Back in 2011, Hubby and I ventured east from the WV place, passing through a place by the name of Star Tannery in Virginia. That name has stuck with me over the years, and I’ve had an urge to revisit the place.
I tried to revisit Star Tannery back in July, but missed a turn somewhere. Once I realized I’d missed a turn, it was too late to circle back.
Sunday, we were able to revisit Star Tannery, which isn’t much more than a speck on the map. With such an unusual name, I figured it must have some history. I did a brief Google search with no significant result. There’s not much there.
Zepp Road is another landmark that stuck with me. It goes through the community of Zepp, Virginia. Calling Zepp a town would be a real stretch, trust me. Not much there either. Really.
So, why would I want to return? For the roads, of course.
Terrain View of Zepp (at pin) and Star Tannery (upper left) in Virginia.
Few of the roads were phenomenal motorcycle roads. In other words, speed demons would have been bored. But the roads were nice. And it was definitely a pretty day, weather-wise.
Looking west from the parking lot of Larkin’s Grocery in Columbia Furnace.
Our route from home in Warrenton did include Thornton Gap, that fun stretch of US-211 I mention often that crosses the mountains at Skyline Drive. I also got to share a road with Hubby I’d recently traveled for the first time, which leads up and over the mountains north of Luray and into Edinburg. There was a sweet stretch of Back Road, which is quite picturesque, in the Shenandoah Valley. Zepp Road is quite twisty as it climbs up and over Fetzer Gap with a 2000′ elevation. There was also Fairground Road / VA-661 to Morgan Ford Road / VA-624, north of Front Royal, which took us across a low-water crossing on the Shenandoah River. (I’m pretty sure the last image on the Wikipedia low-water crossing page also depicts this crossing at Morgan Ford Road, but the water looks much higher in that shot.)
Low Water Crossing on VA-624 / Morgan Ford Road
We stopped for a VERY mediocre meal at the Front Royal Diner — we will not be going back — then ended the ride on VA-288 / Leeds Manor Road (my favorite road in Fauquier County).
According to that terrain map I shared above, it appears that Zepp is actually within the George Washington National Forest. I must say, I do enjoy living in such close proximity to so many natural spaces.
For you map-lovers, here’s a peek at our route, a screen shot captured using Microsoft Streets & Trips.
I’ve told y’all about Kudzubefore, right? It’s an invasive vine, not native to the United States, that’s slowly, but surely, consuming the South.
During our ride last weekend, Hubby and I traveled one of the roads I’d ridden during my solo adventure in June. I’d remembered seeing some pretty alarming kudzu growth along that route and decided to stop and capture a few pics for you all.
The guard rail is completely covered and the road sign has almost been obliterated.
I’m guessing that’s a stump on the right of the tree that’s in the process of being eaten.
It’s a very dense and fast-growing invasive plant.
Guardrail in the process of being eaten.
Another view of the disappearing guardrail.
See how dense?
Look out, Mike! It’s coming for you.
I wonder how long it would take to start eating my bike?
Those runners are a lot like English Ivy (the climbing type) and Virginia Creeper. They really dig in.
Kudzu does have some interesting uses, as explained in the following short video.
It can grow up to a foot (~30.5 cm) a day!?! Wow. That really is fast.
I came across the next video at the Duke Today Web site. It’s a bit longer, but has a really cool, artsy, time-lapse element in the second half that I enjoyed. You should watch it if you have time.
Click the link if you’d like to read the full article about the making of the video. The article includes this intro:
To make a film showcasing the landscape of his North Carolina upbringing, Josh Gibson turned not to beaches or mountains or towering Longleaf pines.
Kudzu-covered objects can be sort of cool-looking, but it hurt my heart to see the overly aggressive invader choking out a bunch of rhododendron in the Jefferson National Forest.
According to that first video I shared, it’s gotten further geographically than I’d thought it had. Do you have Kudzu in your state?
