HROT's Virginia Grand Tour (Part III)
The Best Roads in Virginia

September 22^ad, 2004

Footnote: I admit that the definition of the "Best Road" can have different meanings to different people. My definition is simple. Best Road means in comparison to others I have ridden. Therefore, the title of "Best Road" will be a moving target.

The second of my weekend trips on HROT's Virginia Grand Tour had me heading west. Once again, my retentive gene kicked in and I decided that my supplemental goal was to start in Ocean View; get on Granby (US-460); follow it to Kentucky; drop down to Cumberland Gap; and ride US-58 all the way back to Virginia Beach. I had four stops to make and three days to complete the ride. I thought I'd ride until I got tired and then stop for the night. I knew before I started, there wasn't going to be much time for sightseeing, which was fine with me. I was in the mood to ride.

A wet begining...

Burkes Garden

D-Day Memorial

Life Like Statues at the D-Day Memorial

Life Like Statues at the D-Day Memorial

Life Like Statues at the D-Day Memorial

Breaks Interstate Park, For and 45 degrees....

Fog on 83...

Welcome to Kentucky

Welcome to TN.

View from 58.

Welcome to West Virginia....

Day 1 (Friday) - I had packed the bike the night before, so by 07:00 I had cranked up the Sabre and was headed for Ocean View. The sky was overcast, but the weatherman promised it would clear up. I didn't let the little drops of water turn me against my trusted weatherman. Of course, by the time I got to Ocean View the bottom had dropped out and I was putting on my rain suit in the rain. As I toured the streets of Norfolk and Portsmouth, I relearned another old lesson. The urban street signs in Tidewater are not as helpful as they could be and my sense of direction only seems to work on the open road. What I'm trying to say is that I got lost (again). Fortunately, the rain stopped and after a couple of map checks I cleared Portsmouth and was on US-460 heading west.

While US-460 is more of a "primary highway" than a "scenic highway," I was impressed with how the road opened up in the Isle of Wright. The sun came out, the traffic was light, and I made good time. Other than my routine gas stops, I stayed on US-460 until my first HROT stop around Bedford, The D-Day Memorial. The Memorial honors one of our "Greatest Generation's" sacrifices to freedom. I found it impressive for two reasons: it's an open air memorial that uses the sky as a backdrop when seen from the front; and the life-like statues storming the beach are very realistic. In this one monument, one can understand the terrible cost paid by young men for the invaluable freedom that we enjoy 60 years later.

Realizing I had "miles to go before I sleep," I headed back to US-460 and points west. I found US-460 to be a great cruising highway. It didn't have the congestion or stress of an Interstate, and it allowed ample head turning for checking out the roadside scenery. While stopped at the West Virginia / Virginia border (to capture my Hop-Scotch across state lines with my camera), another biker pulled up beside me and asked if I needed any help. I wish I wasn't surprised every time I encounter an act of kindness. This guy had passed me, turned around, and had to pass me again just so he could get back to my side of the road, so much for the "outlaw biker" image. I LIKE NICE PEOPLE.

Getting back on US-460, I headed for a little paradise just east of Tazewell called Burke's Garden. To get there, I back tracked on secondary roads and asphalted roads that were too small for painted lines. I could feel the bike climbing up and descending down a mountain ridge. Coming down the mountain, Burke's Garden opens up into a plateau of green pastures and farmland. My first thought was that the scene was out of an old Jimmy Stewart movie about a family in the Shenandoah's.

I pulled into the General Store to find a friendly shopkeeper who not only made me feel welcome, but commented on how she had enjoyed some other HROT members who had been there a few weeks before. In addition to that old saying about leaving nothing behind but footprints, these guys had left behind a good impression and motorcyclist cannot get enough of that kind of advertisement. THANKS TO ALL WHO GOT THERE BEFORE ME. I must comment that this General Store is the only one I have ever seen with a tanning bed. I guess Burke's Garden must have its share of "Beautiful People" (or they really do have to pump in daylight).

In the late afternoon, I pushed westward until US-460 narrows to two lanes and lets you know that nature doesn't share our appreciation for flat, wide, straight roads. With the mountains casting shadows on the road that made the afternoon appear darker, I crossed into Kentucky and connected with US-80 which brought me back into Virginia just north of Breaks Interstate Park. I found a motel a couple miles north of the entrance to the park and decided to call it a day. After 510 miles I was ready for a quick dinner, a hot shower, a review of the local weather report, and a good night's sleep.

