Day 33 Knoxville Tenn - Friday 18 July 2014 Mileage 6,000

Got up to the smell of biscuits baking in the oven, heavenly . . .   Now there is two things Aunt Jean and the girls from Asheville are famous for; their Corn Bread and their Biscuits!!!  She is so good, and makes so many, that this is what she has in one of her cabinets:

This container holds about 25 pounds of flour and sifts it as it comes out the bottom.  Here is Jean doing her magic:

Baked at 450 in the oven for about 10 min, she served a plate of goodness!

I had one with butter and homemade blackberry jam, and one with homemade blueberry jam (all made by Jean), and one with Sorgum, blended into the butter:

This was pretty good, but not as flavorful as real molasses.  After this fine meal, Everitt took me on a tour of the place and his gardens

Here is the porch where he is drying his pole beans for next year.  This is where they can everything under the sun for the winter months.

Bean seeds for next year drying

Production Central for canning

One of three gardens

Green beans

'maters

'Taters

Squash

In front of his workshop.  This man still works of lawn and tractor equipment many hours a day.  Here is inside his shop

And hidden in his garage is a '26 or '29 Model A Truck

It looks a little rough, but he says it still runs when you crank it up!

They rent this house out behind their house.  And here are a couple of shots inside the house

A comfortable home. . . 

   I have a lot of miles to cover this day, and had to back track to return the car, so I said goodbye to my wonderful Aunt and Uncle.  I wish I had more time with them, and could have my mom visit here, but neither crowd will fly anymore, nor make that long trek across America, so these photo's will have to do. . . . These and trying to get mom and Jean hooked up on Skype.  If I had time, I would have done it, but I think Jill will get 'er dun, next time she is home

Thanks for everything Jean and Everittt

Back to Mark and Cathy's I went, but with one little problem. . .  I had started raining cats and dogs about midnight and was due to rain for the next 3 days :-(  Oh well, that, too, is what motorcycling is all about.  I got back to Mark's and we visited a little while it poured . . . 

He showed me his maps of his trip to Alaska and I studied the routes pretty closely asking a thousand questions.  There is nothing better than 1st hand knowledge from someone whose been there and done that, and I have to give Mark credit for the patience he showed at all my questions.  Of course, I had also brought back at least a 20 pound box full of canned goods, which he gladly accepted and said he would get them home to my house, as his sister is a Post Master for USPS . .  Again, small world!

Here are a couple of his wall maps for reference to his trip to AK:

Well, I couldn't wait forever, so I said goodbye to a new friend and my cousin:

Mark and Cathy, I can't thank you enough for pullin' my bacon out of the fire, loaning me a car, shipping the stuff home, the music and dulcimer concert, the maps, and the welcome-ness you made me feel on my short visit.  I do hope you put Las Vegas on your calendar and pay me a visit.  I promise to return the hospilatity ten fold . . .  Thank you and Love you both!

Away into the rain I rode.  Destination, The "Tail of the Dragon"  This, too, is a motorcycle famous road that has 318 turns in 11 miles and is the number #1 motorcycle and sports car road in America - or so the advertisement says . . .  But it was a good ride, no matter what they say.  Soooo, away I drive, in the pouring rain, hoping it would stop the more south and west I go . . . but hope did nothing for me and if anything, it rained harder.

And harder

and harder

and harder

and harder, I could go on, but you catch the drift, it NEVER let up!!!  But the scenery was still breathtaking

Even though I looked like this

I finally made it to "Deal's Gap" the official start to the Tail of the Dragon.  I bought the customary things, T-Shirt and stickers for the boxes . . .

Here's the Dragon

and the bikes there on this rainy day - a lot!!!

I was suprised at the amount, but after riding for a long time, I guess they, were like me, not letting a little rain stop them.  After all, that's what motorcycling is all about, right Snake? and Mark? ;-)

There is my trusty steed to the right of the orange barrel . . and, Oh, By the way, the rain NEVER let up!!!  So away I rode and stopped to take a few pictures:

It was a curvy thing, no bout a doubt it!

I stopped at a viewing area for a couple of shots

Still raining . . .

I'm sure this would be even prettier if it wasn't raining

but you take what you can get for a ride in the rain and I enjoyed it and made some lemonaide ;-)

Then back on the Tail

And another little break

As I came out of the Dragon, I was tired.  It was slippery and I never got out of 2nd or 3rd gear and it was getting late.  My plan was to make Snake's house, but that wasn't happening in the rain!  I called Jill, my cousin in Knoxville, and invited myself to spend the night ;-)  She gladly accepted and I was set up yet another night with family.  I parked in her driveway just drenched.  She came out and helped me unload the bike and get dry inside

All with the rain pouring.  Both her kids had to work, both at Chick-Fil-A, 14 and 16 years old, making money . . .  Got to like that!!  Good Job Jill!!!!  We went to dinner and then to the mall where the kids work.  They didn't know me, so I went up to Corine and ordered a filet.  She said what kind and I said mignon, Filet Migon.  She said they only had chicken here, but I was NOT PUT OFF!  I didn't want the "Chick" part of the place, I wanted the "Filet" part of the place.  She never flustered . . .at 14, with a Marine demanding steak!  I asked her what they had against filet and she said, "Nothing sir, I like filet mignon, we just dont have it here!"  I walked away dejected . . . and went back to her brother and asked him if they were sure they didn't have any filets?  He appoligized also . . . and I walked away.  It didn't take them long to figure out they had been juked! As Jill walked around the corner smiling.

  We became friends, I think ;-) 

But I never got a picture of Corine, here is Andrew and Jill, his mom, my cousin . . .  That night, we dropped Corine off to spend the night with a friend, and Andrew got home about 11pm.  He got out his guitar and we traded a few songs into the night . . .Still Raining!!!!  Finally, after viewing my videos and pics on my phone, we called it a night.  Jill was very gracious and let me sleep on her bed while she slept upstairs in Corine's bed.  This was a very fun stop as we got to get re-aquainted after many many years.  We will keep in touch more now, I'm sure.

We called it a night about 1am and I went down like a log . . . .

LUKE Out!