Tag Archives: Travels

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The 2013 Bike Adventure: The Historic Waterfront Community of Annapolis

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The day began with a brief ride on the GW Parkway, at the end of which lies Mt Vernon.  I wish I’d had time to stop and visit George’s home, but even though I try to remain spontaneous on the annual bike trip, I knew I had to get on down the road.

Just a few words about the George Washington Memorial Parkway: The almost 40 mile long road, maintained by the National Park Service, is a scenic, commemorative route that features historical monuments of national significance.  The GW Parkway provides protection and habitat for many species that are endangered.

The Parkway curves along the Potomac River and I just had to stop to shoot some photos.  And THIS is when I wish I had a better camera and more skill.  It was an overcast morning and the DC haze made photography challenging (at least for me).

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 I was only on the GW Parkway for 14 miles, but it was a lovely way to start the day.

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The first challenge upon arriving in Annapolis was trying to decide where to eat!  I arrived in time for lunch and the downtown historic area was packed with restaurants.  Finding parking nearby was the real concern since all my belongings were strapped to the back of the bike.  The Federal House, established in 1835, fit the bill for food and parking, and their award winning Cream of Crab soup and a pint of the Federal House Golden Ale hit the spot perfectly!

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Next up was to find a place to stay so I could get the bike and my gear off the street.  Since this was to be my only night of the trip to have to pay for a room, I let myself splurge a bit.  Len, at the Visitors Center, directed me to Gibson’s Lodgings of Annapolis, a beautiful B&B with off street parking, located right in the heart of the historic area.

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The innkeepers could not have been more welcoming!  Within moments of stepping in the door, I had a cold bottle of water in my hand and was tasting a fresh, homemade sweet treat.  Each encounter with these folks made me feel cared for.

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Summaring Annapolis, the capital of Maryland, in one blog post is challenging.  It’s 350 year history, architecture, dining, and waterfront made for some fun times with the camera.  I walked for hours, exploring much of the 8 square miles of the city, and still left much to be discovered on my next visit.

The United States Naval Academy

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The Annapolis National Cemetery, one of 147 cemeteries nationally, a system of cemeteries established in 1862 for soldiers who have died in the service of the country.

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The Maryland State House, built from 1772-1779, is the oldest state house still in legislative use, and is a Registered National Historic Landmark.

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Annapolis is just full of beautiful sights to photograph, especially along the waterfront.

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And then there is all the brick!  What is it about brick that appeals to me?  The color?  That it ages so beautifully?

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Brick even makes my dirty bike look better!

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The day ended with a meal on the dock.  Black Bean soup, Crab Cake, and red wine.  Music in the background, and the lights of this small city reflected on the water made the evening just about perfect.

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A final walk back to the B&B and it was pure contentment in Annapolis!

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The 2013 Bike Adventure: Virginia Roads and Byways

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Part of the fun of the ride is the planning and preparation.  It is also the visits with friends before heading out.  Whether drinks in the kitchen, surrounded by piles of gear and maps, or time on the river for one final pre-ride kayak float, the enthusiasm of friends adds to the anticipation.

I was up at 6am with the plan to pull out at 8.  Mother Nature was kind, and the road was dry.  Rt 11 is an historic road that runs through Virginia, often parallel to Interstate 81.  I avoid the interstate if I can, mostly because state and local roads are more fun to ride in terms of scenery, sweeping curves, small towns, and interesting restaurants.  Unfortunately, the “progress” that an interstate brings (chain restaurants and hotels), often means that the scenery, towns, and the great drives / rides, are forgotten.

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I had not gone far when I stopped the bike in order to walk over the swinging bridge in Buchanan.  Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love a bridge, and this one was no exception.  “The Bridge is 366 feet long, 57.5 feet tall and the only one of its type to cross the James River. Portions of the bridge date back to 1851 and in 1999 the Swinging Bridge was recognized as a National Register Historic Landmark”.

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This is the bridge that Rt 11 runs across, and frankly, this is one of my most favorite photos of the entire trip.

