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“Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Choose your words, for they become actions.
Understand your actions, for they become habits.
Study your habits, for they will become your character.
Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

Where did summer go?

We’ll spend some time editing video this weekend, add product reviews and post the notes we wrote along the way. Stay tuned, and thanks for visiting. It’s great to be home!

Original toll house at distillery entrance. Farmer's charged a toll for drivers passing through their land.

Some barns in Kentucky are painted black to generate more heat to dry whatever is stored inside (tobacco or hay).

The clubhouse.

The original distiller's house.

Recognized as America's first distillery (Burk's Distillery; built in 1889).

A stream runs through it.

The tour was really fascinating; Herb had only been on the job for 2 years, but he added a flair of authenticity that made it feel like we were stepping back in history.

Herb the tour guide.

Maker’s Mark was first bottled in 1958 by Bill Samuels, Sr. The label on the square bottle was designed by his wife Marjorie, signifying Samuel’s 4th generation. It was her idea to have each bottle sealed in red wax.

Maker's Mark bottle hand-dipped in wax by Jeff.

Copper vats.

Maker’s Mark bourbon whisky is made from yellow corn, red winter wheat, naturally malted barley and pure iron-free limestone spring water.

Part of the aging process.

Not quite ready.

At the end of the tour we were invited to learn the proper method of tasting bourbon.

Maker's Mark bourbon whisky (spelled without the "e" to reflect Scottish heritage).

Jeff suiting up to dip his own bottle.

The finishing touch.

Barrels.

On our way out we encountered a gentlemen from Texas:

Rolls Royce.

From the distillery we headed west through Louisville, KY, Evansville, IN, and New Harmony, IN.

Jeff with the New Harmony Town Marshall.

New Harmony was an accidental destination. We pushed the limits of our fuel consumption until luckily we happened upon this town. We struck up a conversation with the town marshall, who suggested we use an alternate route back to the highway. He called it the “Black River Camps” and described it as straight out of “Deliverance.” Cool. Unfortunately we missed the turnoff so we’ll all have to use our imaginations.

Tonight we’re staying in Mt. Vernon, IL, having traveled 2717 miles since day one. We should be home by tomorrow evening.

Wet gixxer.

We stopped to see if the weather would pass, but it never did.

Since this was our first really heavy rain, our gear was finally put to the test. Fail. Well, part fail, part win.

Both of our rain suits leaked badly, especially in front through the zippers. The rain-flies on the tail bags prevented moisture from above, but anything unprotected at the bottom of the bags was soaked from water spraying up from the road and tires. Both backpacks and the tankbag faired well. All of our electronics were kept safe (I wrapped the laptop up tight in a garbage bag beforehand). Basically, your rain gear is meant to keep you dry just long enough for you to get out of the rain. You’re not supposed to barrel through at 60MPH for sustained periods.

Our room with everything spread out to dry.

Supper.

Laundry.

I want to take a minute to say thank you for your comments and emails throughout our trip. I started this blog at the last minute to keep our family up to date on our whereabouts and to let them know we’re safe and sound. We appreciate them so much for taking care of things at home while we’re away.

Time for sleep. We have about 40 miles to Loretto in the morning; we’re planning to catch the 10:30 tour at Maker’s Mark.

Mountain view.

At Mt. Pisgah we stopped to talk with a super nice group of riders from Delaware. These folks are wrapping up a week-long tour of the South.

The Delaware Gang.

Just past Mt. Pisgah we rode right over the top of a lost wallet and most of its contents, which were blowing all over the road. We stopped and gathered up everything we could see and took it back to the Pisgah Inn; hopefully the owner will retrace her steps to find it.

Lost and found.

Our next stop was at the highest elevation on the parkway. On Sunday as we rode past this spot, I caught myself staring at the sign a second too long before I had to pull my bike back into my own lane. It was to be the first of many moments where my heart jumped up inside my throat that day.

Jeff at the highest point.

Here we met an interesting gentlemen named Eric Colman; designer of two-wheeled handcycles. Check out his web site at freeriderbikes.com

Jeff and Eric.

Near the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway at Mingus Mill, we saw remnants of a forest fire.

Only you can prevent forest fires.

We entered the Great Smoky Mountain National Park about 30 miles outside of Gatlinburg. Much of the roadway ran alongside mountain streams.

Mountain stream.

Crystal clear and ice cold.

As we pulled into Gatlinburg we could smell the barbeque. Gatlinburg is like the carnie and Christmas rolled up into one, but in a good way. We ate ribs and pork chops as any self-respecting tourist would do while in Tennessee.

Parkway Street.

Remember this, Rudy?

Gatlinburg has an ongoing event called Tunes & Tales, where several bluegrass bands play throughout the shop areas. This was really cool.

Bands play in blazing sun.

Man playing a dulcimer. He could make it sound like a bagpipe. Very cool.

We sat down to listen to a group play near our hotel. I don’t know what I enjoyed more; the music or Jeff. He has so much knowledge and appreciation of all kinds of music.

Bluegrass band.

Susie; lead vocals and guitar.

Roger on bass.

Bill on banjo.

Regrettably, we don’t have time for Dollywood tomorrow, as we’re heading toward Loretto, KY to tour the Maker’s Mark distillery. Stay tuned.

