The morning was a pleasant temperature to ride into Graceland and the traffic was remarkably quiet given the Memorial Day Weekend (to honour all who have and do serve in the military). We arrived at Graceland shortly after 10am but still had to wait until midday for a tour to the Mansion so visited a number of other sites and we enjoyed the experience. We were blown away to hear that Elvis's 70's comeback concert was viewed by over 1.5 billion people worldwide, even more than the landing on the moon! We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and hearing more of Elvis's generosity to his community near and far and had a real sense of sadness that his life ended way too soon. To say his legacy in employment opportunities in both Tupelo and  in Memphis is enormous would be an understatement. Again the pictures can tell the story.



The entry from the car park to the Graceland machine.



The Lisa Marie plane which was used for trips to concerts all over the country and private trips anywhere the family wanted to go.



The front of the Graceland Mansion bought when Elvis was 27. His parents and grandmother also lived here with him.



The lounge and through to the music room.



And the dining room. The china on the table is the wedding china given to Elvis and Priscilla.



And the road which not surprisingly Graceland is situated on ... Elvis Presley Boulevard.



Approaching Downtown Memphis. Not far past here we turned the corner past Sun Records which was where Elvis started off and there was a line right up the street and a couple of coaches out in front.



A Downtown Memphis view.



Lots of horses and carriage rides available in Memphis and here's the 'horse rank' or whatever it's called.

Bits and Bobs:



Liked this sign in Huey's Bar and Grill Downtown Memphis where we had a late lunch.

Last Night's Accommodation:



Hilton Garden Inn Tupelo, 363E Main Street, Tupelo, MS, 38804
Very nice room and surroundings and a restaurant as well so we don't have to head out for dinner, yay! The day was big enough without having to do that as well. Impressed to see that their pool has a lift into the pool for wheelchair bound people.

We had a lot of ground to cover today and nearly all of it at an 80kmh speed limit so we had to stay focused and we virtually had the Trace to ourselves apart from a few bikes and a couple of cars in the morning and a lot more bikes and a few more cars in the afternoon so a bonus considering it is the Memorial Day long weekend and heaps of people moving about, just not on the Natchez Trace.

There were two things I would have liked to get a photo of and missed because there was nowhere safe to pull off the Trace to take it. The first was of some wildflowers which were a vibrant purple / deep pink and were stunning. The second was of tornado damage to the forest from a tornado in April 2011. It had just decimated the forest and we went from towering pines and luxuriant growth to low and stunted growth and a few sparse pines with great trunks sticking up above the green which had just been snapped off like matchsticks. Incredible power.

I'm going to be lazy tonight and include photos of descriptions of most of the photos since it gives the accurate details.

The entry to the Natchez Trace and the story below.

 The Mississippi College in Clinton and a proud description below for women.

French Camp Visitor Centre cabin veranda where we checked out a working Sorghum Mill Press and some interesting machinery used in the process.

Elvis Presley's birthplace in Tupelo along with a Visitors centre and Museum and a whole lot of other stuff as well. The description is below.




Last Night's Accommodation:



Hampton Inn & Suites Natchez, 627 South Canal Street, Natchez, MI, 39120
Another comfortable spot to spend the night. Assumed wrongly that because the hotel was adjacent to a convention centre it would also be close, as in walking distance to restaurants. Not so so we sampled some frozen pizza, pasta and lasagna which wasn't too bad.

We didn't think to take a photo with all the boys last night and headed down to catch them before they headed off to school this morning around 6.30am to see the school bus disappear so the outcome is below. It was a treat to catch up with them all and sorry Chris and Matt that we didn't get you in the frame. For all the family back in Australia they are all doing well and we got and gave heaps of hugs on our and your behalf.



Nola, Kevin, Norm and below with Tamara and Nick.



We had a leisurely morning before heading off to Natchez but even so feel a little weary tonight. Must be something to do with all those kms yesterday, a later night than we have been used to and an early morning.



A very speccie house on the way to Kevin's.



And Norm having some fun snapping pics on our way.



Some beautiful homes in Natchez. This one is Dunleith Historic Inn built in 1856 and is a National Historic Landmark.



