Gary's Picture Album

More from Gary

September 3^rd, 2008
Frank, Michael & Me on the Parkway

muse@bikerenews.com

Please allow images to load

The first Virginia Grand Tour stop for the day (and the 14th of the 2008 Tour) was Troutdale located on VA-16 north of US-58. At the junction of VA-16 and CO-603 is a store that needed to be identified. The morning ride was cool. I keep forgetting that the temps can drop into the low 60s in this part of state. Feeling the cool weather, and seeing all of the Christmas Tree Farms in that part of the state, I started to wonder if I had missed a season or two. I pulled out my rain jacket to act as a windbreaker. This kept the discomfort down to a mild chill.

After finishing at the stop, I headed south on VA-16. I stopped a few miles down the road at the Log House Trading Post and had a breakfast of gravy biscuits and coffee to warm up and give the sun a little time to work its magic.

The second and final VGT tour stop was located northeast of Martinsville. Taking CO-108 out of Martinsville, I rode up to the Snow Creek Fire & Rescue Station. I found out what was located across the street, wrote down the answer in my booklet and just like that the 2008 Honda Riders of Tidewater Virginia Grand Tour was over.

It was Sunday morning, and I was only 5-6 hours away from Virginia Beach. With another VGT completed, what was I to do? Well, that morning I decided that I would fill up the time doing something useful, riding another road I hadn’t ridden.

On my way from Troutdale to Snow Creek, I made a short detour. In Independence, I turned south on US 21 and followed it into North Carolina until it connected with the Blue Ridge Parkway. I rode the Parkway up to US-58 and continued to Snow Creek. Then I rode west on US-58 and picked up the Tour where I had left off.

Meadows of Dan

Around 1:00 PM, after finishing the Grand Tour, I filled up at Meadows of Dan, and resumed my first motorcycle ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This was a ride that I had wanted to make since I bought the Sabre in 2004. However, I was never able to work it into my riding schedule. I had read the reports about speed limits being strictly enforced, and worried that summer tourists would turn the parkway into a slow sightseeing tour.

I decided it was time for a little change in music genre. I love my Blues, but I like listening to a lot of other types of music. On this lazy afternoon ride on the Parkway, I could think of only one singer with which to settle into a curving groove, Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Mr. Frank Sinatra. I started down the road listening to the Chairman of the Board singing,

That’s life, that’s what all the people say
You’re riding high in April, shot down in May
But I know I’m going to change that tune
When I’m back on top, back on top in June

After almost 29,000 miles on the highways and byways of Virginia, I believe that the Parkway is the best all round motorcycling road in the Commonwealth. Maybe it was the fact that I was riding on Sunday afternoon (when others are headed home), but in the 200 miles up to Waynesboro there was only two times that I was held up by sightseeing tourists, and they soon pulled into scenic overlooks.

I maintained an average 50-55 mph during the ride, except for those sections marked for lower speeds. The weather at Snow Creek had already been approaching the 90s, but at the Parkway’s elevation, and with the shade provided by the trees lining the road it felt like it was in the low 80s.

The only problem I had was trying to decide whether to ride or to sightsee. I decided riding was priority one. When a rider is given the opportunity to ride uninterrupted for 220 miles in one of the most beautiful parts of the state, there really is only one choice. I wish I could say that I had discovered this secret, but during my 5 hour ride, I saw as many motorcycles as I did cars.

There may be better twists for the MotoGP types. There are concrete slabs for those who want to cruise at 80-85 mph. There are weekly charity rides for those who want a little more social interaction. But for Mr. Sinatra and me, the cool air, the open road, and the hum of the Sabre was all we wanted, and was all we thought about for the five hours of the trip.

The Blue Ridge Parkway stops at Waynesboro, and Skyline Drive starts. I reached Waynesboro around 6:00 PM. I figured it would be better not to ride the Skyline’s 100 miles, since it would be getting dark in a couple of hours (I’d had enough deer excitement for one trip). I put that trip in my memory banks for future reference.

I reluctantly got onto I-64 and headed east. On the east side of Charlottesville, I filled up with gas, had my first meal since breakfast, and checked into a motel. It had been a 504 mile day, and to quote Michael Buble (yeah, I listened to him when my Sinatra playlist ended),

Birds flying high, you know how I feel
Sun in the sky, you know how I feel
Breeze drafting on by,
It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life, for me
And I’m feeling good

Ride Safe!

Back to "Muse from the Rest Area"

Back to More from Gary