Solo

 

"The red cup or the StarWars guy, Han?"  Neither, but thanks for asking.  I got out for a solo ride today.  Joan was calling this a "chore day," wanting to get laundry and grocery shopping done.  She encouraged me to get out on the bike... I thought I heard something about "He's cranky when he doesn't get to ride..." or something like that.

She packed me a snack-type lunch and programmed the route we discussed into my phone.  She said, "If you get lost, call me."  I'm thinking: if I get lost, I will just lay down and let the buzzards eat me... but I'm not in Arizona, and I don't know if they even have buzzards around here... so I will just lay down and let the bears eat me.  I know they have bears, 'cause we saw one already.  But, I digress.  The route was the reverse of a ride we did last week: this time, out past the town of Cruso, up the twisty road from there to the Blue Ridge Parkway, ride that back to the exit for Maggie Valley, then back to the motorhome.  No, I'm not going to get lost, but it is an entertaining 2 1/2 to 3 hour ride.

I shot video with my DJI Action 4 and Mic2, and added the Insta360 X4 to the mix.  No, you won't see any video in this post, because 7 Action 4 vids and 3 X4 vids came out to over 100 gigabytes!  It took a couple hours just to process and download those 10 video clips, and it will take WAY longer than that to edit them into something usable.  I had started the editing process when my MacBook Pro said, "Warning, Will Robinson - Danger!  Danger!  You are running short on memory!  Abort!"  I don't know why it calls me Will Robinson?  But, you get 10 bonus points if you said, "From the 60s TV show Lost In Space."

So, instead of a video, here's a few photos: from Cruso Road...

And, from the Blue Ridge Parkway...

If you think you saw BLUE SKY in a couple of those photos, you are correct.  If you think it lasted until I got back to the coach, you are fooling yourself.  Yes, I got rained on for the last half hour or so.  Surprise!

On the bright side, the new rear tire did fine (and yes, I did check the tires before heading out and once along the way).  Nobody tried to take me off the road, but one car with Wisconsin plates did stop in the middle of the road on the Parkway.  No, I don't know why.

I did stop for gas on the way back to the coach: 91 mpg.  Pretty impressive for what I would call spirited riding.

From what I was told, Joan did not have as much fun as I did (something about people who leave their clothes in the dryer and don't come back for them... I would just toss 'em in the corner, but she is nicer than I am.  But, she did finish what I didn't eat from my snack lunch (chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A and some apple slices).  I took her out for an early supper at a Mexican restaurant.  She and Murphy had some outdoor time together while I downloaded video clips, then I took Murph for a walk.  Well, mostly a stand.

Tomorrow, we take the car back, so if there's any running we need to do, that will be the last opportunity to do it with an enclosed vehicle.  After that, we're back to being scooter commuters.  I am hoping Mother Nature will be kind.

Good News, Bad News...

 

Apparently, you are not able to appreciate the good times unless you have some less-than-good times.

The good news: the forecast was decent for today and we planned to get out on the scoots.  The bad news: we woke up to the rumble of thunder and the pitter-pat of rain on the roof.  The good news: the rain was supposed to move out by 11:00 or so.

The good news: I rolled the bikes out of the cargo trailer around noon.  The bad news: on my way to take garbage to the dumpster on the way out, there was something wrong with the back end of the bike.  The good news: we weren't out in the boonies.  The bad news: a flat rear tire.  I have a tire repair kit in my bike and an emergency compressor to pump up the tire.  Joan went back to the cargo trailer and got out our Worx hand-held compressor.  I pumped up the tire and we went back to our site.

The bad news: it wasn't holding air.  The worse news: because of the noise from the highway, I couldn't hear where the leak was coming from.  The good news: I called a motorcycle shop in Waynesville, and after me telling the young lady (Annabelle) on the phone what the tire size is, she said, "Let me go check to see if we have anything in that size."  The really good news: they do!  The so-so news: it is a Kenda (my 12th favorite tire choice).  The good news: their mechanics are out to lunch, but if we can get the scoot there by 2:00 (when they get back from lunch), they will get right on it.  And, I can get the scoot back today.

