VA riding *report*- the roads you're missing while on track ;)

[-jro-]

Hey folks! Ride report as follows:

I was a very lucky girl to have my SV down for the VIR weekend because I got to ride some siiiick roads While a13x was busy working thursday and friday morning, I was out ripping

8-13 thursday ride: Route 58-221-[I]blue ridge parkway[I] and back on 58:

I set off early afternoon after lunch with a13x to hit up the blue ridge parkway. Its hot and sticky out, but with my mesh jacket and wide open roads the heat was never an issue. The first leg of the trip was mindless highway, but coupled with the unaccustomed farm and countryside I was easily entertained. After about 1.5 hours I roll up to the blue ridge parkway, I was soooo pysched until I hit road work a mere ten minutes down the parkway Full stop, line of cars, we have to wait and follow a patrol car through the steam rollers and road work, and of course I am stuck behind the slow cages at the end of the construction. I pull off immediately at the first scenic outlook, which looked something like this.



At first I was pretty anal about stopping at every scenic outlook until I realized there were literally thousands of these things up the road From here on I rip up undulating curvey roads- nice sweepers, nothing too tight or challenging. After awhile I roll up on a group of touring bikes hanging at the next outlook, I watch as they peal layer upon layer of SOAKED gear and clothing off. Apparently just south of me a nasty storm had ripped through, the clouds had broken up and I was left dry for the entirety of my ride. The roads however, were freshly paved and steamed an eerie fog from the storm. Unfortunately for me, the rest of my riding on the parkway would be on wet pavement and the chill of the storm even convinced me to put my liner back in my jacket.







My ride off of the parkway and heading eastbound on 58 was EPIC. I stop in at a vantage point called "Lover's Leap" and it is breath taking...but not as heart stopping as the wicked spiraling hair pins that followed this beauty!



My first day's ride ends with more mindless highway and I get home right in time for din-din

Friday 8-14- The Misadventure:

Ok, I decide yesterday was so much fun I'm gonna ride some more, screw practice! I plot a little route about a 2 hr ride in the morning to circle around and drop off in VIR. As soon as I turn off 58, I climb one hill and I have suddenly found the quintessential VA ghetto. Run down old southern antique homes, abandoned 'downtown' strip, folks sitting on the porches and screaming at eachother- the whole nine. I scurry through and find myself in the countryside....DEEP in the countryside. I ride what feels like forever, repeating the routes like a mantra in my head so I don't miss my turn. Inevitably I am l-o-s-t. I pull over and have the pleasure of experiencing my first bee sting in the jacket. Apparently the bugger flew in during my ride and sat ever so contently on my left boob until I stopped and started to unzip, and then he began stinging me ruthlessly as I dance and scream trying to swat the little bastard. I grumpily review my maps- yep I don't know where the fuck I am. I consult my cell phone- which has no service and can't even tell me what time of day it is. Lucky for me a rattle trap pick up rolls up, and its not a serial killer its a very sweet country gentleman who directs me back to civilization Thus ends the misadventure

Monday 8-17- Heading home on route 501, best road by far!

Not sure what road you guys take to VIR, but a13x and I rolled down this puppy in the middle of the night on our way down and I was literally jumping up and down in my seat with excitement. This road is tight, twisted, banked and gnarly.... weeee doggie! By far the best road I've ridden, I giggled and shouted like I was in an herbal essence commercial the entire time pics as follows:









Summary- VA has some pretty sick roads and I recommend anyone who travels down to VIR to reserve a couple of extra days just to scope out the killer routes in the area!

Look at the mappy here:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en...91b73f3e2&z=10

[butcher bergs]

Great writeup! If you can swing the time, it's worth it, IMO, to go further south and deeper into the Great Smokey Mtns. Many outstanding offerings await....but yeah, it's a haul to get there and back to VIR.

[noxin]

How'd you take photos of yourself on the bike?!

Great trip, hopefully, I'll be able to make it down that way next summer or so.

[toocrazy2yoo]

Nice pics, Jr.. Cool thing about that stretch is, they aren't patrolled by State or local cops, they're run by Park Service. Feds. Tickets are cheap, and if you pay em on time, your home state doesn't hear a word about it. Wish you could have ridden an even better stretch up there in the George Washington National Forest (for all I know, maybe you did), a Rt 211 West that starts in a town called Warrenton near Culpeper, Va.. It travels over the first Shenandoah range of the Blue Ridge up to an elevation of about 3600 feet to the Skyline Drive. 10 miles of switchbacks going up, 10 down, with a cafe called Brookside on the west side of Skyline. From there to the West, on 211, there's yet another range that goes up a little higher even, and with the requisite 10 miles up and 10 miles down the, all of it paved smooth and new. Road paving is the jobs program in Virginia, and out there, they don't mess around. Deer is the only risk. And, it's almost all Federal. Tickets don't count. I burned a lot of brake pads and tires on those road in 25 years' time. Next spring when the weather settles, I'm gonna take me a little trip and do it again. Gonna miss it up there.

[FireboltEric_MA]

Very cool report, Them roads look sweet for sure!

[seth399]

duuuuuude thats sick, glad you were able to get in some happy ridetime down there

[Pittenger5]

Pictures of the bee?

[xrocket21]

that looks like an awesome ride. I went on a road trip in my integra long ago and took skyline drive, pretty sure thats part of the BRP.

Great pics!

[DuncanMoto]

Great description and pics Jen.
I'm so wishing I could be there.

[a13x]

How'd you take photos of yourself on the bike?!

.

Magic!!


Nice write-up hunny. You didn't tell them about the farmboys thou.

[-jro-]

How'd you take photos of yourself on the bike?!

haha that as a13x on our trip heading back home- he drove the truck and I rode the bike for route 501.