It rained heavily all night and it was still raining lightly when I set out late this morning. It was a slow ride southwest out of the D.C. Metro area. Once past Dulles, traffic lightened-up considerably. The weather toggled between light showers and heavy downpours with temps in the 70’s all day long, but I was comfortable and dry, until I wasn’t. I’ll get to that later.
My ride today was basically a diagonal lengthwise ride across Virginia, from the northeast corner to the southwestern city of Roanoke. It was a long 300+ mile ride due to the conditions, but the state is absolutely beautiful. I only wish the weather was better so I could better see the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley. The hills were shrouded in clouds and the scenery was muted by gray skies and rain. If the weather were accommodating I was tentatively planning to ride the 100-miles of Skyline Drive along the top of the Blue Ridge range, but the thought of twisty mountain roads with tons of wet leaves and zero visibility in the clouds made my decision to stay on I-81 and easy call. From all I’ve read, Skyline Drive in the fall is breathtaking, but not today. I passed by many Civil War battlefields and they’re all pretty much the same; they look like huge rectangle football fields surrounded by thick groves of trees. Some are now cow pastures, but most are surrounded by log fences with plaques telling the horrors and valor that happened at each site. I kept wondering whether the horrific casualties and outcome of the war would have been much different if one side would have thought about fighting a Taliban-style guerilla war by hiding in the trees and setting booby-traps, instead of beating drums and carrying flags in a giant scrum with guns, bayonets and canons on the 50-yard line. I suppose it seems obvious now.
After about 125 miles I needed a break and I saw a sign for Naked Hill winery. Hey, this sounds better than a Rest Stop; I can take break and enjoy a bit of nerve tonic. I rode 2 miles through light showers and encountered a tractor pulling a tall stack of tubs filled with grapes that had tipped-over. They were busily reloading the fruit in the rain as I proceeded up to the winery. I enjoyed a flight of 3 whites and 3 reds, including a pretty good barrel-aged chardonnay and a very respectable cabernet franc. Naked Hill was named by George Washington and it’s where the winery grows its estate wine grapes. The winery sells cute T-shirts; one has “DRINK NAKED” on the front and “Warning: Operating heavy machinery or a motor vehicle while becoming pregnant may be hazardous to your health.” I opted for a shirt that has the winery logo on the front and “I only drink wine on days that end with Y” on the back. I was contemplating what the shirts would have looked like if they had been printed in the Philippines [Inside joke: “SunPower, on one side…”]. Anyway, it was a nice break and I met some cool people from South Africa, who insisted on taking my picture. Another 100 miles down the road I pulled into a rest stop with a busload of elderly Virginia Tech boosters who were triumphantly returning from the Hoakies’ 19 – 0 route over Boston College. Several of them came over, including the bus driver, and we talked for a while about my journey and all-them-all, seemed real amazed.
I pressed-on through the rain and at about 6:00 I decided I would spend the night in Roanoke, which was less than 50 miles south. With that decision made, I decided to check out the Natural Bridge that sits 2 miles off the highway near Roanoke. It’s an amazing place and George Washington came to the site in 1750 as a young surveyor on behalf of Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron. Thomas Jefferson purchased 157 acres (635,000 m²) of land including the Natural Bridge from King George III of England for 20 shillings in 1774. He called it "the most sublime of nature's works". Jefferson built a two-room log cabin, with one room reserved for guests, beginning its use as a retreat. While President, in 1802, he surveyed the place with his own hands. It has been said that Jefferson was able to throw a stone from the ground below the bridge to the top. Many famous guests stayed here, including John Marshall, James Monroe, Henry Clay, Sam Houston, and Martin Van Buren.
When I got there it had stopped raining and the lady said that it’s just a short ¼ mile hike down to the rock formation, which is true, but she didn’t mention that the total hike around the loop is more like 3 miles. By the time I finished the hike it was dark and pouring rain. I stopped for gas and was told in nearly incomprehensible southern English that the nearest motel was 20 miles away. I set-out in the downpour and locked-in at 50 mph with intense concentration on the lane reflectors. When I got to the Super 8, I was wet and tired, but happy to have a warm shower and a dry place to stay tonight. A young college student who’s studying accounting checked me in and recommended I dine at the Mexican restaurant next door. It was a great call and I enjoyed my meal and a big Dos XX.
Tomorrow, the forecast for this part of the world is a high of 72 under mostly sunny skies. Perfect for riding the Dragon! Please paste the following link in your browser to get a sense for what the Dragon represents to bikers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74RQqdUly5U . 2010 has been a great year for the Dragon: only one death, compared to five in 2009 and four in 2008. Yes dear, I’ll ride safe; I promise not to be number two.
