Eric's Blog

Kendalia and Eric go to Texas!

2008-09-09T23:39:00.003-04:00

I have not blogged for a whole year now.

Tomorrow (9/10) we are going to Rochester, having some dinner at Max's Chop House, staying at the Holiday Inn, and getting up at the 0:dark:30 so we can get on a plane for Dallas. American Airlines is going to charge me $25 a bag to take my luggage to Dallas, which is going to chap my ass because they're supposed to be taking your luggage anyways.

When we get to Dallas, we are going to go pick up the Chevy SSR we got. Here's the ebay link to it's auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___05-CHEVY-SSR-1SB-AUX-PKG-CHROME-RIMS-TRUNK-PKG-5K-MI_W0QQitemZ360072251688QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item360072251688&_trksid=p3756.m14.l1318

I'll try and take a picture of something tomorrow. I got nothing for you guys today.

Home sweet home.

2007-09-09T21:19:00.000-04:00

I'm back.
It rained for an hour on the way home, between Binghamton and Syracuse. Otherwise, it's been a great trip.
I don't have any pictures from today. I basically got up, got dressed, and drove home on 81.
Stay tuned for my next trip!

My ass hurts.

2007-09-08T22:04:00.000-04:00

I spent 12 hours in the saddle today. I left Roanoke, had breakfast, (Waffle House - sponsored by Lipitor), and finished up the Blue Ridge Parkway. When you get to the end of the parkway, it's a little anti-climactic. You're pretty much in the middle of nowhere. There's a sign pointing towards town, and the other direction is Skyline Drive.

Then I took Skyline Drive, which has a posted 35mph speed limit for it's 105 mile length. It's beautiful up there. And, because of the altitude and trees, kind of cool. I was actually able to do my good deed of the week - there was a minor accident where two minivans had sideswiped each other. One of the drivers was bleeding because her mirror exploded when it hit the other minivan's mirror, and her window was open, thus showering her with glass. I went and got park rangers to help them. The injured lady and her family was from West Virginia, the other minivan was asian tourists from Ohio. I'm sure the park ranger had a ball with that crew.

On the most northern parts of my route today, the leaves have begun to change.

Once I got off Skyline Drive, I headed up 81 until I couldn't stand it anymore. So I'm holed up in the honeymoon suite at the Best Western in Harrisburg, PA tonight. Just a short 4 hour drive tomorrow and I'm home.

Another day on the Blue Ridge Parkway.....

2007-09-07T21:15:00.000-04:00

Virginia did a better job of preserving some old buildings. These are OLD. Handmade old. And tiny. Amazing that people could raise a couple of kids in a 20x12 space.

Today I stopped in Mt. Airy, NC which is where Andy Griffith grew up. So everything there is Mayberry. I had lunch at the Snappy Lunch, which is famous for a fried pork chop sandwich. It's covered with chili, cole slaw, mustard, and tomatoes. It was too hot out to enjoy wandering around much though.

I also stopped in Floyd, VA. Tiny little place with a famous General Store. On weekends, they have bluegrass bands right inside the store. And they sell overalls in all sizes (see pics).

Tomorrow I have a long run and then start the rest of the trip home. 550 miles to go, but rain predicted.

Happy Thursday!

2007-09-06T19:12:00.000-04:00

Today I travelled from Knoxville, TN up to Boone, NC. (I'm staying overnight in Boone.)
I started off by driving through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park which is breathtakingly beautiful. (Not as breathtakingly beautiful as Kendalia, but close. And in a different sort of way. Plus Kendalia doesn't have leaves.) Anyways, it was really nice.

When you leave the Smokies, you are basically dumped off into Cherokee, NC. There's an Indian Reservation there, but I didn't go through it. You start on the southernmost part of the Blue Ridge Parkway just beyond Cherokee, NC. For such a big project, it's got hardly any markings. No big signs or anything like that. I took the Blue Ridge up to Marion, NC, then a regular highway to Boone.

The Blue Ridge has no services, no stoplights, no streetsigns, and no gas stations. There are some scenic overlooks, and a few rest area type spots, but that's it.

Here's today's pics so everyone can share in the journey. Tomorrow, I'll get to stop in Mt. Airy, NC which is what Andy Griffith modelled Mayberry after. :)

You guys know you can click on the little picture to see the bigger version, right?

Tuesday's gone with the wind.

2007-09-05T20:02:00.000-04:00

Bonus points if you can name the artist. (I might let it slip out at the end of my post here.)

I don't have any good pictures to share. Basically, tuesday I hung out with Phil, we shopped at some of the more unique Wichita shops (gifts are forthcoming for some of you). Then I flew back to Columbus, but didn't get in until midnight.

Slept, ran wednesday morning, ate some food, and hit the road. Only 350 miles needed to be covered today but it was hard because of high heat. I passed through Cincinnati and was happy to see what looked like rain clouds. The rain would have been a nice relief from the heat. Unfortunately, not rain, but smog. Thick, nasty, smog. Cincinnati is gross, probably what living in Mexico City is like.

For now, I'm at the Knoxville Hilton. I'll leave tomorrow, go through the Smoky Mountains, hit Cherokee, NC and then start the Blue Ridge Parkway. I'm technically, an easy 800 mile trip from home, but I'm planning to take my time.

