TO VIRGINIA GRAND TOUR
OR
NOT TO VIRGINIA GRAND TOUR...

July 25^th, 2006

muse@bikerenews.com

My riding season had gotten off to a slow start. After the short trip to North Carolina a month ago, I was determined to get in another ride before I left town (more about this later).

Bumpass The Academy Fulk's Run A view worth Remembering Welcome to West VA Welcome to Virginia Bacova Humpback Bridge

Once I made a decision to go, it was time to plan on where to go. This season I've been a little conflicted with my riding plans. For the last two years, I have participated in the Honda Riders of Tidewater's Virginia Grand Tour. However, this year I didn't think I would be able to get to all of the stops. Besides, there were a couple of trips I wanted to make in order to complete my cross-state road trips across Virginia.

Over the 4th of July weekend, the stars aligned (my family was out of town, I didn't have to work, a friend was able to look after the dog), so I headed out. My plan was very simple. I would take I-64 up to Richmond, pick up US 33 on the west side, and ride it to West Virginia. I'd turn left on US-220, ride it to Greensboro, NC and visit relatives. I would ride US-158 east to US-168 and back to Virginia Beach.

I looked at the Virginia Grand Tour Book just in case I wanted to stop. Now I won't kid you, I had already mapped out the stops. It was just that I wasn't sure I wanted to make the commitment to complete the tour. I told myself that I would make that decision before I reached Richmond.

That was the PLAN.

The ride up I-64 was pretty uneventful. However, it was very nice to ride through Hampton and Newport News with all lanes open and flowing. I took I-295 around Richmond. It seems my standards are changing. I have convinced myself that bypasses are optional depending on familiarization with the area and local interest. Downtown traffic and congestion were more than enough justification for taking the bypass.

As I got closer to the turn-off for the first Grand Tour stop, I kept asking myself the same question over and over, "To stop, or not to stop?" Was I ready for the commitment of 15 stops? When would I find the time to ride to all of them? WWBD (What Would Bubba Do)?

Well I told myself I'd make the first stop and then make a decision about the rest of the stops when I got closer to them. I turned off US-33 and headed up to Bumpass.

On my way to the first stop, an interesting thing happened. Trying to get my bearings (no I don't have GPS), I stopped at an intersection to check the map. Thinking I had the directions right, I headed down the road. Not to imply that I was lost, but after about 5 minutes I had not found the stop. While checking my map for a second time (with a befuddled look on my face), a Verizon truck stopped near me. The young man in the truck told me this was the second time he had seen me looking at a map, and asked if I needed help. I told him what I was looking for, and he gave me directions to the Bumpass Fire Station. What do you think about that? A cage driver helping out a biker, just because he thought I needed help (which I did). I like nice people (even cagers). Unfortunately, no picture is provided for Bumpass Fire Department, because I didn't realize that I had photographed the answer to the stop's clue. You will just have to ride there yourself.

I continued up US-33, until I got to I-81. I now had a decision to make. One of the Grand Tour stops would require me to turn north onto I-81 and the other would require me to turn south. To Grand Tour or Not to Grand Tour, THAT was the question. I made a stop at a McDonalds in Harrisonburg to ponder my dilemma. What the heck? The two stops were only 15 - 20 miles on either side of US-33. What was a couple of hours on a weekend ride? After all, three stops wouldn't lock me to completing the tour.

So, I headed south to Fort Defiance and the Augusta Military Academy. After all, if President Eisenhower could visit the place so could I. After checking off that stop, I headed north and found my way to Fulk's Run. Unfortunately, I made the same mistake with the photo, so you will have to find out for yourself what type of ham the good folks in Fulk's Run eat with their green eggs.

I made my way back to the intersection of I-81 and US-33, and was back on track for my planned ride. As most of you know, east of I-81 is where some of Virginia's best motorcycling rides can be found. US-33 turns into a two lane country road that allowed me to use just a little of that portion of the tires to either side of dead center. I followed US-33 into West Virginia and then made a left turn (south) onto US-220. My original plan had me stopping there for the night, but it was only about 3:00 PM and I was still ready for a little more riding.

Let me just state for the record, if you get a chance to hop on US-220 at this intersection, you will not be disappointed heading south. It was great riding. Winding roads, covered with shade, low traffic, and limited interruptions.

My first reminder that this was a 4th of July weekend occurred just inside the Virginia state line. Two Troopers were checking driver licenses (as well as for other stuff). I was in good shape with my Class M License, so it was a short stop. I was back on the road and feeling the road slide left and right beneath of me.

The next stop located close to US-220 was Bacova. I needed to find the name of the local hospital. It never hurts to know where to find a hospital, so I interrupted my trip for stop #4. As I was looking at the next stop in the Tour Book, I was intrigued by the name, Humpback Bridge. What in the world could this be? I was close. It was near. I went to stop #5 near Covington.

Now I know what you're thinking, "Gary's completed five stops in the Grand Tour, and he's committed." No way, I have quit other enterprises with much more invested that a few hours of weekend riding. I wasn't hooked yet. I was just taking advantage of the close proximity of a few stops to my original riding route.

I knew I could stop at any time. I did just that. I stopped in Rocky Mount for the night. It was getting late, and I was getting tired. I'd logged about 560 miles over 12 hours and decided to call it a night. I planned to head for Greensboro the next morning.

Was I hooked or not? The next article answers the question.

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