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Obtaining Started out With A House Based Organization Idea

There are literally thousands of ideas obtainable for residence based companies. Most men and women have a hard time deciding what is appropriate for them and also evaluating which a single of the a lot of thousands of opportunities that are obtainable will be the correct one particular for them. We will cover a handful of of the approaches that many entrepreneurs use to help them determine which opportunity they will pursue.

If you are a frequent on the web web surfer, you probably have come across numerous distinct ads for online organizations that you can run from the comfort of your property with only a handful of hours a day of investment to create hundreds if not thousands of dollars per week. While there might be numerous nuggets out there, the general rule of thumb is that, you get what you pay for, nonetheless applies. If you invested little, probabilities are your revenue will be commensurate with your investment. So what do you do to assess these different opportunities for residence companies?

The fundamentals contain a realistic assessment of your income and also your costs to generate a net income statement of revenue that is obtainable to you for other purposes. Evaluating possible revenue earnings means that you will want to realize in some detail how you will generate, sell, advertise and close sales relative to your house based business notion. Numerous advertisements for property based businesses on the net advertise a package for a relatively modest price tag, which will explain the idea and show you how to earn hundreds or thousands per week. Ahead of you even take this initial step, you need to learn as much as possible about the company idea.

Verify out blogs on the internet, full several searches on the topic, study other internet site materials and develop an information information base that you can utilize for your assessment. Create a spreadsheet that estimates sales per week, advertising etc. Most importantly create a strategy that you will carry out that focuses on producing and meeting the income targets that you have set for your self. As you go via this exercise, you will also uncover any fees of finding started as well as ongoing costs. These figures can also be entered into your spreadsheet in the expense section for later calculation of your net income.

When you have completed your evaluation and generated your net revenue statement there are still two more measures to comprehensive prior to you choose to go ahead with your new property based organization idea. First, ask oneself is this a realistic strategy? Can I reside on the net revenue that will be generated from this enterprise? Is this what I want to do or are there other far more attractive and fascinating possibilities? The second question will help in answering the first. Comprehensive a sensitivity analysis. Reduce your income expectations by 25% and increase your fees for both finding began and ongoing by 25%. Ask oneself if this is nonetheless an intriguing and profitable company to get involved with?

Once you have completes these measures you need to be prepared to make an informed selection about any house based business idea that you are assessing.

Associated Residence Based Business Concepts Articles

www.GreenEnergyIncome.com Power Deregulation and Momentis Energy spawns excellent company ideas. Uncover how you can benefit from a billion dollar ground floor opportunity.

Ebay Enterprise in new year

Q: I hear so considerably about individuals who started out promoting on eBay and eventually turned it into their complete time enterprise. Is it truly feasible to develop a profitable business just selling junk on eBay?
– Alex K.

A: If Fred Sanford were alive right now, Alex, I’m confident he’d be earning his ripple cash by promoting excellent junk on eBay. Whilst it’s also correct that 1 man’s junk is yet another man’s treasure (I have a garage full of treasure to prove this point), your odds of building a lucrative company promoting “junk” on eBay (or anywhere else, for that matter) are slim to none.

While there is a lot of junk/treasure for sale on eBay, it is typically sold by folks who have “I break for yardsales!” bumper stickers on their cars and not critical enterprise people.

For severe entrepreneurs, nonetheless, selling on eBay can be a very good way to start off a new business if you are willing to place in the time and power essential to make the business a achievement. eBay is also a good selection for current businesses to expand their reach by promoting on the web.

Everyone from little utilized auto dealers to giant organizations like Dell Computers have found that eBay is an exceptional place to hawk their wares merely due to the massive amount of people who pay a visit to the eBay web site on a daily basis. Nowhere else on earth will you locate such a significant pool of possible buyers.

Think about these numbers: • There are nearly 69 million eBay users who spend million every single day. • Most eBay sellers are property-based organizations that sell each and every- point from porcelain dolls to locks of Elvis’ hair to ,000 Mercedes convertibles to million dollar holiday homes.

• Each and every minute of each and every day far more than 150 new items are listed for sale, more than 500 bids are placed, and seven new men and women register to shop on eBay.

• At any offered second, eBay is conducting some 12 million auctions, divided into about 18,000 diverse categories.

• About two million new items are provided for sale every day, and 62 million registered users scour the site to locate them. • One particular organization is grossing a lot more than million dollars a year promoting brand new pool tables on eBay. Their eBay retailer is so worthwhile that they have closed their retail place and now sell solely on the internet.

That’s right, million dollars from the sale of pool tables: proof that you can sell just about anything on eBay if you know how to do it.

Be conscious, even so, that eBay is no magic bullet. As any eBay Energy Seller (a seller who sells a minimum of ,000 in goods per month) will tell you, constructing a worthwhile eBay company requires difficult work and calls for extended hours, and typically the financial rewards do not make it worth the effort spent.

When it comes down to the mechanics of it all, operating an eBay enterprise is no distinct than running a brick and mortar company. You nevertheless have the very same considerations concerning item choice, inventory purchasing, item pricing, inventory management, order processing, fulfillment, buyer service, etc.

You must also take into account the legal and accounting aspects of the organization. Just since you’re selling online does not imply that Uncle Sam won’t expect his piece of the pie. Revenue generated by an eBay organization is just as reportable and taxable as revenue generated from a brick and mortar retailer. And if you sell to consumers within your state you may also be responsible for collecting city, county or state sales tax.

