Took a side trip off the Natchez Trace to Birmingham, Alabama

to see the famous Barber Motorcycle Museum....

5 floors with thousands of presteen bikes from every known manufacturer.... 1886 to present day.  

Absolutely a  "MUST SEE"  for any rider.

 

 

                                  

 Most amazingly beautiful motorcycle road...
444 miles thr Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi .  
Today traveled over 145 of those miles and never had a single vehicle in front of us

Taking a moment off the bikes to walk through some of the
"Old Natchez Trace"...  the original path used by Choctaw and Cherokee as a trade route, runs through much of the Parkway
 

Heading on the Natchez Trace, Mississippi portion

 

Raining Dragons !!
Running Tail of the Dragon...  in the rain.
Piece of Cake for California riders  ....   ;)

 

 

 

Just outside of Deals Gap at the beginning of the

Tail of the Dragon

318 curves in 11 miles.

 

 

 

"Tree of Shame"  

Started in the 80's, a makeshift shrine of bike parts and pieces,

donated by those bitten by the Dragon, 

( possible addition - one that happened while we were on the road ) 



 

"Raining'' on the  Dragon ... FUN - Beautiful ..... but didn't expect rain.

 

 

 Blue Ridge Parkway....

Mabry Mill.  Cool place...Had to stop.

Blue Ridge Parkway ....
the 469 mile "STRESS"  antidote .....
                                                       



Castillo de San Marcos...1565a.d.

the oldest fort in America and at one time or another inhabited by 

Spanish, British, or American troops

Don't need no stinkin' Fountain drink...                                    

We're "living" the Fountain of Youth!!!

 

                   

 

Heading into St Augustine...what a Beautiful old town!!!

Beautiful "Spanish Moss" covered street in St. Augustine, Fl.

 Day 2 ...Hemingway's home.  

Man "LOVED"  cats, so much that

45 little pampered kitty "heirs" still call this place home.

 

Key West Sunset. They say if you watch at the exact moment the sun goes down you'll see Green Flashes of light on the horizon....
tonight it was cloudy though..... no flashes. 

                     
                               It's 5 o'click Somewhere !!

 

Day 1 ... the Keys down to Key West.  What a way to enjoy 160 miles.  

"RIDING AMERICA".  

Whoo Hoo!!

 

 Marathon Keys. 

 

On our bike, with perfect Temps and blue/green water , 

what could be better ???



At the famed Hog's Breath Saloon.   

Key West....right out of a Jimmy Buffet song.

HYR's "Ride America"

Follow HYR owner Tony Raley, wife Kathy, and friend John Fornal as they tour some of America's most scenic motorcycle roads.   From Miami they'll travel Florida's iconic 7 mile bridge stretching out into the open sea to Key West,  and the southern most point of America.  Travel north again along the Atlantic coast to picturesque St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement and port in the continental United States,  and Charleston, NC.   Experience the Appalachian ridges on the Blue Ridge Mountain Park Way and beautiful Smokey Mountain National Park.  Follow as they tackle the famed  "Dragon's Tail"  motorcycle road with it's  318 curves in 11 miles.    Then Natchez Trace Parkway with its exceptional scenery and 10,000 years of North American history,  down to New Orleans and the levee roads of the Atchafalaya Basin,  America's largest river swamp.... and much more.......

Limited vacation time shouldn't mean you can't experience all that America has to offer.  Answer ... ship your bike to your dream location... then ride home!  We found a great transport company to ship our new and fully packed Goldwing  (huge trunk and side compartments easily held all our clothes and gear).    Shipment was in a closed box trailer for safety and took about 10 days to get to our rides starting point....Miami, Florida.  Can't wait to reunite with that gorgeous blue and get on the road !!!!

On the way to Miami, Fl.  

Couple more days and the REAL "FUN" begins....