The bad news: Waynesville Cycle Center is 12 miles away, all highway.  I plan to top off the tire and try to get there before it goes flat again.  The good news: they are a Suzuki, Honda, and Yamaha dealer, so they should have some familiarity with the bike.  We took off from the campground around 1:00 and made it to Wyanesville Cycle Center around 1:20.  Joan followed me in the car.  I was really glad to have her back there, in case I needed to pull off the side of the road (and there isn't much in the way of shoulders on these highways), she could put her 4-way flashers on and divert traffic around me.  Turns out that wasn't necessary.

I went inside and met Duncan, the service manager.  I told him the situation and he said, "Ohh, that is an unusual tire size - let me check to see if we have one in stock."  I told him of my conversation with Annabelle and pointed at a tire that was leaning against the wall, "I bet that's it."  The good news: yes, that is it.  Duncan told me, "All my mechanics are at lunch, but I'll get my slowest guy on it when they get back at 2:00."

I asked, "Slowest, as in he moves slow, or as in the boy ain't too bright."

"Both," he said with a smirk.  I appreciate a sense of humor.  "It should be done by 3:00, maybe 3:30."  Joan and I left in the car and went to a nearby Hardee's for lunch.  Even taking our time, we were back to the shop around 2:00.  I checked in, met Annabelle (she is very nice, efficient, and professional); back to the car to let Joan know she can go back to the coach (no point in both of us waiting around), and I walked around their dealership to entertain myself...

They had a good selection of bikes: plenty of Suzukis and Yamahas, not a lot of Hondas.  But, they did have 2 Yamaha scooters: a Zuma and an Xmax (rare to see one of those on a dealer's floor)...

The good news: there was nothing on the sales floor that I'd rather have.  Around 3:00, I wandered back to the Service desk.  Duncan was on his way out.  He thanked me for doing business with them, gave me his card ("In case you need anything else while you're here") and said that my bike should be done shortly.  About 3:20, the mechanic brought out my keys and the paperwork.  Annabelle rang it up and I headed to my bike.  The price was fair.  The mechanic said, "That tire was about done for."  I thought it still had another 1,000 or so miles on it; less than 4,000 miles on that tire... I usually see 6,000 miles or better on scooter tires; better when I can get the Michelin City Grip IIs that I prefer.  To be fair, the Michelin tires are about twice the price of this Kenda.  No telling how long it would have taken to get one of those Michelins shipped in.

The bad news: we lost a day of riding, and Mother Nature hasn't been particularly good about allowing those.  The good news: I'm up and riding again.  I rode back to the campground (at a faster pace than the uncertain ride to the shop).  As I was putting the bike back in the cargo trailer, it started sprinkling... followed shortly by the rumble of thunder again.  I'm calling that good timing.  The tread on the new tire...

Murphy got some outdoor time with Joan while I was waiting for the scoot.  His eyes widened a bit when he heard the thunder, but he was more quizzical than afraid of the noise.  The rain held off until around 5:00, when the rumbles came calling again.

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By 6:30, the rain was really pounding.  Hard-to-hear-the-TV kinda pounding.  Not a big problem, because the TV reception went out while the rain was pounding.  A "to reset" page came up on the TV - apparently the "basic cable" we have here in the park is from Dish: we used to see that page frequently when we had Dish (at the house, in the boat, in the motorhome, etc).  We dumped Dish, but I digress.  We knew it would take a few minutes after the rain let up before the signal would come back.

Nope, I was wrong: all the power went out.  The motorhome can run almost everything except the air conditioning and microwave on battery power.  The fridge switches itself to propane.  We turned off lights and TVs to conserve battery power.  The power pedestal we are plugged into for shore power is a bit sketchy, so I was getting shoes on to check with a neighbor to see if it was just our power or if the whole campground was out.  Before I finished putting on my shoes, the power came back on... yep, not us.  Or, if there was some kind of surge or power fluctuation, our surge protector would have taken the coach off shore power until things stabilize (that helps protect our TVs and appliances).  Whatever the cause, the power came back on after about 15 minutes.

