ARKiV's Appalachian Adventure

May 7th, 2007 - Development has begun on the "ARKiV's Appalachian Adventure" site. This site will be the portal between myself and the rest of the world as I embark on a journey from Columbus Ohio, through the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee, to the east coasts of North Carolina and Virginia, and back to Ohio via Virginia and West Virginia. So far I have begun work on the initial route planning (thanks Google!) as well as listing some of the places I plan on visiting. I will be updating the site nightly throughout my journey with pictures and stories from the road, so when the trip finally arrives be sure to follow along as I carve up the twisties and ride the ridgelines!

May 11th, 2007 - Mapping has been completed for the first four days of the journey. Maps have been updated from previous incarnations to reflect stays at hotels. I have also updated the list of possible places to visit.

May 12th, 2007 - Mapping of days five and six completed, as well as more additions to the list of possible places to visit. The maps are subject to change before departure depending on hotel availability and re-working of plans, but I suspect that the final plan will look quite similar to what I have here.

May 18th, 2007 - Well, it's officially official! I have made my hotel reservations for each night as well as my ferry reservation for the Swan Quarter - Ocracoke ferry. The site is now official as well, no more "index2.html" to type in. I have a few more tasks to accomplish in preparation for the trip, including routine maintenance for the car, transferring map data into Streets and Trips and figuring out a laptop mounting solution for the car. I'M REALLY DOING THIS! (I can't wait...)

May 19th, 2007 - I have purchased the laptop mount for the car on eBay, you can see what it looks like here. Once I recieve it and install it, I will begin testing the GPS software in the car, as well as figure out how the whole setup is going to work.

May 21st, 2007 - Map data has been entered into Streets and Trips, directions have been generated as well as a local test route. The test route will be used to familiarize myself with the software. Also, Day Five routing has been modified to allow for a 40 mile jaunt down Skyline Drive which is the northern section of the Blue Ridge Parkway that travels through Shenandoah National Park. There is a $15 entry fee to drive through the park, so I might as well make it worth the fee!

May 29th, 2007 - I have modified Day Two routing to include a section of road called The Tail Of The Dragon. This is an extremely popular section of road amongst driving enthusaists, with 318 turns in 11 miles! I was so close already, I decided I just had to do it.

May 30th, 2007 - I have recieved the laptop mount and installed it for a test run. Initial installation was a bit shaky but seven dollars worth of spring clamps later, I figured it out. (see photos of the installation here) GPS testing has been proceeding well and all seems to be in order for smooth navigation. The only issue I have encountered is the power inverter occasionally faulting, but it seems to be a rare occurance. Also, I have once again modified routing for Day Two, this time I have included The Cherohala Skyway, yet another enthusaist favorite. After all, what's another hour and 16 minutes when you're only here once?

June 4th, 2007 - Less than two weeks to go! I have once again changed some routing on Day Two to allow for more twisty back country roads, adding another 20 minutes to the drive. Day Five has also changed to include a drive across The James River Bridge (US-17) in Newport News, Virginia. I have updated my routes in Streets and Trips to reflect these changes. Day Two is now only 19 minutes shorter than Day Four, making it the second longest day on the trip according to my mapping software (Google Maps somehow computes it's times differently). I have also begun preparing the site for the trip as well, setting up templates and links for each day at the top. These links are not yet active, but will become so during the trip.

June 12th, 2007 - Only five more days to go! Today I took care of some routine maintenance for the car with an oil change, tire rotation and pressure check. I also did a visual inspection of the brakes as well as under the hood. Everything seems to be squared away and in good shape. All that is left to do now is to pack and go!

June 16th, 2007 - Well, tomorrow's the big day! Today I decided to get a new power inverter, the failures of the old one had me nervous. I'm all packed up and ready to go and I'm pretty sure I have figured out how to fit everything in the car. Don't forget to follow along every day as I post new photos and stories on the daily pages (the links at the top of this page.) HERE WE GO...

June 24th, 2007 - ARKiV's Appalachian Adventure was a resounding success! I had such a great time on the trip and I definitely plan on taking trips in the future to actually stop and enjoy some of the places I visited. The only bad thing during the whole trip was finding the hole in my top. I have uploaded ALL of my pics from the trip and they can be found HERE. I also mashed together a quick panorama of a section from the Cherohala Skyway and put it HERE. Enjoy the pictures! For now it's time to bid farewell, but rest assured I will be back on the road next year. Until then, keep it between the lines and watch out for the other guy!