Lit out bright and early Saturday AM on a motorcycle jaunt in the
Blue Ridge and
Great Smoky Mountains. Power to the GPS cradle died about 15 minutes into the trip. Went on battery power immediately. Had no maps or route printouts, nor the AC charger for the GPS unit. Got the "Low Battery" alert when I was in the middle of absolute nowhere (going from Charlotte NC to Asheville NC doesn't normally take on through Tennessee, but it does the way
I roll). Asked it to give me the most direct route to my destination from wherever the **** I was, then memorized the instructions and powered down. Powered up again just outside Asheville and got directions to a Radio Shack; picked up a few tools and some electrical crap to effect repairs. Initial repair efforts failed. No computer where I was staying, either.
So I slept in Sunday, rolling out of bed at 1045. Leisurely morning working on that electrical issue again. Which, despite every fiber of my ... being directed thereto, failed. I think the issue is with the cradle itself. ****. I figured I'd ride the
Blue Ridge Parkway north to Linville, which was the farthest north I could go and still find my way home without aid. Seven miles after I got onto the BRP, it was closed. The detour put me on the freaking Interstate for 40 miles, so I decided enough was enough and just slabbed home.
Oh, that brings back fond memories!
I was visitng my 2nd cousin (specified just for you, gleek
) down in Tennessee with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. (My cousin and I are only 6 months apart and we did almost everything together for many years, including invites for me to go with them on their summer vacations. Well, this was spring, but anyway...) They (actually, "they" being mutual friends of our families) thought Gatlinberg (I'm pretty certain that was the town) would be somewhere we should visit while we were down there. Some of the shops were so quaint! Indeed, we did have a nice time.
But the best part of that memory was the way home. Our friend, having not lived down there very long, and having never driven the route (I guess someone else was driving before and he wasn't paying attention?
), wasn't exactly sure of the way home. (This was before GPS units were common, folks! Oh, and we had left the map back at the house.) We were heading back in the right direction. At least, I think we were. They (our friend the chauffeur, and my uncle) seemed to be sure we were. And we get to a sign that says something like "Knoxville __ mi Greenville __ mi." There was a bit of discussion as they were driving, and decided to take the Greenville exit 'cause, hey!, that's just about where we want to be. So we take said exit, and thinking we're well on our way home. Except we notice it's not looking the same. Our drivers are now discussing the situation. However, that road soon takes us directly into the mountains. Of course, our drivers were really discussing the situations now. You know, there really isn't a place to turn around on those narrow roads, especially in a suburban.
I'm enjoying it though. I love scenery and always have. The view is spectacular. And so much was picture perfect. My cousin wasn't enjoying it that much however. 'Course, I enjoyed it all the more. I wasn't really trying to rub it in, but I did like that I was enjoying it and not enjoying it was not an option. At one point, we were almost hit by a semi cab that was traveling towards us. I didn't let that bother me, either; my cousin was less than thrilled. We had the camcorder rolling about then and my cousin suggested we say our name and address so someone can know who we are should they find there had been an accident that pushed us off the road and down the steep cliffs. I was quite giggley for a few minutes there, which is a rare thing for me (truly!), and I'm sure that didn't help my cousin, so she gave up on that idea.
A good time later, we see a sign that says, "Welcome to North Carolina!" I have a picture of it packed away somewhere along with a few others from the trip. Anyway, I think that was when our drivers realized we took the exit to Greenville, North Carolina not Greeneville, Tennessee, although they didn't mention that.
Well, we got to the nearest town and turned around to head the right way. The trip back was nice. My cousin was much more calm, and I spent even more time looking out the windows.
One of my favorite memories of that trip.