Some parts of the state are getting wind, hail, and flooding (you may have seen something about Dollywood getting flooded - that is on the other side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from us).  There is a stream that runs through the back side of this campground, but so far (in spite of all the rain) no flash flood warnings here (as there are one over from us).

On the bright side, the rain has let up significantly.

I guess I was fortunate to get back from the motorcycle shop when I did.

Surprise!

 

It rained.  Not all day, just a couple hours in the morning, then a couple more.  There was actually a couple periods of sunshine that lasted for a while.  But, not reliable enough that we wanted to venture out on the scoots.  We did go out for lunch and stopped to pick up a few necessities.

Murphy got a couple outings, between the rain showers.  As I mentioned before, there are a lot of people walking dogs here.  We're used to people and their pets in campgrounds and RV parks, but I mean a lot of dogs.  I have been keeping Murphy on our site, but I don't think he's too keen to explore further out.  Yet.  We spent some time just sitting in chairs on our site while people walked by with dogs.  Murph keeps an eye on them and tries to make himself smaller as the dogs go by.  No barking or growling today, so it was good for Murphy to see that all dogs aren't out to get him.

Chillin'...

Yep, that is a long cat when he stretches out (above).  Just taking in all the activity (below).

He is generally on "high alert" when we are outside, but he still wants to get out there.  I try to make each outing a good experience to build on... but loud vehicles and snarly dogs set him back... and then we work for another positive outing.  He's doing good.

Considering the less than stellar weather, we're doing good, too.

The Quest For Food...

 

No, we're not going hungry.  Murphy has some food allergies, so he gets prescription food.  It's available at PetSmart, and we stocked up on it before we left home.  Joan had researched the area, and saw that there is a PetSmart in the town adjacent to where we are staying, so we were comfortable in knowing that we didn't have to have a couple months of food with us.

And then we went to that PetSmart... and they don't have a vet there, nor any prescription food.  Joan found a PetSmart in Ashville (about 30 miles away) that does have it in stock.  With today's weather forecast being for occasional rain (no big surprise), we decided to make it a car trip... after I made breakfast on the griddle and showers.  No hurry, so we didn't head out until after Murph got lunch.

A lot of traffic on the Interstate between here and Ashville; several slow-downs along the way, for no apparent reason.  Joan had our route mapped to a PetSmart there, and we picked up enough of Murphy's food to get us back home.  The boy has no food-insecurities.

A stop at Walmart, because it was nearby.  On the way home, we discussed food for our bellies... Joan suggested we wait until we get back to Maggie Valley and eat at the Italian restaurant that we enjoyed on my birthday.  Excellent suggestion!

Yeah, we got rained on a couple times on the way there; I do like having a car (also made it easy to carry 24 cans of Murph's food).  The food and service at the restaurant was just as good as our first visit, and plenty of left-overs for another couple meals.

Back at the motorhome, Murphy got a treat (because he is such a good boy), then I took him outside.  He went into his catio on his own...

A couple dogs being walked went by, but Murphy felt safe in his Catio of Invisibility.  We stayed out there until the rain started up (first sign of it here), then back into the coach.

It is now late afternoon, but might be an OK time for us all to get in a short nap.  An easy schedule, another non-riding day.

It's a dry day, but...

 

The front of the motorhome was just nasty-looking, thanks to the rain running through the large tree that is over the top of us...

 

That's why I said that the hood and front cap of the motorhome looked like it was stained with tea: all that rain running through the leaves and the residue dripping down on us.  Joan scrubbed the hood and grill, I used a long-handled brush to get the top cap.  There is no doubt that the roof of the motorhome is as messy as the hood was - I will wait until we're about ready to head out before I do anything with that.

One of us, and I won't mention who, but it wasn't me, decided that the now clean hood of the coach needed a coat of wax to keep it from getting stained (really, it was ugly).  She asked what I had for wax... the easiest is a spray wax made for automotive finishes (I also have a paste wax that is a LOT more work).  Yes, she waxed the hood, fenders, front doors, and cabin door.  It looks great.  I can't speak for her, but I am tired just writing about what she did.

