Day 4 - April 6, 2011 - Waynesboro, VA to Zirconia, NC - 416 miles

     Quite a day this was... After staying cooped up in Waynesboro, I was ready to get going to NC. The winds and rain of the day before had disappeared, and the sun was out. I got on the road before nine, and as the temperature was in the lower 40s, I had my heated gloves, jacket liner and boot insoles cranked up. I was toasty warm, and wonder how people can safely ride in lower temperatures without this stuff.

     My plan was to take a fast route down into southern VA, then get on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Fancy Gap, VA and ride it down to a point below Asheville, NC. A NC friend had told me that the BRP had no blockages, so I'd be good to go all the way.

     I was down I-81, zipping along at 74-mph in the company of a few trucks, and some cars. The trucks travel at about 70-mph, so a little faster feels good to me. I pulled off the side of I-81 to make a couple of photos of the area so that you'd get an idea of how pretty this major highway can be:

  
     As you'll note, Spring is just beginning down here in southern VA.

     With 150+ miles on the tripmeter, I was soon near Fancy Gap. Here is the entrance to the BRP there:

     I had ridden this section of the road before in October of last year. There's a reason why this road is so adored by motorcycle riders...the sheer pleasure of mile after mile of gentle curves, great views, and elevation changes. I had planned to ride down to just beyond Asheville, but passed a signed somewhat north of there which said "Parkway Closed - 11 Miles."  What was left unsaid was the words: "Get off now!" I figured that it was some sort of detour, and there'd be a detour off. Ha! Closed meant closed. I rode a few miles back, and ended up on a very nice descending canyon road NC-80. I continued on to Zirconia, NC where Stu and Carola Cohn awaited my arrival. On the way down the BRP I made a couple of more shots of scenery:

     It was a very long day, but I did learn that my new Russell "Day-Long" saddle on the bike supported me well. Some may remember that on the Texas trip last year I found it very painful to go beyond 200 miles or so. Today, the 416 mile-trip was not a problem, seating wise. It's just tiring to concentrate so hard on the road and traffic for 9+ hours. I'll have a rest day tomorrow in Zirconia, and then on Friday, take a short hop down to Greenville, SC to attend the BMW training course on Saturday morning.