Preamble
With 2 little boys and a demanding job, getting a week on the bike is a major luxery. I asked for the chance a year ago and my wonderful wife said yes. {The job, it didn't have a choice, at the point I left the amount of churn and randomly inserted BS had brought me as close to total burn out as I have ever been.}
With a year to plan, I'd come up with some pretty grand trips. Alaska, Colorado, Dakotas... Up until the week I left I was still weighing blasting east from Virginia to Colorado. Then I came to my senses.
The point was to relax. The point was to enjoy. I didn't need any more testing - life was doing a good enough job of keeping my blood pressure up - a two day, 2,000 blitz to Colorado just seemed insane.
So 3 days from departure I decided to head south, and keep my plans to that. On cue I got a message from my friend Matt in Pittsburgh that he wanted to go on an overnight hike in Shenandoah National Park. Perfect, I'll meet you in Skyland on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday came, and I had breakfast with the family in the morning and packed up the bike. Various little things delayed my departure - in fact Matt had arrived in Skyland an hour earlier then planned, and 2 hours before I could hope to be there. Oh well - not a damn thing I could do about that.
As I packed the last bit of stuff on the bike, my oldest boy came out to watch me. He looked at my bike and said "Take care of Daddy Bullwinkle."
I gave my wife a long lingering hug, and the littlest boy joined in, squeezing my leg. I hopped on the bike and took off towards the mountains that I'd grown up under.
En Route
My '02 1150GS was recently brought back from a deep coma. Overhauling the fuel system, brakes, and replacing a few bits of the electrical system had brought him back into fighting form.
I've gone through a few bikes in my realitivly short riding career. All told I've logged miles on at least 15 different models. The 1150GS is still my favorite - although the Concours 14 comes REALLY close.
It was this site that introduced me to the big pig. Specifically Javarilla's spectacular ride report had me lusting. After getting a GS as a loaner when my Dakar was in the shop I just knew that I had to get that big boxer.
He was in good shape today after a last minute valve adjustment, humming through 70 miles of two lane backroads.
Besides my trusty bavarian workhorse, I was also accompined by a duck. Yes. A duck.
Okay. A stuffed duck.
Spike goes on travel with me to set up pictures for the kids. Its a great hit with the under 10 crowd, and has a cult following with a number of my facebook followers.
Anyway, I blasted down my favorite byways to Skyland in Shenandoah, making only 1 stop.
There is, at the side of a quiet road in the Virginia Peidmont, a hippo. A cement hippo no less. This was a prop worthly of a duck.
A word about the photography here. Most of the shots I took on the road where taken with the iPhone 3GS. In cases where I didn't want to risk the phone, I whipped out my trusty Nikon point and shoot. I was impressed by the outcome.
So after I took my duck shot, I uploaded it for the kids via the magic of cellular communications, and blasted towards Stoney Man Mountain, and Skyland.
Virginia, as one of the first places in North America that was colonized by the Europeans, is brimming with history. While the Skyline Drive and Shenandoah have their own colorful history, even the roads leading to them have a history.
For example, the road I took to The Drive is RT 211. A little digging in the annuals of history gives us this:
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com wrote:Originally Posted by http://www.absoluteastronomy.com
Valley Pike or Valley Turnpike is the traditional name given for the Indian trail and roadway which now is designated as U.S. Highway 11 in the
Shenandoah Valley.
Long before the arrival of English colonists, Native Americans of the Delaware and Catawba were promised a marked path up the Valley which was laid out in 1745 by James Patton and John Buchanan. Initially called the "Indian Road", it was later known as the "Great Wagon Road
Great Wagon Road
On March 3, 1834, The Valley Turnpike Company was incorporated by an act of the Virginia General Assembly , and the state participated in the public-private venture through the Virginia Board of Public Works
A similar road from Harrisonburg to Staunton was built by another company, and they merged. The new combined road, by then known as the "Valley Pike", was significantly improved and tolls were charged for the upkeep of its length.
The Valley Pike was a key transportation link during the American Civil War
American Civil War by Confederate
Confederate States of America General Stonewall Jackson to expedite his foot cavalry up and down the Valley and to and from the various mountain gaps (such as Swift Run Gap Swift Run Gap and Thornton Gap ) which he used to make sudden appearances in front of Union troops in the Piedmont region on the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains
In 1918, The Valley Turnpike Company, which had been managed by a young Harry Flood Byrd, allowed the Valley Turnpike to be one of the first roads taken over by the state. It was designated as part of State Route 3, one of the routes of the state highway system managed by the State Highway Commisson.
The Valley Turnpike was given the U.S. Route 11 designation in 1926, and remained the major north-south highway thoroughfare for the Shenandoah Valley until Interstate 81 was built beginning in the 1960s. Today, the road carries much local traffic, and provides an alternative to the busy Interstate Highway.
Stonewall Jackson (a distant cousin of mine oddly enough) drove the best Union Generals to tears by flopping over these roads and appearing out of no-where. I imagine the trip on horseback was a bit different then swinging though the diminishing radius turns and s-curves on the back of my two cylinder boxer. His loss.
On the Mountain
There are a few things that I'm asked to pay for in life that I've got no problem with at all. One of those are National Park fees. Forking over my 10 bucks with a smile I started up the parkway to meet Matt, who's been hanging out on a rock like a lizard for the past 3 hours. We catch up a bit when I arrive, grab some food at the lodge, and then roll up the Skyline Drive for Marshall Mt. After WAY too long pulling my kit together, we hit the trail.
Over 18 years ago, my Grandmother dropped Matt & I off at Dickey Ridge in the Northern District of the park. We we loaded for bear - which is considerably ridiculous considering that she was coming back in 6 hours to pick us back up again. However that hike was what really primed me for my love of a good walk in the woods. Matt and I have been at this for awhile, and still love it every chance we get to do it.
Matt and I also share a love for photography - his skill and exploration of it being vastly superior to mine.
The really twisted part was that I still had signal on my phone at this point. Taking full advantage I sent off another burst of photo's to the family.
Matt and I wandered up the trail a bit, found an excellent camp site, and took in the sunset while scarfing down our dinner.
We where then treated with a series of firework displays from the valley floor. I don't know if it was left over professional stock being lit off, or if the small towns in the valley had to postpone their July 4th shows and we were watching the rain-date festivities. Frankly, I didn't care that much, it was amazing, and I felt much better about passing on my grand plans and just rolling south as the mood took me.
Matt and I rambled down the Drive instead of the trail on the way back to the Car/Bike. After packing up, we slid into town for some proper breakfast at the Daily Grind, a chain of Valley Coffee shops.
After a bit, we said good-bye. With a full belly and all of my electronic gizmo's charged, I rolled back to the park, and headed south.
Park Rangers are the BEST.
Time to hit the twisties, and enjoy the gentle humm of my ugly bike on smooth, pretty pavement. I'd called down to the Peaks of Otter Lodge while at the coffee house. I had 190 miles of mountain top twisties to roll down before nightfall at 35-45mph. Time to get going....
With tunes blasting from my new O'Neal Bluetooth Helmet {LOVE IT!} I pointed my nose south and twisted the grip.
... to be continued.
I have no idea why every update of firmware makes my Garmin Quest a little more erratic. I think they are pushing me into buying a Nuvi.
