Asheville to Raleigh, 261 miles
"Those who wish to sing, always find a song."
~Swedish Proverb
First, a Rave:
Unbelievable weather today. Most of the country experienced snow today, including parts of Las Vegas a bit. After the frost melted, our temperature spun up to sixty-six degrees, with clear skies. Unbelievable, as we're 2/3 through December! It's probably global warming, but with the Mayan calendar predicting the end of the world in two days, who cares? Speaking of the Mayan calendar, I hope it's true. I refinanced my house for a trillion dollars and have no intention of paying it back. If we survive 12/21/12, I'm in real trouble. Sorry. Back to the ride.
With a 250 plus mile trip ahead and a limited window to ride (more on that) we elected to take The Road More Traveled. So today, time for another Rave-for freeways!
Sure the rural highways can't be beat-small winding roads, lovely landscapes and quaint little towns-but let's give a tip of the visor to the freeway. If you want to get from point A to B, get on a freeway. Not only that, but we had other reasons to tip the scales to the wide concrete roads. First, the weather. We waited for the frost to melt this morning, as the temps dropped to around 26 last night. A freeway stands a much better chance of thawing with a jillion cars and big fat trucks grinding it to dust.
Also, because we waited for the rising temperatures and as we near the winter solstice, daylight becomes a premium. If we launch after 10:30 and must get stopped before sunset, that would be around 4:30. Nothing like a freeway to get it going for the narrow window. So God bless the freeways. However, good luck with pictures-the views are nothing compared to those wonderful rural roads. Today, with an uneventful ride to Raleigh, this makes for a good time for communicating short term goals:
We're going south after the Capitol tomorrow and probably going to do more of a windshield ride as we cruise through South Carolina and Georgia, with our goal to arrive in Florida by January 1st. We meet QG's folks for a few days, then launch on a one week cruise, both for a break from the ride and a celebration of their 60th wedding anniversary. Congratulations Phill and Amy!
After the cruise, we'll cruise (on the bike) around Florida for the remainder of January, allowing winter to play out a bit. Plus we'll get a few things fixed up on the scooter. Broken taillight (I won't say how), rear tire, fender, and it sounds like a bearing is suffering. By Feb. 1st we'll tour Georgia and probably give South Carolina another shot, then head West. That's the nickel tour.
Now...freeway sore but ready to write, Quilter Girl!
It does not seem like December and I am really glad! I plugged in my gear, but never turned it on. At our first stop I unplugged and put the controller away.
When we stopped, I took my coat off because it was so warm. The sun was shining for a good portion of the day, what a blessing. We met some really great people today. I talked to Carol at a gas station, she was so nice. I think North Carolina has the friendliest people. I am looking forward to one more capitol tomorrow.
QG
Yes, tomorrow we visit the North Carolina Capitol in Raleigh! See you there.
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