One of the best riding roads in the country

Talk about great roads to ride on a motorcycle and the Blue Ridge Parkway always ranks right up near the top of the list. When you include the Shenandoah Drive at the north end and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at the south, you can ride from Front Royal, Virginia to the the Smokies in Tennessee, passing through areas of great natural scenery and beauty.

We live, as the locals like to say, "just a hop, skip and a jump" from the Parkway. I leave my garage and be on the Parkway in just a few minutes from Franklin Pike, Shooting Creek Road or Virginia Route 8 south of Floyd. From there, the only question is "North of South?"

On any given day, you will find dozens of bikes cruising the winding two lane road or stopped at one of the many overlooks or popular roadside attractions like Mabry Mill.

I'll sometime take a run down the Parkway at the beginning or end of the day just to clear my head.

But the Parkway has its hazards for both experienced and novice riders. Deer can jump out from behind the many rhododendrons that line the road and many decreasing radius turns are not indicated by sinage. New riders in the area often head for the Parkway as soon as they pass their Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course and that's a mistake. I've seen too many newbies dump their bikes because they misjudged a turn or dropped a wheel off a road with no shoulders.

We also have a problem with kids on Ninjas and other crotch rockets who ignore the 45-miles-per-hour speed limit and no passing lanes.  Now that school is back in session, we find more adults cruising the lanes for the fun of riding and fewer children trying to show off.