This afternoon will be a shopping day.  No, not for anything fun (like Tail of the Dragon t-shirts), but for groceries, paper products, and a stop a PetSmart to get Murphy stocked up.  It will be 4 weeks tomorrow since we left Arizona; Joan had scoped out the area to make sure there is a Walmart and a PetSmart in the nearby next town.

Dry, but overcast; it keeps the heat down, but adds to the humidity.  The high today is supposed to be 80º - far less than what we left behind in AZ, but we still have to run the A/C a lot to keep the humidity down.

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The next door neighbors pulled out this morning.  They were a very quiet older (that's relative) couple with a dog that was nearly blind and didn't bark... my idea of good neighbors.  Now, the uncertainty of who (and what) will pull in next.  With us being rather "exposed" on this site - our patio door faces the interior road and the "yard" is narrow.  That means: if I am outside, say walking Murphy, anyone walking by feels I am fair game for discussion.  That has not been the case with the neighbors on the other side of us, who just pulled out... they are friendly and say, "Hi," when they see us come and go... and that's enough. 

Still beating the heat...

 

We got out on the scoots today... no rain.  One in a row!  Joan worked out a loop that gave us some time on the Blue Ridge Parkway, then down into a valley on a twisty road, before hooking up with a highway that would take us back to the campground.

It was in the 60s up on the Parkway, and we didn't head out until just after 11:00.  At the highpoint on the Parkway, it was down to 61º - that is, indeed, beating the heat.  As soon as we came down in elevation, the temperature warmed up into the 70s.  The sky was mostly cloudy, but... no rain.

I shot some video with the Insta360 X4 and the DJI Osmo Action 4.  When we got back, I downloaded and edited the video, then added a voice over; a couple hours all in on that.  Unfortunately, the upload to YouTube is taking forever: after an hour, it was still only 15% uploaded... so, the video will probably not be finished in time to get it in today.  As some point, I'll compress it further and get it uploaded; I used the cameras forward and back for some variety.

In the meantime, a couple still photos...

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Finally finished getting the video loaded...

Like living in a snare drum...

 

It started raining last night; rained all through the night.  Still raining when we got up this morning.  Our motorhome has a fiberglass roof.  Decent insulation for an RV.  We are water-tight, but that constant pounding of the rain on the roof is wearing.

Surprisingly, Murphy is taking it all in stride.  He does not like some loud noises... like when a loud pickup goes by.  But he didn't have a problem with fireworks on the 4th of July, and hasn't been concerned with the pounding of the rain.  The noise woke me up a couple times during the night, but Murphy was asleep on his pad at the foot of the bed each time we checked on him.  He is sitting on a pad beside me in the dinette right now...

 Yeah, he is dozing.  I think I'm gonna need a nap, too.

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Along about 2:00, the rain let up and we went out for lunch.  Big decisions: Italian, a sandwich shop, or Grandma food?  We drove through town, Joan didn't want to make a decision, so I went for the Italian place.  Not the same one we went to last week, but this one also got decent reviews.

Joan ordered a calzone, I went for fettuccine alfredo.  The food was good... the waitress was not.  I got soup and bread with my fettuccine, but I had to ask for it after she brought out my entree.  The place wasn't busy; this young lady spent most of her time visiting with someone at the front counter who ordered food to go... instead of taking care of the two tables with guests.  On the bright side, we have leftovers for supper, and I won't feel the need to go back to this one.  Too bad, because Joan declared this "The best calzone I've ever had."

Yeah, it was raining on our drive back to the campground.  Not pounding, though.  Our poor coach is skanky looking on the outside, being parked under a big tree... with the rain coming down through those leaves, it is like green tea on the white hood of the motorhome.  It is going to need a thorough scrubbing.

The weather weasels are now calling for only a 30% chance of rain for tomorrow; it has been 70% or more for days.  There's hope!

Murphy looking out the window...

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It had stopped raining, so this evening, Murphy got to go outside on his leash.  It was pretty quiet out there, so we spent a half hour walking around our site.  This has been like starting over with the leash again, since he had months of no leash in our yard (with the 6' wall around it).  He is catching on again... he doesn't pull on the leash and he takes some guidance with a gentle nudge on the leash.  He's not just a sweet boy, he's a good boy.

