In the Mountains again tonight

I will lay my head down to sleep tonight in the Smokey Mountains this time, between Asheville, NC and Knoxville, TN. I love it in the mountains. At least as a tourist. I don't think I'd care to live here permanently. I kinda like my 'Paradise' in Florida. I think I'm more of a beach bum.

So after loading my electronic signs just north of Salt Lake City last Thursday, I flew almost 1400 miles in 2 days getting into Belleville Saturday morning. Saturday night was Freeburg's Parade and truck pull. This time of year there are a multitude of festivals and homecomings in the small towns around the area. Just good old fashion fun. I was a (fairly) good boy Saturday night. I had to get up and drive 600 miles or so today. I deliver these signs first thing in the morning in Greenville, SC and then go less than 100 miles down the road to Columbia and reload for Louisiana.

Should be a wet ride tomorrow. Tropical Storm Claudette makes landfall tonight along the FL panhandle. The forecast is 6" of rain and 50 mph winds along the coast but I'll be on I-20 about 130 miles inland. The rain would be okay. My truck is nasty-nasty. I have a major bug collection on the front - mostly grasshoppers, dragon-flys and moths. Thank you Nebraska and Wyoming!

And I left my bike in Belleville. My tires were marginal before I went riding in ID. They are 'American Bald Eagles' now. So I dropped the bike at a friends and I'll have new tires UPS delivery to his house and he will hook me up. So let it rain.

The Smokies and the Rockies are quite different. The Rockies are much bigger - both in height and width. They are also much more varied in shape and structure. There is a lot more "WOW" when riding thru the Rockies, not that the Smokies aren't impressive.

I didn't pay a lot of attention in geology class, so I'm not going to try and impress you with my knowledge of rocks. But anyone can see the differences in the Rockies between mountain ranges. The color of the rock is different. The way they have eroded is different and thus their formations vary. It is probably among the most impressive sights I have seen in my travels.

I have been thru the Canadian Rockies and walked on their glaciers. I just rode thru the Bitteroot Mountains of Idaho with their granite spires and 1000' high buttes that drop straight down to a raging white-water stream. I also walked across lava fields in the Snake River Plain where molten rock has oozed - and occasionally exploded - from the ground. Geologists are predicting another major blow within the next 1000 years (hey, this has been going on for more than 20 million years) and Yellowstone Park is where it's going to happen. Guess you better get out there and visit it soon.

I had an interesting discussion with my Uncle last week about the differences of sight-seeing from a car versus a motorcycle. As far as I'm concerned there is no comparison. Perhaps if the car were a convertible and the top was down, it might be similar. But when you are looking around from the seat of a bike it's as if you are a part of it.

You can smell it -- not always good. You can feel it -- the temperature changes going over a river or thru a forest. You can taste it -- sometimes you catch a bug, literally. You can hear it - the echo of your exhaust from the canyon walls. You can see it - 360 degrees around and up and down. An enclosed chariot (car) just isn't the same. But even that beats looking at National Geographic so get out there!

We live in the most beautiful place on earth - where ever you are! Get off the sofa and go see something GOD created for you.