Staunton Virginia First Stop

Day 1

Backed out of the garage, mounted the saddle and headed out of the driveway at 6:50 AM.  I had put the sweatshirt in the trailer opting for the jean jacket which proved to be plenty.  Not many miles down the road I spotted what I thought was a buzzard in the middle of the road but as I got closer I realized it was an eagle clutching its breakfast.  As I slowed it spread its wings and mounted to the sky.   Joined Bill, Glenn, Kathy, Roger and Ginny just prior to the Bay Bridge and continued south on 301; not an exciting road but I knew some beautiful roads were waiting just over the Virginia line.  After several miles of twists and turns we were dumped onto route 3 destined to ride through Fredericksburg.  As we inched our way from one traffic light to the next with cars, trucks, bikes and just about every type of motor vehicle you could feel the heat mounting.  This 6 mile stretch of road feels like 25 but once we got through it was more country roads with lots of other bikers enjoying the great weather.  A stop at the Dairy Korner Restaurant in Orange, VA for lunch around 1 was now on the menu leaving only 50 miles to go to reach our destination of Staunton for the night.  As we pulled in we were told to park the bikes under the front shelter and you could hear thunder rolling in the distance with the sky growing darker by the minute.   Total miles today 254.

Counting Down To The 19th Annual UTR Rally

Well it has been a long time since I've posted to this blog.  I've been confined to short rides on the weekends due to family obligations.  However, the UTR rally begins in less than 48 hours!  All bags are packed and stacked in the office.  Looks like way more than will fit in the trailer but we'll see tomorrow when Don begins loading it.  The bikes are all shined and checked over.  We will spend a week in Summersville WV.  West Virginia - wow I think that is my favorite state for motorcycle riding.  Heading out Saturday morning around 6:30 and if the hotel has internet (they said they do) I'll try to post every night.  This year will be a little sad because Bernie and Shirley, our riding buddies for over 10 years will not be going with us due to health issues.  I'll miss them terribly.  Another reason to write daily and take lots of pictures so I can share all the excitement with them upon returning. 

Going Home

Day 8 & 9

Breakfast at 7:30 and pulled out at 8 with plans to make it to Romney WV about 330 miles and stop for the night at Koolwink, a little motel we have visited several times.  The weather was calling for 80% chance of rain so when we pulled out we were delighted to have cloudy but dry skies.  We rode hard for the first couple of hours and then had to stop for gas; still no rain thank goodness.  Then just before noon we needed gas again and lunch and the sky was getting really dark and the rain started.  Getting from the gas pumps across the parking lot to the restaurant we were soaked.  We only had about 130 miles to go but 100 of those miles were on route 50 which was up; over and around mountains which slowed us down considerable costing us at least an extra hour.   Arriving in the little town of Romney we saw people – normally there are very few people on the streets in this small, sleepy town. There was a festival in town and the Koolwink was full with several Warlock gang members but we were assured they come into town every year and never cause any problems.  Don kept warning me to stay away from their bikes.  

Four in our group decided to leave at 7 Sunday morning while the remaining 8 had breakfast at 7 and on the road by 8 heading for home.  We covered 220 miles in 4 hours with one stop for gas after 160 miles.  Sun was shining and the temps were in the mid 60s when we pulled out; perfect for riding.  We arrived home by noon, quick lunch at Hardees where we met a very nice man and woman who ride and we shared stories for a few minutes and invited them to a UTR meeting and then home to unpack and do laundry.  Work tomorrow.

A Great Day with a Great Group

Day 7

Today was going to be a short ride today but it started out bad.  Roger’s bike wouldn’t start seems the battery is dead and every time we stopped we had to jump it; then two bikes picked up a screw some place and got flat tires.  One bike they fixed in the parking lot of the Mountain Homeplace and Mike decided to ride his to the closest shop and have it fixed.   None of the “points of interest” in eastern Kentucky are listed in the GPS and none have addresses.  It is always some number on KY route and a 4 digit road number.  Now 3 and 4 digit roads (3224 or 1478) are great riding but that is not an address.  So we headed out to find the Mountain Homeplace, an 18^th century farm which was not where the internet said it was.  After turning around twice, making a wrong turn and riding through a graveyard we finally found it.  It was well worth the trouble. 

Then we set out to find the Black Barn a produce market and this one was right where the internet said but leaving there we headed for River to find the “plastic bridge” and never did see it.   Some in the group headed back for the hotel while Don and I and Dale headed out to Van Lear to find Loretta Lynn’s homeplace; Butcher Holler which is way back in the mountains.  But we found it and had a nice visit with Harmon, Loretta’s brother who showed us around the house and explained everything to us.  Very nice man and loves to visit.  Back to the hotel and packing starts for the early leave in the morning. 