A couple times, people came by with dogs; I picked him up and let him look without any concern.  No fuss.  We're not ready for nose-to-nose meetings, yet, but I think he understands that I am looking out for him.

Here's a shot of Murph on the running board on the motorhome...

It has been interesting watching him get used to grass.  We have a section of artificial turf in our yard, but no real grass.  A time of discovery.  :-)

Where do you go to buy a farmer?

 

Yes, the farmers' market.  Apparently, I am wrong about that, but wanted to go to the Farmers' Market in Ashville today.  It looked like it was going to rain (we got fooled - it didn't; just stayed gray all day), so we day-tripped it in the car today.

We've been to this farmers' market before; not this trip, but when we were here in 2017.  It is BIG and the buildings are permanent...

 

Big garage doors that open to move produce in/out, and to keep it open when the weather is cooperative.  This set of buildings is a couple blocks long, and there are multiple buildings.  Some look to be for large wholesale sales, but I think the public is welcome there, as well.  We spent more time in the buildings that have multiple vendors.

We did not come home empty-handed.

Lunch out.  On the way back to the campground, we passed a DQ sign on the Interstate.  I have been a good boy with my blood sugar, so I suggested a stop.  Joan was onboard, so we had to loop around to get back to it.  When we walked up to the door of the DQ, we saw a sign that said, "Drive Up Only."  No counter service.  Back to the car and around to the drive up.  I think the woman who said, "I'll be right with you..." and then didn't come back for quite a while, must be taking the orders, making the food, and running the drive-up window.  Pretty sure the people in the car in front of us ordered chicken.  (It's a family joke: chicken is always the thing that takes the longest to cook, so don't order that if you're in a hurry.)  When she finally came back, we ordered a Peanut Buster Parfait each and drove around to the window.

This is the first time I've had a Peanut Buster Parfait that had more Spanish peanuts and hot fudge than ice cream.  Neither of us cared to get to the bottom where there was an inch of hot fudge with an inch of crushed peanuts on top of that... but the ice cream above it was already eaten.  I won't need another one of those for a very long time.

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Murphy and I were out for a short walk this evening...

 

He's a sweet boy.  Before Joan took that photo, she said, "Murphy's tail is standing upright" - that's a sign that he is happy and confident.  We are still taking "baby steps" with the walking; loud noises (like a pickup with a loud exhaust going by on that road we're standing by) do concern him.  But, he is happy to get outside.

Re-upped...

 

You signed up for another enlistment?  No, but thanks for asking.  We are here for another 3 weeks or so.  We are due to take the rental car back on Thursday... we decided to hang onto it for another week.  This wet weather pattern looks like it will be around for a while, so it is nice to have some "dry" transportation when desired.

After breakfast at Beach Mountain Diner (our favorite in Wayne'sWorld) we stopped by Enterprise to extend our rental.  And from there, a stop at Publix (grocery store) to stay stocked up.

Looking at hourly weather, I think we'll take the day off from the scoots, but we are hopeful for tomorrow.  At the rental car place Joan asked one of the guys in there if this was "typical" weather for this time of year... "Yeah, it can be rainy, or sometimes it is hot and sunny."  Kinda noncommittal.  ;-)

I am enjoying this rental car - it is a Chevy TrailBlazer.  It feels a bit more compact than the Equinox we have at home, and doesn't have the get-up-and-go of our turbo, but it is comfortable and has most of the safety amenities we're used to.  In fact, it slammed on the brakes when a car in front of us stopped for no apparent reason - I was just starting to put on the brakes, when it took over and made an abrupt stop.  Joan asked, "What was that about?"

"Talk to the car - I had it under control, but it decided I was too close, I guess."

The car has a bigger info screen than in ours, so the mapping software is even easier to follow.  Very old school on the tailgate, though: you have to raise and lower it by hand... I am used to press-a-button ease.

And the rain?  It rained most of the night.  With our site under a big tree, it drips on us long after the rain ends.  There was a sun break this morning before we headed out.  May be a good day for a nap.

I see a bar...

 

"Whar?"

"Over thar."

It's a game we used to play when I was in Boy Scouts.