1 of the greatest obstacles to creating a productive eBay organization may well be the stiffness of the competition. Many sellers sell identical items and the price wars often get ugly, but that’s to be expected in a free market place spot, which is exactly what eBay is.

You may well be the only retailer in town that’s promoting that a single of a variety, custom made just for you, broke the mold soon after they made it, Dale Earnhart Memorial Bobble Head Action Figure (Earnhart fans would string me up if I called it a Doll), but do a rapid search on eBay and you’ll almost certainly find a hundred other folks just like it.

So, can you construct a lucrative company selling on eBay?

Definitely, thousands of men and women have accomplished it and so can you.

Here are a handful of tips to help get you began.

Sell Top quality Items Do not sell junk! Leave the knick-knacks and fake leather jackets to the less informed. You ought to give only excellent merchandise at a fair price.

Investigation The Competitors As soon as you have your item in mind, do not invest a dime on inventory until you have spent some time on eBay to see what the competition is performing. If you want to sell motorcycle helmets, for instance, you really should search at latest auctions to see how numerous others are selling equivalent helmets and what prices they are charging. This step is vital because you may possibly find out that you can’t compete with existing sellers on cost or there is just no market for what you have to provide.

Commence Slowly Several people believe that the much more items they have for sale on eBay the much better. They will invest thousands in inventory and spent hundreds on listing fees (yes, eBay charges you to list items for sale and collects a final fee if the item sells). Those are the folks that usually finish up with ten thousand Ginsu knives forever in their garage.

Test, Test, Test A fair portion of eBay auctions result in no sales, so it’s best to check the waters before jumping in with each feet.

List a number of items and see how they sell. If an item doesn’t sell, list it at least twice more. Some items may possibly not sell the 1st time, but might the second or third, then sell steadily from then on.

If an item gets no bids the very first time, think about adjusting your price or your terms. If an item sells effectively, keep it in stock and then experiment with another item.

Do Your Homework eBay is as well broad a subject to be covered totally here, but there are a multitude of books obtainable that can aid you start off an eBay business. In reality, I bet you will discover most of them for sale at this very second at eBay.

How to make income blogging

The other difficulty is that a very good proportion of the folks who make cash blogging do it by selling crappy assistance to the other 999,999 failures. I am not going to do that. I am not promoting a damn factor, despite the fact that if you take my guidance and sign up for the tools I use, I will make a couple of dollars in commissions. All I want is 999,999 men and women to take my suggestions and I will be set for life, in which situation – anyone want to acquire a few blogs?

Just kidding, I would in no way aspect with them  . But let’s go back to the question most folks truly want to ask - “Can I make income blogging ? and if so – how?”

The answer is yes. I am a expert blogger and have been for a number of years. I do it with a combination of freelance writing, several niche blogs, post writing and, for the last 18 months, writing a business weblog for a luxury property portal. This last a single – if you are considering blogging for company – requires you to have already developed a reputation in a distinct industry, and being in a position to demonstrate the necessary expertise to make it function. Which incorporates creating targeted traffic, developing relationships and incoming hyperlinks and really becoming a profitable blogger.

There is a lot more than one way to skin a cat, and for the purposes of this post I am going to show you the measures required to generate your very own income making blogs. I say blogs rather than weblog since the chances are that you – like me – are going to fail in some instances and be productive in other people. This will possibly mean a lot more than one particular domain and/or niche. The trick is to then capitalize on the profitable ones. For ease of use, all the links in this write-up will open in a new window. This is how to go about it:

Step One particular – Select a niche and domain name

Yes – this is the first step. Not, “Oh, I have a blogger blog called

michelle and johns cats preferred toys.blogspot.com

, how do I go about generating income from it?” Forget that – you need to determine a niche or subject that could possibly be a worthwhile a single, choose a domain name based on the research you have done, purchase it , host it and set up the weblog. This is where it gets boring, simply because you will have to analysis this. Sorry – now the operate starts. You didn’t think it was going to be that straightforward producing funds from a weblog did you? Don’t worry if buying a domain and hosting it implies nothing to you – we will get to that. Of course, having mentioned all that, some a single is bound to stop by and inform me that selling toys for cats was the greatest thing they ever got into and they are now living a life of luxury in the Bahamas off the proceeds.

Researching a potential cash making niche or subject.

This is where the work starts. I can promise you from personal knowledge, that if you are setting up a weblog with the sole intention of producing cash, you want to locate a profitable niche.  As an example, let us say you have done some analysis, and settled on hair care items as a possibly worthwhile niche and made the decision to make money from your weblog by promoting hair care products. A feasible search term that some 1 may use to search for a hair care product would be “hair care shampoo,” so an proper domain name would be haircareshampoo.com. Whereas you are unlikely to sell a lot of hair care goods by means of, dogtraining.com. The other points to take into consideration are the quantity of men and women looking for a specific term, the amount of funds advertisers are paying to advertise utilizing that specific phrase, and how competitive that term is.

This is exactly where the analysis comes in. Now, this subject is huge, and I do not strategy to go into fantastic detail, because there are other individuals specializing in this location, some of which are superb. As far as I am concerned, this is by far the most technically demanding aspect of  producing income with a blog, and I personally hate carrying out it – but, it is a necessary step in the approach. This is my first recommendation

To discover how to do effective keyword study, go to this site –

The Keyword Academy

Sign up and adhere to their video lessons. Membership is not high-priced, ( for the initial month, then a month afterward) and I guarantee you will recoup the income you have spent if you adhere to their instructions. As soon as you have a list of achievable search terms that you wish to target, the following step is to go and purchase a suitable domain name.

