I decided I needed a long ride, so I jumped on the bike and headed out to get a few more stamps for my Motorcycle Grand Tour of Virginia passport. The goal of the tour is to visit 58 stops all around Virginia. Prior to this ride, I had 47 of the stops covered and this ride would give me another four to check off the list. Since one of my stops was on Skyline Drive, I headed that direction first.
Skyline Drive runs 105 miles north and south along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park. As a matter of fact, the Appalachian Trail runs along the ridge with Skyline Drive and crosses it from time to time. I caught Skyline Drive at the Thornton Gap entrance off of US-211 between Sperryville and Luray and headed south. My plan was to ride Skyline Drive south to US-33 (about 35 miles) and take it west to catch a couple of more stops on the tour.
When I rolled up to the park entrance, I was reaching for my wallet ready to pay my $10 entrance fee only to find out it was a, “free weekend.” Cool! In less than a mile you enter Mary's Rock Tunnel. It's not a long tunnel (700 ft), but the other side opens up into one of the many fantastic views you find along Skyline. The pic below gives you an idea of the view and a little history assuming you can read the sign.
A few more miles south just past the Thorofare Mountain Overlook you reach the highest point on Skyline at 3680 feet above sea level. I was headed for Skyland Resort, the first stop on my tour list for this ride. Skyland Resort is near the highest point on the drive and was founded in 1888 by George Freeman Pollock Jr. Pollock built the original camp as a summer retreat to get away from the heat and humidity of Washington, DC. Skyland Resort now provides lodging, from lavish to rustic, with easy access to the Appalachian Trail and Skyline. It looked like a cool historic place and one of these days I need to haul Renee up there for a weekend.
A tad further south and I was able to snatch a view of Old Rag Mountain to the east. Old Rag climbs 3268 feet and several friends, and I hiked up part of it a few weeks ago. It was raining, so we weren't able to make it to the top. The last mile or so of the climb is over the rock-slide and the rain made the rocks too slippery for this old man. Luckily, the most agile of our group deemed them too slippery and dangerous, so I didn't have to embarrass myself by trying to lug my fat butt up and over them.
South of Old Rag, is Hawksbill Mountain, the highest point in the park at 4051 feet. I continued my roll south, snapping pictures as I rode. I was headed for the Swift Run Gap exit at US-33 to hit the next stop at Massanutten Water Park. Below are a few more pics from Skyline Drive. In addition to the ones I took on this trip, I've added a few from a ride we took in July where we came across a black bear walking along Skyline. By the time we got up to him, he headed up the hill through the woods. It was cool getting to see him that close.
With a couple of miles to go before the Swift Run Gap, the gray skies finally decided to unleash a shower on me. I stopped and threw on my rain jacket, just so it could stop about a mile further down the road. So, one more stop at the exit to shed the jacket and I was back on my way west to Massanutten Water Park where I grabbed another stamp in my tour passport.
From Massanutten I continued west on US-33 to Harrisonburg where I made a stop at Blue Ridge Powersports for another stamp. I was only there for a few minutes, but the people at Blue Ridge greeted me warmly when I walked in, and took an interest in the stops I covered on the tour, and made a point of saying, “goodbye,” as I left. It seemed like a very warm group of people. I'll go back and visit them again when I'm rolling down that way.
I jumped on I-81 north for the 20 mile ride to New Market, Virginia where I grabbed some lunch at the local McDonalds. I took US-11 north out of New Market and cruised to Shenandoah Caverns for another stamp. I parked the bike out front and was greeted on the sidewalk by a little old lady who worked there. She was employed at the ticket counter, which was where I needed to get my stamp, but at the moment, she was outside taking a smoke break.
“Baby, you here to get a stamp?” She said as she greeted me.
“Yes, ma'am”, I replied. “Do you mind if I get a couple more drags off this cigarette before we go in and take care of that?” She asked me.
“No, ma'am. You feel free to smoke the whole thing as far as I'm concerned,” I offered.
We became fast buddies with that simple exchange. After a few minutes of chit chat and one cigarette later, we went inside and the official stamp met with my nearly full tour book. I was back on the bike a few minutes later and headed to one of my favorite places in the Shenandoah Valley, Meems Bottom Covered Bridge.
One of my first rides when I rode to Virginia was to Meems Bottom Covered Bridge. It crosses over the north fork of the Shenandoah River and is about 200 feet long. The original bridge was built in 1893. It served traffic for more than 80 years until Halloween night in 1976 when vandals burnt the bridge. Luckily, the state rebuilt the bridge, and it re-opened to traffic in 1979.
This particular summer day, a group of kids played in the river below. So amid the cool breeze and shade on a hot summer day, you could hear the laughter and shouts of kids enjoying life. What a neat place to just stop and smell the roses.
After a few minutes of relaxing at the bridge, I decided it was time to head for home. I rode back to US-11 and took it north through Mount Jackson and into Edinburg. I turned east in Edinburg and rode along Edinburg Gap Road to one of my favorite roads in the valley, Fort Valley Road. I turned north on Fort Valley Road and took it into Front Royal where I grabbed I-66 east and made quick time the remaining 40 miles home.
As usual, another good day in the saddle. Plus, I ended the day with 51 of the 58 stamps I need to complete the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Virginia. Five of the seven remaining stops are within 20 miles of home, so I should be able to nail those any time I decide to fight the northern Virginia traffic. The other two are on the coast and I'll make a point to aim my dresser at the coast in the next couple of weeks.
Man, I love to ride.
