Retired and Trippin

We left Clarksville , AR at 8:00 AM. It was 70 degrees when we took off west on I-40. It appeared to have the makings of a beautiful day. At Hwy 23 we turned north and took off up the Pig Trail. In the hills the temperature dropped to 64. North of the Pig Trail we stopped near the junction of Hwy 23 and 127 for a break and so Jamie could put on more clothes. It happened to be by Henderson Creek where Jamie saw some rocks she wanted to take home but, absent heavy equipment, that wasn’t possible. Further north on 23 we stopped at Fred’s in Holiday Island , AR. Chris wanted to do some shopping. Hwy 23 took us north into Missouri , to Hwy 86 north, to Hwy 76 east, and to Hwy 39 north. I suffered a severe case of rectal-cranial-inversion near Mt. Vernon , MO and missed a turn to stay on Hwy 39 north. About 7 to 10 miles later I figured out something wasn’t right, stopped, and had a consult with Wild Bill. We turned around and got back on track. We stayed on 39 no

After an excellent Hampton Inn breakfast we departed Mountain Home at 7:45 AM. It was a beautiful day with a temperature of 63. We rode south on Hwy 5 to Hwy 14 which took us north and west. At the Buffalo River we stopped at Dillard’s Ferry. There were a butt load of people with canoes and tubes getting in the river and taking off down stream. At Harrison we had a picnic lunch by Crooked Creek in a city park. We then rode south on Hwy 7. We traveled through the metropolis of Pruitt , AR. South of Jasper, AR we stopped at the Buffalo National River scenic overlook for some pictures. Riding on Hwy 7 was very scenic and enjoyable. We hammered it on south to Russellville , AR where we checked at the Honda Motorcycle Dealership for a left front speaker cover which I’d lost back in North Carolina . They didn’t have one but they offered to order it. Yea, that would help. From Russellville we took off west on I-40 to Clarksville where we stopped for the day a

We left our motel in Dickson , TN at 7:00 AM riding west on I-40. About 90 miles later we exited I-40 at Jackson , TN and rode northwest on Hwy 412. It was in the high 60’s and cloudy with no wind when we left. It was a PERFECT day for riding. Later the clouds gave way to mostly sun but the high for the day was 77. Before long we had logged 100 miles. We were both going strong so we decided to break our previous non-stop record of 150 miles. Hwy 412 became I-155 as it crossed the Mississippi River into the Missouri boot heel. We stopped in Kennett , MO for gas with the trip meter registering 186 miles. BOOYEA! We continued west on Hwy 412, which was also Hwy 62 in Arkansas, to Highlands, AR where we stopped in the parking lot of a vacant business along the highway. We were to receive a phone call at noon from Bill and Jamie to make sure we could all make Mountain Home , AR. Since it was noon and we were hungry we decided to have a picnic lunch on the sidewalk in fron

Today our son, Bryan, turned 29. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Bryan ! We rode north out of Helen on Hwy 75 at 7:00 AM. It was cloudy, foggy, and 72 degrees. Due to recent rain, the roads were wet. The route took us into the north Georgia mountains where the temperature dropped to 66. At one point it looked like it could rain so we put on our rain suits – jackets and pants. We turned west on Hwy 76 and then north on Hwy 17 into North Carolina where we caught Hwy 64 (again) west to Hwy 74/129 north and east. Eventually Hwy 129 turned north and split away from Hwy 74 and the scenery was great. Going this direction the Tail of the Dragon ( http://www.tailofthedragon.com/ ) goes from roughly Tapoco , NC to Tallassee , TN. The twisties were nearly nonstop and the scenery was beautiful. We were there early enough (9:00) that traffic was very light. We were never passed by a crotch rocket, which I had been told was common. When we stopped for a photo opportunity nobody passed in e