Advanced Keyword Research

Once you have grasped the fundamentals of keyword research, there are a amount of automated systems accessible that will seek and return possibly lucrative niches. I DO NOT advise utilizing these until finally you comprehend the fundamentals. This is essential – do not use this until you have worked your way through the keyword academy lessons and realize the details you are being offered. This one particular is great – Niche Horde.

Generally, what this does is – every user who is using this service can enter key phrases and the computer software searches for and finds associated keywords and niches – plus the competition level for that keyword or niche. And it literally returns millions of potential search phrases. And this details is obtainable to all members. But – you should have a clear understanding of the data you are being offered. It will also search for an exact match domain name as soon as you have identified a prospective keyword. Definitely worth the a year. That is much less than a month. Pay them a go to and watch the video -

Niche Horde

Webcomp analyst

is another helpful piece of application that analyzes the level of competitors for a particular keyword – proper down to the quantity of incoming hyperlinks utilizing anchor text to every single and every competing net page you pick to analyze. Wonderful piece of software and combined withe Niche Horde will save you countless hours of time. A snip at .

Webcomp analyst.

Step two – Purchasing a domain name (your website) and hosting it

Let’s stick with haircareshampoo.com. We have made the decision that this would be a excellent name to sell haircare products. No matter whether we are going to in fact sell our personal item, use google marketing, sell affiliate goods or sell banner ads really makes no difference here. Go to Bluehost or Host Gatorand use their search facility to see if that name is accessible by clicking on the button that says “start domain search” and filling in the word “haircareshampoo,” and seeing if it is offered. If it is (which this a single is not) you then want to open an account, and buy each the domain and hosting from them. I choose their unlimited hosting packages, but of you are on a tight budget, get whichever is reasonably priced for you.

Step Three – Setting up your weblog and installing it

This is one of the reasons why I like each Bluehost and Host Gator. To do this step – mobile phone their buyer service department, tell them you want to install a WordPress blog and ask them to talk you through the approach, which they will do. In ten minutes flat, you will have your very own WordPress blog set up and prepared to storm the blogosphere with. What I will say is – if you have chosen a distinct hosting company, make confident they have one click installations for WordPress.

There are dozens of other platforms out there, but I heartily suggest WordPress and would not use anything else. Following component is to optimize your WordPress installation, and the simplest, most time effective way of undertaking so is to go to Semiologic, acquire their software program and ask them to install it for you. 1 problem facing a first time blogger is the massive quantity of possibilities obtainable to you. Semiologic will take care of most of these – all within a single piece of application.

I have wasted numerous hours of my time attempting to find the excellent appear and/or position for a single stupid tiny piece of text or ad placement. With this software program – the instructions are basic, effortless to adhere to and they have a rather great buyer service response. I say “quite good” since this is a 3-man band, not a excellent big corporation. Also – this comes with  a great piece of application that makes it possible for you to “clone ” a setup. So, as soon as you have 1 blog that is working well for you – you can buy one more domain and clone that a single in a couple of minutes with all the ads in place. This is hands down the very best blogging computer software on the planet.

So, now you have a domain name, computer software installed and prepared to go, and are hunting at the metaphorical blank piece of paper that is in your blog – the post editing page.

Step Four- writing some thing

Back to keyword study once again. Now – this subsequent portion will, to an extent, depend on your writing abilities. Me? I can turn out witty, informative content at the drop of a hat, and base it about my chosen key phrases. But – I know plenty of men and women who can’t and nevertheless manage to make income from it. So – you require to go back to the keyword academy, do some analysis on search terms surrounding your chosen domain name and start off writing. Depending on your writing abilities – you may well want to farm this out, obtain content and edit to suit your needs.

Either way, you will want some content material for your blog and well researched, witty, informative content that does not fairly answer the question your search engine targeted traffic asked is the very best kind of content for contextual advertising click throughs and nicely researched witty informative item critiques that do fully answer the question and advocate a item you have advertised is the greatest type of content material for affiliate sales.  So – yes, you will need to do some far more work right here. Assuming you have followed the first 3 methods, you now have a properly-researched domain name, search engine

Organization Model Innovation: Search in Much better Areas to Add A lot more Worth

Even though most company men and women can easily comprehend examples exactly where time and economic rewards are measurable, you also have to retain in thoughts that noneconomic benefits can be essential, too. When Estee Lauder formulated the Clinique line of cosmetics and toiletries, it supplied hypoallergenic relief for these who wanted a better look and less discomfort from using typical beauty products.

These benefits can also extend to aesthetics. Realizing that many of its most loyal end users were graphic designers, Apple Personal computer started to provide more stylish designs and colors for its Macs. Sales rapidly rose for the business as a outcome of these far more physically appealing machines.

Notice that some of these value positive aspects, like more rapidly time to market, would be apparent from speaking to nearly any buyer. Other advantages, like obtaining a short-term office in bookstores, would most likely not have been identified by speaking to customers. Simply because of the relative invisibility of many prospective value positive aspects, standard market study and market place analysis methods will be insufficient to discover the finest value positive aspects to add.

