Fall Ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway (October 19, 2012)

On October 19, took a ride to Blowing Rock, NC on a fine Fall day. It was very sunny (though foggy at the start) when I rolled out at 9AM. Rode to the mountains via NC-73, to NC-16, to I-40, and then via NC-321. The last road has been getting reworked for the past few years, and is now done on the uphill section, though they are doing road work in Blowing Rock itself. Visited the town a bit, and then made a stop at the Cone Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway where I took this photo of Fall in full color. It was pretty much peak there during my visit.      

 I am a huge fan of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is fun on two wheels or four (though in my opinion more fun on two wheels). Wonders can be found along its 469 mile length,and I have been on some pretty good sections of it. Loved coming across this lake, you just seem to see the bluest waters in mountain lakes. It was a very nice day for this ride, the temperature was in the 60s for the ride, last two motorcycle rides it seemed this fall I was either not dressed enough or too much for conditions, for the mountain ride I was right on the money. Being warm is important in cold conditions - chill can be unsafe as it can distract you from the ride. 

Finally, got this photo of my bike in front of Grandfather Mountain. A very cool sight, the mountain is also home to the "Mile High Bridge" (with one of the most remarkable views in the Blue Ridge) and a zoo which is really something to see. There are also a lot of trails to check out, and there is also an admission charge to see it. However it is well worth the price (and I have paid that a few times over the years).
It had been a long time since I have made the motorcycle ride to the mountains. I really enjoyed this one, as it was a chance to see the fall color (last time some three years ago at best guess, I missed it by a couple of weeks - was more the bare trees/pile of leaves tour).
Ride back was a lot of fun, though did come into a great deal of heavy rush hour traffic in Huntersville and Concord, NC. Had kind of forgotten about that. Still, it was an impressive ride and visit which covered 264 miles over a nine hour period (with a lot of walking and sightseeing during that visit). I am looking forward to a return visit to the mountains as soon as possible. As far as favorite places, the mountains of North Carolina are tough to beat, and make for some outstanding motorcycling!