Frank and Aileen Curruthers packed and loaded up their twin Harley Road Kings Monday and headed out on Rte. 8to Christiansburg and then West on U.S. 460. Eventually, they will hit U.S. 50 and head home to Nevada.

But their 10 day stay in and around Floyd was, they say, the highlight of their two-month odyssey around the country on their motorcycles.

"You've got something special here," Frank said. "It's unique."

I met Frank and Aileen 12 days ago at the Rocky Knob Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. They had ridden their bikes from Austin, Nevada to Annapolis, MD on U.S. 50, then took U.S. 1 south to Key West. They cruised back up the West Coast of Florida and toured through Georgia and South Carolina before hitting the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and then the Parkway from Asheville (with a detour over to U.S. 221 because of construction).

I asked if they had planned to visit FloydFest. They didn't know about the annual event just a few miles down the road but decided to give it a try. They also visited the Friday Night Jamboree (below), toured the wineries and enjoyed the beauty of the Parkway.

Over coffee at Cafe del Sol, Frank said they will be back.

"Part of the reason for this trip was to look for a new place to live," he said. "We like what we see here."

As they rumbled out of town towards Christiansburg, 460 and the road home, I wandered down to the Country Store and sat on one of the benches, watching visitors wander the streets and a parade of cars and motorcycles. Many stopped. Some had lunch at Oddfellas. Some toured the Country Store. Some stopped to talk. All had nice things to say about Floyd.

Yes, we do have something special here...and it just keeps getting better.