That’s an additional reason why you should maintain an open thoughts for now as you develop hypotheses about kinds of values to add. Trial and error on a limited, inexpensive scale will usually turn out to be important to your identification of the new worth rewards that you really should give. Till you have promising concepts, though, you can’t begin any experiments to check it. You do require to expand the variety of your sources of ideas. This is a numbers game, and all perspectives assist.

Many techniques are useful to perceiving what is a blank to existing customers. Very first, begin with direct observation. Merely watch how clients and possible consumers (and on via to the end user) use your item or companies. You will be amazed at all of the awkward methods that they have to go about making your offerings valuable to them.

Then, observe what else they do in the course of the work and personal day. You’ll uncover they have difficulties with other goods and solutions that you can solve at small or no price.

If you had visited a conventional book shop, you would have observed individuals camped out on the floor leaning against bookcases studying books to locate the right one particular even though they sipped take-out coffee they had purchased someplace else. When their cramped bodies couldn’t take it any far more or they discovered the proper book, they left.

In numerous cases, the sore body was the limitation to promoting much more books. You don’t have to sell several much more books in a year to pay for a chair and the space it rests on. If the customers could get their take-out coffee from you, you saved them the time to go to a take-out coffee outlet, and elevated the time they had to shop for and read books.

Second, go out and reside these people’s lives and walk in these people’s shoes. Try to do what they do in the finest approaches you can consider of. Then, picture how you could transform what you are then carrying out to make life simpler, easier, and much better for them.

Third, do function playing. Pretend for several hours that you are a specific person who doesn’t acquire from your firm, or even your customer’s buyer. As soon as you have completely immersed your self in that thoughts-set, think about why you don’t want to do business with your genuine business.

Then think about what it would take to get your consideration and retain it so that you would attempt a various providing. Although in this prospective client function-playing mode, also ask your self what would keep your company if your current supplier responded.

Fourth, believe about metaphors. You will possibly locate it simplest to start with ones that personally inspire you that will possibly inspire others. The appropriate questions can aid you discover beneficial metaphors.

For example, what was the very best item or service you ever bought? Then, you should believe about that offering as a metaphor for what you might offer. Naturally, the bookstores could have utilised a five-star European hotel with lots of service and comfort as a metaphor for their company.

Fifth, envision that you can completely customize your merchandise, companies, and the ways that you market and deliver them to rapidly match what any 1 particular person desires. This is extremely important because the ultimate secret of achieving competitive benefit is to do just this much more efficiently than any person else.

Having identified a approach, how could you employ that method in techniques that do not increase your fees, but do boost worth? This might appear like a pipe dream at 1st, but numerous firms that take this method also have been capable to put in processes to assistance custom options that truly lower expenses.

Amazon’s listing service for new, collectible, and used books offered for sale by its consumers complements its own stock, draws much more prospective consumers, and supplies a very high profit contribution related to what eBay enjoys due to the fact so selling and delivery fees are eliminated in the process.

Sixth, by this time, you will possibly have exhausted a lot of what you as a single particular person can discover. If you have encouraged other folks to comply with these same methods, you can now start to usefully have brainstorming sessions even far more efficiently exactly where your person suggestions will strike responsive chords in the minds of other folks to create concepts that neither of you could have had alone. If you are not familiar with this approach, you need to grow to be familiar with the nicely-documented recommendations for such sessions ahead of making use of this technique.

Seventh, with perform document shareware, you can also post these sorts of concerns and observations on a organization intranet and encourage every person in the organization to post their own concepts and comments. Extend this questioning to contain suppliers, buyers, shareholders, and partners by means of the Web, and you will see a geometric increase in richness of tips and refinement of promising directions.

Copyright 2008 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved

A lot more Ebay Business Model Articles

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George Washington National Forest


Image by D.Clow – Maryland
Friday
Entry One

Flew out of work, the fleet flight of Friday before a holiday weekend. Everyone cracks a smile upon stepping out of the concrete and glass coffin of the corporate work week. The motorcycle is quickly gassed and loaded, I leave Washington DC at three-thirty, vowing not to check the time for the rest of the adventure. Adventure, the American adventure of the open road is what I seek. The road, my cameras, and escape.

Right turn off of 15th St. NW and I’m motoring past the Washington Monument and the White House. Harleys and clones are already lining the Mall for the annual Memorial remembrance that is Rolling Thunder. I’m soon over the bridge and on I-66 west. I plan on avoiding major highways when at all possible. Preferring scenic byways to drab highways. 66 is a necessary evil to flee the DC metro area as quickly as possible. At the start, 66 is a good quick run, for awhile anyway. Loads of Rolling Thunder riders are heading in 66 eastbound.

I keep the ubiquitous two fingers down to the side salute to fellow bikers out for extended stretches of time. In my experience, HD guys return the acknowledgement about 30-40% of the time. No big deal, some animosity exist though between different bike cultures. Motor-ism two-wheel stereotypes. However with the Rolling Thunder guys there is a noticeable increase in response, perhaps due to no longer just one biker acknowledging another, but a patriotic sharing of support and remembrance for those left behind, POW-MIA.

Traffic worsens further out 66 and I come up on a full HD dresser. Screaming Eagle back patch worked in with POW-MIA covers his vest and is topped by a “Run for the Wall” patch. I keep back a pace and we adopt the natural offset positioning of multiple riders.