The Biltmore House.

The Biltmore House belonged to George  Vanderbilt, grandson to the wealthy railroad and shipping magnate, Cornelius Vanderbilt. It was designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt and landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted. Construction of the 250 room estate began in 1889, and continued well after George moved in in 1895. Today the Biltmore Estate encompasses nearly 8000 acres. Enough history from me.

The enchanted forest.

The Biltmore Estate is surrounded by acres of forests and farmland. Riding from the visitor’s center to the house is like stepping into the enchanted forest of every fairy tale. Bamboo groves, oak, pine, gardens, ponds, streams and fields line the roadway. Everything is living and breathing; it’s gorgeous.

From the gardens.

Flowers of every shape and color.

Pink.

Purple.

We weren’t allowed to take photos while touring the interior of the Biltmore House, but it was fascinating to see its history of modern convenience. The house included an indoor pool with underwater lighting, a bowling alley, 43 bathrooms, and a library with 10,000 books. George Vanderbilt was an intellect who preferred art and travel over commerce. Rooms were filled with paintings, tapestries, sculptures and intricate furniture.

Cherub sculpture.

Gargoyle.

Lion.

The Biltmore Estate includes a winery and a working farm.

River Bend Farm.

I've had some experience with these.

Chicken or poodle?

Jeff and me in the gardens.

View from behind.

We spent most of the day at Biltmore touring the house, winery, farm and forest.

Jeff admiring my penny collection (and gold doubloon) at the winery during supper.

Oh, there’s been a change in plans. Instead of continuing east to Charlottesville, VA tomorrow, we’re heading west to Gatlinburg, TN (home of Dollywood).

Not only did we ride these things from Iowa; we’ve ridden them on the Tail of the Dragon on HWY 129 between Deals Gap, NC and Maryville, TN. More on that later.

We got an early start this morning with “the best free breakfast in Asheville” at our hotel. You name it, they had it. Anything from grits with shrimp to rice pudding (I had mine with pecans).

After breakfast we headed south on the Blue Ridge Parkway toward the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Breathtaking. We literally rode through the clouds with fog so deep I could just make out Jeff’s tail-light. Then there were the tunnels…

Our first stop.

See the camera on my helmet? We're taking lots of video.

Jeff getting a closer look.

Our bikes have never seen roads like this.

The Devil's Courthouse.

I kept wanting to stop and take pictures. There was never a dull moment.

Mist on the Little Tennessee River at 2:00 in the afternoon.

After riding over the highest elevation (Richland Balsam; elevation 6053 ft), we pulled off the parkway and rode through Cherokee, NC toward Deals Gap. The roads are unbelievable; narrow, steep, switchback after switchback. We descended many 7% grades, then 9%, then 12%. We were winding up and down the mountains so quickly that each curve looked like the last.

The next town I remember passing through was Bryson City.

These old cars were packed into the bank of the Tuckaseegee River.

57 Chevy erosion control.

From here we eventually picked up HWY 28: the Hellbender. As we threw the bikes around each corner, on wet pavement, I wondered what the Tale of the Dragon had in store. The roads we’ve traveled today offered the most technical riding we’ve ever experienced. Scary stuff.

We were wound up tight after the Hellbender, and I wasn't helping by running off to take more pictures.

Just before we arrived at the Tale of the Dragon, we encountered a group of Harleys at the side of the road; a rider had gone down in the corner. The State Patrol was on scene and we passed an ambulance en route. Like I said — scary stuff.

The south end of the Tail of the Dragon.

The lineup at Deals Gap.

Not just for motorcycles.

We first learned about the Tale of the Dragon while at the AMA Superbike races at RoadAmerica in Elkhart Lake, WI. We saw motorcycles that had dragon decals signifying they’d ridden at Deals Gap. The 11 mile stretch of HWY 129 between Deals Gap, NC and Maryville, TN is claimed to snake around 318 curves.

We rode out and back this afternoon and came away unscathed (17 riders have died on this roadway since 2000). I’m sure I breathed into my microphone to Jeff no less than 318 times, “be careful, slow down!” The experience was overwhelming.

After purchasing and applying our own hard-earned dragon decals, we headed back to Asheville.

We stopped again outside Bryson City, where we spoke with some good people from Kentucky.

The people we've met along the way seem impressed that we've ridden all the way from Iowa on our sportbikes. I think everyone who makes the journey to ride the mountains is amazing, no matter how far they travel.

We rode over 275 miles today traveling to and from the Tale of the Dragon, leaving us mentally and physically exhausted. It was worth it.

When I get a chance to edit the video, I’ll post links to it here (after we get back home).

Update: Here are some photos taken by killboy.com:

JK

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In the parking lot at the Visitor’s Center, I spoke with this gentlemen about our trip while he trimmed his dog’s toenails with a PediPaw (as seen on TV).

As you can see, it makes trimming your pet's nails safer, easier and more fun!

The only other photo I took today was about 60 miles outside Asheville where we last stopped for fuel.

Resting.

We are currently relaxing in our circa 1970′s hotel, but promise to deliver excitement tomorrow evening (weather permitting). The Blue Ridge Parkway awaits.