The Blue Ridge Mountains offer an array of terrific sites to see, places to explore and adventures to enjoy. One such trip worth making is to Charlottesville, Virginia. As a history buff, my own interest in the area — associated with Thomas Jefferson — goes back a long way. In fact, shortly after buying my first BMW motorcycle as a college student, Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge … [Read more...] about Charlottesville: Riding with the founding fathers
Virginia
Skyline Drive to Front Royal: Thwarted by rain, rewarded with sun
Pausing at the southern gate to Virginia’s Skyline Drive, I surveyed the dark clouds ahead. There’s that sensible side of yourself that tells you today is not the right day for exploring one of the region’s most famous scenic drives. Then there’s the sunk-cost motorcycling addict who says, I’ve traveled this far to do this. I’m not afraid of a little rain. A decade earlier, I … [Read more...] about Skyline Drive to Front Royal: Thwarted by rain, rewarded with sun
Lost highway: The last ride of Hank Williams
On the evening of Dec. 31, 1952, legendary country singer Hank Williams checked into the Andrew Johnson Hotel in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. By the following day, the iconic performer would be pronounced dead at a hospital in the depths of rural West Virginia. Although there is much debated speculation and haphazard lore as to what really occurred along “Hank Williams’ Last … [Read more...] about Lost highway: The last ride of Hank Williams
Rally ’round a train trip: Amtrak eases cross-country to the BMW MOA Rally
It’s day six near Lorton, Virginia, and I find myself sitting in plush travel comfort. I am barely aware of the ear worm rattling in my brain. It is an old Memphis style blues song, “Mystery Train” written by Junior Parker and made popular by The Band in 1976. The earworm keeps repeating, “The train I ride 16 coaches long. Well, that long black train carries my baby home.” My … [Read more...] about Rally ’round a train trip: Amtrak eases cross-country to the BMW MOA Rally
Following dreams in Virginia’s Craig and Giles counties
We weren’t 30 minutes into our ride before the first deer tried to kill me. She jumped over the fence on the left side of Virginia Route 42, which slowed her down before she bolted across the highway in front of me, otherwise we may have collided. Nick, my riding partner for the day, watched it all from the perch of his Harley Road Glide. He asked me later if my little Honda … [Read more...] about Following dreams in Virginia’s Craig and Giles counties