This past weekend Hubby and I enjoyed a fabulous three-day ride south and west of our home in Virginia. We covered 850 miles on wonderful motorcycle roads in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and even parts of West Virginia.
I’d been wanting to really put those maps to the test. And guess what? They passed with flying colors. Really. We spent three days riding a series of really awesome motorcycle roads. It was tons of fun. We were having so much fun, in fact, that I didn’t even think about taking a picture until late in the day on Friday, after we’d already been on the road for many hours. You know I’m having fun when I don’t think about pictures, right?
Along Indian Valley Road in Floyd County, Virginia.
We ended up staying in Hillsville, Virginia Friday night.
Sunset from Hillsville, VA.
Lucky for us, there was a Bojangle’s about 15 minutes from our hotel, so we both enjoyed a nice breakfast on Saturday.
Hubby and Me
It wasn’t even hard to convince Hubby to pose for a goofy selfie with me.
From there, we rode into downtown Galax, looking for LOVE. (Since it was along the way, I figured we ought to stop.)
Galax, VA LOVEwork
Fortunately, the LOVEwork was right where it was supposed to be.
For the record, I saw the LOVEwork in Christiansburg, but it was hot, there was rush hour traffic, and it was on the opposite side of a busy street, so I opted not to stop for a photo. But I saw it. That counts in my book.
My Real Love
After a brief break, we continued south into North Carolina and then west and north to Mountain City, Tennessee.
Four States in Three Days
Why Mountain City? That’s where The Snake begins. 🙂
Hubby at the NC/TN border.
I missed The Snake on my solo trip earlier this year, so I figured it would be a good destination road that both of us could enjoy.
The Snake totally lives up to all the hype.
And enjoy it we did. Seriously, it’s a FUN road. That road alone was worth the trip.
The Snake
Shady Valley Country Store, about midway on The Snake.
From there, we headed north into Virginia, to Abingdon then East on 58 through the Jefferson National Forest. A repeat road for me that I really, REALLY enjoyed during my solo trip. We then followed 16 into Marion where we stopped for lunch before continuing north on the Back of the Dragon.
Marion, Virginia
My not-so-observant Hubby.
We chose Macados for lunch after discovering that the BBQ place we’d really headed for was closed.
After we were seated, I said to Mike, “Did you see the giant dinosaur head on the wall?”
His response? “What dinosaur?” Sigh…
We continued making our way north and east toward Paint Bank, Virginia, where I’d reserved a room at the quaint Depot Lodge. En route, we stopped at the Wolf Creek Indian Village near Bastian for some more LOVE.
Bastian LOVEwork
Yet another lovely road.
Hubby enjoyed the ride just as much as I did. The weather verged on hot at times, but was very pleasant for the most part.
The Depot Lodge in Paint Bank, Virginia
Lobby at The Depot Lodge
Paint Bank General Store
View of the store from our second floor porch.
Chillaxin’ on the porch.
Our room at The Depot Lodge
Sadly, the caboose was already booked.
Outbuilding at The Depot Lodge
View of the lodge from the rear lawn.
Sunday, we had to hurry home to get the dogs from the kennel and so I could get ready to head off to Rockville, MD for work.
Humpback Bridge near Covington, Virginia.
I’d read about the bridge in a pamphlet at the hotel. A pamphlet which did NOT clue me in on a special bonus we’d also find at that location.
Humback Bridge (notice anything odd?)
We’d accidentally found another LOVEwork. How cool is that?
Covington LOVEwork
Hubby, reflecting inside the bridge.
A bit further north, we stopped at this Falling Springs overlook.
This may be the largest waterfall in Virginia.
That waterfall was easily visible from the overlook along 220 north of Covington, yet another AMAZING stretch of road.
Road south of the overlook.
We continued north on 220, all the way to Franklin, West Virginia. It was a beautiful, scenic ride alternating between mountains and valleys. Spectacular, really.
