We started the day off at a reasonable time and then business got in the way for both of us. While I was finishing emails, Brian was talking to a Harley guy who suggested that we must try Highway 58, AKA the Crooked Road. Originally, we were headed for the Parkway and going north. Now we were heading east. A big part of 58 is regular two lane country highway but once the friendly "Crooked Road" sign points you to a left turn up the mountain - bingo, the personality changes immediately. The road follows several mountain passes and flips between valleys (over the tops, naturally). It's not the tight curve after curve of the Tail of the Dragon, but the turns were just as tight. In some cases, this was more dangerous because the longer straight sections, both up and down hill, let you gather more speed than on the Dragon. Overall, a road worth making a detour in order to enjoy the ride.
We had lunch at the Riverside cafe in Chilhowie VA. What a gem. Food (salads) was great and that VA hospitality is unmatched.
Now, we were no where near the Parkway and were at risk of making zero headway North, so we hit 81 with the goal of blasting as far north as possible Ronoake was the minimum target and we ended up in Lexington VA. Traffic was very heavy with single lane sections for bridge repair. The advantage of being on two wheels is that one can be an a$$hole and sneak up the side. Even the truckers that were blocking the second lane (a good idea from a traffic management perspective couldn't touch us.
The truckers made riding difficult. The speed limit is not observed and they insist on driving at least 75 to 80 mph. With the large number of trucks, and the fact that it's not fun being on a motorcycle behind a truck, getting buffeted like crazy, we were forced to drive at speeds that my tires do not like. The result is my fronts have cupping already (a known Michelin Anakee 2 problem) and will need to be replaced before we go on the Colorado ride. I'll keep them for fall Ontario rides, where the knobbier pattern will be appreciated.
During the ride, one of the trucks I was following hit the brakes and started to weave. I hit the brakes as well and almost instantly, a fresh full tire carcass came bouncing out the back of the trailer. Brian and I had been discussion our planned actions under various emergency scenarios during lunches and dinner (you can never be over prepared on a bike), and this was one of those scenarios. So, I didn't have time to sh!t my pants, because I was standing up and timing a throttle crank to reduce the pressure on the font wheel. Fortunately, the carcass, which cover almost all of the lane was close to the road when I hit it, and the bike sailed over without catching anything. Brian was in formation behind me, and to the right, so he was able to manoeuvre to the side a bit and only touched the edge of the thing. Got a bit of an adrenoline rush - and then on to the next thing. Retreads should be banned and/or, a nano particle marker placed in the tread so that the companies that don't take care of their trucks can be found and fined/sued for the damages they cause. Thanks to rider Dave Phelan for that advice.
We ended up in Lexington VA, a university town that includes the Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute. It's and amazing town with a good economy. We were staying at Hampton Inns, and this city had one so there you go. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the Hampton was part of historic Lexington and Brian and I got the last rooms available - in the historic Col Alto house. Very nice.
I went for a really enjoyable slow ride through town to soak up the history. Up on the hill is the impressive and imposing Virginia Military Institute. The buildings look like a place where a science fiction movie could be filmed - you need to be there to get the feeling (ha, Wikipedia says 6 films were made here including Speilberg's War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise. The grave sites of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E Lee are in the local cemetery. Very interesting place for a small town.
We had dinner at the Southern Restaurant - very fine dining with a really great meal and the normal exceptional southern service.
Today we are off to ride the last section of the Blueridge and Skyline drive, that ends up in Front Royal VA. From there, it's straight up north, but today could be interesting because severe weather is forecast for that area. We'll see how far we get.
We had lunch at the Riverside cafe in Chilhowie VA. What a gem. Food (salads) was great and that VA hospitality is unmatched.
Now, we were no where near the Parkway and were at risk of making zero headway North, so we hit 81 with the goal of blasting as far north as possible Ronoake was the minimum target and we ended up in Lexington VA. Traffic was very heavy with single lane sections for bridge repair. The advantage of being on two wheels is that one can be an a$$hole and sneak up the side. Even the truckers that were blocking the second lane (a good idea from a traffic management perspective couldn't touch us.
The truckers made riding difficult. The speed limit is not observed and they insist on driving at least 75 to 80 mph. With the large number of trucks, and the fact that it's not fun being on a motorcycle behind a truck, getting buffeted like crazy, we were forced to drive at speeds that my tires do not like. The result is my fronts have cupping already (a known Michelin Anakee 2 problem) and will need to be replaced before we go on the Colorado ride. I'll keep them for fall Ontario rides, where the knobbier pattern will be appreciated.
During the ride, one of the trucks I was following hit the brakes and started to weave. I hit the brakes as well and almost instantly, a fresh full tire carcass came bouncing out the back of the trailer. Brian and I had been discussion our planned actions under various emergency scenarios during lunches and dinner (you can never be over prepared on a bike), and this was one of those scenarios. So, I didn't have time to sh!t my pants, because I was standing up and timing a throttle crank to reduce the pressure on the font wheel. Fortunately, the carcass, which cover almost all of the lane was close to the road when I hit it, and the bike sailed over without catching anything. Brian was in formation behind me, and to the right, so he was able to manoeuvre to the side a bit and only touched the edge of the thing. Got a bit of an adrenoline rush - and then on to the next thing. Retreads should be banned and/or, a nano particle marker placed in the tread so that the companies that don't take care of their trucks can be found and fined/sued for the damages they cause. Thanks to rider Dave Phelan for that advice.
We ended up in Lexington VA, a university town that includes the Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute. It's and amazing town with a good economy. We were staying at Hampton Inns, and this city had one so there you go. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the Hampton was part of historic Lexington and Brian and I got the last rooms available - in the historic Col Alto house. Very nice.
I went for a really enjoyable slow ride through town to soak up the history. Up on the hill is the impressive and imposing Virginia Military Institute. The buildings look like a place where a science fiction movie could be filmed - you need to be there to get the feeling (ha, Wikipedia says 6 films were made here including Speilberg's War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise. The grave sites of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E Lee are in the local cemetery. Very interesting place for a small town.
We had dinner at the Southern Restaurant - very fine dining with a really great meal and the normal exceptional southern service.
Today we are off to ride the last section of the Blueridge and Skyline drive, that ends up in Front Royal VA. From there, it's straight up north, but today could be interesting because severe weather is forecast for that area. We'll see how far we get.
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