And another. Twin Oaks built in 1852 and is on the National Register.  

Bits and Bobs:



This is why the big ass American utes are called trucks. Have garage / barn will travel.

Last Night's Accommodation:



The Grace Family B&B - 23338 Fairway Gardens Court, Springfield, LA 70462
Well the accommodation was superb and hugs and kisses laid on as well as endless catching up ... way beyond anything we have experienced ...nor are we likely to so I'll finish right there. A treat from start to finish!

We headed off early this morning so we could have as much time as possible with our nephew Kevin Grace and his boys, Nick, Chris and Matt it's been a treat to catch up with them and needless to say the boys are growing like crazy and Dad will be the shortest in no time flat. It was great also to get to give Tamara and Paul a hug as well. How blessed are we. It's been a treat to catch up with them all.

We had a lot of ground to cover today and spent a lot of time on the interstate riding through countryside and foliage which was very reminiscent of being on the Sunshine Coast on our way to Buderim. We peeled off the interstate at Kevin's suggestion to check out Biloxi on the Mississippi Gulf with the beach on our left and some great houses on the right. Biloxi was interesting, on the southern outskirts it seemed as if the town was being absorbed into an outbreak of casinos and yet there were lots of empty spaces where houses had obviously been and not surprisingly Kevin tells us these were properties destroyed by Cyclone Katrina in 2005 so what we saw were a collection of expensive holiday homes, suburban homes and grand houses of yesteryear.

We did 300km before our morning coffee and in that time the speed limit was 113kmh and we averaged 120kms and in that time we passed trucks, 1 old car leaning on a 45 degree angle to the right and another old bloke in a car even older than Norm and everything else passed us and I mean EVERYTHING ELSE passed us. Made us look decidedly sedentary. Been a good trip and we almost made it into Kevin's without getting wet but considering the rainfall they had had we got off lightly.



Getting well down the track we came across a bridge over 10km long over a couple of rivers a number of tributaries and a whole lot of swamp land / mangrove areas. This is a shot as we approached an extra height area and below right at the hump. Not a lot of galvanizing here.



Soon after I spotted Norm with the camera out at the back of an old truck and couldn't see the attraction .... until I pulled alongside it. To quote Norm "yeah well I've had to do that a couple of times". I cringe but I'm proud he is such a can do person.

And The casino takeover continues and here is the Hard Rock Casino  .... not just a cafe.



Lunch on Biloxi Beach at Shaggys .. I kid you not. Great meal and I loved the big ass carpark spaces and the name of the place across the road just cracked me up. This statement is evidently a compliment in local terms.



And some of the more stately homes along the beach below.

Last Night's Accommodation:



Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Montgomery - Downtown, 100 Commerce Street, Montgomery, AL 36104
Getting familiar with the Hampton experience and happy to be so. Another lovely building. Staff friendly and helpful. Room comfortable and more spacious than last night. Included hot breakfast in the morning.
As we were heading back to our room after breakfast a guy at the desk said "are you guys riding the bikes out in the car park?" (pretty obvious in bike boots and leather vests) we said yes and the guy said "you have a $25.00 penalty" so I asked what for and was told "for having way more fun than me". We had a good laugh and conversation. Was fun.

We enjoyed our ride to Montgomery and again since we traveled through State Parks and Scenic Highways and country roads we had very little traffic and just enjoyed the experience. We traveled over the highest point in the state of Alabama in the Cheaha State Park and through lots of luxuriant rainforest type growth and pine forest as well as farming country. We have been spoiled having so much green around us and so little traffic and other people so good therapy for these two old battle weary bods.



We headed for Heflin to get onto the Talladega National Forest Scenic Highway and we found the Cleburne County Courthouse which was beautifully maintained.



We wound our way through the Talladega National Forest to the end of one road and headed down a country road (called just that) and very soon came upon this log truck. Norm was intrigued by the overhang .... clearly not in Australia.



