Chasing NPS Stamps

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5 Days On the Road

It was going to be an easy 5 days on the road picking up a few National Park Stamps that we didn’t already have in our portfolio. Of course, nothing is ever as easy as it sounds.

The plan was quite simple…..head out of Alabama via interstate and then transition to backroads only. Departing Chattanooga that part of the plan quickly disintegrated as we ran into rain, gentle at first but slowly transitioning into monsoon like proportions. Seeing some of the backroads we had planned in Tennessee in the rain wasn’t going to be a good idea, so we continued on the big road into Knoxville. A quick stop at the Electrical Connection to solve a XM radio issue was made before heading to the first park on the list - Cumberland Gap.

In and out of rain showers and thundershowers and downright thunderstorms made riding challenging but not impossible. We made it to the Visitor Center at Cumberland Gap right before closing time. I had intended on purchasing a new National Parks Passport as my old one was quickly filling up, but they were unavailable. Go figure! Don loaded up on stamps that I already had in my book and with weather and darkness closing in, we opted to spend the night in Middlesboro, KY.

After checking in, we walked to the adjacent Mexican eating establishment and had what probably was the best meal I had experienced in a Mexican restaurant - in Middleboro, KY. Another one of those go-figure moments. We settled in for the evening and picked our curvy road route for Thursday. Next stop on the agenda was the New River Gorge area in West Virginia.

We departed Middlesboro early morning and made it an uneventful 8 miles before Don noticed his electrical system acting strangely. Stopping in front of a Chevrolet dealer, we tried to do some troubleshooting to no avail. The GWRRA Gold Book paid for itself once more as we found a Honda dealer back in Middlesboro. Pulling headlight fuses to conserve electrical power, Don bumpstarted the Wing and we made our way back into town. I remembered passing Hart’s Cycles on the way to our motel the previous evening and at the intersection 1 block away, Don’s ride gave up the ghost and died. Oh the embarrassment of having to push a Goldwing the block to the dealer’s parking lot!

Kevin, the Service Manager for Hart’s Cycles was sitting in the parking lot when we pushed that behemoth of a motorcycle across 5 lanes of traffic. He immediately went to work trying to sort out the problem, even though the dealership didn’t open for another 30 minutes. Putting the battery on charge for an hour or so to determine if that was the cause, we waited in the showroom. Hart’s Cycle does much more ATV business than they do selling motorcycles.

After charging the battery for an hour, the bike was cranked only to find out that the alternator was no longer charging, hence the dead battery and electrical gremlins. Having experienced another alternator failure on Benny’s bike a couple of years before, we shook our heads thinking we would be stuck in the middle of nowhere for a couple of days at least. The old Gold Book came into play again as we started calling dealers. There will be a big update necessary in the new book as several of the dealers listed were no longer in business, victims of a struggling economy no doubt.

Calling Jim’s Cycles in Johnson City, TN, I was shocked when the parts department said they had an alternator in stock. Still in doubt, I asked them to go put their hands on it to verify and sure enough, they had one! Rather than be at the mercy of UPS, I chose to take off and go get the much needed part. Luckily, I ran out of the rain after about 30 miles and had smooth sailing into Johnson City - 105 miles away. Picking up the part, I learned this was the 3rd alternator for a GL1800 they had sold this summer!

After racing back to Middlesboro (sometimes radar detectors do pay for themselves), Kevin immediately went to work getting it installed. Note: Never let a dealer tell you the fuel tank has to be pulled on a GL1800 to put an alternator in. We learned the simple way when Benny’s was installed in New Mexico. Kevin learned something new that day! Anyway, new alternator and battery installed, we were ready to travel by mid-afternoon. Off we went towards West Virginia.

Curvy roads were the order of business for the rest of the day. Roads and railroad tracks follow the valley floor and we must have crossed the same RR track 20 times if we crossed it once. We managed to make it to Salyersville, KY before darkness and fatigue from going in and out of rain all afternoon took it’s toll. Another Mexican dinner was on the menu since that was the only “sit-down” place in town.

Friday morning dawned cloudy with rain threatening of course. Since leaving Middlesboro, KY we were traveling through the heart of coal mining country. Appalachia at it’s best or worst depending on your point of view. Poverty was amply evident, houses haphazardly placed on whatever level ground was available. Some within what seemed like inches from the roadway…..others on the other side of streams with only footbridges for access. Gorgeous countryside, curvy roads as you climbed in and out of the valleys or ran along the ridges. Coal trucks traveling as fast as we could….in some cases faster! Roads for the most part were fairly well maintained and traffic was light.

We hit the Thurmond Train Depot in Thurmond, WV around noon. The depot is a restored NPS site which is still an active AMTRAC station even though the population of Thurmond is less than 15! Interesting to see how the railroads played an integral role in the development of that part of the country.

