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Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.
- Helen Keller

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
but I have promises to keep,
and miles to go before I sleep.
- Robert Frost

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Thursday, August 20, 2015

Home!

I had planned all along to wrap up the last leg of the trip by riding a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way home.
With a 45mph speed limit, it's a nice way to wind down after hammering Interstate pavement for a day or two.
Where else can you find 469 miles of smooth road with sweeping turns, scenic views, and not a single stop sign, red light, or commercial vehicle?
Now I was wavering... Should I just stay on the 4-lane and get home early, or get on the BRP for 60 miles and then take the 4-lane?

But when I approached the northern end of the BRP, I saw that the weather had made my decision for me. The clouds were hanging low, and some of the mountaintops weren't even visible from below.

There wasn't any use taking the Parkway; there wouldn't be anything to see.
I was OK with that.
Then I got to the intersection of the straight shot home, and the BRP.

It wasn't my fault - the bike just turned onto the BRP!
And sure enough, there wasn't anything to see. I didn't take any pictures, and these two below show what I probably didn't enjoy seeing.




This is my favorite sign on the BRP:


Without words, I can only guess that it is a message to motorcyclists, saying that the turn ahead is so tight, the only way to negotiate it is to throw your hands in the air and stand on the seat.

I'm back home as I write this.
It's been a great trip, and I'll be spending a couple of months trying to put together another DVD from the helmet-cam while I can still remember some of the details.

Trip total:  7738 miles.

3-trip total track is here:  (Alaska, Southwest, Newfoundland)

Total Track for all 3 trips

(You can pull down the title menu from the top of that page, adjust the fill to 30% and click on UPDATE MAP. The green flags show the campgrounds/motels where I spent the nights.)


Thanks to all of you who followed along. I enjoyed seeing comments from people who were checking in on me and providing encouragement.

Now.... where did I put the phone number for the chiropractor?

Rick.

P.S.
I forgot to mention - the rate for the night at Hotel Horrid in Ottawa was $89 cdn plus tax.

2 comments:

  1. Welcome back!! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good to know you made it home safely. It was great meeting you and following you on your blog. I look forward to viewing your trip on YouTube. Calvin

    ReplyDelete