Arrival at Starbase 1
It got cold overnight. My thermometer said 47º outside and 51º inside when I woke up. I don’t have a heater installed yet. I was warm inside my blankets, but was chilly when I got up. I immediately made coffee to warm up both the inside of the van and the inside of me. I…
Back in the North
One thing I forgot to mention yesterday was my surprise at how quickly I went from the South to the North. It felt like one minute I was seeing streets named after Confederate generals, and the next minute it was the same thing, but on the Union side. Sure, there’s still a cultural divide between…
Four States in One Day
It’s becoming a good routine. I wake up at my overnight stop, then drive to a nearby park for the morning. I make coffee and work, while Lister gets to go outside and play for a few hours. He’s usually happy to hit the road by the time I’m ready. Today I made a quick…
Back Roads and Highways
It was quite foggy in the morning. I wanted to let Lister roam a bit and get some work done anyway, but it was just safer to let the fog burn off before going very far. After Google sent me to the wrong place (I turned around before I got stuck in terrain I couldn’t…
Trusting My Gut
After my exciting laundry stop, I found a nearby park in Bluefield, Virginia. Lister was getting antsy, and I wanted to let him roam around a bit. I had no idea there was a steam locomotive and caboose here, but it was a pleasant bonus. I love such things. Lister was fascinated, too. I also…
Back of the Dragon
I keep going on about the Tail of the Dragon, but have you heard of the Back of the Dragon? Aside from sharing the name of a mythical reptilian creature, they have nothing in common, besides having a reputation of being amazing motorcycle roads. My inland route to the northeast was already bringing me nearby,…
A Surprise Discovery
After an early start (Monday morning traffic woke me up) and working for the morning, I left Chris and Knoxville after lunch and got back on the road. I stayed off the highways, and Google took me on some interesting state and county roads with a 55 mph speed limit, but that there was no…
Urban Van Life
As a general rule, I tend to stay away from major cities. But when one of my best friends from high school is less than 90 minutes away, and has a safe place to park my van and trailer, I make an exception. It was a short, easy drive to Knoxville to hang out with…
One Last Ride
It’s a shame to let a nice day in this area go by without a ride, even if I’ve already seen what I wanted to see within striking distance from here. I wore my cool weather riding gear yesterday, but it was a bit warmer today, so I put on my mesh jacket and pants.…
Foothills Parkway and Squiggle Roads
Garmin has an “Adventurous Routing” route planning option, which takes you on twisty, hilly roads instead of the direct route. My friend Bob calls these “Squiggle Roads,” which I like much better than Garmin’s name, and have adopted for any such roads whether Garmin plans them or not. I was looking on Rever to find…
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Smokey Da Van 