We set out this morning for a ride. Our friend Jeff backed out,Too much Moonshine last night made it too early; and Shelly was taking his mother to church. So it was just me and Dave.

We headed up 21 to Sparta, made a stop for gas and after a bit of discussion, we took off for 221 to head towards Grandfather Mtn. We followed 221 back round to Boone and out towards Linville. I hadnt traversed part of this route before and  the twisties between Boone and Linville were a real treat. The scenery was spectacular as always round these parts, and even tho the sun was shining i kept on my hoodie all day. It sent shivers down my back when we encountered a group riding in shorts and tanks.....

The first pit stop we made on 221 was at the Blue Moon.We had been riding nonstop since the gas-up and my hands were getting numb from the vibration.  If you are out on 221 and get a chance, stop in at the Blue Moon.... some unique antiques, handmade soaps and other novelties, as well as ice cold drinks and snacks.

Not far down the road, i pulled us over for a quick photo shoot of a roadside water fall  and a couple memorial photos of a beautiful butterfly sitting atop a wildflower. I say memeorial photo because we had been and would continue to be pelted with these lunatic insects during the entire ride.    

We rode on and the next pit stop was at the entrance to Grandfather Mtn, where encounterd a group of fellow riders sunning themselves on rocks akin to a bunch of lizards..... after chatting with them a bit we headed on to find something to eat.

At Linville , we took 105 back into Boone and stopped at Bandana's for vittles.....and to pick the butterfly parts out of various places. I had wings in my helmet and other crusty parts on my gloves and cables. Just from what i had counted as we rode, we'd taken hits from over 30 of the crazy lil beasties.

We had eaten here at bandanas once before and the BBQ had been adequate but this time i was disappointed in the baby back ribs that had to be cut apart with a knife.I was hungry and so knawed thru em anyway.

Dave wanted a back way home .... so i lead us back down to 194N towards Jefferson. Its a great lil twisty road ive been down  several times..... there are pics in my gallery of a covered bridge that USED to be seen from here, but as we passed by today, the cover had been torn down :(

Onward we twisted until the fated encounter.....  Up and around we were going, past a fairly populated stretch of road, when it happened.  I happened to catch out of the corner of my eye some movement off to my left, but it was a bit too late, for by the time it registered that something was running into the road, i only saw a yellowish orange blur and felt my handlebars jerk.  I let go the throttle and twisted my head back to see..... but couldnt.  I made it up round the next couple curves til i found a church parking lot to pull into before i fell apart. I had just hit a cat..... first time id hit anything alive on my bike(well anything other than the aforementioned butterflies and other inscets) . Dave pulled up and confirmed that it was dead and hadnt suffered as he had seen it ricochet back the way it had come. He lit a cig for me and after a couple of drags, i started Stella up and turned back to see if the owner could be located.

A girl and a dog were huddled by it as we glided back past the spot. As we walked up , and elderly lady came out. They both consoled me with reassurances that there was nothing i could have done to avoid it as they had been witness to the tradegy.  The lady said she didnt know exactly whos cat it was but would have her son take care of burying it.  And so with the arrangements taken care of aleast, we took off towards home again. 

At the end of 194 we took a left back onto 221 towards Jefferson. A couple miles down we took a right onto 163 towards 16 and the Moonshine Inn..... a quaint lil bar that used to be called the Overlook, for it has a fantastic view from the back windows and the deck.  After a cold one, it was on down 16, cutting across some back roads and into the drive way and home.