Not Goodbye.... Until Next Time

So Lucky to Call you friends...

So glad on our travels there is another place to stay....

Thank you Al and Linda for opening your home. It was a great time and great chow...

Larry & Kerrie....  Pat & Kathy until our paths cross again...

On the Road Again, to Charleston South Carolina

October Trip to Charleston, SC. First stop Ft. Sumter

                                                            Ferry to Fort Sumter...

                                                      Great Dinner to End a Great Day.
                                                        Tomorrow The Hunley

Replica of The Hunley Confederate Submarine

New River Hog Herd

Not, Just Another Wednesday Night Dinner Ride

There were a couple of special guests at our Wed. night dinner ride.

Cliff and Paul. Cliff Reeder  is  a fellow Marine who served in WWII and

Paul Wiley served in Vietnam in the Army.. 

Cliff makes handmade canes and they brought one to a Wounded Warrior.

They continue to take care of their fellow military members through fundraisers, generosity and kindness.

 I am honored to have met them. 

A Patron, also at dinner came to our table, she asked Cliff  "What years did you Serve" She said her Dad had also served about the same time. She said he had recently passed and today was his birthday and he made her think of him. From his pocket he pulled a cross and gave it to the lady. We could not hold the tears as we shared the moment and the smile. She returned to share a keepsake from her Dad.

Joan, Thank you for allowing us all to share that special moment. 

Cliff and Paul, Thank you for all you do and for all you have given. 

 Joan showing Cliff her Keepsake

         

Paul, Joan & Cliff

Joan & Cliff

Cliff & Joan

Bryan, Faye, Jackson, & Lisa @ Maggie Valley

30 June 2010. Bryan & Faye, Jackson & Lisa. We spent a week in the Maggie Valley area. Rented a 2 bedroom house outside of Maggie. Road the Parkway and a bunch of backroads. Used maps from AmericaRides.com Had to hit the Dragon while there. Fastest I ever tried it, screaming with the engine hanging around 6 Grand.

This was taken on one of our Waterfall rides.

On another we went on, from Maggie we took 19/74 to 28 South. Down to Brevard, across to 276 and back up to Waynesville.

Very curvy roads there. My rear brake line busted in Brevard and bike stayed parked two days waiting on a part. Over all, some great riding if you like curves.

We were going to ride up to Hot Springs but the bike was down. Highly recommended by the locals so I've gotta do it next time.

Some of the Herd @ Maggie Valley

Jim & Diane

Larry

Kerrie

Sue

Bob

Al & Connie

Pat

Kathy

(Photos Courtesy of Al & Linda)

Hey to the Herd!

We saw our last born married off to a nice girl in Fargo.


Pitched our first camp, ever, near Two Harbors, MN and plan to head for Gooseberry Park and then Thunder Bay, ON tomorrow. Alcohol is 50% cheaper in ND so we bought our favorite. Now we found out that we can only bring in 40oz into Canada, so we left some to the hotel maids and trying to drink down the rest. It's raining but the tent has no leaks, yet. The camp director ran an extension cord to our tent to hook up the computer and batteries, so, I guess we are not really 'roughing it'. Below is a pic of Al reading directions to something. Notice the new box the tent came in - only an hour to set it up - box says 15 minutes.

Tornado damage in Wadena

See you all soon!
Al & Conni

Westward Ho Towards the Blue Ridge Parkway

This is the first time that I have done a blog so I hope you enjoy as I enjoy learning how to catch up with technology. I want to share our adventures and the adventures of the New River HOG Herd. My husband and I are very fortunate to have met so many wonderful folks that we can laugh, travel and share a passion for living with. If you ever want to take a trip on a Motorcycle, these are the ones to do it with. Jim and Diane have done so much traveling they have it down to a fine art and they share everything they have learned with all of us. The herd consists of 14 - 16 regulars, but there is always room for a couple more.

Thursday morning, we meet to head towards the mountains of North Carolina.... Kickstands up at 8am. First destination: Charlotte, NC to the Rally and to check out the vendors. It was a beautiful ride but a hot day, next stop Comfort Inn. They were courteous and friendly, I would stay there again. Never knew we could check in and change so quick, but the cool pool was awaiting to refresh us. It was successful. There was a Mexican Restaurant next door, the food was good and we highly recommend the guacamole.. A good ending to a good day.

Friday Morning, Second destination Maggie Valley. On the road again, Al and Connie will meet up with us today. They went to the Eagles Concert the night before. They had a great time. We all had a great lunch at Subway, then we gassed up and headed out again. As we approached the mountains it was a cooler ride and I could smell the freshness of the pines in the air. There were lakes, streams, and hills and we were right in the midst of it all... On the way we stopped in Hendersonville, it gave Bob and Sue a chance to see an old friend and it gave all of us a chance to have ice cream, soda's and root beer floats in an Old fashioned soda shop... Yummmm... Now on our way to Maggie Valley. What a neat little town. We stayed at the Smokey Falls Lodge. It was quaint and rustic and had a creek flowing behind it. We had dinner at the hotel. These guys are so funny and what they will do for a T-shirt... Grizzly Bear, Grizzly Bear, Grr Grr Grr. After dinner we all went out back and sat in rockers on a deck by the creek. We talked, laughed and pondered on our day. Time to get some rest. Kickstands up 8:30 am.

Saturday, Today is the day to head towards the Blue Ridge Parkway. We start the morning with our usual breakfast then our first stop is at a Transportation Museum called Wheels Through Time. This place is unbelievable. Mainly motorcycles but some vehicles. Anyway, many of the bikes still run and from the moment you step foot in the place you are mesmerized at all the history under one roof. The Curator was knowledgeable and passionate about the love of what he does and the Gardener was a hoot. Its a place you could spend days. They were all so friendly and welcoming, definitely we will make a trip back. As we were getting ready to leave here comes Al, he was on a motorcycle that had either an early version of a sidecar or I believe they said it may have been used in racing as a counter balance, the Curator driving. He was knelt on it holding on and as he came around the corner it went air bound... The look on his face was priceless. I think we all enjoyed watching almost as much as he enjoyed doing it... Who am I kidding... I'm sure they were thinking you lucky devil.

Next Stop... The Parkway.

Here we go... up and down around and around on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Everyone had so much fun with all the loops and curves and it also gave them a great opportunity to polish their skills. There were so many lookout points and so much to see, the views were breathtaking. We were able to get some stamps for out National Parks passport book and had lunch at the top of a mountain. After lunch we were on our way to Wilkesboro where we would stop for the night. We all learned a new universal hand signal for rain, too bad we didn't realize thats what the person was trying to tell us before we drove into it... We finally found a place to pull over and but on some rain gear and as Murphy's Law would have it not much rain after that, but we were a little warmer and had one more story to tell. We arrived at the hotel and did what we could for our clothes to dry a little, shared pizza and hit the rack for the night. It's gonna be a hot one, so kickstands up at 7am... better get some shut eye.

Sunday, Father's Day. Time to head home. Rest... Until next time... Thanks for the great time and memories...