It Was Cold Up There

The Fuzz, His Sweetie and the Not So Young Anymore Daughter took a trip up to Asheville over the weekend.  It was cold and windy up there!  It looks like winter has made it to North Carolina.
They had a pretty good time poking around the various shops and all.  They even made it to the Goodwill Outlet store.
But The Fuzz would like to go on record that he does not recommend Vegan Cheesecake!

And while there, they even got to see Santa!

Well, Thanksgiving is coming soon, and The Fuzz says he has a lot to be thankful for.  So enjoy some time with your families, and have some turkey together.

The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure 11

When we left Our Fuzz, he was puzzling over whether to take a chance on the weather.

The original window for this trip had been pretty optimistic.  But of course the trip had been extended several times, and now there was talk about some sort of "tropical" situation moving in his direction.

It was not a long ride back to Charlottesville, but things could get a bit wet.

Of course it has been said that "If you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride!"

And this was supposed to be an Adventure, wasn't it?

There had been plenty of times when rain had been forecast and in the end, nothing much came of it.

So The Fuzz decided to go for it.

A light drizzle began shortly after he left, and gradually increased.  And there was traffic.

At this point The Fuzz figured it was time to break out some rain gear and stopped to pull his rain pants over his leather.

The rain increased in intensity forcing him to wipe his glasses frequently now so he could see.  This was important with all the traffic.

Next, he realized that his jacket would not be able to turn  as much rain as he was now getting.  So it was time to stop and put on the rest of his rain suit.

It wasn't long until the rain required him to put the goggles on as well.  But even with them on, he could barely see the road.

More Adventure!

But he was making progress, if in slow stages.

Finally he stopped at a gas station for a break and hot coffee.  The women there checked the weather on a iPhone and told him that the worst was just then passing.  Things should be a little better the rest of the way.

So after getting warmed up a bit, the Intrepid Fuzz got back on the road.

And the rain had lightened - just a bit.

And that was just enough.

The rain continued to decrease as he was getting closer to his destination.  But it had taken it's toll.  He was wet, but could have been much wetter is not for the rain gear.

He was also hungry.

So he pulled into a KFC for some greasy chicken.  For some reason, they didn't serve coffee here, which seemed a bit strange to The Wet and Hungry Fuzz.  But the greasy food did help, in it's way.

As he approached Charlottesville, the rain actually stopped, and he found his way to his sister's house, and a chance to get dried out.

Time to Split

The Fuzz and His Sweetie have been burning wood for years to keep warm each winter.  Of course that can be a lot of work.  Some years ago they invested in a log splitter to make things a bit easier on the Old Fuzz's back.

For the last couple of winters, The Fuzz has been able to keep up with things by hand, leaving the machine for others to enjoy.  But this year he was faced with an abundance of larger trees from a neighbor.  This was a lot to handle at one time.  So this year it was time to break out the Power Equipment.

And The Fuzz has been busy.

But as can be seen, there is still a lot to do.

The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure 10

Continuing the tale-

With all the political shinanigans going on there wasn't a whole lot going on in the area.  But The Fuzz was content to just hang out with the Newlyweds.

There was good food, and the amazing Puzzler.

Whoever thought of making a 1000 piece puzzle out of Stary Stary Night, was a sadist.

The Fuzz wonders if this thing is even finished yet?

But later, it did inspire The Fuzz's Sweetie to break out their own 1000 piece puzzle!

It took a week, but finally, one morning things all came together for them.

It wasn't as easy as it looks!

The Fuzz had a nice quiet visit with the Newlyweds, but it was time to move on again.  The weather forecast however, was not promising.  The was rain moving into the area.  The Fuzz was hoping to make it back to Charlottesville to spend the night with His Sister again.  

It was decision time, would he play it safe and stay here, all warm and dry?  Or go for the Adventure?

The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure 8

In the morning it was time for Our Fuzz to get back on the road.  But this time there would be no clutch problems!

So he got his gear together. 

But since he was only riding to Herndon in northern Virginia on this leg, there was no rush to get started.


After a bit of breakfast, he loaded up the bike, and headed out to top off his tank before leaving town.

On a previous trip, The Fuzz and His Sweetie had invested in a semi-local map of the area.  Actually, it was supposed to cover the area in a 50 radius of Washington.  Using this, The Fuzz planned a route back though Maryland and down to Leesburg, thus avoiding once again the nightmare of Our Nation's Capital.

Highway 26, the Liberty Rd, passes though wine country and some pretty little villages.

Then he turned south, toward Virginia and crossed the Potomac.

At Luckett, he stopped for a break and some apple cider.

It was a Saturday, and there was a sort of a trade lot - tourist trap going on.

The rest of the ride went quickly, and The Fuzz arrived at his destination safely.

From Near Disaster to Carport

In previous posts The Fuzz has mentioned an unfortunate  occurrence while preparing a place for the New Carport.

That did slow things down a bit.  The Carport People called a few times, but had to be asked to wait just a bit longer.  But the site was finally ready, so the Carport People were informed.
This morning, just as that Not So Young Anymore Daughter was heading out the door to catch the school bus, The Fuzz became aware of the sound of a truck.  Looking out side he was surprised to find a truck backing a trailer into the driveway.

The Carport People had told him they would be coming today, but not until noon- and they would call, on the way!

It was literally the crack of dawn.
The sun was just beginning to hit the treetops.

But the moment had arrived at last.

These guys know their business.
Just backing a trailer down this driveway is no simple matter.