We got out on the scoots today.  No video or cameras set up on the bikes.  Just Joan and I getting out for a ride.  It rained a bit this morning, and we looked at hourly forecasts and radar - it looked like we would have a 3 to 4 hour break, so we planned our day around that.

The ride: covering some of what we did before when riding "the Rattler)...

That road is twistier than it looks on the map.  No destination in mind, just a general direction (between the rain cells that were showing on radar).  Hardly any other traffic and good roads.  My butt was happy to be on the scoots again.  We were out for several hours, and it was enough.

On the way back, less than 100' in front of us, a black bear ran across the road.  While we have seen bears while working in the Tetons and Yellowstone, I think this is the first time we've seen one while riding.  He scampered across the road, then climbed a fairly steep, rocky cliff.  Like Spiderman.  If Spiderman was in a bear suit.  Yes, we slowed down - I didn't want any bear surprises.

No surprises of any sort the rest of the way back, just some fun riding.  A quick stop for a photo with my phone.

Yes, we got back before any rain came our way.  In fact, Joan is sitting outside right now with Murphy... I think this is the longest stretch with no rain we've seen in days.  We'll take it!

 

Recon...

 

Another day of on and off rain.  We decided to take the car and get out and about... and headed towards the Tail of the Dragon.  The plan (at some point) is to ride that on the scoots; it is about 2 hours away, and there is no telling if or when we'll get a dry day to make what will probably be a 6 hour trip on the scoots.

So, we're headed for the Dragon.  I could write about it, but decided to do another video of the drive today.  Here's the "recon"...

 

On the other hand, we did stop at the two motorcycle places on either side of the road at Deal's Gap... and picked up a couple t-shirts.  So, when we can get there with the scoots, we can skip that part.  ;-)

Back into Maggie Valley around 3:30 and a late lunch/early supper at a Mexican restaurant.

Thunder rumbling as the storm gets close to us at 9:30 this evening.  Flash flood warnings on TV - I had to look up the county we're in... not us.  But, looking at radar, there is a cell about to move right over us.

Yep. Rain...

 

"If the rain comes, they run and hide their heads..."

If you said, "The Beatles, 1966, it was the B-side, with Paperback Writer as the A-side," you get 10 bonus points. 

It has been raining here for what seems like days.  Because, it has been days.  Are we "feeling blue" because of all the precip?  Nope, we're doing fine.  Having the rental car has made all the difference.  The first day, we went out for my birthday supper in the pounding rain.  Yesterday, we drove through The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Today, we drove into Wayne's World (Waynesville) to have breakfast at Beach Mountain Diner (rated 5 stars with a bunch of ratings), then to WallyWorld.

When we pulled up to Beach Mountain Diner, there were quite a few people standing outside... yep, there is going to be a wait.  Plenty of parking, so I went in while Joan waited in the car (yes, still raining).  Six parties ahead of us on the sign-up sheet.  When I asked, the guy who I assume is the owner said, "Maybe 15 minutes - it goes pretty fast."  I decided it would be worth the wait and went to get Joan.

When we got seated, a delightful young lady named Jessica took our order; she said, "The cooks here are awesome - and fast."  She was right: this place deserves that 5-star rating.  Jessica was great at multi-tasking while she took care of everyone in her area.  It's on the far side of Waynesville, but we will come back here again.

Across the street to the Blue Ridge Bookstore... Joan had seen that name online as handling a motorcycle map of the area, with good detail on the back roads.  It was not this bookstore, but the young lady in there got on the computer to see if she could order the map (nope).

On to Wally World.  It's nice having a car, so we can stock up on some things (like the Breeze pellets for Murphy's litter box) that would take up a lot of room on a scooter.  The store was well stocked and we got everything on Joan's list.  Then, headed back to the motorhome (in the rain) in time to get Murphy his lunch.

By the time we got home, it had stopped raining.  A bit too muddy to take Murphy out, but Joan put out the awning (to divert the drips off the tree that spreads out over the coach) so we could leave the door open so Murphy can look out the screen door...

We do what we need to do to keep the furry boy content.  It stopped raining for a bit this afternoon and the sun actually appeared for a bit.