We went for a bit of a wander around downtown Montgomery when we got in and discovered we were in an area where the slave trade was centred and some of the signs around are really confronting. The area is in the process of refurbishment and has been for a number of years but there are many empty buildings. This is a shot to the Alabama State Capitol .... situated on  .... wait for it ... Goat Hill!! Loved it.



And this is a shot of the Court Square Fountain (with the State Capitol to the right past the fountain 6 blocks away). Every building you can see around the square, and a number up the street in front are all empty.



The Alley, a former Rail Station building where many restaurants are housed.



And at the rear of the Alley to the left is the Mexican Restaurant where we plan to have dinner tonight.

Murphy House built in 1851 by John H Murphy who among other things was a slave trader. The slave trade was a very lucrative business and the whole idea of it makes my skin crawl. The building was refurbished by the Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board in 1970.

And part of the refurbishment of the area is also our hotel which was refurbished in 2009 and has been beautifully done. This is the lobby.

Bits and Bobs:



Morning coffee at McDonalds. Their latte is quite acceptable though we have a hard time convincing them we don't want any flavours added to it!



As we drove through the Cheaha State Park we were stopped to wait for a pilot car to escort us through the roadworks. We hadn't met any cars before this and few afterwards. The speed limit was 72kmh and in spite of this we hurtled along at up to 80kmh to keep up to the car. Gotta love it.

Last Night's Accommodation:



Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Downtown, 161 Spring Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303
Another comfortable spot to drop and relax. Clean and lovely facilities with a complimentary continental breakfast. Parking beside hotel so handy. We even managed to find the weather channel #326!!! A smaller room than previously but beautifully appointed. The front entrance is closed off and you now enter from the car park so took that shot.

Complimentary Continental breakfast is an interesting exercise. We've found these vary from some juice cereal and pastries to scrambled egg, breakfast potatoes and sausage and or bacon as well as pancakes or waffles or egg and bacon or sausage and egg muffins. So far only found one with black tea so we carry our own. Have even found some reasonable coffee.

While we told you yesterday that it was official that we've ridden the Skyline Drive / Blue Ridge Parkway, (469miles / 750kms) in fact with all the other bits and pieces we actually rode 1,107kms ...just saying.

Now to today. We continued to ride through the Great Smoky Mountains with lots of signs pointing to emerald and ruby mines and boiled peanuts ... what?! The foliage was more of the same we have experienced over the ride through the Parkway with luxuriant foliage albeit with increasing numbers of pine trees as there had been yesterday. The growth largely looks to be temperate rain forest type growth and only thins out as the altitude increases. The morning started out warm and humid and ended hot and humid so we will be ditching the woolen long johns tomorrow. Got into Atlanta around 2pm and were glad to get off the motorway / freeway and into the city. The largest number of lanes heading in our direction on the way in was 10 but mostly 6 and all moving fast so an experience. The traffic here is fast but much more predictable than home, and prepared to give you a go, again better than home.  A shower was followed by a tramp around a bit of our area through the Centennial Olympic Park as we are staying in the area where a lot of accommodation for the Centennial Olympics was provided. So again, the pictures can tell the story.



A big cheer to our Travel Queen Sue Ritter for her call to direct us to the Nantahala Gorge and Lake and onto Wayah Road which is a well known great motorcycle ride, the locals call it Thunder Road and it was an awesome ride. As we headed up the Gorge the water was apparently warmer than the surface temperature and mist was drifting up off the water.



This is a shot across Nantahala Lake.



And along Wayah Road where the water tumbled, galloped and roared beside us as we climbed. There were also small waterfalls. It was hard to focus on the road which was a wonderful twisty ride.



A look at some of the Atlanta Skyline.



And again. This is actually the Westin and the top is a revolving restaurant.



And the Centennial Olympic Park.



And a view to the city from the park.

Bits and Bobs:



A bit of a surprise to find these big solar panels over a car park on our way back to our hotel from the park. Quirky and creative thinking.