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The road continued on, leading me through Stanardsville and by The Lafeyette Hotel.  “Built in 1840, The Lafayette Inn is a historic landmark. It has served as a community centerpiece of the area accommodating the needs of stage coach travelers and local residents. The building has served as a hotel, restaurant, saloon, boarding house and as a hospital during the Civil War. In more recent times it housed the first Stanardsville telephone exchange and the local newspaper”.

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It was on Rt 230, when stopped alongside the road to take a photo, that I had my first offer of help.  I love that part of traveling.  Folks just want to help.  This particular guy, in addition to making sure that I wasn’t lost, wanted to tell me about his travels on his motorcycle.

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Soon enough, I was heading up into the mountains and for a short time, the road led me through Shenandoah National Park.  Wide sweeping curves and tighter twistier ones made for fun riding!

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As I rode on through Madison County, I began to see the first of several wineries (I would have loved to stop for tastings).

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The town of Culpepper, in Culpepper County, offered a choice of locally owned restaurants and I ended up at It’s About Thyme.  The Brucschetta was delicious!!  The folks at the next table recommended a slightly different route than I had mapped out, which I appreciated as my destination for the night was Alexandria.

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Alexandria, of course, is located right outside Washington DC, and getting there requires riding some miles on the Capital Beltway system.  Thank goodness I am somewhat familiar with the beltway AND that I am not a woman who is easily intimidated.  What a network of highways, with an overwhelming number of cars, all running at high rates of speed.

At the end of my travels on those roads, was my dear friend Jan, her hushand Neal, son Luke, a marvelous bottle of wine, and a great dinner, partially prepared by Luke.  It was a wonderful evening.

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And a fabulous first day on the 2013 Bike Adventure!

Total Miles: 290

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Calvert Cliffs

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This is the view at the end of a 1.8 mile hike: Calvert Cliffs, located in a Maryland state park with the same name. Gorgeous! (This is yet another cell phone shot. I’m anxious to view and edit the photos from my camera).

What a day! Total mileage was just 100, but I rode through historic communities, visited Point Lookout, waded in the waters of St Mary’s River, enjoyed a much needed cold beer at a local biker bar, and had dinner with old friends.

Today I’m off to explore a bit more of Southern Maryland before crossing over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge into the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware.

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Variety

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Everyone knows what it’s like to come home from vacation with a ton of digital images to sort through, delete, edit, and post.  Well, add to that my ignorance with technology and getting photos from camera to tablet and back off tablet.  Ah well … lessons learned (and still to be learned in terms of patience).

Part 1 of the 2013 Bike Trip involved a 550 mile ride to Urbanna, Virginia and back.  It was a glorious 3 days on the Rappahannock River and on the Middle Peninsula.  I’m home for 24 hours before heading back out. Lots to do, including figuring out that technology problem, before getting back on the bike early tomorrow morning.  Can’t wait!

For now, know that I enjoyed …

Sunrises….

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The beauty of the water …

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The elements …

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The wildlife …

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A whole lot of fun with the GOAs (Girls of August; friends from grad school 20 years ago; this was taken with someone’s phone; I’m in the VT cap) …

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And a little history on the way home … Appomattox, Virginia … the old jail house

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Hope you enjoyed these! More to come!!

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Morning Swim

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Nothing like a lovely early morning swim … so refreshing! Osprey feeding their young; crabbers checking their pots; and the laughter of friends in the distance.

 

 

 

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It’s All Good!

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Waking up to thunder and lightning at 3am had me wondering if I’d be pulling out in a downpour.  By the time I got up at 6am, the rain had stopped, and now that I’m ready to go, it looks like I’ll stay dry … for at least awhile.

I’ll be posting along the way.  Thanks for your enthusiasm about the ride – I’d love to hear from you!!

(this is me on the old bike from the 2010 50th Birthday Ride)

WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!

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Ever Present

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The everpresent rain

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has challenged me in my trip preparation

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to focus on the positives

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of this constant moisture

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3 More Days … Hoping for sun but will ride no matter what!

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Training For the Ride!

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My friend Dave likes to tell me that it’s important to train for big summer rides.  He’s joking of course (well, he’s sort of joking).  Dave & Martha are heading out west this year, so they have a long and wonderful ride ahead of them.  While they’ll be covering thousands of miles, I’ll be heading to Maryland and Delaware, for a total of only 1200 or so.

