To celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary, we decided to resurrect an old favorite activity: bike touring! We haven't done a bike tour in at least 15 years, probably more. The key to a successful tour is planning the route, and more importantly where you'll spend each night. Here is a rough idea of our route - Staunton to Singer's Glen; then to Woodstock; then over the mountains to Elkton; then down the valley to Waynesboro; and finally back to Staunton.We are fortunate to have so many wonderful friends in the Shenandoah Valley who opened their homes (and refrigerators) to us and made our bike tour very special & memorable.
We began in Harrisonburg, where old friend Les Welch entertained us in his shop East Coast Bike Academy. Then off to Carl's house where we spent the night so we could get up early the next day to drive to Staunton and begin our multi-day ride.
Anna, Les, and his friend Lorendo visiting from Brazil
Les demonstrating his favorite bike tool
Carl & Adrie________________________________
DAY 1
A key step in the success of the trip was finding a safe place to park the van for 5 days. We found the perfect place, and made a new acquaintance in the process. Black Dog Bikes in downtown Staunton is a full-service shop and the owner, James, is a really great guy. Visit them next time you're in that area.
Once the van was settled in, and our bikes were loaded up we headed out onto the open road. Stuanton is a very hilly town, so there was no way out but to go up! We made a wrong turn and ended up walking our bikes over this lawn to get back on track.
The American flag was not only for enhanced visibility, but to remind the "locals" that bikes on their roads aren't all that bad!
Finally out on the open roads on a beautiful (and very windy) day!
Coming in for a landing at our lunch stop in Natural Chimneys.
Bob sporting his very smart high visibility vest.Our first day, from Staunton to Singer's Glen was 40 miles into a very strong headwind. It's a good thing we've been biking so much this year. We decided that this 40 miles, with the wind and our still unfamiliar feeling panniers was harder than the 100 mile ride we did last month!
It was so nice to know were going to our friend's house for the night. We were treated to hot showers, cold beer, an amazing gourmet meal with homemade apple pie and a cozy bed. And of the course the warm company of our friends Vonny & Mark.
We forgot to take a photo of them before we left, so we took a photo of the picture of them that was on their refrigerator!
DAY 2
Ready to leave Singer's Glen on the chilly morning of Day 2.
Another sunny day, and thankfully the wind had calmed down! With arm warmers on, we were ready to ride to Woodstock, 40 miles away. Things were going great: our home-made maps and cue sheets were serving us well, our bikes were working with no problems, and we were getting used to riding with all that extra weight in the panniers.
At some point, Anna realized that the irritated spot she was feeling on her upper thigh was really bugging her. Damn if she didn't have a full blown saddle sore! All these years and thousands of miles of riding and this was the first saddle sore - bad timing.
Bob immediately switched our bike seats and made me change into my other shorts. We cleaned it up and put on Chamois Butt'r. We stopped at Rite Aid in Woodstock and bought A&D ointment. Anna made it through the day, but Bob wasn't convinced we'd be able to keep going on the tour.
Our friends in Woodstock let us borrow their car and we drove back to Harrisonburg to get another bike seat from Les. He also recommended I use Aquaphor ointment, and it worked! We were able to keep riding.
Woodstock friends Melinda, Mike and kids Ryan & Elliot
After sorting out Anna's issues, we enjoyed the warm hospitality of Mike & Melinda. Homemade pizza, wandering around the garden & pig pen, playing with the kids, seeing Mike's mom & sister after so many years, and playing music are all wonderful memories!
DAY 3
We admit it: we had Mike drive us to the top Edinburg Gap. After riding for two days, we realized that our mileage for day 3 was a little optimistic. By getting a lift, our trip was still over 40 miles.
Getting ready at the top of Edinburg Gap
Day 3 took us over the mountains, out of the Shenandoah Valley and into the Fort Valley. From here we rode past Camp Roosevelt up and over the mountains and down into the Page Valley.
At the top of the mountain! Now for a very long descent...
We made one premature turn as we neared the town of Luray but were able to get back on route fairly quickly. From here it was all new roads for us, and quite adventurous. Again we were happy to have spent so much time working on our maps and cue sheets!
Weather threatened, but it only rained at night.
"Happy Anniversary, honey. The market didn't have champagne, but it had the champagne of beers!"
The last leg of day 3 required riding on the very busy Rt. 340 south of Elkton to Wes & Sally's house. We only had a handful of vehicles pass us, so we were pleased. We arrived to a full blown Redskins party, where we drank our "champagne" and were entertained by Sally's grill catching on fire (it was all okay in the end). Once again our friends showed us a great time with wonderful food, wine, stories and laughter.
Sally & Wes
Day 4
The morning rain stopped just in time for us to head out for Waynesboro. Sally called on her way to work to tell us the good news that there were patches of blue sky once we got back into the valley!
This 40 mile leg was also brand new for us. We had never ridden on any of these roads. We were pleasantly surprised at how gorgeous this section was. The cool weather, mountain views, serene farms, light traffic and tailwind all came together for a great day.
Bob enjoying the ride.
Today's destination in Waynesboro was a Marriott Residence Inn. We used some bonus points Bob's had for years to stay in a nice big suite with a kitchen. We grocery shopped on our way into town, adding many pounds to our panniers so we could enjoy a relaxing evening by ourselves.
Dinner in our hotel suite.
Although we had two nights booked at the Marriott, we decided to ride back to Staunton today and retrieve the van. This is a short ride, only about 20 miles, but again very pretty. We arrived back at Black Dog Bikes to find our van just as we left it.
We spent the rest of the day walking around the Frontier Culture Museum, which consists of real farmhouses from England, Ireland, Germany and the U.S. which were dismantled and reassembled here. There are people walking around in period costumes. It was a nice way to round out the day.
