Wanna Know Where I've Been?

You know, the funny thing about being a blogger with a general interest blog like mine is that I am constantly wracking my brain for stuff to write about. Well, not constantly as in all the time, but a lot. I mean, I have to keep folks entertained, right? So they'll come back again and again, and log on to the Internet at least 57 times a day just to see if I have said anything new.

That's what I've always thought. But I haven't posted anything since last Friday. I skipped four whole days. And not one person said, "Hey. Where have you been?"

So I figured I'd just cut to the chase, you know, be up front and honest, and ask if I have been missed.

Well???

Seriously though, it's just been one of those weeks where not a lot worth writing about has happened. Instead of writing about one big event, I'm going to share some scintillating (or not) tidbits...

Motorcycling in West Virginia

Know why we like motorcycling in West Virginia so much? Cause it's just a durn purty place. With lots and lots of cool roads like this that meander through the myriad mountains and valleys.

Hubby didn't feel like riding on Saturday, so I went out exploring on my own. Which is why, even though I finally found a spot to take a picture of me and my bike in front of a field of cows, you don't see me in the next picture.

Saturday was a very nice day weather-wise. A bit overcast at times, but pleasantly cool. It was so cool, I was wearing a long sleeved shirt and wishing every now and then for a jacket.

Back in 2003 or 2004 when Hubby and I took our first bike trip through WV, the trip that convinced us we should actually buy some land there, we came across this neat little stretch of road. I sort of knew where it was, at least the general area, but we'd never managed to find it. Well, on Saturday, I found it. It's called Greenland Gap Road. It runs through Greenland Gap. Which happens to be the home of the Greenland Gap Preserve.

In the above photo, you can see the rocky cliffs that rise 800+ feet on the northern side of the gap. There was a cool little waterfall, but nowhere safe for me to stop, which is why there's a link to someone else's picture.

It wasn't the smoothest road, but it was certainly picturesque.

Besides an abundance of scenic beauty, know what else WV has a lot of? Twisties!

This particular twisty, which is actually a series of sweeping curves, is on US Route 50 just east of Mt. Storm. There are quite a few others. But it isn't always convenient to stop. Even if there is space alongside the road for me to quickly zip in to, the surface is usually dirt or gravel. Motorcycles don't take well to "zipping in" to dirt or gravel. Especially big, heavy motorcycles.

On Missing Grandma...

Hard as it is for me to believe, it's been a whole year since my Grandma Saxton passed. I've been thinking of her a lot lately. This morning, while enjoying (not!) my 15-minute jog, I passed a crepe myrtle bush in full bloom. It was gorgeous. Maybe tomorrow I'll go take a picture of it to share with you, since I can't share it with my Grandma. It would've made her smile and say, "Wow, that's really pretty." I can still hear her voice.

Engrish Lessons

Tacky segue? Grandma wouldn't think so. She had quite a sense of humor. "Engrish" is simply humorous English mistakes that appear in Japanese advertising and product design. The site'll really suck you in, so be careful. Here's one of my favorite Engrish pics. This lovely note is one of their most popular posts.

Newest Blog Addiction

I stumbled across the blog, So About What I Said..., a couple of days ago. It is written by a 27-year-old woman named Melissa who has Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome. It is a rare genetic condition, which causes physical disability. It's not the syndrome that has me so fascinated, it's the girl. Wowee, can she write! She writes a lot, too. I keep poking through her archives to read more and learn more about her. Her biggest issue, at least the one that is most frequently discussed, is with dating. It is really quite eye-opening. If you ever, even remotely, wondered what it is like to have a physical disability, you gotta read some of Melissa's blog.

Army Ten-Miler Training

I'm still at it. I've been running 15-minute stints. I am supposed to run 15/walk 5/run 15/walk 5, but I can't seem to bring myself to do that second 15. It's mental, I swear. Once I stop jogging and walk after the first 15 minutes, I just can't bring myself to start jogging again. So I am just going to start adding 5 minutes to my jog times. The next jog is supposed to be 20 minutes. I'll let you know how I do.

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That's it for now. I'm looking forward to tomorrow night. I'm having dinner with two friends who are former co-workers of mine. Usually, we do lunch, and it's always rushed. A relaxing dinner will be a nice change of pace.

Tomorrow night, the girls and I will be driving out to the WV place. Hubby will ride his bike out on Friday afternoon. Here's hoping for more good riding weather!

You may not hear from me again until Sunday. I hope you'll be okay without me again for the next few days.