SHORT TRIP TO THE MOUNTAINS ON THE INTERCPETOR

 “…its about the journey, not the destination…”

A beautiful motorcycle in front of beautiful scenery on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

    The route today will be US 60 West out of Richmond until it crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway. As I rode out of Richmond it was a 4 lane highway with lots of businesses and a fair amount of traffic. One of the benefits of the Interceptor is that it handles really well and it is easy to ride in traffic. Once you get about 10 miles west of Richmond businesses and traffic thinned out. 5 minutes more and it became a 2 lane highway with wonderful views of Virginia farmland.

A stop along US 60 to shed my jacket as the day was warming up.

    As the morning warmed up I shed my jacket, and then my leather vest. I kept my long sleeved shirt on to reduce my exposure to the sun, and also reduce dehydration. By this time traffic had really thinned out and I had the road pretty much to my self. Rolling along at a steady 60 mph I was covering ground but I could still enjoy the scenery.

Monument in the center of the historic town of Buckingham VA.

People in the North do not fell a strong tie to the Civil War. Southern people do.

    Rolling through Buckingham I saw this large monument in the center of this small town. As I’ve seen in many other towns in the south this is a memorial to residents of this area who died in the Civil War. In the South these people are remembered. In the North citizens who fought in the war are forgotten. 

Along the road as I got close to the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

    I stopped for lunch in Amherst and filled the bike with gas. I don’t know of any gas facilities on the Blue Ridge Parkway so you have to fill up before you get on it. It was quite warm and humid in the lower elevations but as I went up it was cool and comfortable. It was Sunday and there were quite a few people on bikes on the Parkway, from many different makes. I even saw another Interceptor.

Another picture of how much traffic there was on US 60 once you got far enough west.

    The ride along the Parkway was wonderful, as it usually is. The speed limit is 45 but generally you can run 55 or even 60 if you are not near any national parks or campgrounds. The bike seems to come alive in the curves, down shifting one or two gears for the corners, which there are plenty of. The Blue Ridge Parkway from Buena Vista to Waynesboro is pretty much a series of S curves with an occasional straight thrown in. Great fun. 

Looking back at the road as I stop an an overlook.

    In contrast the speed limit on Skyline Drive is 35mph. This entire thing ( 103 miles! ) is a national park which means you can run into a ranger at any time. When I ride this I keep to 5 or 10 mph over the speed  limit. If  you’re smart there is no “Ricky Roadracer” stuff. Just relax enjoy the views and the curves, but pay attention to the road. There are often deer on the Drive and running into one would ruin your day. i rode around 35 miles north on Skyline Drive to where it intersects US 33, and then took that down into Harrisonburg VA, where I will be staying the next three nights. Checked into the hotel, then dinner, then settling back watching a movie while enjoying a  little Irish Whiskey. Tomorrow into West Virginia.