Last Night's Accommodation:



Hampton Inn Cherokee, 185 Tsalagi Road, Cherokee, NC, 28719
Another lovely comfortable spot to stay. Only downfall was the lack of restaurant so headed into town where there are supposed to be a lot of restaurants but blowed if we could find them other than the massive Casino and didn't want to go there. We finally found a family restaurant and had a quick dinner before heading back to the Inn. We were bushed so the bed was looking good and felt good as well. Photo is from their website, when Norm went out to take a photo last night there was an awesome thunderstorm happening so he decided not to go out and forgot to take it this morning.

Well it's official, we've ridden the Skyline Drive / Blue Ridge Parkway, all 469 miles / 750kms of it plus the odd diversion or two to cater for detours and to get to hotels and the like and it was awesome from start to finish.  Today was a big day with sunshine, rain, more rain, hail, more rain, sunshine, more rain and fog and what else .... oh yeah a cycle race in the heaviest of the rain which went for miles with over 100 riders to weave past. At least we had the right size vehicle to get safely past.  The rain meant we didn't have to consider a lot of photo shots since we were dripping wet and cameras were stowed away as well as big numbers of Overlooks (Scenic View sites) which were overgrown ... as it had been for 30 to 50 years. The Department of the Interior must need some more funding to do the physical work instead of just cranking out the printed matter to say what could be seen if you could only see it. Sounding a bit grumpy, sorry. We have enjoyed the peacefulness of the Parkway combined with the magnificent ever changing trees, foliage and views. No matter the weather or light, or lack thereof the new green of so many leaves was incredible and then when the sun came out the new green became lime green and the dappled shade was magnificent and changed the whole context. It was like seeing a beautiful building suddenly flood lit which totally changed the look of it. As well as the fragrances which followed us all day and were beautifully sweet. We discovered that the cream flowers in the photo yesterday were magnolias as we saw many trees of them today with half opened flowers as yesterday as well as fully open. As to the day I'll let the pictures tell the story below.



The first Overlook we pulled into was the Grandview Overlook so I'll dedicate that to Grandma and Granddad Bransgrove (Normie's parents) their property was called 'Grandview' and now the sign off their home has been refurbished and Michael and Karen are the proud custodians of it.



We called into the Moses H Cone Memorial Park which is a massive Manor House on 3,600 acres which was  deeded to the State in 1950. The ground floor is used as a raft centre but the exterior is sadly deteriorating. This is a side entrance.



We headed off the road to have a look at the Linville Falls but not knowing how long our day was going to take we only walked as far as the Upper Falls Overlook. By the end of the day we were glad that's all the time we took.



The Linn Cove Viaduct, very impressive.



View from the Craggy Gardens Overlook and that big black cloud chased us for the rest of the day.



Devils Courthouse on the left, we had ridden through a tunnel under this in fact we traveled through a huge number of tunnels today.



We did a U Turn to park in front of the Parkway sign.



And the final milepost. Yay, we did it!

Bits and Bobs:



We pulled off the Parkway at Little Switzerland to find a coffee and stopped at 'Big Lynns Lodge' but unfortunately she didn't serve coffee just breakfast and dinner with accommodation but she did point us in the right direction. She kindly allowed me to take a photo of her sign which appealed to me. We ultimately had coffee and fueled up at Grassy Creek after passing an 'Inmate Working' sign with the inmates and police with rifles in view. A bit daunting but probably very efficient.



Also at 'Big Lynns Lodge'.

Last Night's Accommodation:



Was the Best Western when we booked months ago but now the Quality Inn, Blue Ridge Plaza, 840 E King Street, Boone NC 28607
A lovely comfortable spot to retreat to last night. Room lovely, bathroom big enough to turn around in, everything nice and comfortable. Staff friendly and helpful and since it was raining when we arrived we asked if there was any undercover parking and were told to park under the front portico. By the time we went to dinner there were eight bikes in total parked there and there was still room to drive through. No restaurant but across the road from an awesome Mexican Restaurant.