After some 66 backup, stop-and-go, we strike up a staccato conversation in the pauses of the traffic flow. Where you been, where you going, see the rain coming? I tell him I’m headed out to the mountains, Skyline Drive and West Virginia. He says he’s just in from there recently, was in DC for Rolling Thunder for the day and will be coming back in on Sunday again. His license plate is obscured by luggage, so I’m unsure of his port of origin.

Later on we part ways and my thoughts turn. Of my parents friends only my step-dad was drafted for Vietnam. Luckily, for us, he only went as far as Ft. Hood, TX, and came back with some good stories about army life and venturing into Mexico (at least the ones he’s shared with me). I think about all the life he’s lived since then, all his experiences and joys. Thinking about what all those who didn’t return gave up, lost, when they didn’t come home. The loss felt by those who loved them, families that have a name on the Wall.

Rain is sprinkling before Manassas. Enough to cool you off but not enough to get you worried yet, at least for a bit. Whooooo. Then come the big drops. I head off the ramp to gear up with the rain paraphernalia under the gas station pavilion. Finally get it all on and get strapped back up and out pops the sun and the rain stops. Too funny. Now I have wet clothes on under the raingear. Rain gear now keeping the wind out that would dry me. I motor on as more rain is promised on the horizon.

This brings up a point about rain. People always ask, “What do you do when it rains and your on the motorcycle”. I reply simply, “I get wet”. Duh. Rain riding has never bothered me. On the straight highways it’s no big deal. Just give more cushion to the cars in front of you. Drive like grandma on the exit ramps.

My turning point is finally reached. Off of 66 west and onto 647, Crest Hill Rd. at The Plains, VA. Crest Hill Road is my first slice of motorcycle heaven to be had this weekend. I’m delighted to find that the squiggly line I traced out on the map when planning this trip has translated so well in reality. The road is still wet from the passing rain clouds, and I give a small rabbit and then a chipmunk a near death experience. My first of many animal crossings this weekend. The road is fantastic. A mixture of hilltop road and tree lined canopies that create forest tunnels. Speed limit is 45mph, 55-60 feels comfortable on most parts. Keeping an eye out for a hilltop barn to photograph that I’ve seen in my minds eye, lit by the sun breaking through the clouds and backed by the mountain vista. No luck on any of the barns actual placement to fit the mental picture I have framed.

Crest Hill Road and Fodderstack Rd is a long stretch. I take shots of a church and other buildings along Zachary Taylor Highway. Fodderstack gives more of the same as Crest Hill, just a narrower road. The asphalt is of my favorite variety, freshly laid. Washington, VA is a tiny town of historic bed and breakfasts. Local wineries appear to be an attraction here too. Right after Washington the rain returns while I’m in route to Sperryville. Then it really starts to come down, a full on summer thunderstorm. Visibility is down. Road and parking lots soon resemble rivers. Rain drops of the monster variety explode on the pavement, and you know it hurts when they hit you.

I quick soaking circuit of Sperryville confirms there are no local hotels. I duck into a barn shaped restaurant to wait it out. My drenched gear takes on bar stool and I occupy another. There’s a few flying pigs about. The bartender get me a hefeweizen, and recommends the angus burger. Locally raised and grass fed, we exchange jokes about my passing the burgers relatives on the way in.

Don’t freak about the beer. I have a one only rule when riding. It was followed by a meal (best burger of the weekend!), several coffees, and this bar top journal entry.

Somewhere along Crest Hill road I decided to keep the cell off for the weekend. In addition no tv, newspapers, internet, or e-mail sound like a good idea. Of course I now am studiously avoid eye contact with the two beautiful plasma’s above the bar.

Entry Two

Hazel River Inn, Culpepper, VA, has the coolest street side seating in town.

The downpour let up at the Shady Farms bar in Sperryville and due to the deficiency in local lodging I quiz the bartender for options. Over the other side of the mountain, the opposite side of Skyline Dr via 211 is Luray with lots of motels, but I want to save the mountain for the morning. The waitress suggest Culpepper, there being a Holiday Inn etc.

Stepping outside the sun has broke through the clouds again. Enough for some shots of Shady Farms Restaurant and a bridge. Heading down 522, the Sperryville Pike, I keep an eye out for photo ops to catch the next morning as I’ll be rerouting back through. Following the mantra of Dale Borgeson about tour riding in the US, I aim to avoid large chain establishments, whether they are restaurants or hotels, and explore the mom-and-pop local variety businesses. I have a dive-ish roadside motel in mind, Culpepper comes through with the Sleepy Hollow Hotel.

Before check in I ride through downtown historic Culpepper. It’s a cool place. The Shady Farm bartender had recommended the Culpepper Thai restaurant. I see it but don’t visit, still full from the meal earlier. Cameron Street Coffee looks like a great place, located in an old warehouse. Unfortunately their closed for the night.

Shower and changed, room 102 at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel. I hop back on the bike, refreshed and dry and ride through the warm night air back downtown. The coffee at the Hazel River Inn comes with a sweet fudge confection on the side. The peach and blackberry cobbler with vanilla sauce is divine.

The reconfigured plan for this getaway is to shed. Shed worries about the job, career, housing, and relationships. My motorcycle is therapeutic. It’s 600cc’s of Zoloft on two wheels. The road lifts my spirits. This wasn’t supposed to be a solo run, and there are stretches of road where I feel the emptiness behind me.

The cobbler is finished and I can hear the sound of a band doing their sound check. The banging of the drum requires investigation.