Feanklin, WV
From there, we headed east on US-33 — one of Hubby’s favorite roads — north and east through the Shenandoah Valley, and then, at New Market, east on US-211 to Warrenton.
It may sound repetitive, but that particular series of roads we covered overed three days was probably the best series of roads we’d ever ridden together. Except for maybe in the Italian/Swiss/Austrian Alps. Really. It’s a route we WILL be revisiting.
Here’s a link to my Spotwalla tracker map with a couple little caveats. I forgot to start the app on my phone, so it looks like we started in Elkton, Virginia. Also, my phone battery died just east of Luray, so it appears that we never made it home.
I hope you enjoyed the recap. Now, I have to get to work.
In case you missed my recent post, a brief stint of unemployment — three short days — sent me scurrying to have some fun before the new job started.
First up was a visit to my Dad’s house in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I’d bought him a new cell phone, which I needed to deliver so I could activate the thing and switch his old number over.
Dad and Me
I’d planned on taking the car, but the humidity had finally dropped, which meant it would just be silly not to take the bike.
The main reason I’d wanted to take the car was that I’d decided to finally visit the nearby Stoudts Brewing Company, the source of my favorite “cow beer,” a Bavarian-style hefeweizen, which is very hard to find in Virginia.
Cow Beer Source
Luckily, Aunt Bertha rode over to the brewery with me, so I was able to get two cases.
Aunt Bertha
I thought I’d have to leave one of the cases at Dad’s house, but I actually managed to get it all packed into my bike.
The corn along Dad’s road was VERY tall.
My customary visit to the neighbor’s barn.
Horses in the field beside the dairy cows.
Dad’s neighborhood is awesome.
I fed the horses some carrots (it was Dad and Aunt Bertha’s idea).
Sunset over Lancaster County.
Zoomed in on sunset to capture that Great Blue Heron.
I spent the night at Dad’s then left early on Thursday for the ride home. Temps were in the mid 60s when I set out. It was lovely.
Here are some things I saw and captured during the ride home. I thought you all might like to see some of the pretty landscapes and other stuff I enjoyed in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.
Even the gas stations in Pennsylvania are fun. I couldn’t resist filling up at The Turkey Hill Experience in Columbia.
Me and the giant cow at Turkey Hill.
Moo!
And I just HAD to stop by the Haines’ Shoe House in Hallum, which I needed to drive right past anyway.
Haines Shoe House
I saw quite a few pretty barns along the way, too.
Pretty Barn
Pretty Barn
Pretty Barn
Pretty Barn
Abandoned bus stop.
Pretty Barn
I really like seeing all the old barns in PA, which look a lot different than the barns I usually see in Virginia.
View near the PA/MD border.
A Ural dealer? I HAD to stop.
I’d never actually seen a Ural in person. So, when I came across More Than Motorcycles (official Ural dealer in Maryland), I couldn’t resist stopping to gawk. John, who was working on the older model pictured below, was kind enough to humor me.
Ural Dealer
New Retro Ural
Slightly older, limited edition model.
Painted building in downtown Thurmont, Maryland.
Back in Virginia. I just LOVE those stone walls.
Abandoned silo near Marshall, Virginia.
Lovely road near Marshall, Virginia.
And that ends my quick visit to Dad’s in Pennsylvania. It was nice seeing him and his sisters, Pearl and Bertha. Hopefully, I will get back to PA for another visit soon.
Next up, my incredible long-weekend jaunt with Hubby.
As July is winding down, I’m struggling to keep up with all the news I want to share here.
Who knew July would be so exciting? I knew about the family visit in advance, but there are two pretty cool things I didn’t know about much ahead of time.
First, my town was in the spotlight on Friday, July 20th. In a big way. The FOX affiliate in Washington is doing a series of “Zip Trips” this summer, featuring locales that are close enough to DC for residents to zip out and back in a day.
