Day 4

Today I awoke to temperatures in the low 60s and sunny skies. My first destination was Shenandoah National Park and the Skyline Drive. The Skyline Drive is the main road through Shenandoah National Park and traverses the park in a North-South Direction. It is essentially an extension of the Blue Ridge Parkway but since it is located within a national park, it has a lower speed limit and an entrance fee. I rode 18 miles on the Skyline Drive before I saw my first car. As I progressed, I did see a few more cars and motorcycles, but I would guess I saw less than 80 vehicles in 102 miles. The temperatures remained in the low 70s for most of the day and the riding was what a motorcyclist lives for.

One of the things I like about traveling alone is the flexibility to change plans at the last minute. As I was sitting at Starbucks in Front Royal, Virginia I was looking at the map and I noticed that Harpers Ferry, West Virginia was only about 30 miles away so I decided to ride up for another park and another state in my quest. Mission accomplished, but the rest of the day I was singing in my head the words “John Brown’s body lies a smoldering in the grave” to the Battle Hymn of the Republic”. Was that actually a song or am I starting to hallucinate already?

As you can see I purchased a new camera. It actually has more features than the old one. Trouble is, at my age it may take me the rest of the trip to learn all of them. I did buy a protective case and an extended warranty. Of course, these purchases assure I will never have the first minute’s problem with the camera.

I can’t tell all of you who are reading and posting how much I look forward to your comments. I would like for you to let me know who you are. One individual made this comment in yesterday’s post but didn’t identify themselves. That is something I would do.

In the tradition of my friend Mark Ryburn I have decided to acquire a mascot to accompany me. I need someone to talk to while I am on the bike and I don’t want anyone that will complain about my hours, the way I ride or otherwise be a general pain in the neck. I have decided the perfect companion would be Tigger. He always has a smile on his face. As opposed to Scooby Do who is a timid sort, Tigger has no fear. Of course this may be attributed to the fact that Tigger is one slice short of a full loaf, but that is probably appropriate since that same comment was made about me when some of my friends learned about his trip.