Washington, VA

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Washington, VA

Postby Blixa » Mon Oct 01, 2012 11:04 pm

My bf and I rode out to Washington, VA this past weekend. He turned the big 3-0 so I took him to the Inn at Little Washington for a birthday dinner on Saturday. On the trip out there, 66 was typically unpleasant, but once we hopped off at Manassas, the road emptied almost immediately. The forecast earlier in the week had called for rain on Saturday, but I don't think anyone could have imagined a nicer day for a ride. We took 55 to The Plains, then jetted down beautiful 17 to 211, where on either side of the road the leaves had just started to change.

Washington, VA:

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We got into Washington around 3:30 and checked into the Foster Harris House (highly recommended). I found to my delight that, though I had been able to cram a lot of stuff into the BMW top case that came with my bike, none of my clothes had wrinkles ftw! We went for a walk before dinner and although about a 15 minute stroll from end-to-end, the town is quite beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed admiring the antebellum architecture. I also encountered a llama and learned that llamas are often used to guard sheep. One day, you will thank me for that nugget of information.

Eerie llama profile (seen through the window of a shed):

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Sheep:

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View from my window:

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Dinner was excellent and the night was ended perfectly with the complimentary port served at our B&B. I sat out for a bit on the porch to enjoy the evening breeze and made friends with a cat that ran down the street several blocks just to rub himself on my leg. I eventually let him lie on my lap where he seemed to be as content as my eyes were irritated.

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We had wine pairings with our meal that night, and as it was a several course meal, I was certain that I'd be feeling it on Sunday, but I felt better than I had in years when I woke up. I'm going to attribute it to magic. Yes, Washington, VA is a magical town. Great food, stunning architecture, no hangovers.
:beer:

This is intended to be a ride report so I will get to the important stuff. Unfortunately, for the following, I didn't take any pics b/c I was enjoying the ride, so my description will have to suffice. The next day, we headed home by way of Fodderstack Road/628 out of Washington. You guys are all probably familiar with the routes in this area, but I'll describe this one anyway: it was a brief but beautiful winding road with farmland on either side, and we shared it solely with spandexed cyclists traveling in the opposite direction.

Then onto Crest Hill Road, which my bf and one of the owners of the B&B both recommended. What a hoot! Now that's a road where you could really wind it up. I didn't get crazy as I'm still pretty new to this riding thing and I had no idea where I was, but I did have a lot of fun on the sweeping turns and elevation changes. We encountered numerous riders coming the other way - waves all around - so it seems to be a popular road, though mostly devoid of cars.

Then back to 55 and The Plains, and onto Middleburg, where we stopped at a decent place called Julien's for lunch. All I could manage was half a bowl of soup - riding seems to annihilate my appetite - but I got to admire a Ferrari California, numerous series 911s, an E30 M3, a Ducati Hypermotard, and numerous Harleys parading down 50 while waiting for the bf to eat. And people wearing polo uniforms - there must have been a match earlier that day.

Afterwards, we continued on 50 where it turned to hell in Chantilly and I knew I was back in the good ol' DC metro area. Welcome home!

Anyway, it all added up to two days of good riding as well as great food, lots of wine, and quality llama and cat time. If you're ever looking for a place to kick back for a weekend or to serve as a homebase for a trip to Skyline Drive, Washington, VA is not too far from home but just far enough to feel like a vacation.

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Re: Washington, VA

Postby Unity » Tue Oct 02, 2012 12:04 pm

Great report on some of the Piedmont's best roads! It was unmistakably a magical weekend.

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Re: Washington, VA

Postby Blixa » Tue Oct 02, 2012 2:20 pm

Thank you, John! Sadly, the weekend was too short, but it's terrific that the DC region has so many fun, local roads.
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Re: Washington, VA

Postby BMWGirl » Tue Oct 02, 2012 9:03 pm

That is great to hear! I'm glad you had a good ride - I think that Crest Hill road is one of the roads that we used to "sponsor" and you're right - it's really pretty out there!

Keep going, you're doing great!
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Re: Washington, VA

Postby Blixa » Tue Oct 02, 2012 9:18 pm

Thank you, Tina 8)
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Re: Washington, VA

Postby Flash! » Wed Oct 03, 2012 8:44 am

You're learning to ride MUCH more quickly than I did, and tackling some difficult roads in the process on a very tall bike! Way to go. You deserved a wonderful Washington, VA weekend.

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Re: Washington, VA

Postby Blixa » Wed Oct 03, 2012 8:35 pm

Thanks Jody!
I set this as a milestone back when I got the bike. Steve likes riding more than most things in life, and I didn't really like riding pillion :emb: so I figured I'd make it a goal to get decent enough riding on my own to make it out to his bday celebration. Learning definitely is much easier on beautiful, traffic-free roads such as the ones out by Skyline Drive. A big improvement on anything Alexandria has to offer on a weekend.
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Re: Washington, VA

Postby Rick F. » Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:51 pm

Blixa,

Thanks for the report and the great photos. I'm envious (well, jealous, really :emb: ), since I've had to put so many hours in at work for the last couple of months that I've only gotten out once for a "ride." (A drive in my case.)

Anyway, you seem to be off to a great start on your riding adventures, and your Dakar looks beautiful. Happy Trails To You!

Rick F.
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Re: Washington, VA

Postby Blixa » Sun Oct 07, 2012 1:36 pm

Thanks so much, Rick! :D
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