Leaving Thurmond (across a metal grate bridge 200 yards long - always a fun experience on a motorcycle), we headed for the New River Gorge visitor center. The New River Gorge Bridge carries U.S. Highway 19 over the New River at a height of 876 feet (267 m), making it the highest vehicular bridge in the Americas, and the second-highest in the world. It is also the longest steel arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. They close the bridge one day a year to allow base jumping!

Leaving New River Gorge, the goal was the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA. We suffered through another monsoon like rain before the sky finally cleared and we pressed onward trying to make it before closing time. The trusty GPS said we would make it in time and of course, we always trust what is affectionately known as “The Bitch”.

The plotted coordinates took us to the Flight 93 Memorial Chapel which we discovered is NOT the location of the Flight 93 memorial. Not a sign was to be seen so we wandered aimlessly for a little while before asking directions. The fellow changing his brake pads alongside the road gave a bunch of left/right/left instructions which we quickly forgot, but had the general direction down. After a bit of searching, a sign was finally sighted pointing us in the right direction.

The National Park Service does not currently operate the memorial since there is nothing at the site other an a portable building and some porta-potties. Staffing is done by volunteers although the NPS does store and catalog all the memorabilia that has been placed at the site. There are lots of permanent monuments donated by individuals and organizations from all over the world. Construction on a visitor center is scheduled to start this fall and from the description will be quite impressive. The talk given by the on-site volunteer was not only informative but very sobering as well. This should go on every single persons must visit list!

Another must see is Southern Pennsylvania. Not what you see from the interstate, but the small towns, farms, tiny coal strip mines, and absolutely break taking scenery as you experience the southern Allegenhy Mountains.

Departing Flight 93 as the sun was setting, we made it to Bedford, PA for my birthday dinner at Ed’s Steakhouse.

Saturday was going to be a busy, busy day as we had many NPS stops planned. Gettysburg, Catoctin Mountain (more on that one in a bit), Antietam, Harper’s Ferry, Manassas, and Appomatox. The vistor center at Gettysburg is enormous and filled with things to see and do. I advise visiting sometime other than a Saturday as we parked in the overflow parking lots.

Catoctin Mountain is an example of FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corp and Works Progress Administration projects. Beautiful 2nd growth forest with many opportunities for hiking, camping, etc. What isn’t known to the general public is that within the confines of Catoctin Mountain National Park is a little place known as Camp David. We didn’t know that either until the Park Rangers mentioned that it would be ill advised to go past any of the barricades that were in place. Seems as though Camp David was having visitors during the weekend. We didn’t have any desire to challenge the “men in black” so got our stamp and got back on the road!

We made quick stops at Antietam and Harper’s Ferry electing to bypass Manassas and a couple of others in an attempt to make Appomatox before closing time. We made it in 30 minutes to spare only to discover the NPS stamp was not available because the book store was closed. We did however get a replacement stamp to verify our attendance, and hit the road for home. This is another place you should go visit.

Now it is time for the interstate blast home. We had the choice of going through Atlanta or Knoxville and chose the Knoxville route. Little did we know how much that would end up costing us!

Settling down on the interstate we decided to get as far as we could that day. We made it into Abingdon, VA as darkness closed in and zipped off the interstate expecting to find a room and dinner. Not being NASCAR fans, we had no idea that there was a race in Bristol, TN that night. Lo and behold not only was virtually every room taken, but just like is done in Tuscaloosa for football season, rates were doubled or tripled!
We found a room at a Red Roof Inn - not normally known as one of the classier hotel chains available - for the reasonable rate of $169.00 per night. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, and knowing there was no option for the next 200 miles of interstate, we accepted the inevitable and headed to our room. Our was the last room available and the air conditioner didn’t work. Fussing with the clerk did no good, so we beat the a/c into submission and it finally started blowing cold air. The parking lot was empty as we went to bed, but full when we woke up. All those race fans came in sometime during the night. Supper was at a Bob Evan’s…….scratch that one off my list. We should have tackled Atlanta traffic.

Heading south on I-81 the next morning, there was an endless line of RV’s, campers, motor homes, etc. leaving the Bristol area. Once we got through Bristol, we became part of that convoy until traffic finally thinned around Knoxville. On a side note, interstate construction is finally finished in Knoxville so that was smooth sailing.

We pulled back into Tuscaloosa mid Sunday afternoon. 2300 miles or so on the GPS in 5 days - even losing a day for repairs, 20 more National Park Stamps in our books, some marvelous back roads and scenery. I encourage everyone to visit www.nps.gov and see just what the national park system has to offer.

Next adventure - The Void Rally in October.

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Comments

[Don Leemhuis]

Nice Job
This travel blog works really well. Normally I can't enter blogs at work, but this one let me in, SURPRISE. I'll have to give you a good review on the writing and saving our trip by getting the alternator. We had a good trip despite the minor set backs with the weather and the broke bike. Would do it a again anytime. Don