Cheep Sheets
Adequate lodging at bargain prices. If you know of others, please send me notes from your experience including location and price.

Riding the Best of West Virginia

We had breakfast the morning of July 4th at one of our favorite local spots and hit the road to meet friends in Kentucky. Rick Glover and his girlfriend Monica and myself headed north up I-65 for about 160 miles.

At exit #6 in Kentucky we met up with James Langley of Madison, AL. and Dave Dragon of Tampa, FL. We crossed the last operating river ferry in KY. on Hwy 214. It crosses the Cumberland River. We made our way to Stanton, KY. which is near Natural Bridge. We stayed at Abner’s Motel. I would recommend them to everyone. It was very clean and well maintained. Also staying at this location was a group of native American Indians from Okalahoma that had been hired to burn off underbrush along the highways. They were friendly and had interesting stories about their work.

Thursday we made our way to Burnsville, WV. We followed a section of the Ohio river and then straight into the mountains. The roads were mostly US Highways and not so twisty but the scenery made up for it.

On Friday we would make up for any straight roads that we had ridden the days before. US 250 and several connecting roads are as twisty and well paved as anything you can find east of the Mississippi River. We went to the edge of Virginia and then back to Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort for lunch. What a beautiful place and you can see for miles off the top of the mountain. We made it to the motel in time to take a side trip to the attraction that everyone had been looking forward to. New River Gorge, on US 19. The longest arch bridge in the USA and the second highest bridge. We rode the narrow road down to the New River and back up to the highway.

The following day took us right back to Virginia. By the end of the day, we could say that we had ridden 300 miles of pure twistys. US 58 and US 421 both in VA. will keep you on the edge of your seat as well as the edge of the mountains. We finished the day in Bristol, VA.

By Sunday we were all worn out. We averaged a little more than 400 miles of two lane twisty mountain roads for the past 4 days. We road 12 hours per day. James and I took the long way home across rural Tennessee. Rick and Monica had opted for the interstate and Dave had a 750 mile day in front of him. I traveled 2129 miles in 5 days. Dave and James are two of my most knowledgeable riding companions and the conversation is non-stop motorcycle from sun up till lights out. Rick and Monica are always entertaining. Over all it was one fine 4th of July holiday.

Keep on riding,
John

What's for Dinner?
Just good places to eat.

FLORIDA

Parson's Restaurant
904 6th Ave S
Jacksonville Bch, FL
(904) 249-0608
This is a local neighborhood seafood restaurant. The food is excellent, the service is fair. Most meals price around $12 and the portions are huge. No one at our table was able to clear their plate. This was some of the best seafood I have ever found.


TENNESSEE

Rebel Drive-In Restaurant
1010 S Lee Hwy
Cleveland, TN 
(423) 476-6373
Open 6am to 2pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday
As I drove by, I could smell the bacon cooking.  I looked back just in time to realize there wasn't an empty parking spot on the lot.  A quick U-turn and I had a fantastic breakfast.  The service was excellent.

Shelly’s Chicken House
3496 US Hwy 421
Bristol, TN
(423) 878-3581



Located on US 421 just a few miles south of Bristol. Good biscuits and gravy with eggs cooked to order. You can get fried chicken one piece at a time or their menu has a price for an order of 200 pieces. How hungry are you?

March 9, 2009

This was a nice weekend for riding. Doc and I went to McMinnville, TN and rode some great roads. Our trip was 350 miles.

On Sunday, Wes and I went up to Chattanooga. I took him on the best roads that I know of in that area. After lunch the wind picked up and was blowing us all over the road. I headed for the house but, we were still 70 miles away. So Wes got some good experience being blown around. We were both glad to be home.

The James Langley Easter Ride 2009

It’s been a couple years since I made the Easter Ride. Seven of us met at the Waffle house in Madison. We left at 8am headed on a 1394 mile trip. It would last four days. Each day we cut a few miles out of the planned route due to weather and riding conditions. The planned trip mileage was near 1500 miles, so we didn’t miss much.  

Friday was overcast and we skipped around the rain for much of the day. We had lunch at Ball Bat BBQ. The food was good, but the company of the owners was exceptional. They also ride and we swapped stories with them. You could throw a rock from their place to Brushy Mountain Penitentiary. We rode part of the Devils Triangle after lunch. Then the severe weather set in. Thunder, lightening, and high winds but, we made it to Big Stone Gap and checked into the Comfort Inn.

