Category Archives: Southwest Virginia

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Former Railroad Trestle Bridge

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The New River Trail is a 57 mile linear State Park in Virginia. Created from an abandoned railroad right of way, this bridge is one of 30 along the trail. I recently crossed this bridge on my fairly new gravel bicycle (not the one pictured in my header image) while training for an upcoming ride in October.

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After several false starts, I am determined to get back into blogging (I’ve certainly said that before!). After posting regularly for almost a decade, life, work, and caring for parents seemed to keep me from following through on my goal. Fingers crossed, this time I will succeed!

Life on the Bike started as a travel journal and a place to share photos from the road with friends and family. Sadly, there was a two year time span when I wasn’t able to ride either the motorcycle or the bicycle.

I had also not picked up my DSLR for a year! But two weeks ago, I took a photography class in DC and have been practicing / refreshing daily. When I started this blog back in 2012, I had little more than an eye and a “point and shoot”. I look back at those photos now, and see good intentions but not much more. Hopefully, I’ve improved since then!

I am going to commit to posting once weekly, most likely the same day that I post on Monochromia. If you are a fan of B&W Photography be sure to visit and see the work of some amazing photographers.

I look forward to catching up with the blogging community and friends who have been much more diligent than I in maintaining their blogs.

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View From the Jail, This Time in Color

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To see this image in B&W, and for an explanation, visit Monochromia.

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Cold and Wet: Happiness is Snow

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Even though it means lots of digging to get the truck out and shoveling the driveway in order to get to work, I am always thrilled when it snows! The warming of the climate has caused so many worse things than alot less snow in Southwest Virginia, but even still I am saddened when we don’t get any. Ten days ago, we had the first snow of the year, and even though it was just a few inches, it made me happy.

This was my view on the way to work at 7:15am

And this was my view on the way home 12 hours later

This past weekend, the forecasters began calling for a significant snow fall, and the predictions started a full week ahead of time. Usually that means that the snow won’t happen but this time, the weather dudes were right! The wet stuff can cause misery, especially for the homeless and the less fortunate, but since it started on a Sunday, I was lucky enough to be able to just enjoy it, and photograph it, even if the photos were from my cellphone.

The frigid temps gave the beautiful fluffy stuff an icy coating, but we shoveled enough to get the vehicles ready for the morning commute.

Love it or hate it, you have to admit that snow makes for a beautiful landscape.

Stay warm and safe, ya’ll!

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New Year / New Blog Commitment

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My very first blog post was in 2012 and I posted regularly until late in 2018 when somehow the fullness of life and work kept getting in the way. Back when I began, the goal was to “be able to look back on my life later and remember what a fabulous one it has been”, and by fabulous I mean truly fortunate. I intended to have Life on the Bike be a journal, of photos and words.

Each year, I create a desk calendar for family, friends, and personal use, and when exchanging the 2021 calendar for 2022, I noted one thing for sure. While my eye may be the same, my technical capability has markedly improved. Even still, it was fun to go back and view the years through my lens, and that is what I want this space to be. A record of travel and personal growth. Thoughts, introspection, and life’s journey. In order to make that happen, I need to commit to blogging more regularly!

Since 2012, I have published 738 posts, yet this past year I posted just 24 times, only 3.2% of the total posts. What should my commitment be? Weekly? Two Times Monthly? Only when I travel? How do you all commit yourself to documenting your lives?

In the meantime, from my hometown to yours, Welcome to 2022! May it be a healthier, more hopeful year for all of us!

The New River in Radford, Virginia

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For the Health of the Community

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Just when I was finding the time to get back to blogging, I jumped into a State Senate Campaign!

How did this happen, you might wonder.

Tragically, State Senator Ben Chafin from the 38th District in Southwest Virginia died, as have over 400,000 other Americans, from Covid. My thoughts have been with his family and friends, as my thoughts have been with all those who have suffered in one way or another from this dreaded virus.

The Governor of Virginia called a Special Election to be held on March 23rd, and despite my inordinately full schedule, I decided that I could not let a race go unchallenged. So, I am off and running! If you like, visit my website for information about my platform: Laurie Buchwald for Senate

I’ll take some photos of my socially distanced / masked travels throughout the district and share them when I can. I’ll look forward to visiting you and your blogs in late spring.

Stay Safe! Mask Up! Listen to Dr. Fauci!

