!!Lets Pretend It's Summer!! Part 1

[RocketMan]

with all the snow on ground and being snow-bound at the moment lets dial in the way-back machine....

we'll set the dials to July 2009 for my report of my

Three day airhead ride from this past summer.

While I was unemployed for the five weeks this summer I didn’t get in a lot of riding so once I got a new job offer I decided to head out for three days on the airhead prior to starting the new job.

Headed down thru south-western VA and WV looking for back roads and planned on doing at bit of the Parkway. Wound up at Peaks of Otter Lodge the first night. Nice big lake with all rooms facing it. Pretty quiet, the place pretty much shuts down by eight, doth dining and small bar. Very peaceful, watching the fading light over the lake and the deer wondering around with complete disregard for the people walking and sitting on the lawn or lake side.

It started raining a bit as I pulled up around 5 but once it the room the rain was pleasant and merely added to the atmosphere.





A view of The Peaks of Otter in the rain



In between the rains




Watched a crow watching me as I wondered along the lake front








The deer didn't seem the least concerned about the poeple wondering along the lake or lawns


A pretty serious scooter-rider



More wondering around between the rain drops









Some birds hanging out in the rafters of the breezeway along the lodge rooms








The next day I headed south along the parkway for a while then down west and wondered some awesome routes, lovely back roads, some got pretty small (just what I was hoping for!) wondering up and over several mountains, to name a few Rt. 313, 18 and then 220 winding north towards Rt 42 and 39 toward Goshen Pass. I found myself at Rt. 11 as it getting into late afternoon so at that point I headed to Big Meadows Lodge on Skyline Drive for a second night’s stay in the mountains.

A shot from the Parkway



Some more along the parkway





And a Covered bridge across Indian Creek in WV

Built all by hand by two brothers when they were 14 and 16 years old, some time back in the 1800’s, amazing! They ever laid the foundations for the footings, wow, I’m impressed!





A hill side somewhere not where..




RM

[Unity]

Cliff swallow? Barn swallow? Were their tails blunt or forked, swallow-like?

--John

[RocketMan]

Cliff swallow? Barn swallow? Were their tails blunt or forked, swallow-like?

--John

forked looking at the other pic in the series and yeah some kind of swallow.

it was kinda funny the way I noticed them, as I was walking back from the lake after dark as I approached the breezeway between two of the lodge buildings a flurry of winged critter came swooping past me, since I was facing into the light of the breezeway I couldn't see them in the dark as they flew past, the noise was more like a flurry of bats which is what I first thought. Then as my eyes adjusted I looked up and saw them all sitting on the piping, I must have scared them coming up the walk. It really did first seem like a bunch of bats from the sound of the wings and the suddenness of their flight.

RM

[Unity]

forked

Barn swallow, then.

--John
(Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.)