The Willville Motorcycle campground, at the Meadows of Dan in Virginia - possibly one of the nicest campgrounds of any kind that I've ever stayed in, and I've camped in nearly all of the lower 48 states. It's quiet, clean, very well managed and less than a mile from the Parkway. Only motorcycles are allowed in the campground beyond the gate. There is a pavilion that can be used if the weather turns nasty. It has clean, private showers and bathrooms, and a great fire circle for sitting around drinking and telling lies at night.

Most of the bikes in the campground on this weekend were adventure styled rides. I think that only two cruisers were there. It was a great crowd to hang out with.

This little fellow showed up at my site right after sunset. I narrowly missed getting a shot of him peering over the windscreen. By the time I grabbed my camera though, he had jumped back down to the ground, looking for food scraps. I doubt that he found any - it's the cleanest camp that I've ever seen. Coons are cute and entertaining, but they are also one of the top carriers of rabies in the nation. It pays to keep your distance, especially if the little bandits are acting strangely. 3 people have been attacked by rabid coons within 1/2 mile of my home - they are really a problem in this area.

We had a rip-roaring storm overnight, despite the forecast of a beautiful weekend. Luckily, it stopped right at sunrise and we got the predicted sunny weather.

I like the WeeStroms - even though I ride a Versys, I think that the WeeStrom is probably the best buy in an adventure bike on the market.

Busy 'downtown' Meadows of Dan, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway about 40 miles north of Martinsville, Virginia. Floyd, Virginia, famous for its weekend bluegrass jams, is only a few miles away to the northeast.

Mabry Mill is supposed to be the most photographed location on the Blue Ridge Parkway. When I was a kid, our family went on a picnic to the old mill. My cousin and I had never seen buckwheat before, so we both scooped up a bunch to put into our pockets. After we got back to my aunt's house that evening, where my family was spending the week, I found that I'd be sharing the upstairs bedroom with Dad. I turned in early and didn't notice that all of the buckwheat in my pockets had spilled out onto the floor between the two beds. Now, if you know anything about buckwheat, you know that it's a very sharp-edged sort of grain, Very, very sharp. When Dad came up later that night, coming in with the light out to keep from waking me up, he discovered the grain that I'd spilled when it cut into his bare feet. Woke up nearly everybody in the house. I'm glad that he had a great sense of humor.

If you enjoy good bluegrass music, then the Crooked Road is the place to go. The Road is a promotion designed to lead music enthusiasts through the spectacular western Virginia countryside.

The Floyd Country Store has bluegrass jams nearly every weekend. If you plan a trip to the region, check out this page first - you don't want to miss out on the music.

I stopped to get a shot of these cattle by the Parkway near Boone on the ride home. They charged me! Cool! Most cattle are too dumb to have any sort of spirit - it was good to see some with a bit of spunk.