Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Escape from Derby Ride


Yes.  We are members of a motorcycle gang :)  Please don't judge.  Motorcyclists have sometimes gotten a bad rap, but this group of Harley riders is anything but the typical rebel-rousing, wild bunch portrayed on tv or in the movies.  We belong to a Harley Owners Group, or HOG chapter.  And these folks are some of the nicest, caring people we've had the pleasure to meet. A couple of weekends ago, we rode with about 30 other members to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I'm sure at some time I've written here about how we love to ride the Parkway and the Smokey Mountains so we couldn't miss this trip.


 We stayed at the Skyline Village Inn right off of the parkway near Little Switzerland, NC.  When we first got to our room we were a little concerned.  This place is a little "quirky" but the owners were great and they fed us well!  The motel was built back in the 1930's to cover a moonshiner's operation and "might" be haunted.  We saw no ghosts, but enjoyed the views and the company!





The weather was perfect for a weekend of riding in the mountains.  We rode to the top of Grandfather Mountain as well as the Diamond Back.  We also stopped at Linville Falls for a little hike for some two legged exercise.  The trip home on Sunday through corners of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky was beautiful too.



This trip was called the Escape from Derby Ride since most of the members live in Louisville, KY and were getting away from all the craziness of the Kentucky Derby in town.  We still managed to have a little derby party at the inn where we didn't win a thing!  It was a great weekend and we look forward to more rides with these nice folks!




Our attempt at a "selfie" when we left on a chilly morning.