Day 2 of the Biker Babes 2012 Tour!
Wild Turkey has nothing to do with drinking. On the side of the Blue Ridge Parkway this morning was group after group (gaggle? flock? bevy?) of wild turkeys by the side of the road. Just strutting around like they own the place. Which perhaps they do. . . . But I wanted to encourage them to get out of sight, what with Thanksgiving around the corner. But I'm used to seeing deer all over the place on the parkway. . .but wild turkeys? Very cool.
Now compulsions are interesting. Everyone seems to have a compulsion of some kind. And they are ingrained, and involuntary. For me it's eating. But I'm not going to go into that. For the Biker Babes it's Biking. . . . especially for Mary Dudley. She HAS to bike. It's in her soul. She's not right unless she's biking. I could not be farther away from her on that continuum. I can SOOOOOO not bike. Especially around this area of the country when 95% of the time you are either struggling to grind the bike up a frickin mountain, or defying death with a free fall down the other side. Neither of those scenarios appeals to me in anyway. But they love it.
And today my 4 Biker Friends hauled ass all the way to the top of Mount Mitchell. . . the highest point east of the Mississippi. . . over 6,000 feet. I was bursting with pride and admiration for them all as we saw them struggle their way into the parking lot at the very top. Amazing. . . not one of them under 50 years old. Sandy and I had the nerve to pose with them at the pinnacle. We had boldly driven the cars up those miles. YAWN!!!!!
But here we are! Back row from left: Beth, Mary Dudley and Sandy. Front row from left: Me, Jackie, Annie. At 6,578 feet on a crystal clear, wind-free day. I'm guessing that less than 5% of the days of the year are like that on Mount Mitchell. Boy were we all lucky!
And speaking of compulsions. . . . Sandy has a compulsion to hike. She cannot sit still for a moment if there's a trail in sight. She convinced me to try a trail at the top of Mt. Mitchell. The ranger intimated that it was fairly easy. Sandy's pace of walking is about 3 times mine. Part of that is that her legs and stride are longer than mine. Part of it may be that she's hauling around less weight. Part of it might be that she actually wants to hike whereas I'm being dragged along. Anyway. . . off we went. Within about 4 minutes she was so far ahead of me she was out of sight. I was plodding along this absolutely beautiful, but NOT EASY (as a matter of fact the sign said "very strenuous")trail. It started by having you walk down about 100 stone steps to the bottom, only to climb back up on the other side. I gave it about 20 minutes and then turned around and climbed back out. For me it was a great 40 minute hike full of cardio vascular goodness. I'm guessing my heart rate was in the 180's a couple of times. Sandy made the whole walk, but said even for her it was a challenge. Two other times today, as we were waiting for the girls, Sandy disappeared on a random trail. She just can't stop hiking. Which is why she can hike circles around me. . . . 10 years her junior. SIGH!!!!
We stopped at the wonderful Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway right outside Asheville. Haven't been there in years and the craftsman ship of the products is breathtaking. So glad to have had the opportunity to stop there again.
Tonight we were joined by MD's son Carter who lives in Asheville with two buddies from college, who also joined us. What lovely, smart, personable young men. We all had a delightful late supper at the hotel having genuinely interesting exchanges with these guys. A multi-generational love fest. This does not happen often in life. A lovely bonus of this trip!
On my own home-front, I had a lengthy exchange via text with Casey. Always a treat. He starts his new job with IBM on Wednesday. Despite the Redskins imploding again early in the season, he seems upbeat about his life right now.
We have one more biking day left. Sandy and I have little to do tomorrow. We will explore the Asheville area as the girls tackle 27 miles of straight uphill biking. WHO DOES THIS VOLUNTARILY??????
So onward to tomorrow. As I type Sandy is working with her latest compulsion. . . her new IPhone. This one I understand at least. . . . . . . . . Sending you all the best from North Carolina!
The Biker Babes are back on the road. Since it's been a year, I should remind you that I am NOT a Biker Babe. I am a Biker Babe Sherpant. As is Sandy. The 4 Biker Babes are Beth, Annie, Mary Dudley, and Jackie. They are riding the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, one segment at a time. We are now on their second to last segment. We finish this up next fall.
Tonight we start where we left off last year. . . .At a hotel/resort called Little Switzerland on the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Asheville, NC. This is the greatest place. The rooms are huge, the view spectacular, and as sherpants, the Biker Babes insist on paying all the bills. What's not to like about this deal?