Entry Three

I found Brown Bag Special in the cellar pub of the same restaurant I was in. On my way to the door the noise of the sound check floated up the stairs and directed my feet downward. Brown Bag Special opened the set, appropriately enough, with “I drink alone”. The ol’ man, Big Money, would have loved it. Drink alone started off a Big Money Blues trifecta to include “The Breeze” and “Mustang Sally”. Then they made the mistake a lot of bands make that have a great lead guitar player. They let him sing. The lead guitarist karaoke sucked his way through a Tom Petty hit. He was so off key in his singing it made you appreciate the guitar solo’s all the more for the relief they provided. Thankfully the regular singer soon resumed his duties and the night went on. More good stuff from the band.

Freebird
Folsom Prison Blues
Cheap Sun Glasses

“can’t you see, can’t you see, what that woman, what she’s done to me”

Off to bed now at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel with the ghost and shades of dead hookers and overdoses past.

150 miles today.

Saturday

Entry Four

Morning breaks on the Sleepy Hollow Hotel, a hot shower and I’m back on the bike. A quick stop downtown to shoot the Hazel Inn, then it’s back on the Sperryville Pike. More stops to capture some sights seen yesterday. Mr. & Mrs. Pump. The open mouth caricatures are an accurate representation of the current gas cost and the pumps eating your wallet.

I keep telling my daughter that her first car, college car, will be a hybrid. She thinks they are ugly. The bike isn’t so bad, averaging around 40mpg. At about 180 miles on the tripometer I start to look for a refill, although I’ve pushed it to 211 miles before.

A quick left in Sperryville on 211 and up into the mountain, Blue Ridge Mountains and Skyline Drive. Heading up the mountain I get the first bite of the twisties I’ve been craving. The fee at the gate to Skyline Drive is well worth the price. Great scenery and fantastic views. The only drawback is the 35mph speed limit that is well enforced by the park rangers.

I shoot some self-portraits at Pollock Knob overlook. They’re funny in that with all the scrambling and hurrying to be the camera timer, then trying to effect a relaxed pose. I’ve also broke out my old friend this trip, the Lubitel 166, a medium format, 120mm film, twin lens camera. I’m like Jay-Z with this camera, I have to get it in one take. There is no digital review after the click for instant gratification. As a fellow photographer it’s “Point, Push, and Pray”. I’ll be interested to see the results. Not that I’ve left digital behind. Carrying both cameras, I’m an analog/digital double threat.

After the self-portraits and some dead tree shots I’m about to pack back on the bike and leave when I meet the preacher and his wife. He offers to shoot me with my camera and I return the favor with theirs. Conversation flows and in a ‘small world’ moment it turns out that he works for same Hazel family that owns the restaurant I was at last night for his Monday thru Friday job. I get a friendly “God bless” and I’m heading south on Skyline Drive. I make several more stops and break out the cameras again at Big Meadow.

There is a gnarly dead tree in the middle of the meadow. It has burn damage at the base, either the result of some wild fire or perhaps a controlled burn done to maintain the field. I spot and shoot a few deer, they probably won’t turn out as they’re to far away for my lens on the D100. I shoot a bunch of shots of the tree with the D100 and then totally switch processes with the Lubitel. The picture setup with the Lubitel takes about a minute-and-a-half. Manual zoom, i.e., walking back and forth to get the framing I want. Light meter reading. Then dealing with the reversed optics of the look-down box camera. It is fun though, to switch it up, change the pace and the dynamics. Just one click though, hope I caught it.

It’s a long but enjoyable ride to the south end of Skyline Drive. Unless you really like slow cruising I would suggest picking which third of Skyline Drive you’d like include in your trip and leave the rest. I drop off the mountain and into Waynesboro. Finding Mad Anthony’s coffee shop for a late breakfast. I overhear that it’s around noon. The Italian Roast coffee is good, in fact, it would prove to be the best coffee of the trip.

One of the pleasures of traveling by motorcycle is that it’s an easy conversation starter. People ask you where your coming from, where you’re heading, ask about your bike, tell you’re about their bike or the one they wish they had. One of the peculiarities of these conversations is that if the person even remotely knows of anyone that has died on a motorcycle, they will be sure to share this fact along with details. These stories usually involve a deer, a car pulling out, or someone taking a corner to fast. The conversation goes something like this:

Stranger“nice bike”
You“thanks”
Stranger“my cousin Bob had a friend that hit a deer and died on his bike”

Short silence.

You“yeah, deer are dangerous, got to be careful”

I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve held variations on this conversation many times. Luckily this isn’t the conversation I have with the owner of Mad Anthony’s. He’s a former sailboat instructor who now finds the same release and head clearing on his motorcycle that he used to get from his sailboat.

This brings to mind the same wave – don’t way dynamic that occurs between sail boaters and power boaters, very similar to the sportbike & HD crowd.

The proprietor is a coffee guru, we discuss roasting (my Italian roast was just roasted Wednesday this week). We talk about the good and the evil of Starbucks. We’re both in agreement that they over roast their regular coffee, but I think their foo foo drinks are tasty. He has in his shop both the Bodum press and the Bodum vacuum coffee pot that I got my mom for x-mas. A shameless plug here, the Bodum vacuum coffee pot makes the best home coffee ever. It’s also an entertaining crowd pleaser, no joke.