A new twist was added to the banquet this year; everyone was to wear a funny hat.  We had such a variety including a free range chicken; the little piggy;   a court jester; a charming woman with pink hair and even the Blues Brothers.   We were laughing so hard and so loud that waitresses from the other room were coming in to see what was going on.  We had to go to the restaurant to get our food and everyone stopped eating to watch this parade of people wearing bright florescent yellow T-Shirts with crazy hats on march right up to the buffet.  One lady said we certainly seemed to have a lot of fun and she would like to join our group.  We ate; we laughed; we told stories; we played games; Kathy and Sandra gave out gag gifts based on screw-ups during the week and we exchanged door prizes.  I thanked everyone for their cooperation and shared fun and now the 2012 UTR rally is over. 

Front Porch Pickin (and grinning)

Day 6

Ken led the ride today and while we had nothing specific to see or visit we had a great day of riding some wonderful back roads.  We traveled up and over mountains, around mountains, past jagged rocks, passed fields of wild flowers and pastures of various farm animals.  The roads today required me to be alert and rock and roll with the beat of the road.  There are a lot of tobacco barns in this area many filled with tobacco hanging to dry.  I was not aware that many workers suffer with nicotine poisoning after cutting, spearing and hanging the tobacco.   Dinner was at Wilma’s a little restaurant downtown that was filled to capacity with our 21 people and the food was great home cooking.  Price was right at $5.95 for the buffet.   Then off we went to “Front Porch Pickin” which was great entertainment for a buck.  About 5 local groups played Bluegrass music while the locals danced their hearts out.  Reminded me of the country line dancing at the Moose on Friday nights I attended a few years back.  Everyone knew everyone, sold 50/50 tickets, and danced line dances, clogging and some 2 step.  Some with cowboy boots, some with sneakers and some with taps on their shoes for the clogging.  Some were very good and others were not but they didn’t care everyone was smiling.  It was great fun – just had a little trouble understanding their strong southern accent.   Bernie seemed to understand because he was singing right along with them.   Kathy and I tried our hand at the twist but I quickly found out my sandals stick to the floor with their rubber soles and you cannot do much glued to the floor.  But it gave a few others the courage to get up and dance which I guess is my role as president of this group – lead by example.  LOL

 

Horse Farms and Keeneland Race Track

Day 5

Today 13 of us pulled out of the parking lot at 8:30 heading 115 miles to Lexington KY to tour several horse farms in the area.   We arrived at 11 allowing us time to eat at the Embassy Suites, a beautiful hotel which was our pick-up location.  The first stop was a stud farm and we met “songandapray” who’s owners get paid $6500 per “event” and he can service 3 mares a day during breeding season.   We learned a stud can “do his thing” for 20 years or more and they are treated like royalty.  The barn and breeding room was air conditioned and very clean.  A vet is on hand to help through the process certainly not what I had expected; just turn two horses out in the pasture and let nature take its course.  No this is a major operation.  We were told we could feed him carrots and peppermint candy but he would bite if you tried to pet him.  And if anyone had sandals on there was a cat who loved to bite toes.  Well everyone had sneakers on but as soon as we stepped out of the van here comes the cat on a run and he went to each person and checked out their feet.  It was the funniest thing I’d ever seen; my cat was weird but not that weird.   Then they even have “birthing farms” where owners can take their mares just before they foul and there are vets on hand all the time to assist in the birthing. 

Then back in the bus and we headed for a farm to tour the “training” barns.  These colts were yearlings and scheduled to be sold in November and they needed to be trained to walk on a lead, stand still and in general behave themselves.   The barn was spotless, each stall had a fan for the horse, they are showered every day and turned out to exercise in the pastures after the sun goes down because they don’t want the color of their coats to fade in the bright sunshine.   Of course, these horses bring hundreds of thousands of dollars and the owners are hoping they will become Kentucky Derby winners or even a good stud will net millions over the course of time.   

Next stop – Keeneland Thoroughbred Race Track a beautiful track which has been around since 1935 and is a national historic site which is visited often by the Queen of England when she has her horses shipped over to the USA to race.  The history was fascinating.  After leaving Keeneland we traveled through several other horse farms and various locations where movies have been filmed.  Farms selling for millions and requiring millions to maintain them.

After a 3 and a half hour tour we saddled our steeds and headed back 115 miles to Paintsville on the Kentucky Parkway which is a great road, no stop signs or lights and cruising speeds of 65 and 70 with purple and yellow wild flowers blooming and the sycamore trees all turning golden.  Lexington, located in the middle of Kentucky is more rolling hills while heading back to Paintsville we had the Appalachian mountains in our sights with cut away sections of the mountains beside the highway displaying the vast amount of coal buried beneath the soil.  It was a pleasant day and dry – until the last 5 miles – then the skies opened up and soaked us.  Oh well – it is what it is.  

 

Up Up we go but what goes up must come down.

Standing at the top of the world; Natural Bridge KY