I'm told the weasels put in that "58%" when they have no idea what to expect.  Our Phoenix weasels go with "2%".

Timing...

 

Joan's suggestion of getting a car for the week was perfect timing.  I don't like to ride the scoots in the rain (slippery, bad visibility, even with rain gear you get wet, always a mess to clean the bikes afterwards) if it can be avoided... and I make the effort to avoid it.

So, instead of being house-bound (motorhome-bound?), we are free to travel about in dry comfort.  It isn't raining this morning, but the precip is predicted for this afternoon, tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday - that's as far out as I trust the forecast.

We'll get out for some touristing today and make a stop at the store... and not have to limit what we can stock up on, since we don't have to be concerned about getting it all in or on the scoots.

To be accurate, it hasn't rained (yet) this morning and there was a short "sun break" (I haven't used that term since we were in the Pacific Northwest).  But there has been enough rain here that the ground is saturated.  When putting the scoots away yesterday, Joan said to check the front wheel on the cargo trailer... yep, it is a couple inches into the ground, even though it is on gravel.  I will jack it up at some point and put a block of wood under the wheel to keep it from sinking again.

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What is the most-visited National Park in the US?

If you said, "Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in the US," you get 15 bonus points.  If you can say why it is the most visited, you get 20 more bonus points. 

This was often discussed with guests when I was driving the cruise boats in Grand Teton National Park... not to take anything away from the Smokys (Smokies?), but the Tetons is a truly spectacular mountain experience.  The reason the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited is... location.  It is within a one day drive for over half of the US population.  You have to work harder to get to The Tetons or Yellowstone.  As long as we're talking about visitation numbers: how is it that Yellowstone is the #4 most visited National Park, but The Tetons are #8??  Seriously, they are nearly next door to each other, but Yellowstone gets 4.5 million visitors annually, while Grand Teton National Park sees 3.4 million visitors.  That means there are over 1,000,000 visitors who go to Yellowstone, but take a pass on seeing The Tetons.  I am biased - I think Yellowstone is the most diverse park, but the Tetons are far more spectacular to view.  And, I am digressing once again... this is about visiting the Smokeys.

We did an auto tour today, and for good reason: the rain came pounding down at times.  There will be some photos and video clips (trying something different).  Into the park, we stopped at the Visitors Center...

Joan got a new mug...

 Then, back into the car, and some video clips...

Trying something different today... I've been shooting video from a motorcycle or scooter the last few years, but I thought we'd get some video in the car so Steph can see what we're doing.  Joan took some video of me opening cards from Steph yesterday, and Steph said she really liked that - so, here's a look at us touristing about.

For those not familiar, this blog got started back in 2008 so our daughter Stephanie could see what we were doing on a somewhat daily basis.  We used to do a written travel newsletter once a week or so for family.  Doing this as a blog is more timely and eliminated the need for us to carry a printer along on our travels and "fun summer jobs."

Another day, another ride...

 

... and more spotty rain.  Our timing was good - the rain held off until shortly after we got back to the motorhome.

Yes, that road (above and below photos) is dry!

 Just Joan and me today.  We did stop by the motel where the scooter folks are staying - a small group going out.  We planned to be back to the motorhome sooner than they would be back, so we wished them all good-bye and good luck, and headed off on our own.  Things are definitely winding down for the group today; many have already left or were packing up when we swung by.

Elk! (above)

I have some video to download, but it will be short - some other things to do today: it is somebody's birthday... I won't mention any names, but it is me.  With more rain in the forecast for the next week or so, Joan suggested we rent a car and do more touring about in a conveyance where we can stay dry and not try to "time it."  Good plan.  Enterprise is supposed to come to the RV park to pick us up - we'll see how that plays out.

We did have lunch out while on the ride, but I am told there is some Italian food on the menu for this evening.

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The video from today's ride...

 

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The guy from Enterprise arrived to pick us up a couple minutes early.  We went back to their office, did the paperwork, and we were off.  The rental is a Chevy TrailBlazer... it's a very decent small SUV.  Not as peppy as our Equinox with the turbo, but nicely appointed, comfortable, and very dry in the rain.  Yes, it started raining again just as we got into the car.  By the time we got to the Italian restaurant where we had planned my birthday supper, the rain was pounding.  Always fun trying to find where everything is (like the wipers) in a different vehicle.

