HROT's Virginia Grand Tour
(Part II)
The Shenandoah Experience

September 8^th, 2004

Day 1 (Friday) started with a run out I-64. Most of my previous car trips on I-64 had me turning north at Richmond on my way to D.C., so it was nice to get through Richmond and see the road open up on the way Charlottesville and Staunton. The first stop was at Waugh Enterprises Harley Davidson in Orange, VA. A quick run up Highway 15 (off of I-64) over some country roads made for a nice distraction from the Freeway speeds.

At the shop, two things struck me. First, a Harley rider from the Midwest pulled up about the same time I did. Seeing my license plate (it has something to do with the Navy), he asked if I was in the service. I quickly explained about my naval career and my retirement. At the end of my soliloquy, he held out his hand and thanked me for my service. DAMN. I was shocked, surprised, and proud all at the same time. Imagine that - a person who performed a random act of kindness and a Harley rider to boot. Life is full of surprises.

The second observation was that as we walked into the dealership, someone asked if they could help us. The other rider stated that he was passing by and just wanted to get a cup of coffee and use the rest room. Imagine my surprise when the salesman pointed to the lounge in the back of the shop and said help yourself. I had heard that Harley dealerships provided convenient stops for traveling Harley riders, but I thought this was just an urban legend retold by some of those OLD 1960's riders nostalgic for the "old days." I wonder how many "Metric" dealers understand that this attitude is what helps makes brand loyalty so strong in the Harley community.

Heading south on Highway 15, I hopped back onto I-64 and opened up the bike. I hope that I never tire of seeing the mountains on the horizon as I approach the western part of the state. There is something about the scenic view that reminds me there is more to life than the daily events that seem to overwhelm my suburban existence in the neatly trimmed neighborhoods and our congested Tidewater roads. I arrived in Staunton just after noon and decided to check into the motel. After throwing my bags in the room, I headed over to the "Frontier Culture Museum". This is an interesting outdoor display of the German, English, and Irish cultural influences on early frontier farming structures. After riding a couple hundred miles, it was nice to take a leisurely walk around the farms. There were volunteers who dress in period clothing while caring for the different farms and were always ready to explain interesting facts to museum guest.

Finishing my farming tour by the early afternoon, I decided to get a jump on the next day's stops by running up to Luray Caverns to see the Car & Carriage Caravan Museum. The run up I-81 was an experience. I am convinced that you can get a ticket on I-81 for blocking traffic if you cruise at the posted speed limit. I found myself traveling at 75 / 80 mph in the right hand lane. I won't even mention the cruising speeds in the passing lane. I'm assuming Virginia is interested in getting all of those "out of state" vehicles through the state before they realize how beautiful Virginia is and want to stay. Needless to say, the trip up to Luray took about an hour. It was an adventure finding the right person to stamp my Tour Book. I started at the gift shop (as listed in the book), but was directed to the admin offices on the other side of the compound, only to be redirected back to the gift shop. Since I was in the Navy long enough to get use to standing in lines that didn't go anywhere, I just chalked it up to being part of the adventure. I took a quick tour of the museum. They had some great vehicles and I'm sure a car buff would find it interesting. However, whether it was because of the long rides, the crowded arrangements of the cars, or narrow walkway through the museum, I found it a little hard to focus on the variety of different cars. My mind was thinking more about the trip back to Staunton (and supper) then the exhibits in the museum. I made it back to Staunton (and Shoney's) before nightfall and was ready for a relaxing evening of watching TV in bed.

Day 2 (Saturday) had me heading for Fairfax and Manassas to visit the National Firearms Museum and the Manassas Museum. First, there was a stop at the Route 11 Potato Chip Factory outside of Middleton. Then I was going to Winchester to pick up US-17 (remember - Backside Retentive). The good thing was that since I had knocked out the Luray stop the day before, I decided to travel to Winchester on US-11. This was a great decision. I got an early start and virtually had the road to myself for the first couple of hours. While I want to make the official pilgrimage along Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway, the ride up US-11 convinced me that traveling the length of Virginia on US-11 would also be worth the trip. It had a mix of open roads, little towns, and some curving motorcycle roads that quickly became the favorite of my weekend trip. If you go out looking for America, try US-11. I've included a picture of a monument I found in Rockingham County that has become my favorite.

Locating Route 11 Potato Chip Factory, I went in for some samples of flavored potato chips and a variety of dips. Trying not to make a meal of the free samples, I bought a bag of chips and a Root Beer for consumption later. In short order, I was back on the bike and heading for Winchester. In a short 10 miles I made the turn onto US-17 and headed for Warrenton (my hotel stop). One of the little surprises on US-17 was that the road turned into a winding shaded road around Fort A.P. Hill. I thought I was back in the Shenandoah Mountains for a few miles. I made it to Warrenton with little trouble and checked into my hotel. As with the previous day, it was still early enough for me to get a couple more stops out of the way. I headed for Fairfax and Manassas.

At the National Firearms Museum, the parking lot was virtually empty. It is collocated with the National Rifle Association and given that it was Saturday, the office workers were not around. While I found some of the exhibits interesting (older weapons from pre-civil war times), I'm not a gun buff and don't think I appreciated the museum as much as other folks might. It certainly has a variety and quantity of guns to capture the imagination of gun enthusiasts. Interestingly, my greatest challenge for getting my Tour Book stamped occurred here. The young man at the information stand knew there was suppose to be a stamp, but just couldn't manage to find it. I amused myself by wondering if the stamp had been robbed at gun point and the NRA was trying to cover up the incident. Accepting the fact that the young man was interested in giving up the search, I decided to go down the street and get a receipt from one of Washington's better restaurants - "McDonalds". After a cold drink, I was headed for Manassas.

The Manassas Museum is a small building. In fact, the Gift Shop covers about 40% of the building. The exhibits try to capture the historical flavor of Manassas from colonial times up to the early 20th century. It didn't take long to view the displays, but you certainly get a feeling that the folks of Manassas believe that their town is more than a suburb of Washington. History is funny like that. People live and die and their combined stories create a history of human struggles and triumphs. I like the way that history is captured at the local level. The national museums in Washington are impressive, but in Manassas I got a sense that the faces in the pictures had names and somebody cared that they lived. After Manassas, I headed back to Warrenton and the hotel. After getting a bite to eat, I settled in for the evening and found that I was ready for bed early.

Day 3 (Sunday) arrived with gray skies and a light drizzle. Having learned my lesson from my trip to Reedsville, I put on my rain suit and headed south. The rain was more of an annoyance than a problem. Within an hour the rain let up and US-17 turned into the four lane highway we all know. Letting my "backside retentive" gene get the best of me, I decided to forget about grabbing I-64 and stayed on US-17 straight through Hampton, Portsmouth, and down to Chesapeake. While not all the back roads are charming country roads, it can still be an adventure to ride any road for the first time. I stayed with US-17 until I dipped my front tire into North Carolina. I turned around satisfied that I had completed my first weekend trip and was content with the knowledge another Virginia road had been transited from end-to-end.

Next week - HROT's Virginia Grand Tour (Part III) - The Best Roads in Virginia.

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