It was a huge deal for the town. LOTS of free publicity. The Old Town merchants came out in force, opening their shopping, putting on special displays, doing demonstrations, offering samples, etc.
It was like a mini, impromptu street fair, and it was all accomplished with about a week’s noticed. Residents came out in droves to show their support, too. The Fox5 crew said it was the biggest turnout they’d ever seen for a ZipTrip segment. Yes, Warrenton is just as awesome as I have repeatedly proclaimed it to be.
A good number of residents came out to show their support.
Merchants and town officials rolled out the proverbial welcome mat.
Angie and Kelly Ann at the Quilts of Honor East table.
Local artist Palmer Smith painting the scene.
Merchants had special displays and demonstrations to tout their wares.
Decoupage at The Empty Nest
Great Harvest was packed to the gills with people.
A live segment.
We looked pretty darn good in the news, if I do say so myself.
Merchants and residents alike did an amazing job supporting the town. And Fox5 did very well to capture it all and show everyone what a fun place this is to live, work, and play.
I am currently unemployed. My previous job had been wearing on me for quite some time. So, while off on my solo adventure back in late-June, with lots of time to think about stuff like job satisfaction, among other things, I decided it was time for a change.
As it happens, a woman I’d met in 2005 had reached out to me back in May about coming to work for her at her current employer. Initially, I said I wasn’t interested. But she was persistent. So, after my return, I started really exploring the opportunity and ultimately decided it would be a better fit for me.
Tuesday, July 21, was my last day at the old firm (Texas company). I would’ve liked to take some time off between postings, especially since my new company has a policy that you can’t take vacation for the first six months, but they need me pretty badly. I start my new job (Maryland company) on Monday, July 27.
I’m trying to cram as much fun in as possible between now and Monday. Which means I’m behind on blog reading, commenting, and writing again. Sorry, y’all. I love you, I really do. And I truly appreciate the fact that you take time to read my posts AND leave comments.
I’ll try to catch up soon. I’ll actually be in Rockville, Maryland most of next week for training, so should have plenty of down time in the evenings. Until then, I’ve got places to go, things to see, etc.
I am very excited about my new work adventure, but have to squeeze some fun in while I can. Keep your eyes on those Instagram pics. If you’re not on Instagram, you can follow at the bottom of my home page, if you’re so inclined.
Finding LOVE isn’t as much fun as I thought it would be. There, I’ve said it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed seeing the various sculptures around the state — see Capturing LOVE in Virginia if you’re “lost” — but they’re sometimes hard to find. And some no longer exist or have been moved. So there’s an element of frustration I didn’t anticipate. Maybe it would be less frustrating in cooler temperatures.
At least it gets me out there, right?
This past Sunday, July 12, Hubby’s to-do list was calling, but I decided to completely shirk responsibility for the day and go have fun instead. After noting the location of several LOVEworks and mapping a route, off I went.
I kept seeing signs for that town, which made me smile. What an odd name for a town! I honestly had no idea if my route would lead me through Cuckoo, so when I saw this sign, I yelled “Cuckoo!” and veered quickly to the shoulder for a quick capture…
What an unusual name for a town.
…or two.
I’ve Gone Cuckoo
I couldn’t resist a fun selfie upon reaching Cuckoo.
After that quick stop, I continued on to Petersburg to capture LOVEwork number one of the day at Petersburg Pickers, a place to which I must return.
Petersburg LOVEwork
I like when locales get creative with their LOVE.
Coolest OPEN sign ever. When the goats are out, they’re open.
Now, I love places like that, but I was hot, hungry, and on the bike (minimal storage space), so I decided that it would be best not to even look in the door. It took self-restraint, trust me.
More of the herd.
From there, it was off to Hopewell for the second LOVEwork of the day. I honestly think I drove right past it because a different sign caught my attention.
BOJANGLES’!
