GOE XIV: Day 2-The Whole Trip is a Disaster

Monday, June 21, 2010

Another day, and it would be and it would be another hot one, so if you are tired of me talking about the heat, tough luck! I was hoping as we crossed over the mountains, it would mean cooler air.

We started the day with full tanks, and then heading up Highway I-77 for a miles to take the exit Ramp to SR 47. Here we would continue our trip east and south, weaving our way through West Virginia.

SR 47 was the road of the first leg of this morning journey. We took it until it ended, leaving us with the options of either SR 119, or SR 33 in the town of Linn, West Virginia. I have always had in the back of my head to do a picture book of post offices across the country. Here is one of the photos that would have to be included. Not much to see, but then that is what it would all be about!


From the location of this post office, I don't remember even being able to see a house! After some sun screen, a drink of water, and a bathroom break, we headed back onto the hot asphalt.

Though we needed to head south, we meandered north and east on SR 119. The road is also called SR 33, and we stayed on this man made ribbon through Elkins, and then into Seneca Rocks, West Virginia.

I knew of a great place to eat, as Kevin and I stopped here on our way back from another GOE, this one was the last one hosted by Chapter 30 in Farmville, Virginia. However, it is Monday, and like a lot of places, it was closed on Sundays and Mondays. I mentioned to Kasey on the intercom the whole trip was now a disaster, and that moniker would be my tongue and cheek motto for the trip.

We back tracked the four miles through the country side, and then headed down the road, hoping to find another spot to eat. Next on the GPS was the town of Macksville. We passed a little cafe, it looked open, and after a turn around in a near by car lot, we made our way to the eatery.

They had a good menu, limited, but it was tasty, and we left stated for a few hours. We continued down SR 32. The road wound down into Judy Gap, and then turns east, and zig zags us up the mountain side. For the rest of the day, we would be on a roller coaster, climbing and falling, curving left and right.

Harrisonburg would be the last major town before Lynchburg, and we would spend most of the route in between on the Blue Ridge Parkway. After fueling up, we headed south on SR 340, also known as the Port Republic Road. Near Waynesboro, a future site of GOE, we made our way to the Blue Ridge, at the base of Skyline Drive.

The Blue Ridge is riddled with great scenic pull offs. As I have found, not many of them have shade in the area, but I wanted to stop at the ones that did, giving a moment to cool off. It was making the day longer, but I think we all needed the rest.


The Blue Ridge was a slower pace, but wooded, and that meant some shade and protection from the boiling sun. We pulled into Big Island, Virginia. SR 501 would lead us into Lynchburg, Virginia. We thought we were done with stops, and had it made to the hotel, however, traffic and construction meant another stop, luckily, it was shaded.

The traffic moved, and we made our way through town, and to the hilly section of town where the hotel was located. It had been two days, 660 miles in heat, trying to get to places that weren't open, What a Disaster!



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Back in the Saddle, and the Gravel, and the Rain, Again.

Riding with Veterans