Leaving Waynesboro the plan was 340 northward to 33, then into Harrisonburg, VA (home of the Valley Mall and JMU). 340 proved to be boring so I jumped on 256, Port Republic Road, for a better ride to Harrisonburg. I don’t know if the coffee wore off or if I was just worn out. I pull over at Westover Park, pick out a spot of grass, and take a good nap in the sun.

I had my motorcycle bug handed down to me by my step-dad. My kindergarten year of school we moved right at the end of the school year. Rather than switch schools at this inopportune time my Dad stuck me on the back of his Honda and rode me to school and back again for the last month or two. Even earlier than that I have a great photo of me in 1973-4 sitting on his chopper with him. Me in a diaper and him with his long hippy hair. The wild side of the Reverend indeed.

Refreshed from my nap it’s back on 33 westbound. Heading out of the Shenandoah Valley and Rockingham County is more glorious twisty roads and the George Washington National Forest. GW is a beautiful tree canopy lined road with a river off to one side. Franklin, WV is the destination, a return to the Star Hotel.

I stayed at the Star a few years prior when they first re-opened the historic Star Hotel. The owner, Steve Miller, is a great guy, friendly and conversational. I told him I’d be back again, but it’s been a few more years than I thought. Late lunch at the Star is pesto grilled chicken on ciabatta bread with roasted red peppers. Not the type of fare one might associate with West Virginia, but people have misperceptions about everywhere. Steve promises a prime rib later at dinner tonight to die for.

So that there is no misunderstanding, in as much as the Sleepy Hollow Hotel was a dive, the Star Hotel is a dream.

Dump the gear in the room back on the bike for some roaming around. I head back to explore a river road I passed on the way in, Rock Gap. It’s a gravel affair and I follow it back a little ways. Photo some river shots. Down further there is a large cliff face with some college aged kids de-gearing after a day of climbing. I’ll try to stop back in tomorrow and shoot some climbing action, as well as some fly fishing.

I pick up a bottle of Barefoot Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, and drop it off with Steve at the Star to keep for later. I’ll enjoy that bottle later tonight from the 3rd floor front porch. South out of town I head, into some very secondary roads. I shoot an old decrepit cabin that would be right up Bobby Sargent’s alley. I put it in the metal folder for a possible future model shoot location, along with the river spots I’ve seen.

There are a couple more stops on this little ride. Once for what appears to be a feral chicken, and then for middle of the road stare down with a young doe. She’s camera shy though and is off before I can get a shot. Sportbike probably isn’t the best conveyance for nature photography. The pavement stops and gravel begins, I motor on. Rick & I once spent a full day just about on gravel roads, crisscrossing the back country around Cumberland, MD. So I’m comfortable with the less than ideal riding surface. A few miles on the road dead ends at a pair of chicken houses (source of the feral chicken’s ancestors perhaps?) and I turn around and survey the valley I’ve just ridden through. I have to stop the bike and soak in the scene. A picturesque farm is nestled in the corner of the valley, up against the hills. I meet some inquisitive cows, along with the farmer and his wife.

It seems that when you are in WV and you pass a sign that says “snow removal ends here” that the already suspect road conditions are going to quickly deteriorate and will soon resemble somewhat more of a logging road. I motor on through some back country, no houses, no farms, just mountains, steep roadside cliffs, and wicked gravel switchback curves. The part that gives you the willies are the downhill corners where the road grade is slanted to the outside of the curve and to the drop below. Yikes!

I creep along where a four wheeler would be much more functional. Although I still hit it a bit in the straights. Pavement arrives again and I’m unsure of my exact location. I follow the chicken farmers directions and soon discover myself back in Brandywine, intersecting the same stretch of 33 I rode on my way into Franklin.

Back at the Star Hotel it’s a shower and fresh clothes before heading down for dinner. Downstairs I find the prime rib to be as good as promised.

Entry Five

How beautifully staged is this. Barefoot on the 3rd floor patio, wine to ease the back and the ache in the knee.

205 miles today, the last 30 after check in, just to explore.

Sunday

Entry Six

Out early in the morning. I find no climbers at Rock Gap, unsure of the hours they keep. Out of Franklin on 33 west, looking for another squiggly line I had seen on a map. Bland Hill Road name is a misnomer. A single lane country road winding through German Valley. I got a few shots of German Valley from the 33 overlook before turning on Bland Hill. Now I find myself in the same location I had shot from above.

The road cuts through some open pasture land and I meet some cows standing in the road after rounding one bend. They’re pleasant enough, if in no particular hurry to cross, and don’t mind posing for a shot or two before meandering on. People talk about the danger of hitting a deer, a cow would really ruin your day! Off of Bland Hill and on down into the valley. I come up on the rock formation I had seen from the overlook previously. It’s not Seneca Rocks, but a formation of the same ilk. I get some more photos, then onto German Valley Road. I’m still staying at the Star, there is no real destination today. It’s relaxing to stop as much as I like.

German Valley Road puts me back on 33 west and not long after I’m ordering breakfast at the Valley View Restaurant. Dale Borgeson warns of places that advertise home cooking, but that’s about all you see in these parts. There are a fair number of cars here and that’s usually a good since the food will be alright. Hell, even the Army could make a good breakfast. It all works out and it’s a hell of a deal, for toast, two eggs, hash browns, bacon, and coffee.

