Road King Blog

Up in the morning in Front Royal, thinking that I might get some time on Skyline Drive this morning before I have to head in towards Lorton for the train ride home.

Alas, the webcams on the mountain show that the visibility is next to nothing, so that plan gets scrapped. I decide instead to head toward Lorton and make a stop at the National Firearms Museum on the way.

Located in the NRA headquarters building, the National Firearms Museum is a fascinating place for the gun geek – or, for that matter, anyone interested in history. The exhibits trace the evolution of firearms and show how that evolution paralleled various events in our nation’s history.

Recently added is the Hollywood Guns exhibit, which showcases firearms use in various movies over the past several decades. A fascinating collection of artifacts from the movies is on display, including the custom prop guns from these films.

I spent a pleasant little while in the museum, and then headed outside to find that there were some intense storms bearing down from the north. Time to go.

I fired up the bike and headed south towards Lorton, listening to the weather radio and keeping an eye on the skies. The storms were producing hail and intense lightning, which I really wanted no part of. I beat the storms to Lorton, and watched on the radar as they passed just west of the station. I went inside and got my boarding pass, and awaited the appointed time for boarding.

A light rain began to fall as I waited, and I pulled the bike under the edge of the overhead cover of the car loading / unloading zone to stay dry while I waited. In short order, the crew was ready for the bikes over at the ramp, and the rain stopped falling. I rolled over and parked the bike on the sled, and I was off.

The train trip down was pleasant – and quick. We’ve just arrived in Sanford and are ~ 2 hours early. In fact, we’re so far ahead of schedule that the station ground crews are not at work yet, and we are stopped along the tracks just north of the station, waiting for the all-clear to roll into the station and detrain.

It’s been a long, great trip. I cannot wait to get home to my loving, wonderful wife…..

Up early in the morning, had breakfast in the hotel lobby (which was free and yummy), and I was off on the road east toward Front Royal.

I waited a bit for the forecast fog to have a chance to burn off, and then I was off along Route 33 from Elkins toward the scenic Seneca Rocks area. Route 33 starts off as a 2 lane by 2 lane divided highway just east of Elkins , and it winds gently along for several miles before reverting to a two lane main roadway. It has a few curves, but nothing like 219.

In short order, I was at the intersection of Route 33 and Route 28, at the country store there in the shadow of Seneca Rocks. In operation since the very early 1900s, this country store offers a bit of everything for the traveller / hiker / climber visiting the rocks.

I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures, and drink some water before rolling out north on Route 28. Route 28 is a lot like route 33, rolling along the valleys and occasionally climbing and descending a bit. A very nice, scenic area with lush green pasture bracketing the highway, and very light traffic. A beautiful setting for a motorcycle ride.

Eventually, Route 28 meets up with Route 55 to turn east over into Virginia. This was an absolutely FABULOUS ride, with many miles of new, elevated 2 lane by 2 lane divided highway offering spectacular views of the mountains and valleys as it rolls along. It almost seemed like too short of a ride along 55 before it intersected Interstate 81. I hopped onto 81 and then a few miles later turned onto Route 66 for the short ride into Front Royal.

I arrived in Front Royal a little before noon, and decided to get some lunch and rest a bit before venturing up onto Skyline Drive. I rolled into the Main Street Mill, a restaurant which Sean and I had enjoyed on our trip through Front Royal last year. It is as good as ever

Fortified, I stuck out onto Skyline drive in the hopes of actually seeing some of the famous scenic roadway. Long time readers will recall that in 2010, Sean and I rode the Skyline and ended up in dense fog and rain. It was overcast a bit, but it looked better than last year.

Appearances can be deceiving. The first 10 miles were nice, and I did get to see and photograph a few of the overlooks. Around mile 12, I hit the fog. From an overlook, I could see that the tops of the mountains to my south were all shrouded.

Mildly defeated, I turned back north – I’m here for fun, and there’s no need to ride though that stuff this time. So I set a course for the nearest Harley dealer for a visit.

Front Royal is a nice town, but it has one annoying quirk – the speed limit on Route 340 is 25 miles per hour all the way through town (this is a 4 lane main road). Argh.

Eventually, I escaped the slow-speed zone and rolled up 340 towards Winchester, and dropped in at the dealership where I relaxed a bit, chatted with the staff and scored a couple t-shirts. Then, I was off to run back down the road to the hotel for some down time.

I got checked in, and had a dip in the (very cold) pool, and then walked into town for dinner (at the Mill again – yummy fried clam strips), and then settled in to watch some video on the iPad and relax.

“Up in the morning to the rising sun, gonna ride all day ’till the ridings done!”

We planned the night before to rise early and get on the road ahead of the predicted rain and storms. We figured that we could get on the road and stay ahead of the rain.

Is there anything wrong with being wrong?

It began to rain as we finished loading the bikes. Within a few miles, we were in rain gear (which we would be wearing until south of Somerset, PA). There’s no way around it – riding in the rain sucks. This was a 100+ mils slog through moderate rain. The concentration this demands from a rider is intense, and the riding is very fatiguing. We holed up in a family restaurant in North Cambria for breakfast and some time off the road.

Roland’s Family Restaurant was a nice place for a hearty breakfast and some time off the road. The locals were friendly and talked with us about the local roads and our trip. After a nice repast, we re-donned our rain gear and set out on 219 again for the trip south.

Near Somerset, PA, we detoured off 219 onto Route 30 and headed to the National Flight 93 Monument in Shanksville.