I awoke at home at 5:45 this morning and was at Sandy's by 6:45. We then drove to Jackie's where we got into the two cars and headed south to North Carolina. We're driving Beth's Subaru, and Mary Dudley's Forrester. The only issue is that MD's car is stick shift. Sandy, who is brave enough to walk the Appalachian Trail for 10 days by herself at the age of 70, and to go into the jungles of Uganda to see the gorillas at 71, is too chicken to attempt to relearn driving stick shift. So since it has only been 35 years since I drove stick shift. . . I got the job. And to be honest it came back to me in a heartbeat. Although today when we got into the mountains it was quite a challenge. I anticipate being better at it tomorrow.
We dropped the Babes off on the Parkway about 15 miles south of Little Switzerland and they rode north to where we are staying. Sandy and I drove to Crabtree Falls where we took a 1.5 mile hike to the falls and then 1.5 miles back. It was all downhill to the falls, and all uphill on the way back. So a great workout. The falls were fabulous. The weather crystal clear and in the mid 60's. Saw some color in the leaves in Virginia, but down here, not so much yet. With our hike we arrived at Little Switzerland right about the time the BB's arrived. They had brought dinner. We drank wine and ate dinner on the deck overlooking the mountains. A year ago when we stayed in this same unit, the weather was so misty and foggy that we barely knew there was a view. What a treat to be able to come back! After dinner we donned out bathing suits and braved the cold to walk the 150 yards or so to the hot tubs. Quite a few guests were amazed that anyone would be in the hot tubs in this cold weather. And then Sandy and MD went in the pool! God knows how cold that was. Sandy is heartier than I am!
So we're back in the room settling in for the night. Tomorrow. .. Mount Mitchell! Who in their right mind would want to bike Mount Mitchell. Well. . . there are 4 women in the next room that are going to give it a shot tomorrow. Glad it's them and not me.
Crabtree Falls!
Pearl is a black cocker spaniel. She belongs to Sandy, my Afton BFF. Sandy attracts animals. No really. . . they come to her. Her ability to attract animals has been responsible for her having 3 cats: Sippy, Menina, and Topsy. Topsy arrived as the world's tiniest kitten in the top of a very tall tree. Only Sandy was able to call to her and get her to "go out on a limb" and drop into Sandy's hands. . . almost literally. Then there are the two dogs: Winnie and Pearl. Pearly arrived three years ago into the back property of Sandy's mountain retreat. At first they didn't know if she was even a dog. She was a pile of black fur, full of such severe matting and neglect that when Sandy stumbled upon her, she was not even sure what she had. General anesthesia later, with all the mats cut out of her coat, what was left was an adorable little black cocker spaniel, whose owner had died and who had wandered the woods for weeks, maybe months. But she found Sandy. Under those circumstances, it seemed only logical that she should be named Pearl. . . . as in Poor Pitiful Pearl.
A matted coat was not the only problem little Pearly had. . . she had one eye so severely glazed over that removal of the eye was the only solution. Which left her with very limited vision in the second eye. . .which was clearly going the way of the first. Winnie, the resident pug in Sandy's life, immediately became the caretaker of "Poor Pitiful Pearl." A couple of groomings later, and some time for her hair to grow in, and she turned into a gorgeous, sweet, affectionate cocker spaniel. A worthy companion to the other dog and three cats in the house.
Over the last three years Pear has thrived in Sandy's care. Although she has also lost her hearing. But that little girl has bravely carried on. Like all dogs. . .she is the most unaware of her shortcomings.
When I left for Chautauqua, Sandy and Bill were becoming more concerned about Pearl's quality of life. She was bumping into furniture in the house, and if she got out without her leash, could become lost in the woods. It was impossible to call her back since she could not see nor hear. About half way through the summer Sandy and I talked on the phone and she said that they would be confronting the "hard decision" about Pearl in the near future.
But low and behold, Pearly Girl rallied and was still holding strong in the family when I returned at the end of the summer. Bill and Sandy were making sure she got outside before the accidents on the floor, and they watched as it seemed that Pearl was enjoying life even given her disabilities. Isn't it wonderful how dogs live in the moment with no knowledge of their own mortality?
So this past week when Sandy threw a tea-party (the old fashioned kind, not linked in ANY WAY to a political movement!!!!), and 16 of us turned up in hats ( I only owned a cowboy hat so I wore that. I won the prize for Most Bizarre Hat), I was anxious to get reacquainted with Sandy's menagerie.
When I arrived, out came Winnie the Pug, as he always does, to greet me. Then came the perilous parking of the car given that it's hard to see where Winnie actually is. Eventually I got parked and greeted my little canine friend with all the affection he gives me. My first thought was, "Where's Pearl?"
