very well-done with lots of thought put into it.

I had their Saturday special, Prime Rib. It was really tasty- and nice to sit with other riders to discuss life. I met a couple from the state who said this area had lots of great motorcycle roads, but I shouldn't miss the Outer Banks. Well, that's the route Tamara and I will be doing with Mom and Dad, so that works out well!

On a more negative note, the stock front tire on my bike is shagged. It is running out of tread very rapidly, and the handling is going down the tubes. I've been able to compensate by adjusting the suspension, air pressure, and keeping a very firm two-handed grip on the bars, but it keeps getting worse- I assume that means the tire is cupped, but I don't know for sure. I hate Trailwings! Tamara called and found a tire for me in Knoxville, which is only an hour or two to the north. Unfortunately, the dealer is closed until Tuesday, so I'll just take it easy until then.