Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Virginia



On Monday I had the most joyous ride of my whole life, in three decades of riding. After I left Sue and Terri at Frederick (after a mad dash to replace my wet-weather riding trousers which I'd burned and melted on the exhaust about 6 different times while refilling Cherry's gas tank), I headed south out of Maryland towards the state of Virginia, en route to Tennessee. At one point just inside the Virginia border, I crossed over the Potomac River, which is rather unusual in geological formation and quite spectacular, amd then rode alongside it for a short distance. I then dropped down to enter to Shenandoah National Park and pick up the Skyline Drive, a hundred or so miles of spectacular, winding road, incredibly well maintained, and punctuated at various points along the way with overlooks of the stunning Shenandoah Valley. The Skyline Drive is the perfect name for that road, which really did feel to me like riding towards the sky. It wasn't crowded, and Cherry and I danced our way happily down the length of it in perfect weather. At one point I came across a young doe, just out of infancy, all leggy and beautiful. I saw her in enough time to slow right down and watch her as she sauntered into the road as if she owned it (which she probably thinks she does) and she only got spooked when I slowed right down and the sound of the engine changed. Still, she didn't rush off, even then. She just zig zagged around 60 yards away and stopped to stare at me. She was so gorgeous. Seeing here made my day. The roadsides all the way down the Drive were also littered with dancing butterflies and slow-circling hawks. At the end of that, I pulled into a gas station to get us both a well-earned drink - oil for her and water for me - and we then continued on where the Skyline Drive becomes the Blue Ridge Parkway.


The mountain ranges seemed to go on for many miles, ridge upon ridge, for as far as the eye could see. It was breathtaking. I took that route also, as far as Buena Vista, where I spied a motel with several bikes parked up and decided to call it an early one and relax. It was around 5.30 and I had thoughts of going on to Roanoke but those bikes meant company, and relaxation. So, I made an executive decision, checked in, unpacked my girl, found a liquor store, got some food and sat on the verandah outside my room. I'd not long got settled when a huge rainstorm came in, soaking poor little Cherry completely, and there was no way of sheltering her from it. I actually couldn't bring myself to go inside and leave her out there in the pouring rain all on her own, after we'd had such a spectacular day, so I sat as close to her as I could, under cover, sipping my beer, until the rain stopped. I met four different couples on bikes that were staying there, along with Nick from Kentucky and Don from Florida, who were also travelling solo, and we sat together a while and chatted about the trips we were doing, the reasons why, and our lives and people and pets we love back home. It was a civilized and sociable end to a perfect day.

3 comments:

Dave said...

Sounds to me like that ride washed away all the bad things that had happened to you so far with the bike being delayed or such a long time, I bet you could feel all your cares being washed away, plus to just get on the verandah before the rain started, with beer I bet and food too made it even better

Maxine Cook said...

Hey, Sweetie!!!!! Good to getcha on da blog!!!!!!!!
It wasn't anything decent like Guinness or Newky Brown, but it was good enough. Dark ale is an oddity here, the boutique breweries appear to be rather more successful at producing it than the bigger ones. Its the VINO I'm looking forward to, once I get to the Napa Valley. Name your poison and I'll have a whole bottle for you - AFTER I park up for the night! Chortle...

Dave said...

And you mean that Newcastle Brown is good??, Max, you really have to come to the real ale capital of the country next year to see me, we can fit some beers around the wine I am sure...for now, just raise a glass of red for me, one thing I haven't asked you tho....have you got your keyring with you for luck??, my kids have a need for me to ask you!!...well??

love D