The first time I drove the Shenandoah Nation Park Skyline Drive in Virginia in our BMW roadster I knew it was a ride I wanted to do on a motorcycle. Friday, I had the perfect opportunity.
An early morning meeting at Hagerstown Airport put me within an easy reach down I-81 to Front Royal. Noon found me paying my $10 entrance fee to the park.
I've had the Harley for over a year now and I was about to do one of the things I had promised myself I would do if I ever got another motorcycle. It had been a long road and I was ready.
I was only able to ride about 100 miles before turning around to head for home. But what a ride it was.
The ride back was a nice trip too - no Interstates - so I got to see some really nice scenery through Virginia.
Eight hours and 301 miles later I come rolling in - happy.
Time to plan a longer trip.
Enjoy Life.
As an aside: I almost never made it to Skyline. While riding down I-81 in Virginia - about 6 miles from the I-66 exit - two vehicles entered the highway from an on-ramp. I was following two tractor-trailors in the slow lane and moved over into the fast lane just in case one of the two entering wanted more lane space. Sure as hell, the second vehicle - a minivan - gunned it and was hellbent on passing the the car ahead and the tractors. I immediately moved onto the 'shoulder' which was nothing more that the rumble strip and about 2 inches of asphalt. I rolled off the throttle to give the van some time and space but it too slowed. I was concentrating on keeping the bike on the shoulder (65 MPH and nowhere to go in the median - it was a valley) and watching the SUV. It was about 6 inches from my right handlebar grip and I didn't really want to hit the horn - afraid there might be a jerk reaction and I end up in the valley anyway. Suddenly the SUV yanked right - back into the slow lane - and slowed behind me. I gunned the bike back onto the highway and over into the right lane in front of the SUV. I started waving with the middle finger of my left hand for the SOB in the SUV to come around and it slowwwly pulled along side. As I glanced over at the driver I saw some blond twiddling her fingers at me and mouthing 'I'm sorry..."
Sorry she was. By the time I exited onto I-66 she had already used the right lane to pass another car and the two tractors. Stupid ass.
That's one reason I took the backroads home.
That - and those miles of grooved pavement - our tax dollars at work.