I really, really like Bojangles’ and, since there are none close to home, I almost always stop when I see one on the road. Especially if I happen to be hungry at the time, which I was.
I’m not sure if I ever explained that I worked at a Bojangles’ as a teenager. There were several locations owned by the same group in and around Baltimore for a relatively short — four years? — span of time. Rumor had it that one of the owners or an upper-level employee embezzled a bunch of money, which caused all of the locations to cease operations. It was sad. They really do have the best biscuits. Hardee’s is a close second.
Anyway, it was a bit late for breakfast. I could have opted for some of their yummy, spicy, fried chicken, but it was getting hot. Who wants a stomach full of greasy fried chicken while sweating their ass off in full gear? Not me! So I opted for my favorite, protein-rich breakfast — a steak biscuit with cheese — and a half-and-half iced tea (half sweet tea, half unsweet tea).
You ever drink sweet tea in the South. It’s shockingly sweet. Really. Especially for someone who usually prefers iced tea with no sugar or artificial sweetener added. On hot days, though, I believe a little sugar helps.
After a few circles around the not-so-nice town, I managed to find the LOVEwork at the Visitor’s Center, which was closed.
Hopewell LOVEwork
The sculpture was surprisingly cute given the depressed-feeling nature of the town.
After that, it was off to Richmond. I’d planned on stopping to see another, unrelated sight, but it was getting really hot by that point, so I nixed that stop and continued on to Maymont, a former Victorian country estate, which seemed like it’d be a nice place to visit, if I had more time. It was actually quite crowded, and there was no place for me to park and zip in and out for the LOVE capture, so I just rested for a bit in the shade, sipping iced tea, before continuing on my way.
I did stop for a quick shot of my bike parked by this flowering shrub/tree.
Gorgeous and big Crape Myrtle.
There was another LOVEwork sort of nearby in Richmond, which I believe was my favorite of the day.
Richmond LOVEwork
Yep, that’s the Richmond International Raceway, a place I’m guessing NASCAR fans would really enjoy. It’s a HUGE complex.
Richmond Raceway LOVEwork
I couldn’t decide which pic is my favorite, so I just decided to share all of my top selections.
Richmond Raceway LOVEwork
Richmond Raceway LOVEwork
After that, I’d planned two more stops. Bit it was getting late, and I wanted to be home in time for dinner with my Honey. I crossed the Spotsylvania LOVE off of my list and proceeded to Ashland.
Ashland, like Petersburg, is on my “must revisit” list. It’s a cute town. The LOVEwork was located at the old train station, which is actually still in operation. It’s unmanned, but trains do stop there to pick up and discharge passengers. Lots of freight trains pass through, too. At least that’s what the volunteer inside the station, which doubles as the visitor info center, told me.
Ashland LOVEwork
Bicycle Garden (local art project)
I was happy to have captured four LOVEworks in one day, but I’m still undecided as to whether or not I’ll plan any more trips specifically to see the remaining sculptures. Of course, I have been known to change my mind.
Next stop, home. That was the plan. Then I got thirsty and decided to stop for a drink.
Another cute, rural-ish gas station.
EV Baker’s store is in Unionville, not too far south of Culpeper. It’s just the sort of quirky gas station/general store that I like. And the water was cold. 🙂
I guess I should mention the ride, which was quite pleasant until I hit the more-populated areas around Petersburg, Hopewell, and Richmond. The bulk of my ride was on US-522 from Culpeper to its end near Powhatan at US-60. There was very little traffic most of the way. The pavement was smooth, mostly straight, but humpy (small up-and-down hills) and alternated between picturesque farmland and forest. There was a little traffic near Lake Anna — big recreational lake — but, for the most part, I had the road practically to myself all morning and afternoon traffic was quite light. All in all, it was a very pleasant ride.
Do y’all think I should give up on my LOVE quest, or keep on keeping on? In other words, do you enjoy seeing the LOVEworks I’ve visited? This inquiring mind wants to know.