So, back to the Blue Ridge Parkway and like yesterday the road was impressive in surface camber gradient and ride with the slight exception of surface (mainly in North Carolina) where there were a few (yes only a few) patches where the surface had a few challenges and that ultimately led to a couple of detours off the Parkway as a result .... see getting picky now. Like yesterday the ride was just beautiful and soul restoring and we both had a real sense of just breathing in deeply and relaxing. The view was one of luxuriant leafy green avenues almost covered in completely overhead and then breaking out into well grassed meadows as well as farmland. Where the Skyline Drive is all within the Shenandoah National Park the Blue Ridge Parkway has narrow strips of park only and most is within farms and road reserves so quite a contrast.

The abundance of grass meant we saw a number of deer and had a close encounter of the deer kind early in the day and still cant quite believe the logistics of it all. Norm was in the lead and rounding a right hand corner cut into the bank and there was a pick-up towing a van approaching from the opposite direction when a deer (apparently tearing along at  big speed) leapt down off the bank literally in front of Norm, hitting the road slightly to the left of him and kept right on going to the other side of the road avoiding both Norm and the pick-up! Neither Norm nor I suspect the pick-up driver had time for things to register let alone brake. Still shaking our heads. Very happy we weren't a second further along the road and on the deer side of things I'd say the deer should get a great big gnarly 'Fleet of Foot Award' in the deer hall of fame!

And more positive news, photos. We hadn't long left Roanoke and came across this crossing of the Roanoke River. This is a power station (I think) not sure if operational or not at the base of a dam spillway.

Walking back across the bridge to the parking lot there were massive trees growing from the rivers edge and still towering above us on the bridge and were deliciously fragrant. A shot of the flowers on the tree. No idea what they are.

Next photo stop was a ride up the  Mt Roan loop road on Mount Roanoke. Glad it was one way. The lookout was awesome but the fog was so thick even though we could see out the camera wouldn't focus through the fog just on the fog so no shot there but this is an example of the foliage as we wound further up the mountain, It was much sparser than that on the majority of the Parkway.

An example of a cabin which were once numerous along the Parkway. The sign is self explanatory.



Love these cute bridges under the Parkway. Seem the same right through and saw a double one over the road and railway line in one spot.

Coffee and a chat with the locals  at Tuggles Gap.

Yes! We are in the land of the soaring eagles and here were two of four which were soaring out over the Fox Hollow Lookout. Does my soul good to see them. Reminiscent of what it is to ride the bike.

The Mabry Mill built in 1910 and operated for 26 years, supposedly the most photographed site on the Parkway.

Bits and Bobs:

A sobering reminder ... at a Picnic ground. Food for thought. Bear buffet?

Our lunch spot was an interesting store and had pipe tobacco all over the place. These are bags of it at $14.00 a piece.

Amongst the foliage over the last two days have been many rhodedenrom. Yesterday white, pink and purple, predominantly purple. Today white, pink, purple, yellow and orange, predominantly yellow and orange. Beautiful. These were in the car park at the Northwest Trading Post.

Last Night's Accommodation:

Days Inn Roanoke Civic Center, 601 Orange Avenue, Roanoke, Virginia 24016
Well last nights hotel was an exercise in what you get when you decide mainly on price. When we pulled up I said to Norm "Looks a bit scary" and he said "You see these places on the news channel on the TV". That said, it was old tired and rundown but a comfortable bed. Won't mention the bathroom ... but the water was hot. Broke out the old thongs rather than bare feet even though the carpet looked clean it was losing it's surface in patches.

Yep that really is the Shenandoah National Park entrance and the start of an awesome day. We left warm and uncomfortable humidity in Front Royal and climbed into deliciously cool fresh and fragrant mountains and so started an awesome experience as we explored the Blue Ridge Mountains. This was the second bonus of heading east. We had planned to do some 'leaf peeping' of the autumn colours along this route in 2013 but the day was rained and fogged out so had to take the route at the foot of the ridge.