I went into the house where Sandy was in full pre-tea-party preparations and I asked about Pearly. "Oh she's outside with Winnie," came the reply. I said I had not seen her. And the tea-party preparations became tainted with the worry that always accompanied a disappearance of this precious dog who can not see or hear. And all through a lovely party with a lot of women in hats who ate cucumber sandwiches, drank tea, and reveled in being alive and well and together, was the dark awareness by all of us that Pearl was missing. We took turns combing the surrounding woods. Calling her name even though we knew she could not hear us. Sandy was a trooper playing hostess, all the while knowing her heart was breaking with worry about her little black fuzzy charge.
As the party was cranking down, the hat prizes awarded and people getting ready to head for their cars, one woman called out, "Oh there she is off in the woods!" And sure enough, we caught glimpses of that little black body as she tried vainly to return home. She was close, but heading in the wrong direction. Sandy got the leash had headed out in her white tea-party dress. We watched breathlessly as she intercepted Pearly who was clearly worn out from her adventure in the woods. We clapped wildly as Sandy led her little cocker across the back yard.
This little dog who was left for dead three years ago when her owner died and no one was taking care of her, who found her way through those same woods, virtually unrecognizable as a dog to the home of Sandy, and then had somehow found her way back again that day, showed her spirit and determination.
Sandy leaves for a trip to Italy soon, and she and Bill again have to consider what to do about her. It's likely that this time the decision will be made to let her go. But what a banner three years at the end of her life she has had thanks to my wonderful, animal-attracting friend.
Here's to Poor Pitiful Pearl. . . who in my book is really Precious, Perfect Pearl. And here's to Sandy. . . who gave her such a wonderful last chapter of her life.
I'm in Sarasota, Florida. Clearly I did not let any grass grow under my feet once I returned to Afton from Chautauqua. And truth be told, I did not want to turn around in one week and leave on another trip.
But I'm no longer planning weekly trips to DC to sing in choir. I can turn around and leave on a dime. And my siblings called. Bonnie, my older sister, and Chip, my younger brother and I have not all been together since our mother's memorial service and none of us can remember when that was. If you're getting the idea that we aren't a particularly close family, that would be partially true. But it has been years since we've all been in the same room at the same time.
Couple that with the fact that Chip's wife, Sue, is currently undergoing chemo/radiation for a serious cancer, and it became clear that rallying the troops was called for.
So Bonnie and I rented a condo within about 10 minutes of Chip and Sue's house. I'm staying a week, and Bonnie will be here for two. And then there was the fact that on the second day here I developed a slight sore throat which is turning into a cold somewhat like I had at the beginning of the Chautauqua season, and I'm not the best person to be too closely around Sue right now. There must be something about long drives in the car that cause me to catch stuff!
Besides the family time which we are enjoying, and the supporting of our lovely sister-in-law as she goes through this treatment, I am in the market for a place to stay during the month of January. One of the by-products of being mortgage-free and choir-free is that I'm freed up financially and time-wise to go places. Florida in January sounds better than Afton in January. I had perused the VRBO (Vacation rentals by owner) website and narrowed my search to the downtown area of Sarasota. Last January's trip down here with Sandy, where I took off on my own for several days and explored the Tampa/Sarasota area, Venice, Fort Myers, and Naples to see what I liked best, resulted in my current love affair with the downtown Sarasota area. I love being able to walk everywhere. . . . particularly to Whole Foods. Found the Laurel Park area with excruciatingly charming, funky wildly colored bungalows on palm lined streets. My first choice of abodes was not available for this January, but the same owners had another place around the corner which will be perfect! And it will have an extra alcove/bed in case any of my friends want to make the trek for part of the month. Today I go sign the papers.
In another mystifying stroke of serendipity, the owners of these cottages used to live in Northern Virginia, are big Redskins fans, and the husband listens to Chad on the radio every day. Imagine his surprise when he discovered that I'm Mama Dukes!!! However, I don't think a discount is in the works.
Florida is teeming with exotic birds, lizards EVERYWHERE in abundance, and little tiny frogs that we find swimming in the pool with us at our condo. I don't remember every having that happen in a pool up north.
So buoyed by the Redskins win against the Saints last Sunday, some already meaningful one-on-one time with each of my sibs, the promise of warmth in January, and the Biker Babes' annual trip in a couple of weeks when Sandy and I will again serve as official "sherpants" for the group, I would say that I'm solidly back to moving forward. Trying not to miss Chautauqua or Choral Arts. Eager to see what opens up. With or without a cold, this is living!