Kendalia: I miss you a lot. I'm out of clean clothes and need to do laundry tomorrow. Those two items are not necessarily related.

Here's a Google Map of where I've been so far. Sorry about the giant link, the software is a little kludgy.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=cicero,+ny&daddr=columbus,+oh+to:chillicothe,+oh+to:knoxville,+tn&mrcr=2&mra=pr&sll=40.426145,-86.70941&sspn=17.208936,40.869141&ie=UTF8&ll=39.13006,-83.540039&spn=8.773955,20.43457&z=6&om=1

And if you made it this far, "Tuesday's Gone" was on the first album Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Freebird was on the same album, I'll not comment.

Band Practice Video

2007-09-03T23:43:00.000-04:00

Phil took me to marching band practice tonight. See the post below for a few pics from today.

Kansas is flat.

2007-09-03T23:39:00.001-04:00

No motorcycling today. Got up early, flew from Columbus Ohio to Wichita Kansas to see Phil. And Ziggy. Most families name their next born children after recently deceased relatives, we name our cars and pets after them instead.

Phil's dog Ziggy, Phil, and marching band practice.

Tomorrow night I fly back to Columbus, and then I'm off on my next part of my adventures.

I'm shvitzing I tell you.

2007-09-02T19:51:00.000-04:00

It was hot today, 90+.

Six years ago today I got married. Happy Anniversary Kendalia!!!!

And in a week, it'll be the anniversary of the World Trade Center blew up. (Anyone else think it's weird that two big disasters could occur so close together?)

So the last time I was in Chillicothe Ohio was about 1990 or so. I'm pretty sure it was my first long bike trip. I remember camping, having a tent and sleeping bag, taking a shower in a communal shower, and getting some blisters from new boots I'd bought, all after it getting pretty rowdy in the campground.

Last night I camped at the Hyatt, ran this morning, went to the bike show and then came back for dinner. No partying for me. (Especially since I gave Kendalia the blog address.)

The Rodeo was fun. See pics below for some cool custom bikes, the two most famous bikes around from the original movie Easyriders (Captain America bike with red/white/blue and the Billy bike with red flames), and some shots from the rodeo. We've got the trike pulls, tire pull (yes, that's someone basically water skiing on a used tire tied to a rope), and barrell race in there. The slow race and potato dive aren't worth taking pictures of. And the winner of the tattoo contest (he won by a lot).

Tomorrow I get up early to fly to Wichita to see my favorite brother! (Phil).

So, until tomorrow......

489 miles later, I arrive in Columbus Ohio.

2007-09-01T20:09:00.000-04:00

Aside from some heat once I got into Ohio and a Prius that tried to change lanes over me, a fun, uneventful journey today. (Hybrids are now added to Subaru's, Volvo's, and Mini-Vans as most feared vehicles on the open highway.)

A.D. Farrow Co. is the oldest Harley Davidson dealership in the country. They're in Columbus, OH, I stopped on the way in to get some t-shirts. They've got a nice display of some older bikes and old memorabilia.

After dinner, I wandered around downtown Columbus for a while. Bott Bros. Billiards and Cigars is now Elevator Brewpub. They have some restored 1800's pool tables inside. It was dim, and the pictures weren't usable.

This little guy was hanging off a building near a nut shop.

This is Capitol Square. A 30 year undertaking that survived multiple government administrations and was built from quarried stone.

Tomorrow's entry will have pics from the bike show!

OK, I'm really leaving this time.

2007-08-31T22:16:00.000-04:00

I'm finishing up packing. So much more stuff than bike trips when I was younger.

Then: Two saddlebags. Map. Underwear. Jeans. Clean t-shirt. Oil for bike. Chain breaking tool and extra links. Occasional postcard.

Now: Two saddlebags, Tourpack, Giant Bag for Tourpack. Backpack. GPS. Underwear. Jeans. Clean t-shirt. Running shoes. Radar detector. Toolkit that I've never had to use. Pump for air suspension. Laptop computer. GPS watch for running. Digital camera. Mobile phone and chargers. This blog.

Stay tuned until Saturday for my next update.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go....

2007-08-30T22:38:00.000-04:00

Not really. But I'm getting there. The bike is serviced, I got my gps software working on the new laptop, and I've got most of the trip planned.

Here's my potential itinerary:

Friday 8/31: Run. Work. Pack. Sleep.

Saturday 9/1: Run. Feed, water, clean self. Travel to Columbus, OH (475 miles). I'll be roughing it at the Hyatt.

Sunday 9/2: Easyriders Rodeo, Chillicothe, OH.

Monday 9/3: Fly to Wichita, KS to see my favorite brother.

Tuesday 9/4: Fly back to Columbus, OH.

Wednesday 9/5: Run. Travel from Columbus, OH to Knoxville, TN.

Thursday 9/6: Leave Knoxville. Go through the Smoky Mountain National Park. Enter the Blue Ridge Parkway at Cherokee, NC. Stop near Mt. Airy, NC. (The original Mayberry.)

Friday 9/7: Keep going on Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive.

Saturday 9/8: Try and get home.

Sunday 9/9: Hopefully be home????

It will be interesting to see how closely I can stick to the plan.

I'm starting my blog.

2007-08-29T12:44:00.000-04:00

Postcards are so 2006. I'm starting a blog for my vacation.
Stay tuned for my 1st entry just prior to departure.

Eric Edelman