Saturday we had heavy fog and a light mist most of the day. We rode up to West Virginia and then over to Burkes Garden. The clouds were low and you could not see how big the valley really is. We finished the day riding in mild conditions and returned to Big Stone Gap. We ate at a place in Norton, it wasn’t very good so I’m not fixing to recommend it to anyone. Cold beer washed away dinner and we had a good Saturday night.

Easter Sunday was perfect. Sunshine, very twisty roads, a good lunch, more very very twisty roads. We couldn’t avoid driving around Cashiers, and that was the only place where we found any traffic. By the time we got to Sylva, the temperature was up to 71. We had a big dinner in town with fried Oreos for desert. Our waitress was a local college student and she was a pretty as the mountain scenery. Sylva has always been one of my favorite locations. It’s a clean little town with friendly people.

Monday brought a new threat of severe weather, so we headed home. Most of the roads were dry and being a weekday there wasn’t much traffic. It started to sprinkle right as we got home. A couple hours later and a tornado warning was issued. Glad we came home when we did.

It was a great ride. We laughed so hard we couldn’t talk. There were no problems and no whining. Hard fast riding just for men.

Keep on riding,
John 3

EASTER PHOTOS
click on any picture to enlarge or start the
slide show.

                          Riding the Best of West Virginia

We had breakfast the morning of July 4th at one of our favorite local spots and hit the road to meet friends in Kentucky. Rick Glover and his girlfriend Monica and myself headed north up I-65 for about 160 miles.

At exit #6 in Kentucky we met up with James Langley of Madison, AL. and Dave Dragon of Tampa, FL. We crossed the last operating river ferry in KY. on Hwy 214. It crosses the Cumberland River. We made our way to Stanton, KY. which is near Natural Bridge. We stayed at Abner’s Motel. I would recommend them to everyone. It was very clean and well maintained. Also staying at this location was a group of native American Indians from Okalahoma that had been hired to burn off underbrush along the highways. They were friendly and had interesting stories about their work.

Thursday we made our way to Burnsville, WV. We followed a section of the Ohio river and then straight into the mountains. The roads were mostly US Highways and not so twisty but the scenery made up for it.

On Friday we would make up for any straight roads that we had ridden the days before. US 250 and several connecting roads are as twisty and well paved as anything you can find east of the Mississippi River. We went to the edge of Virginia and then back to Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort for lunch. What a beautiful place and you can see for miles off the top of the mountain. We made it to the motel in time to take a side trip to the attraction that everyone had been looking forward to. New River Gorge, on US 19. The longest arch bridge in the USA and the second highest bridge. We rode the narrow road down to the New River and back up to the highway.

The following day took us right back to Virginia. By the end of the day, we could say that we had ridden 300 miles of pure twistys. US 58 and US 421 both in VA. will keep you on the edge of your seat as well as the edge of the mountains. We finished the day in Bristol, VA.

By Sunday we were all worn out. We averaged a little more than 400 miles of two lane twisty mountain roads for the past 4 days. We road 12 hours per day. James and I took the long way home across rural Tennessee. Rick and Monica had opted for the interstate and Dave had a 750 mile day in front of him. I traveled 2129 miles in 5 days. Dave and James are two of my most knowledgeable riding companions and the conversation is non-stop motorcycle from sun up till lights out. Rick and Monica are always entertaining. Over all it was one fine 4th of July holiday.

Keep on riding,
John

My trip to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.

This trip began 10 years ago. In the sixth grade my daughter announced that she would be attending college at the Naval Academy. I patted her on the back and told her that would be great. What little girl at that age could be determined enough to already know what she wanted? Mine could.

She filled out the application, took all the test, got the congressional appointment, and here we are today. She is now an Ensign in the Navy with a degree in Chemistry. What a woman she turned out to be. UPDATE Jodi spent her first one and half years in Jacksonville. She was assigned to the USS Hue City. She was the Strike Officer responsible for launch missiles from the ship. On March 1, 2009 she is moving to Charleston, SC where she will attend Nuclear Engineering School.

Sometimes you plan the trip. Sometimes the most unlikely folks plan them for you. Thanks to my daughter for planning this trip.

The weather was perfect and the scenery could not have been better.