From 33 I hit 28 and turn off on Smoke Hole Road, just because it’s there and looks interesting. Boy, what a find it is. Combining the curvy one lane country road with nice wide smooth pavement (gravel free in the corners). It’s great. Smoke Hole Road turns out to run from 28 across the Seneca Rocks National Forest to 220 on the other side. Going west-to-east it starts out all curves and hills, then ends by winding along the south branch of the Potomac. There are lots of fly fishermen here enjoying the catch-and-release section of the river.

Up 220 to Petersburg, I run into some Ducati guys at the gas station. We swap riding info and I’m soon on 42 north towards Mayville. Hanging a left when I see a sign for Dolly Sods. I’m back on secondary roads and I soon pass another prophetic ‘no snow removal’ signs. It’s gravel the rest of the way up the mountain til it breaks out on top at Dolly Sod.

I’m real happy with today’s roads, as both Smoke Hole Road and Dolly Sods were unplanned ‘discovered adventures’. I do some rock scrabbling at Dolly Sod and enjoy the cliff top views. A fellow tourist snaps a shot for me an I hike out well past the distance that the casual tourist and families go. Shot some more shots of the rock formations with both the digital and film camera. Do some more self-portraits. I then sit down to relax in the sun with the cliff side breeze steadily blowing and update this journal.

Entry Seven

Well, fellow traveler, if you’ve made it this far I am duly impressed. I thank you for your perseverance. The rest of the day was spent riding without incident. Just more fantastic roads. You don’t have to be an explore on par with Lewis & Clark to find great rides in West Virginia. Just be curious in nature and unafraid to leave the beaten path. Drop off the numbered roads and take the route less traveled. Soon you’ll be in your own undiscovered country. Blah blah blah.

Out of Dolly Sod and I find myself on 32. Rough calculations put the dirt road travel around 25 miles for the day. While we are on stats, here’s today’s animal road count:

1 rooster
1 dead fox
2 cows
8 chipmunks
7 alive
1 dead
3 dead possums
1 squirrel
1 dead blob (undistinguishable)
No fearsome deer
1 dog

I guided myself today by a rather non-descript map put out by mountainhighlands.com

Leaving Dolly Sod on 32 puts me in Dry Fork and back on familiar 33 west to Elkins. I cruise around Elkins on the off chance I’ll run into a guy I know named Dallas. Now all you need to know about Dallas is the following:

I don’t know his last name
I once gave him a hair cut with dog grooming clippers
I know he works at a bike shop making choppers

You figure the odds of me finding him, near zero.

If your curious it wasn’t the first time I cut hair, albeit the first time using dog shears. In Korea I cut in the latrine for a cut or for a 6 pack. Everything was barter in the Army. We had a cook that would make you a great custom birthday cake for a case of beer or feed you food out of the back of the chow hall at 3am when you staggered in drunk from the ville for the promise of a future round to be bought. Korea stories could fill another journal.

Anyway, out of Elkins and south to Beverly. Scott, if your reading this you were on my mind as I went through town, never forgive, never forget.

So far I’ve only tried to write about the positive food experiences of the trip without throwing anyplace under the bus. C&J in Beverly however, served only barely functional burgers and the vanilla shake was of the worst chemical prefab variety. There are some things that I am stuck on, good vanilla ice cream is one. The others that I’m picky about are beer, whiskey, steak, cheese-steak, and coffee. It’s just so disappointing when something you usually enjoy turns out to be sub par.

After C&J it’s 250 east to 28, which heads back towards Seneca Rocks and Franklin. It’s a good haul through the Monongahela National Forest. A road of the scenic variety, with good twisties up the mountain and through the scenery. These type road have become quite a common occurrence here in WV. Back in Seneca Rocks and 33 east into Franklin. I never shoot Seneca Rocks, the light is never right, number one can tell you how I get about my light.

The Star’s restaurant is closed on Sunday, dagger, so I shower and head into Franklin by foot. About Franklin, WV. It’s a nice little town, quiet and sleepy. No bars other than the VFW that I could see. Everybody I’ve met and spoken too has be pleasant, friendly and conversational, both here in Franklin and elsewhere in WV. I’m sure there are a variety of characters much as anywhere, this is just my observation from the tourist level.

Following last night precedent I grab another vino from the Shell station. The Star being closed is a dilemma; I’m in need of a cork screw (having borrowed the restaurants the night before). I wander back down to the hotel, wine in hand, and past the hotel just a bit til I meet an old man sitting out front. I explain my situation, wine without access, and he says he’ll sell me a corkscrew. He goes in the house, shortly to return with the necessary implement in hand. I figure I have it for -4 or maybe rent it for a one time use for . That proves unnecessary however, he says just to take it, and keep it for any future need.

The sole booking for the hotel tonight, I’m like a wraith as I glide through the halls. On the front porch with my bottle of vino in hand. I have some cheap cigars I also picked up and there’s nothing to do but kick back and watch the sunset.

It’s been a great trip. Somewhat lonesome at times. The lack of someone to talk to surely let to the length of this journal. It was a trip to getaway, to reflect. There was no great revelation or anything, just time to get to know yourself. The road gives you time to think. I know who I am and I like being me. I know what’s missing.

I’m resolved to take more bike trips in the future. It’s definitely my preferred way to travel and vacation. Motorcycling is the way to go.

Tomorrow I have my route generally planned out, more scenic byways for a winding route home.

Miles today, 240.

Monday

Entry Seven

Just a short postscript. 20 miles east of Washington DC, on 66, the chain popped off the bike. It’s never easy.

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