During these last two covid ridden years I have often wondered, ‘How could I bring my two loves , Art and Motorcycling together ?’ . Today, I achieved that aim and also ticked an item of my Bucket List.
Back in 2018, Dale Walksler from North Carolina, USA sent me a very old spark plug from a very old motorcycle. Dale, who has worked in the Motorcycle industry all his life, founded the ‘Wheels through Time Museum’ in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. The museum is one of the oldest and largest in the world.
The museum staff are beyond knowledgeable on all the exhibits, of which there are over 400 including a Harley Davidson aeroplane! Sadly, Dale passed away in October 2021, leaving the museum in the care of his son, Matt and his fantastic team.
So back to the spark plug……. I had the spark plug micro engraved to help raise funds for Wheels through Time. I could have just mailed this back to the museum but I had a better idea. The 20th Anniversary of the museum was on 4th July 2022 so Yvonne and I hopped on a flight and arrived in Asheville, NC a few days before the anniversary.
On the 4th July we drove the short distance to Maggie Valley to take part in the celebrations and what a fantastic day we had. Matt met us with such enthusiasm and the day turned out to be one of best ever. The engraved spark plug now has pride of place within the magnificent exhibits. I have ridden motorcycles for over 40 years and have seldom had such a magical interaction at one destination.
Without a doubt, this is a must see destination for motorcyclists world wide, it certainly won’t be my last visit.