They wasted no time and got right to work, unloading the stuff, and setting it out.

The base was laid out and the frame assembled.

Then it was time to add the roof,

and screw it all down.

The whole job was done in about 45 minutes!

And here's a look at the finished product.

The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure 7

Back to "The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure"

After a short wait, The Fuzz's Motorhead Daughter and Husband arrived.  And after a delicious dinner, (and a few "shots") it was time to hit the sack for a much needed rest.

The Fuzz had a nice breakfast of ham & egg on a bagel, and hug loose for a while.

He took the opportunity to add a bit more to his Trip Journal.
His mechanically minded Daughter hinted around at taking a look at his bike problems.  So he got out the shop manual, which he just happened to have brought with him.  Even when traveling light, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Here he found his problem described exactly.
Could it be possible that this could all be straitened out without ordering parts from the distant Orient?
It looked like there might be a chance, if it really was merely a matter of bleeding the clutch line.
It was worth a try.

So it was off to the Auto Parts Store (they even have them in Maryland!) for the needed supplies.

And in short order, the job was finished!
And now due to some idiocy in Washington, (The Fuzz has a policy of not bringing up politics on this blog) it seemed that another family member had been laid off for the time being.  And since Northern Virginia was on the way back to Charlottesville, plans were made for another extention to The Fuzz's itinerary.

In the morning, he would be back on the road.

Mountain Hike

Over the weekend, The Fuzz and His Sweetie thought it might be nice to get a bit of exercise and take in a bit of mountain scenery.  Since it's only a short drive over to South Mt. The Fuzz suggested a hike up to Chestnut Knob, and His Sweetie agreed.

They seemed to have picked the perfect time for it.  The leaves had finally broken out their Fall Colors, and enough had already fallen that you could see out into the woods a bit.

The sky was clear when they made it up to the rocks at the top. It was possible to see all the way to the Charlotte skyline many miles away.  In the summer it's usually too hazy for this.
Unfortunately, The Fuzz's little camera was incapable of capturing this.  The little question mark (?) shows the approximate location.

They had a light lunch up there, and headed back dow enjoying the sights along the way.

It was a beautiful day, and a wonderful outing.

The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure 6

Even though The Fuzz's Trusty Bike had been giving a little trouble, he had decided to take the plunge, and push on to Maryland.  Having checked out some maps, he realized he was more than halfway there already.  He would have plenty of time for this leg, without pushing the bike.  Maybe it would do okay.  So in the morning he headed north toward the Baltimore area.

The plan called for definitely avoiding Washington.  On a previous trip, The Fuzz's Sweetie had worked out a nice route up into Maryland, and across through the countryside past a few wineries.

The first leg was to head north on 29, then catch 15 to Leesburg, and across the river into Maryland.
The Fuzz took it easy on this leg, and the bike gave no trouble.  Once in Maryland he stopped for a bit of fuel and a cup of coffee.
At Fredrick, after a rest break at the local DQ, he picked up 2 lane Maryland 26 east.  Those Maryland DQs don't quite hold up to NC standards.
He passed a few wineries, but resisted the temptation to stop.  He was getting closer to his destination, and would be there a bit too early at this rate.  So a bit of a lunch break seemed like a good idea.

He found Oscar's Alehouse.  That was hard to resist, so he didn't.  After a beer and ruben sandwich, he was ready to hit the road again.

But of course one thing came first.

And for the Ladies.

The Fuzz missed his next turn, but fortunately realized it before he got sucked into Baltimore.  A quick consultation of the map produced an alternate route, and he was able to "Recalibrate"
He was still a bit early getting to his destination.  So he decided to stop by the shop and see the Motorhead Daughter on the job. But due to some faulty directions, ended up lost.  And his clutch was acting up again.

So in the end he just went to the apartment, and waited, taking the time to catch up in his little Trip Journal.

Near Disaster Update

You may recall a Near Disaster mentioned in some previous posts.  Well, The Fuzz's little injury did slow progress a bit.  With the driveway clear, it was time to do a bit of work on the site itself.  This involved leveling things somehow, and removing a few stumps.

So The Fuzz got out his brand new heavy-duty Come-a-long.
One end was chained to a solid stump.  This one does not have to be removed to get the new carport set up.  And the other end was chained to the stump to be removed.  This one was smaller, and a bit rotten as well.

The Fuzz's plan called for simply pulling it from the ground, like an old rotten tooth.  And with the tremendous power available with this excellent piece of equipment, it worked!
He pulled a couple more stumps with this set-up, and a bit of work with a mattock.

Here's a look at the site.

And the log from the tree that had caused all this trouble was finally cut into firewood as well.

Here's a look at The Poor Fuzz's Paw.  It has healed well.  It is still a bit stiff, and there are some numb areas.  He might not be able to play the violin though.  But since he couldn't do that before this unfortunate affair, it is no big loss.

The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure 5

Monticello was interesting.

The Fuzz and His Sister spent a good bit of the day there.

But then it was back to town for a healthy drink.

After a fine dinner, they headed out into the neighborhood

for a couple of less healthy drinks.

The Fuzz had been considering extending his adventure farther north to visit the Motorhead Daughter in Maryland.  At Charlottesville, he was halfway there already.  And the weather still was looking good.  And if his bike was still giving trouble, it had gotten him this far.  His Sweetie, back home, was encouraging.  And after all, this was an Adventure!

So The Adventurous Fuzz got on the phone and made the arrangements.

He would head north in the morning.