Gulf Coast Getaway, Day 12

Pokey-Mon

Thursday June 3, 2010

Copyright(c) 2010, Jim Beachy

We are sitting in the spacious lobby having a little breakfast. "I'd planned to get an early start this morning, knowing we are losing an hour today," I say to Kitty. "But I wanted to make sure you get your rest after your adventures of yesterday."

She gives me something that could probably be written as "Hmmpphh – and who got up first this morning?"

Our planned ride home is mostly on Interstate routes, but I'd routed a hundred-mile stretch of scenic two-lane roads in Alabama if we have time. I'm not sure if we actually do have time, but, undeterred by this small detail, I strike out for Noccalula Falls just north of Gadsden, Alabama, and find the Lookout Mountain Parkway northward. This is listed as a scenic road that almost exactly parallels I-59 and ends near Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Somewhere along this route is Little River Canyon Scenic Road, which we also intend to ride. I ask the attendant at Noccalula Falls Park if the Lookout Mountain Road automatically runs into the canyon road and am assured it does. So we ride Tabor Road, which also seems to be Country Road 3, northward. While not a scenic must-see route, it's a nice break from the Interstate and Kitty particularly enjoys the many lovely homes with their well-manicured lawns. Many of them feature a shrub-like bush with large blue flowers, bigger than a softball. We've seen these all over the south and while I'm not sure, I've looked up "large blue flowers shrub" on my Google Machine and the description associated with Nikko Blue Hydrangeas seems to match the shrubs we've seen. So for now, that's what we will call them.

At the town of Fort Payne, we expect to find the canyon road but in fact it's five miles east and the road runs about 30 miles south, back the way we came. The park attendant had spoken poorly. I have planned poorly! We decide to ride half the canyon road before following Rt 176 back out to the Lookout Mountain Parkway. As it turns out, my planning is even poorer than suspected, because riding south, all the turnouts are slanted the wrong way to park my big bike, and they are all gravel, and it's just too risky to take 1,400 pounds of bike, trailer, and people onto these heavily graveled lookouts. So we get pictures from just one lookout.

By the time we've made it back off the narrow canyon road to Lookout Mountain Parkway, it's getting to be 11:00 AM local time and we have yet to "lose" our hour, and we have at least 350 miles to cover, so we decide to head for the Interstate and abandon the rest of the scenic road.
I am feeling that I may have planned poorly altogether for this morning in trying to work some scenic riding into the trip homeward. But the good news is that Kitty is doing very well after yesterday's escapades. "I wouldn't win any races," she says, "but I'm feeling just fine today!"

On the Interstate I see a BMW sneak up behind me and position himself in the right track. I see it's a guy we met at the hotel last night and saw several times this morning as our paths crossed on the scenic routes we'd both randomly chosen. It's an RT 1200, and I expect he will pass me shortly as I ride the 70-mph speed limit plus five. But he seems to be content back there in my right-side mirror, and although he has no CB, I can tell he's done this before, so for 130 miles we streak northward together on I-59, through the northwest corner of Georgia where we "lose" the hour we had gained in Apalachicola. We wind our way through the complex Interstate routes around Chattanooga that terminate in I-81 north, until at some point we have to exit for fuel. And he does the same! We go to different gas stations, but we've decided to take a break from the 90-degree heat and sit in a fast-food place for a while to cool off and get a bite to eat. He sees us there and rides up, so we invite him in.

It turns out his name is John, from Houston, a retired Navy and commercial pilot who flew A7 Corsair "light attack" bombers. Ironically, he's come to this very exit to meet some friends who were all pilots together on the USS Saratoga. They get together somewhere every year. This year they are meeting here, riding the Cherohala Skyway, and wandering over to Arkansas to a museum which they've discovered contains one of the actual A7 planes they all flew in combat missions! The museum is holding a special event to celebrate their visit.

I have the GPS routed to our home and I tell Kitty "We'll ride until the number of remaining miles on the GPS is what you want it to be for tomorrow." It's been above 90 degrees and sunny most of the afternoon, but Kitty is doing great, one of her best days in these temperatures that I can remember. She opts to knock it off at Abingdon, Virginia, I-81 Exit 19, at about 6:00 PM local time. The GPS "miles remaining" shows 332, so that's what we will ride tomorrow. We've been riding for over eight hours and have covered 372 miles including my questionable poke-along start.

The hotel clerk recommends a local restaurant named the Wildflour Bakery. We walk to the place, and as we're being seated, Kitty says "I already love this place." I've left my camera in the hotel, but I snap a picture with my cell phone. Abingdon is kind of an artsy-craftsy town, and this restaurant certainly fits into that mold. It's located in an old three-story house, which we learn was built by the owner's grandmother. Original paintings and ceramics adorn the walls and shelves. It is the perfect off-the-beaten-path place to end our day. The exquisite pork tenderloin is served with perfectly crunchy fresh purple and yellow cauliflower and fresh mashed potatoes, the vegetables having been obtained from the local fruit market.

So if you ever stop in Abingdon for lunch or dinner, check out the Wildflour Bakery just east of I-81 Exit 19, 24443 Lee Highway, Abingdon, VA, 24211. They have no web site but they should. You might want to call ahead at (276) 676-4221 – their schedule is complicated. This funky place is real treat!

After walking back to the hotel from the restaurant, Kitty helps me clean and cover the bike. Yes, after all these years, I still do it every night. And as always, Kitty has no responsibilities to help do this but sometimes she does, and it's more fun when she helps!

Tomorrow should see us home.

GPS Track, Day 12