If spring is here, can the
Virginia Grand Tour
be far behind?

April 20^th, 2005

muse@bikerenews.com

It seems to be true. Spring has sprung and another season of riding is upon us. It seems like every sunny day has turned the local streets into a loose network of individual biker parades. The weekenders are saddling up, the passengers are hopping on, the arms are waving, and the smiles are back.

As for myself, I started off the season with a little get together with some very influential columnists for a very popular local web site. Our talk of defeating windmills of old and winning the hearts of young maidens and knights (Oh to be Don Quixote or Walter Mitty), was eventually replaced by a fashion shoot on US 125. Decked out in our best leather ensembles and riding suits, three of us are sure to be the center foldouts for this year's AARP magazine. Of course, Laurie was there to keep the average age below the senile level.

With my group ride out of the way, I knew it was time to launch into a repeat of one of my favorite biker events of last year. I signed up for the Honda Riders of Tidewater's Virginia Grand Tour 2005. The basic premise of this Tour is to visit the sites listed in the Tour booklet and have the local site stamp your Tour Book with a HROT Stamp. The cost is $15 dollars and successful completion of 12 of 15 sites gets you a pin.

From my perspective, I got more than just a pin from last year's tour. I won't recap all of the places or the distance covered, but I had an excuse to cover a large portion of Virginia's roads. What I liked best about the tour is that it's structured so a rider can go it alone or with groups. There is no schedule or group event to fit into. A rider can go (and go) as fast and as often as they feel comfortable.

This year's Tour looks to be on par with last year's Tour. About half of the stops are approximately east of Appomattox and south of Richmond, with the other half located in Northern Virginia and along the western part of the state. Depending on your definition of a day trip, you could do the first group in three or four rides, and the second group in one or two long weekend rides.

A week ago Sunday I decided to tackle four of the stops on the tour. Running through the mental checklist (camera, cell phone, money, oh yea - maps), I gave the bike a quick once over and dressed for the ride. The first stop was west of Richmond at a General Store in Croizer. Given my ambitious hope to make four stops in one day, I headed up I-64.

It didn't take long for me to realize that I should have worn an extra sweater under my jacket and should have brought along my winter gloves. Once again, the weatherman's projected high temperatures fooled me. The fact that the high was going to be 61 degrees didn't make the 43 degree start at 7:00 AM any warmer. Of course, the wind chill factor does increase with every mile or so over the speed limit, so I can't entirely blame the weatherman.

Despite miscalculating the effects of the A/C on my bike, I made it to Croizer a little before 9:00. I know this because the owner told me he wouldn't be open for 10 more minutes. This was OK with me since it gave me time to get a picture of my bike in front of the store (you can never have too many pictures of your bike). Now I must say if you're not going for the ride, the General Store was not very interesting. However, the surrounding roads, especially on a Sunday morning, were inviting. After a five-minute search, the storeowner couldn't locate the HROT Stamp and I settled for a sales receipt for the gas and soda. It was on to stop number 2.

A little west on Highway 6, dropping now on 522, west on 60, and south on 24, and I was headed for Appomattox. The planned stop was at Fred's Car Museum, but the Tour Book already told me it was closed on Sunday. No problem, all I needed was a picture of the bike in front of the Museum and a receipt from a local gas station. Of course anyone who gets anywhere near Appomattox realizes that the real attraction of this area is its historical significance.

My Bike Picture No. 1, the owner opening up the General Store in Croizer

My Bike Picture No. 2, has anyone seen Fred?

My Bike Picture No. 3, Daisy's Mart

My Bike Picture No. 4, Branchville Post Office

As I road along VA-24 and passed the serene battlefields and roadside markers a quiet reverence came over me. Seeing the Court House up on the hill and the cemeteries on both sides of the road reminded me that history is nothing more than life having been played out by previous generations. And, sometimes those events change the course of future generations. As I drove past the last marker, I remembered that Joe and some of his Williamsburg friends were suppose to have road to Appomattox on the day before, and I hoped that all the riders who made the trip returned home safely.

Stop number 3 had me going east on 460 and south on 15 to another general store called Daisy's Mart (located on VA-192). Again, I wouldn't pack the kids in the car and take them to see Daisy's, but scooting down 15 provided for some nice secondary road leans and sweeping curves (nothing sharp). It also allowed me to blow some of the winter carbon out of the carbs (this mechanical talk is to see if Phil is reading these articles).

Once again, there was no HROT Stamp. The clerk knew about it and there was a small poster in the window, but the owner wasn't in the store and he had no idea where she kept it. Oh well, I was batting 3 for 3. Fortunately, there were some Daisy Mart business cards on the counter and the clerk was nice enough to sign the card for me. Of course I didn't leave before getting a picture of MY BIKE in front of the Daisy Mart sign.

The fourth stop for the day was a quick trip down 15 to 58. I followed 58 over to Courtland and took VA-35 south to Boykin and VA-197 to Branchville. Now Branchville is smaller than small. The Tour Book stated that riders should take a picture in front of a local site since there isn't anywhere to buy something. Damn, another picture of my bike.

Two thoughts came to me while making the trip to Branchville. First, it is good to be reminded that not everyone lives in the suburbs of Hampton Roads or Northern Virginia. There really are people who still live in small towns and don't see a need to have a Town Center, sports stadium, or mass transit system running through their back yards.

Second, as I passed a roadside marker entitled "Nat Turner's Insurrection", I was reminded again about the real meaning of history and how closely related Appomattox and Branchville are in our country's quest to give full meaning to human rights and human dignity. It's amazing what you see and think about on a little trip around Virginia.

All in all, the trip covered 500 miles, lasted 9 ½ hours, covered four Tour stops, but more importantly trumpeted the return of riding season. So if you haven't heard, spring is here and your bike is whispering, "Ride me, Ride me." Go for a ride. You may actually see something new or better yet you may see something old anew.

By the way, if you're looking for somewhere to go, check out the Virginia Leap of Faith Tour on this website. It's for a good cause, and you may just like the ride. See you at the Rest Area.

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