This was quite possibly the best Italian food we've ever had.  Or, maybe we were hungry?  Nah, it really was outstanding.  We ordered lasagna and a pizza (they advertised real NY style pizza), split and still had plenty to take home.  And, the waitress brought us a cannoli and a tiramisu as a birthday treat!  A nice way to end an outstanding meal.

Then, back to the motorhome (where the rain had quit, then started up again) where I opened cards while Joan recorded video to send to Steph.  I am having a very good celebration!

Group Shot!

 

A foggy group ride this morning.  How foggy was it?  Thanks for asking...

 

The destination: a group photo to be taken at the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

When we first pulled in, it was still a bit foggy - I got this shot with the HoverAir to show the scoots...

You can see in the photo above that the scoots at the far left side are still a bit indistinct thanks to the fog. That fog gave way to allow us good light to get that posed group photo...

 It was a good ride to that high point, even if a bit damp.  It never rained on us, though.  (I'm attributing that to good, clean living).

Let's go to the video...

 

A day off...

 

You are in the middle of a scooter group gathering and you need a day off?  What's up with that, candy-ass?

Thanks for asking.  We are enjoying meeting the scooter folks here - it's a great bunch of people.  The riding and the scenery is spectacular.  Group rides aren't really our thing, but it has been interesting... and no issues with "Where are we?" (phone coverage is somewhat spotty in the mountains and thick forests, so Apple Maps sometimes gets confused)... you just "follow the leader."

Joan is wanting to get laundry done and I am feeling like making French toast this morning.   The group rides all head out at 9:00 am... so, we're taking the day off.  This gathering lasts 4 days, and most of the participants are from within a couple days travel to here.  It was 2,000+ miles for us to get here; once in a while, household chores need to be done.  It isn't because we are unhappy with any of the goings on.

Last night, I took Joan's bike to the motel for some socializing before heading up the mountain for a sunset viewing.  The group that went up there was smaller than the night before, so I didn't get the drone out... but I did take a few photos with my phone...

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Zen-like...

After helping Joan cart back the laundry, I geared up for a solo ride.  No destination in mind, just looking for a pleasant ride... not "tearing up the twisties" or seeing how fast I could go.  My choice: the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This road winds its way through the mountains - a two-lane with a 45 mph speed limit... beautiful scenery, plenty of turn-outs for the views, a canopy of trees over much of the road in this area.  It is a delight to ride.

Having been on the BRP a few times now, I'm surprised by how little traffic there is.  I did about 70 miles of it today - no traffic that came up behind me, and only a couple minutes of a slow-moving van pulling a cargo trailer (car sick kids inside??) and two motorcycles stuck behind that.  They pulled off at a Visitors Center, leaving me with clear road ahead once again.  Not much traffic coming at me in the other lane, either.

I did stop a couple times to take in the views...

In the shot below, you can see where the road is, surrounded by trees...

A delightful motorcycle/scooter road with plenty of curves...

The Burgman while at one of the turn-outs...

More expansive views...

The weather weasels were calling for a 60% chance of rain today.  I did get misted on for less than 30 seconds while behind that van.  I did hear a rumble of thunder in the distance when I first got the scoot out.  You could see some rain shafts off in the distance, but Mother Nature was cooperative.

I got a shot of this sign, but the phone focused on my windshield extension rather than the sign - but you get the idea...

I got back to the motorhome around 4:00, took a few minutes to clean windshields and helmets (both of ours), then came inside.  It was warm here in the valley, but had been pleasantly cool at the higher elevations on the BRP.  I told Joan that I could be happy riding the Blue Ridge Parkway on a daily basis, much like I enjoy riding South Mountain where we're at home in Phoenix.

A few minutes before 5:00 - raindrops on top of the coach and more rumbles of thunder.  Good timing on my part.

Rain on the skylight...

Glad to not be riding in that.

In case you're wondering - Murphy seems unaffected by the noise of the rain. He's laying under the dinette table, legs crossed, dozing.