The Bridges of Milfbush County

Here's a neat link I got from the John Yarmuth campaign, via the Washington Post, that I though was interesting...especially the video of a visibly shaken, not-cool, Anne Northup.

Watch Anne yell at some guy named Mark for insinuating that John Yarmuth is running a positive campaign.

Anne then goes on to talk about the mythical bridges of tomorrow that every Louisville politician likes to dangle before the masses (yeah, the bridges that don't exist but have been discussed for DECADES).

Although I don't think Yarmuth has the charisma that Conway had last election (and face it, ya gotta have charisma in this age of TV-n-whutnot) I do think that running a local campaign on national issues this go-around is smart. It's especially smart since Anne (your MILF-ish days are over) is unarguably a partyline Bush-ite that needs to eat that crow with all her politial kin.

Free Ice, Live Bait and the Coldest Beer in Town

...claimed many a sign on my trip back to Loo-uh-vuhl. I went on the dragon through DeaI's Gap (pictures should be up soon for 9/17/06) one last time on the way out and made it home in about 6 hours. My ass hurts (you can click it, it's not a picture of my ass) and I got a little too much sun. I'll be asleep for the next few days.

Boiled Peanuts and the Library at the End of the Universe

I'm in the Bryson City, NC library because the MC lodge wireless was too spotty. Plus, the campground magic was gone as of last night. The element I was worried about in the first place showed up in droves for the weekend (i.e. honkies with trailer queens and case-upon-case of Bud Light , violating the un-enforced campground quiet hours).

So I'm at the point now where I'm gonna get a $3 quart of boiled peanuts at the roadside vendor (you know you're in the South when...), go back to the campground and catch several straight hours of college football Saturday, drink until I'm wobbly and then head home on Sunday morning so I can actually finish this goddamned project.

Go Vols...Go Red Raiders!

At the Mythical Misty Mountain Motorcycle Campground

We'll I found what I was looking for and more at Ironhorse Mc Campground in Stecoah, NC. I'm blogging as I look out at misty mountain tops. Home cooked spaghetti smells are competing with mountain honeysuckle as I listen to the babbling trout stream 20 yards in front of me. In the background I hear road-weary riders regaling each other with tales of great routes, fine machines, and near spills.

I road in yesterday through Hwy 129 a.k.a. The Tail of the Dragon (318 curves in 11 miles!) at Deal's Gap in the heart of the Smokie Mountains. I followed behind an east-bound storm system most of the way from Louisville and caught it just before nightfall south of Knoxville. So I rode the dragon s-l-o-w and my rear wheel still drifted on some mossy curves. My ass hurts and my hands are stained black from the leather die in my rain-soaked gloves (note: don't forget rain gloves when packing rain gear next time).

Today I slept late and then took Hwy 28 to the Cherokee Indian Reservation in Cherokee, NC, the ancestral home of some of my wife's family. I visited the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, ran by the Eastern Band of Cherokees. This reservation was nothing like the poverty stricken hell holes that our government created for many of the plains and warrior-horse cultures out west. It was good to see that there is a thriving community of Native Americans, living in their stunning ancestral home.

OK, I'm off to do some more research for school. I'm hitting the Blue Ridge Parkway tomorrow.

The Hunt for the Mythical Misty Mountain Motorcycle Campground

"The open road is a beckoning, a strangeness, a place where a man can lose himself."
--William Least Heat Moon




Yep, the road beckons once again but I have the last of my school work to do. So next week I'm taking the motorsickle and my laptop on a trip to ride nice roads by day and finish my master's project by night. First I need to find a Mythical Misty Mountain Motorcycle Campground that:

has wi-fi

is within a 6-hour drive of Lou-a-vuhl

has excellent MC touring routes, preferably near Deal's Gap

is not full of drunken yuppie-biker wannabes

I've actually found one place that meets most of my criteria, but looks iffy on criteria #4 (hmm - criteria or criterium?).

Last night I called the place where I really wanted to stay and the conversation went like this:

"Campground...kin eya hep yeh?"
"Yeah, I'm coming down that way next week and saw your site on the internet. I was wondering if you guys have wi-fi?"
"Whut you sayin?"
"WI-FI"
"I duuno whutcher sayin."
"Do you have wireless internet access?"
"Uh...no. Why would we have that?"
"OK, nevermind. Thanks."

The hunt continues...