I notice to my dismay that I am no longer on the road but in the grass doing about 60 mph. Times like these where the theory of relativity weighs on one's mind - as time expands and within those few milliseconds images of hospitals, ambulances, crushed motorcycles and all of the beautiful places you are not going to see on your trip flash through your mind.

...we head down the forest road, the class is trying hard not to repeat the Maury's moves. After quite a bit of gravel riding we come to the next demonstration - water crossing. Now this is getting fun. We each take turns and are critiqued on our river crossing technique - very exhilarating. We do a few more water crossings and then head to lunch at Two Wheels Only Campground...

...darkness now, lightning strikes ahead in the south. Thunder is inaudible above the din of the wind noise. I ride through marshlands encircling Chatuge Lake - formed when the Chatuge Dam blocked the natural progression of the Hiawassee River. I must be close. I pull into Hiawassee about eleven pm. Stopping at a gas station to ask directions to the campground...

...springtime on the Blue Ridge, and with the range of elevation (649 ft - 6047 ft) the landscape is endlessly changing. Trees are everywhere, some are in bloom, the tuliptree showing off with its yellow petals. Flowering shrubs are also abundant as the flame azaleas ignite the scenery.

...windy up here on the bridge, a scary 4.3 miles crossing dumps me into increasing traffic as I near the Baltimore Washington Megapolis. Again retracing my previous route I am heading down 301 South...

...Asseteague's effect is immediate. A beach that feels completely isolated. The calming roar of the surf, the smell of salt air. At once connected to the world by the large body of water and at the same time isolated. I camped right on the dunes...

In May of this year, I will be embarking on a momentous motorcycle journey. In a period of six months, I hope to reach all 49 US States on two wheels.