The ride today was awesome. The road surface, camber and gradient excellent and the ride itself spectacularly beautiful. The foliage surrounding us changed from luxuriant and dense and leaves well developed with dense ferns and undergrowth to more sparsely treed with beginnings of leaf cover only as we climbed higher but without doubt it was all beautiful to be amongst and the views were incredible either across multiple ridges and mountains or what appeared to be from the sky down onto the valleys and plains below first on one side and then the other as we traversed the ridge. Hard to stay focused ... might be just as well we didn't get here in the fall, way too much to safely look at and I suspect a lot more to share the road with as well. The traffic increased as the day wore on but not enough to be a bother and with the speed limits (56kmh on Skyline Drive and 72kmh on the Blue Ridge Parkway) it could have been a bit frustrating. We enjoyed a bite for lunch at Loft Mountain Wayside then a hot chocolate at the Otters Peaks Lodge, both a welcome respite off the bikes as my knees were complaining from being bent up for as many hours as they were .... mind you the rest of the body was just singing with the ride!

Photos were a bit of a challenge. Early in the morning the fog on the land below hadn't lifted and there was a haze present most of the day and increased through the day and I didn't bring my camera which does a panoramic shot DOH! and without it any photos just don't do the views justice. Ah well. A collection below anyway.

View from Jenkins Gap Overlook.

Typical of so much of the roadway / vegetation we travelled through.

A cute little tunnel.

Dark Hollow Falls. It was a workout and a half to get there and back!

A not so timid little deer early into the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Peaks of Otter (well one anyway) on Abbot Lake.

Bits and Bobs:

An interesting way to view the countryside ..... well from the riders seat, not so much from the side cart I suspect. In the parking lot at the Loft Mountain Wayside car-park.

Last Night's Accommodation:

 

Hampton Inn Front Royal, 9800 Winchester Road, Front Royal, VA 22630
Nice comfortable room and bed and included hot breakfast. Shame there is no restaurant on site, we really didn't feel up to heading out once we had gotten out of the shower. Nice and handy to the motorway so makes for a quick getaway when leaving.

Shame we didn't have time to check out Dublin or more of Columbus it looked good but we headed off around 8.30am so an improvement on after midday yesterday and just as well since we had a lot of ground to cover including wanting to visit the Flight 93 Memorial which was the main reason we were heading in this direction. We got in at 6.30pm so an improvement on 9.15pm last night especially considering we had lost an hour with a time change as well. We felt a bit like being home today as we had at least four seasons from clear and cool to rain to warm and humid to very warm.

A fuel stop at St Clairsville found this massive public building (suspect a courthouse / municipal building) but a shame to see it deteriorating like a lot of the rest of the downtown area. Newer areas were in better condition but that may not last as the servo attendant told Norm the town was built on coal and people are being layed off as gas is taking over.

Barely in the gate at the Memorial and already we can see development ahead of us.

We missed out on seeing the Memorial in 2013 owing to the Federal Government shutdown of National Parks and managed sites. Grrrr. Anyway, we found our visit very moving and we were glad we came to pay our respects to the heros of Flight 93 who were regular citizens who decided they were not going to allow terror to overtake their country and made a  heroic stand. Interesting to know that they had learn't of the devastation of the World Trade Towers and Pentagon by mobile phone calls and realised that their plane was heading for the White House. No mobiles allowed on Australian planes and yet even in 1998 when we first came to the USA you could make calls from plane installed phones.



First pullover and already somber reflection.

A huge amount of work has been done since we looked out over the site in 2013 and the site already has many spots for quiet reflection and has a quiet respectful feel about it. We're glad we came. Have to confess that in spite of seeing some lovely sights after leaving there even if we had time available I doubt we would have stopped to take photos. There was a lot to process. If we had more time available the audio tour would have been good, as it was we listened to some that others were listening to which gave great context.

 

A view from the Visitor Shelter at the Wall of Reflection back up towards the Visitor Education and Interpretive Centre under construction.

And a listing of names of all the passengers and crew who perished on Flight 93. Through the gate at the end of the wall is a large rock which sits on the site where the plane came to rest. Very sobering indeed.

Last Night's Accommodation:

Crowne Plaza, 600 Metro Place North, Dublin, Ohio 43017
What a lovely spot to just drop after a huge day. Comfortable and spacious room, heaps of parking, restaurants with a kitchen open until 11pm and even better room service for these two weary campers. Cheerful and helpful and friendly staff. To top it off a beautiful hot shower and comfortable pillowtop mattress ahhh.