This morning I was on the road early.  Thunderstorms were once again a major concern.  To the north and west the sky was very dark but to the east the sunrise was shining brightly below an overhead overcast sky.  I lit right out with high hopes and without taking the time to put on any rain gear.  However, after having successfully done the old thrust and parry with Mother Nature for the past few days – today was a little different.

I needed to put some miles behind me today which meant that riding in the trough between the lines of storms was just going to take too long.  So, my plan was to duck my head and push through the leading wave.  With the clear sky to the east, I had grand designs on once again shooting the gap and getting through mostly dry.  Eh – not so much.  it wasn’t awful, but I did get pretty wet for about 30 miles.  The rain gear would have been nice but I figured it would be better to be 10 or 15 miles farther down the road than to be suited up.  The only regret there is that my boots got wet – the good news is that I was able to push through the front line of storms and by the end of the day, everything (including my boots) dried out.

I did have to pull over & wait for a particularly nasty cell to cross Interstate 81 at a place called Seven Mile Ford.  I was hoping to hide at a gas station but none was in sight.  The parking lot I pulled into belonged to the Interstate Campground.  One of the camp hosts cam out and I was immediately directed to a rain shelter and told I could stay as long as I wanted.  That’s where I met Kurt Edsel.  I’m guessing he was sitting in his trailer and heard a motorcycle pull up and came out to see who was there.  Kurt is a motorcycle enthusiast and has even raced them professionally on the AMA circuit.  He still rides today but pushing 60, his racing days are behind him.  Needless to say, we had PLENTY to talk about.  I’m sure we could have talked for hours.  As it was, it was a GREAT way to spend 20 minutes while waiting for the weather to improve.  Thanks Kurt – pleasure to meet you, safe travels.

Back on the slab I was getting pretty tired of the Interstate and after 275 miles, I decided to reward myself with some peaceful time and headed for the Blue Ridge Parkway.  With a watchful eye on the increasing clouds, I turned right at Lexington, VA and headed for some relaxing and more enjoyable time up on the Parkway.  At 45 mph and all the twists and turns, you aren’t going to put any serious miles behind you on this road but it is a great place to ride.  The Parkway travels along the ridge line of the the Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains.  I didn’t have the road to myself but I often didn’t see another vehicle for several minutes.  Views are abundant both on the east and west side of the Blue Ridge Mountains and there are plenty of pull outs to take pictures.

The clouds to the east were building and getting darker.  I sure didn’t want to end the day with wet boots, so I hopped off the Parkway and headed for civilization – UGH.  Traffic was NOT “Friday light” either.  I thought I might get as far as Richmond but that was just going to take too long with all the rush hour traffic, so my day ended here.  It’s not a bad place though, and the people are friendly enough; there’s just way too many of ’em.