On September 11, 2001, United Flight 93 was among the 4 airliners hijacked by terrorists to be used as weapons to attack the Pentagon, the Twin Towers, and the Capitol Building. Flight 93 was the aircraft that would have been used to attack the capitol building.

However, on that fateful day the passengers on board learned about the aircraft strikes on the Pentagon and the Towers, and rallied to fight back and retake the aircraft from the homicidal fanatics who had taken over the cockpit. As the brave passengers battered the cockpit door, the cowards who had seized the aircraft realized that they would be overpowered before they could complete their mission, so they deliberately crashed the aircraft.

Flight 93 struck a field in Shanksville, PA at an airspeed of over 500 knots. By their heroic actions, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives at the cost of their own.

We arrived at the temporary memorial in a light rain. At the time of the crash, the memorial site was in use as a metal scrapyard. The metal hut which houses the temporary memorial was the office for the yard, and was used as the command post for the crash response and post-crash investigation.

The first phase of the memorial is still under construction, getting the final touches ready for 9/11/2011. On that tenth anniversary of the attacks, the National Flight 93 Monument will be formally dedicated.

Right now, there is an overlook near the temporary memorial which offers a view of the actual crash site.

On this particular morning, as the light rain fell, there was a plume of fog / mist exactly over the impact site. It was a little eery, and very moving. We paid our respects, signed the guest book, and headed into Sommerset for some lunch.

Following lunch (and a stop at the Harley Dealer in Somerset for some schwag including a couple shirts and patches being sold to support the construction of the next phase of the monument), we were gifted with a break in the rain, and we hopped back onto 219 to continue our trek into Maryland, and then West Virginia.

With the roads drying, and the skies partially clearing, we enjoyed a nice ride down 219 into and through Accident, MD to Deep Creek Lake. The views from 219 as it pass alongside and over Deep Creek Lake are spectacular.

Soon, we were through Maryland and into West Virginia, where 219 truly becomes a mountain road. Hilly, tight and twisty. This is demanding riding, and not conducive to covering much distance.

But it was one hell of a ride. 219 ascends up to mountain ridges and descends into the valleys, and repeats the process time and time again. Atop the mountains, huge wind turbines spin majestically, coming into and out of view as the road winds and swoops.

Some of the views are spectacular, but there are no overlooks (OK, there was one), and the road is far too narrow and twisty to make stopping for a photo even remotely sane.

So we rode and rode.

And eventually, we rolled into Elkins. We had dinner, and sadly parted company as Sean and Larissa headed to their campground, and I headed to the hotel for the night.

I was flat out exhausted by the time I got to the hotel, and I was very happy to receive Hampton Inn level service. My keycard was waiting at the desk, and check-in took no time at all. I received a Becket approval to leave my bike under the hotel’s front overhang and proceeded to my room and the soft bed contained therein. It was a long and hard day’s ride, but it was awesome.

Left Penn Yan this morning, and cut back over to Route 14 for the run south. We picked up route 6 and rolled West towards Wellsboro and the famous Wellsboro Diner.

Honestly, I didn’t think there was much there to be famous for. Sure, the diner is an actual converted railroad car, but the food was simply mediocre.

Route 6, on the other hand, is justifiably famous as a scenic road. Known as the “Pennsylvania Grand Canyon”, Route 6 winds along through rolling hills and past small towns in various states of disrepair. The road itself is in good shape, and presents nice views. In short order, we were in Mt. Jewell, and we bit Route 6 a fond farewell in favor of Route 219. Route 219 is kind of like route 6, only moreso. Within an hour, we arrived in DuBois, PA and visited the Harley dealer for the required trip mementos. The dealership is built in an old warehouse, and the inside is styled as a road, with “storefronts” along the sides for motor clothes and part.

Following the dealership, we popped across the street to the DuBois Diner. In contrast to the Wellsboro Diner, the facility was not once a railcar. The food, however, was delicious. Hand-made burger patties, homemade pie, and a friendly staff. We’re going back for breakfast.

After dinner, and pretty much exhausted from the road, we rumbled a short distance over to the Best Western. Clearly, this is not one of their flagship properties, but it is a decent room for a good price, and we’re all too tired to care, anyway.

We plan to be up and on the road early tomorrow for the winding trip down 219 to Maryland and then into West Virginia to Elkins. Along the way, we plan to stop for a visit at the Flight 93 memorial outside Somerset.

We left Watertown will full gas tanks and full bellies, and set forth across Route 3 to Route 104, rumbling through rolling hills which alternated between lush pastures and wooded stands, replete with the odors of mown grass and cow output.

The riding was superb, with lightly travelled, well maintained roads and we motored along very contentedly, covering mille after mile as we rolled along. Eventually, our travels brought us to Geneva, NY.

After the usual and customary stop at the local Harley – Davidson dealer for been-there-done-thats, we rolled a short way down the road to Penn Yan and checked into the Best Western to bed down for the night.

We arrived and offloaded the massive load of camping kit, caving kit, and other kit from Sean and Larissa’s bikes (and the couple bags from my bike) and lugged it upstairs. We walked across the street to the local pizza joint and had subs. Thus replenished, we retired to the hotel and bedded down for the night.

Tomorrow: route 14 down into Pennsylvania, and then we’ll pick up Route 6 across PA to 219.

Route 219 will take us all the way from Mt. Jewett, PA down through Maryland and into WV. Along the way, we’ll encounter Somerset, PA and make a side trip to the Flight 93 memorial…..