One of the farm houses, I think from England.
It was so nice to know were going to our friend's house for the night. We were treated to hot showers, cold beer, an amazing gourmet meal with homemade apple pie and a cozy bed. And of the course the warm company of our friends Vonny & Mark.
We forgot to take a photo of them before we left, so we took a photo of the picture of them that was on their refrigerator!_______________________________
DAY 2
Ready to leave Singer's Glen on the chilly morning of Day 2.Another sunny day, and thankfully the wind had calmed down! With arm warmers on, we were ready to ride to Woodstock, 40 miles away. Things were going great: our home-made maps and cue sheets were serving us well, our bikes were working with no problems, and we were getting used to riding with all that extra weight in the panniers.
At some point, Anna realized that the irritated spot she was feeling on her upper thigh was really bugging her. Damn if she didn't have a full blown saddle sore! All these years and thousands of miles of riding and this was the first saddle sore - bad timing.Bob immediately switched our bike seats and made me change into my other shorts. We cleaned it up and put on Chamois Butt'r. We stopped at Rite Aid in Woodstock and bought A&D ointment. Anna made it through the day, but Bob wasn't convinced we'd be able to keep going on the tour.
Our friends in Woodstock let us borrow their car and we drove back to Harrisonburg to get another bike seat from Les. He also recommended I use Aquaphor ointment, and it worked! We were able to keep riding.
Woodstock friends Melinda, Mike and kids Ryan & ElliotAfter sorting out Anna's issues, we enjoyed the warm hospitality of Mike & Melinda. Homemade pizza, wandering around the garden & pig pen, playing with the kids, seeing Mike's mom & sister after so many years, and playing music are all wonderful memories!
_______________________________
DAY 3
We admit it: we had Mike drive us to the top Edinburg Gap. After riding for two days, we realized that our mileage for day 3 was a little optimistic. By getting a lift, our trip was still over 40 miles.
Getting ready at the top of Edinburg GapDay 3 took us over the mountains, out of the Shenandoah Valley and into the Fort Valley. From here we rode past Camp Roosevelt up and over the mountains and down into the Page Valley.
At the top of the mountain! Now for a very long descent...We made one premature turn as we neared the town of Luray but were able to get back on route fairly quickly. From here it was all new roads for us, and quite adventurous. Again we were happy to have spent so much time working on our maps and cue sheets!
Weather threatened, but it only rained at night.
"Happy Anniversary, honey. The market didn't have champagne, but it had the champagne of beers!"The last leg of day 3 required riding on the very busy Rt. 340 south of Elkton to Wes & Sally's house. We only had a handful of vehicles pass us, so we were pleased. We arrived to a full blown Redskins party, where we drank our "champagne" and were entertained by Sally's grill catching on fire (it was all okay in the end). Once again our friends showed us a great time with wonderful food, wine, stories and laughter.
Sally & Wes_______________________________
Day 4
The morning rain stopped just in time for us to head out for Waynesboro. Sally called on her way to work to tell us the good news that there were patches of blue sky once we got back into the valley!
This 40 mile leg was also brand new for us. We had never ridden on any of these roads. We were pleasantly surprised at how gorgeous this section was. The cool weather, mountain views, serene farms, light traffic and tailwind all came together for a great day.
Bob enjoying the ride.Today's destination in Waynesboro was a Marriott Residence Inn. We used some bonus points Bob's had for years to stay in a nice big suite with a kitchen. We grocery shopped on our way into town, adding many pounds to our panniers so we could enjoy a relaxing evening by ourselves.
Dinner in our hotel suite._______________________________
Day 5Although we had two nights booked at the Marriott, we decided to ride back to Staunton today and retrieve the van. This is a short ride, only about 20 miles, but again very pretty. We arrived back at Black Dog Bikes to find our van just as we left it.
We spent the rest of the day walking around the Frontier Culture Museum, which consists of real farmhouses from England, Ireland, Germany and the U.S. which were dismantled and reassembled here. There are people walking around in period costumes. It was a nice way to round out the day.
One of the farm houses, I think from England._______________________________
The rest of our trip we stayed at a very nice B&B, The Olde Staunton Inn, which is walking distance to downtown Staunton. We like this town: it is funky, has lots of cool old buildings and homes, shops & restaurants, and a good overall vibe.
Innkeeper Dave
From Staunton we did a wonderful 25 mile bike ride SW of town in some pristine parts of the valley. We were once again treated to fantastic weather, and eye-popping scenery.
Enjoying a ride without panniers!
We also spent a day up on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and met a guy who was on day 5 of his solo bike tour across the United States. He left from Jamestown, VA and is riding to San Francisco! We gave him bagels, granola bars and a banana.
Anna with Aaron who is riding his bike across the country by himself!
We hiked up Humpback Rocks, to remind our legs what weight-bearing exercise feels like. The views were something else. It was fun to try and pick out where we had been riding our bikes in the days before.
Humpback Rocks
Autumn is on it's way
Innkeeper DaveFrom Staunton we did a wonderful 25 mile bike ride SW of town in some pristine parts of the valley. We were once again treated to fantastic weather, and eye-popping scenery.
Enjoying a ride without panniers!We also spent a day up on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and met a guy who was on day 5 of his solo bike tour across the United States. He left from Jamestown, VA and is riding to San Francisco! We gave him bagels, granola bars and a banana.
Anna with Aaron who is riding his bike across the country by himself!We hiked up Humpback Rocks, to remind our legs what weight-bearing exercise feels like. The views were something else. It was fun to try and pick out where we had been riding our bikes in the days before.
Humpback Rocks
Autumn is on it's way
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