The morning started out innocently enough. It was a 7 am start and everyone was on time. Even those two who missed yesterday's lobby call. You know who you are.

The ultimate destination today is Roanoke, VA. but first we're going to ride the Skyline Drive in it's entirety from north to south and then the Blue Ridge Parkway from south to north. That's over 200 miles of curve after curve after curve. It's a slow go compared to the interstate which is why we're starting out so early.

So, after the usual morning prep (Brooklyn did NOT need to work on his bike today) we are off and running. As we approach Richmond on the Interstate our fearless leader, Moe, almost misses a turn and, without warning, does a sharp right turn. The next two bikes (Moe's wife Christine and me) don't make the turn and end up in downtown Richmond. Wheeeeeee. Using Greg's day by day index cards of the route, we make our way to Culpeper where we meet up with the rest of the group. They weren't actually waiting for us there. It seems the gas station they chose to patronize had only one working restroom, and a one holer at that.

Back on the road and in short order we're on the Skyline Drive. Beautiful views, a mountain road with lots of curves, the sun shining and lots of bikes. Did I mention the curves in the road. The Drive is a bit over 100 miles long and I do believe there are an average of 7 curves per miles. You get the idea. We twisted and turned...a lot. We also enjoyed the view whenever we could stop.

This is where the group split up. Some went to Luray Caverns, some went to the car museum and the rest, myself included, stayed on the Drive for the entire length. It was great fun but more than a little tiring. At least it was for me.

After the drive we went to Larry "Pastor Disaster" Jent's church for lunch. Many thanks to the nice people who waited for us to get there. We were about 2 hours late. Good food, especially the pulled pork sandwiches.

And then it was time for the Blue Ridge. I don't mind telling you. I was tired and I wasn't looking forward to 3 hours of twists and turns. But the Blue Ridge is different. There's more of a rhythm to the road, especially the last 40 miles or so. Once you got a feel for what the curves were doing you could get into the groove. It was awesome. And we saw wildlife. Some of it up close and personal. Like the group of wild turkeys standing in the middle of the road as we came around a blind curve. Or that large deer standing right next to the road as we went by. Fortunately, we didn't hit anything. But the best sighting was when Cris and I saw a black bear. He was a just a cub playing over near the tree line. Knowing that Mama bear had to be nearby, we didn't stop for pictures with him. I did try my hand, as I've done in the past, with some photos from the bike while I was moving. The curves kept distracting me. I'll try it again tomorrow.

We made it to the hotel around 7 pm, cleaned up and went to Moe's uncle and aunt's house. Uncle Charlie and Anna opened their house to use for dinner and some after dinner pool shooting. Moe and some of the other riders are staying there tonight. After dinner we all gathered round to sing Happy Birthday to Sam "Rainbow" Fisher. Rumor has it that he's legal now.

Which brings me to the end of Day 2. It was a fun day. We all rode really well together and we're getting along as though we're old friends. Looking forward to Day 3.

Thanks
Bill

Other Links:
Dennis Booth's Facebook Photo Album
Star Markham's Vespa Journey's Blog