Sep 24, 2010
Sep 15, 2010
trip prep…
getting ready to take a trip on the blue ridge parkway with my father-in-law at the end of the month. we’ve been talking about riding the parkway for a while and now it’s time to make it happen…
the past week or so i’ve been trying to figure out the details – when we’re going , how far we’ll travel each day, where we’ll stop overnight and other rides we might be able to fit in during our journey. the original plan was to make travel the parkway in two days. knowing we’d want to ride the snake as well as the tail of the dragon. to help plan the trip i ordered the latest version of the blue ridge parkway maps from america rides maps.
the maps arrived today and i was pleasantly surprised. from the start i’ve been impressed with the maps. i also know the maps have expanded and upgraded. but i didn’t realize how much until i got the latest versions of the map.
the new maps contain more routes as well as more detail. detail in both the crispness of the maps themselves and the number of amenities like gas stations, restaurants and lodging along the suggested routes. the routes are well marked on the map with descriptions on the back of the map. the maps, seven in total, are well labeled to indicated how all seven maps fit together. making it easy to pick up a road or route on an adjacent map.
i know wayne put a lot of time and effort towards creating these maps. his effort is definitely paid off with these maps.
well, i better get to finalizing the details of the trip. with the help of these maps it shouldn’t be too tough.
Sep 7, 2010
sunday ride…
my neighbor called yesterday wondering if my wife wanted to go shopping with his wife. my wife loved the idea. i thanked my neighbor by asking him if he wanted to go on a motorcycle ride with my son and me…
i’ve talked to my neighbor about the property my in-laws have up at the lake and he’s taken his boat into their cove. but this was an opportunity to show him my in-laws property. but the ride was less about showing my neighbor some property and more about taking my son for a longer ride.
i’ve taken my son on shorter rides around town and he’s done really well. he’s been asking to go on longer rides. i figured this was a good opportunity. the heat has subsided a bit making riding more comfortable. an important factor to consider since i want to instill safety first with my son and emphasize wearing all our gear when we go out riding.
the ride was going to be to the lake and back. i figured that would give my son a good amount of time in the saddle without pushing it too much.
we headed north up route one, jumped off on one fifty eight, through middleburg to the lake. a nice leisurely ride giving a mix of some speed and some twisty roads.
we got to the lake and i showed off the trailer. we headed down to the water where my son could feed the fish with the bread my thoughtful wife packed for him. it was fun watching him try to catch the fish with his hands as he was baiting them with bread. unfortunately he wasn’t as fast as the fish.
after a little more time at the trailer we decided to head home. but not without stopping for lunch first. my son was doing good on the bike and enjoying the ride so we decided to head to clarksville and stop at uppy’s. after topping off our bellies with lunch and ice cream for desert we headed home through oxford via virgilina.
it was a beautiful day for a ride and my son did awesome. my biggest concern, him getting sleepy, never happened. which made me more confident that he’s up for longer rides. he rode over one hundred thirty miles and seemed to enjoy every mile. i think he was in awe of being part of the environment as your traveling instead of just viewing it through the window of a cage.
i look forward to many more rides with him. and maybe one day taking him on an overnight camping trip…
check out the 2010 ride map, this one in light blue.
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