Our sister-in-law turned 50 today. Congratulations Marge! We departed Ron and Cindy’s at 9:00 AM in 68 degree mostly sunny weather and headed to Dupont State Forest westbound on Kanuga and Crab Creek Roads. We arrived at Dupont State Forest at 9:30 AM and hiked to three different waterfalls. One of those waterfalls, Triple Falls , actually consisted of three different falls. When we arrived there were only two or three other vehicles in the gravel parking lot. Our first walk was to Hooker Falls . I saw no explanation as to how the falls got this name but it makes me wonder. The area is beautiful. The trails are wide and easy to walk on and the forest is lush providing abundant shade. From Hooker Falls we hiked to Triple Falls and then High Falls . The hiking was more strenuous here due to significant elevations changes. It was worth the effort however. When we arrived back at the parking lot it was crammed full of vehicles. We rode further west on

We did no riding on July 12, 13, and 14 (with one small exception). We visited with Ron and Cindy and did some sight seeing around the Asheville , NC area. Ron and Cindy have a beautiful home on the top of a mountain south and west of Hendersonville and being there is quite relaxing. On July 13 we visited the historic Grove Park Inn in Asheville ( http://www.groveparkinn.com/ ). The two fireplaces in the lobby were made of humongous stones. Very impressive! Also on July 13 we visited the Biltmore property, saw the Biltmore mansion, walked through the gardens, and had dinner outside at the Arbor Grill ( http://www.biltmore.com/ ). Ron and Cindy have a neighbor, Tricia, who had never ridden on a motorcycle. She told them previously that riding on a motorcycle was on her bucket list. On July 14 I gave her a short ride (on the motorcycle!!!). She really enjoyed it. A bonus for me was that she showed me the Dupont State Forest ( http://www.dupontforest.com/ ) wher

Chris' brother turned 55 today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Ron! We left Crossville , TN at 6:30 AM central time. It was 68 degrees, a great morning for riding. As it would end up, the entire day (almost) was great for riding. To make time we rode east on I-40 and southeast on I-140 to Hwy 129 south to Maryville , TN where we stopped for gas. From Maryville we traveled east on Hwy 321 to just past Townsend, TN where we took Hwy 73 south and east into the Smoky Mountains National Park. In the park we turned south on Hwy441. Riding in the Smoky Mountains was beautiful. As elevation increased the temperatures decreased to as low as 64. The only negative in the whole experience was the traffic. Cindy later told us that the Smoky Mountains National Park is the second most visited national park. Yellowstone is number one. About half way across the Smoky Mountains we crossed into North Carolina . At the south end of the Smoky Mountains we jumped on the Blue Ridge

My Dad turned 83 today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Buff! Our trip today started at 6:20 AM in 74 degree temperature. We took Hwy 74 east across the Mississippi River bridge into Illinois onto Hwy 146 east to Hwy 3 south to Cairo, IL. We crossed the Ohio River into Kentucky where we rode east on Hwy 60 to Paducah , KY. Just east of Paducah I took a wrong turn and crossed the Tennessee River . After a very short roundabout we were back on track on Hwy 68 southeast to Fairdealing , KY where we took a butt break. Hwy 68 then took us east across the Land Between the Lakes where there was much highway construction in progress. We continued east to Hopkinsville where we turned southeast on Hwy 41. At Pembroke , KY we stopped for gas. In Guthrie , KY Chris shot a picture of a yellow house she thought was quite colorful. The picture shows the house is actually orange so I don’t know if Chris tends toward the colorblind or if the camera did not accurately capture the yellow color???? Hwy 41

Chris and I left home at 6:00 AM. It was 72 degrees, great riding weather. We left the KC area on Hwy 50 east in Missouri . Our first stop was around 100 miles down the road in Sedalia , MO. We continued east on 50 past Jefferson City to Hwy 63 south and around 100 miles later we had a butt break in Vienna, MO. While on the road I heard some fantastic song lyrics; "God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy." It is probably an old song but it was the first time I heard it. It is so true. We continued south on 63 to Hwy 68 south and Hwy 8 east. Near Meramec Spring Park the odometer on my motorcycle rolled over 70,000 miles! Good Goldwing. After a stop for gas in Steelville we stopped in Potosi , MO for lunch at the Dos Primos Mexican Restaurant. It was larrapin good. At Park Hills we rode south on Hwy 67 to Hwy 72 south and east to Cape Girardeau . It became obvious past Fredericktown , MO on Hwy 72 that a serious storm (tornado?) blew through the area sometime e