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Cleanse Our Earth, Soothe Our Spirit

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Most of us in the United States are in a state of anger and disbelief.  I won’t desecrate this blog space like the insurrectionists desecrated the US Capitol and our country.  I will however share the beauty of the snow that fell the day after, snow that helped to soothe our spirits to a small degree.

It wasn’t much, but it was a heavy, wet snow that clung to the leaves and branches.

We took a walk and felt the snowflakes on our faces, and the fresh, cold air gave us energy and gave us hope.

The next morning, I was outside in my PJs trying to capture the early sun on ice.

Even an error in camera settings somehow was a good thing.

I hung my new RBG Ornament in a tree and reflected on her words and the work we need to do.

We are worried.  We are angry. We are frightened.  We are appalled.

But somehow we must find the energy to keep on fighting, keep on persisting, and keep on resisting hatred.

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24 Hours in Bristol

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Covid-19 Update:  Since I picked back up on blogging, I’ve been sharing brief updates about our travels.  Rest assured, we are taking precautions.  Wearing masks, eating outdoors or take out (or in empty restaurants), and hand sanitizing. 

We are doing our part to keep ourselves and therefore, others, safe!

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Bristol Virginia and Bristol Tennessee are two cities that share more than a name.  They share a Main Street!  State Street, which runs through the middle of these two cities is the official state line, and the iconic sign shown below is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bristol, Viriginia was officially designated the Birthplace of Country Music by the U.S. Congress in 1998, and the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, attracts 75,000 visitors per year.

Bristol, Tennessee is the home of the Bristol Motor Speedway, a place that hosts a fantastic holiday light show which runs for 8 weeks throughout the holiday season.  Part of the proceeds from the lightshow support the Speedway Children’s Charities.

Recently, Greg and I spent 24 hours in Bristol … both Bristols!

We stayed at The Bristol Hotel, a “Virginia remix of a Tennessee Classic” built in 1925 and recently renovated into a gorgeous boutique hotel.

We enjoyed cocktail hour on the rooftop bar, enjoying the views of the city and of the Appalachian Mountains.

After that, we spent a couple hours winding our way through the lightshow at the Motor Speedway.  What fun!

Brunch at Vivian’s Table the next morning offered delicious food and fun photography.

It was a quick, but super fun getaway in the middle of this busy holiday season.

I truly hope that you are finding some moments of happy during these difficult days.

Stay Safe! Wear a Mask!

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Wilderness Road State Park

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Covid-19 Update:  Since I picked back up on blogging, I’ve been sharing brief updates about our travels.  Rest assured, we are taking precautions.  Wearing masks, eating outdoors or take out (or in empty restaurants), and hand sanitizing.  We are doing our part to keep ourselves and others safe!

*****

Wilderness Road State Park is just about the farthest western point in the state of Virginia.  The park lies astride the Wilderness Road, a route carved by Daniel Boone in 1775.  The route, which followed a buffalo trace, opened America’s first western frontier.

Overlooking the park are the White Rocks, a ridge of 500 foot sandstone cliffs overlooking Powell Valley.  Follow this link to see an image of these gorgeous sandstone cliffs from the air.

The park is also home to a small herd of buffalo.  It broke my heart a bit to see them behind an electric fence.  I tried hard to capture an image that did not include the fence, but no such luck.  These impressive animals seemed sad to me, so I have to confess that I was glad when one of them stomped a foot and showed anger when I got a bit too close.

The park also features a replica of Martin’s Station, a colonial frontier fort that was on this site in 1775.

State Parks are the perfect way to combine the beauty of nature and a love of history.

 

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Morning in Big Stone Gap

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My new husband Greg and I decided to spend the weekend near Cumberland Gap National Park, Tennessee and left out of his home town in far Southwest Virginia early this past Saturday morning.

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The Ultimate in Social Distancing

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One weekend this past March, while we were all still adjusting to the “new normal” of CoVid19, it was warm enough to ride.

 We decided that time on the motorcycle was the ultimate way to be socially distant.

Typically we ride 100 miles or so before stopping for lunch at a local pub.  In light of the times, we all packed our lunch and enjoyed each other’s company from a distance at a roadside picnic area.

Then we headed back out on the beautiful back roads of Southwest Virginia.  See those splat marks on the windsheild?

I guess it was the warm weather that had so many bugs out and about.

We rode through several rural counties, along too many back roads to count, and the wind in our faces helped us to put aside the worries of the day.

I can’t wait for more rides like this one!

Peace! and Stay Well, my friends