I’m so excited about my upcoming trip and I’ve been riding as often as time and clear skies permit.  So many things about riding my motorcycle make me happy.  The joy of the wind in my face, the thrill of the sweeps and curves of the road, the towns, historical sites, and people along the way, and absolutely, it’s the adventure.  You just never know what gift the road will give you.

Two weeks ago, I took a short 80 mile ride through the back roads of Floyd and Montgomery Counties, and for a good 45 minutes I was worried that I’d run out of gas.  By the time I came across a gas station that actually had gas to sell, I was down to my last 10th of a gallon.  Phew!  I have never been that close to running out of gas!

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Then while outrunning the rain, I managed to end up on a road that had recently been flooded and provided some challenging riding. And all of this, my friend Michael always tells me, is part of the ride.  I agree!

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This past Sunday, a glorious day sans rain, found me riding through Pulaski and Montgomery Counties. I just could not keep myself from stopping to photograph the beautiful scenery.

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And the reward at the end of  the day (like the ride isn’t enough of a reward?) … a lovely single malt scotch on the deck over looking the river.

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My new luggage rack came in the mail today and this year’s adventure begins in just 2 weeks!!

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Hangin’ With the Big Dogs: A 500 Mile Weekend

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I just LOVE the first long rides of the summer!

Those who truly love riding motorcycles, will ride all year long.  Even on cold winter days, as long as the sun is shining.  Winter rides are incredibly satisfying but they’re often shorter in duration, with far fewer miles covered.   So when the warm weather arrives, the long riding begins, and there is nothing like it!

This past Saturday, during the middle of an early morning hair appointment, I got the call to ride.  My two favorite bikers, Dave and Michael (My Guys) are great friends, awesome mentors, and have taught me so much about riding these past 5 years.  They told me I had 10 minutes to be ready (I made it in 15) and off we went!

We rode 350 miles,  through 8 counties, and on too many country roads to count.

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This bridge was built in 1896 and was just closed to traffic this past year.

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I’m told that this tower was used to measure river water levels.

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It was a glorious day for riding!

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Lunch at Devils Backbone Brewery offered much needed fuel for our bodies, and then we turned and headed for home.

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We hit the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) and pulled back into Radford around 8pm that evening.

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Sunday morning found us back on the bikes, this time joined by our good (and fun!) friends Cherie, Tim, Diana, and Jeff. Dave always leads the way and while I may not always know where we are headed, I am always confident that the ride will be a blast!

Total mileage today was  145 miles.

After a brief stop at Tuggles Gap, a restaurant and motel serving BRP customers for over 70 years, we took off in earnest.

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Wide sweeping curves on the BRP and much tighter curves on Rt 8 in Floyd and Patrick Counties, eventually took us to Squirrel Spur.

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Our final stop was the Kanawha Valley Arena.  The arena “was formed in the interest of Equestrian Enthusiasts” and in addition to the professional arena, barn, and corrals, Kanawha has a Carriage House Museum and a Carriage House Saloon.

And a covered bridge!

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This scene just made me chuckle and I had to take a picture!

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What a weekend on the bike!  I simply can’t wait for the next one!

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Planning the 4th Solo Trip

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My last post glorified the joy of being home, and I truly am excited to have the next four weeks at home without travel (other than day trips on the bike of course).   It’s time however to get serious about planning the 4th Solo Bike Trip.

So many places to ride; so few vacation days!

You may remember that I rode the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Tail of the Dragon (in Tennessee) in 2010 as a way to celebrate my 5oth Birthday (photos taken with my old Canon Powershot SD1000)

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2011 found me riding to the Outer Banks of North Carolina (again, with the old Canon)

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Tennessee was the destination in 2012

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So it seems that I have, not with purpose, alternated between the  mountains and the beach.

This year then, I’m going back to the beach!  I’ll ride to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Annapolis, and possibly Delaware.

The near constant rain has had me less than motivated to pull out the maps, but this weekend I WILL get to it!  After all, the day of departure is just 7 weeks away!

Let the planning begin!