Day 2 (Saturday) - I wish I could tell you how scenic Breaks Park was and how someone made a lasting impression on me. I wish I could, but I can't. The problem was that my "retentive backside" was doing the thinking. I didn't see the Park; because I decided to get up early to put some distance behind me before I had to stop for the night. Remember my plan was to go to Cumberland Gap and ride US-58 all the way to Virginia Beach. I wanted to get 300-400 miles out of the way before stopping for the night. I was OK with this decision since the stops are mostly my excuse to go riding, and the park admin building wouldn't be open for another couple of hours. This is one of the things I like about riding alone. I can start and stop when and as often (or as little) as I like, and it's the riding that I enjoy in the first place. So, I got on the road at 6:30 AM with the outside temps at 45 degree (I was glad I brought my leather jacket). After a quick stop outside the main entrance to Breaks for a picture, I put the bike in gear and discovered US-80.

My route to Cumberland Gap took me along US-80 to 83, 23, 58 Alt, and 58 to Tennessee. I will tell you that US-80 / 83 are the best motorcycle roads I have traveled since buying the Sabre. There was almost no traffic in front of me for about an hour and a half. The vegetation along the road was still wet with night dew. The colors were alive with a rich deep green. The fog settled on the area like a big dome protecting the region, but it was light enough that I could always see the next curve. The curves required me to move the bike back and forth to position for the best lines, but were rarely hairpin turns. The few small villages I did encounter were still asleep, and I felt like the road had been put there for me and my bike. I remember thinking to myself that this was why I bought a bike. All of my thoughts and all of my senses were focused on that ride at that moment.

My favorite travel book is Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck. In this book, he talks about how some trips are over before you actually arrive at your destination, because of boredom, familiarity with the road, or other pressing thoughts. However, he also writes about how some trips seem to go on long after you have arrived. In fact, some trips never seem to end because you replay them in your mind. While I can't give you as crafted a picture as Mr. Steinbeck could, I can still close my eyes and feel myself traveling along the BEST ROADS IN VIRGINIA.

Too quickly, I found myself on US-23 which opened up into a four lane highway and followed it to 58 Alt / 58 where I turned around at the Tennessee border. I remember having two thoughts at this point of the trip. First, I could remember traveling along US-58 from South Hill to Virginia Beach over the last couple of years wishing I had a motorcycle so I could ride US-58 across the state. Now I was doing it. Second, I thought I would be cruising all the way back to Virginia Beach on a four lane expressway. Fortunately, I was wrong about the second one.

I found out how wrong I was around Damascus (east of I-81). The roads necked down to curving mountain roads which provided me with flashbacks to US-80. The roads continued to entertain through Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (yeah the same place I dumped the bike) all the way to Mouth of Wilson. With a couple of exceptions, US-58 remained a two lane joy until I started to approach the west side of Martinsville.

I made my last HROT stop of this trip at Nancy's Fudge Factory in Meadows of Dan (intersection of US-58 and Blue Ridge Parkway). I stopped in to get my book stamped and to buy some sweets to ease the stiffness and soreness that was starting to act up from my close inspection of the asphalt back in Mount Rogers. I figured I'd ride over to Danville and stop for the night. On the by-pass around Danville, I decided to push on and get a motel room in South Boston.

This is where back luck and stupid come together. In South Boston I tried to get a room in two different motels. Both of them were booked. So, I head for South Hill. In South Hill, I was denied once again. It is here that something snapped in my brain. I remember saying to myself, "heck (or something like it), it's only another 120 miles to Virginia Beach." So, I threw my stiff leg and bruised ribs over the bike and headed for home. While the trip was uneventful, it was the longest 120 miles I have ever ridden. When I finally pulled into my garage 14 hours after starting my trip, I had traveled 640 miles. I got off the bike and promised myself I would come back for the bags later. I lied. I made a stop at the refrigerator and bathroom before heading straight for bed.

I traveled 1150 miles in two days, dumped my bike, was rained on, and rode in 45 degree weather in August, but I found the BEST ROADS IN VIRGINIA and even now I can hear the call of the wind blowing over the sound of my V-Twin as my tires hum along the highway. I hope this journey never ends.

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