2007 VIRGINIA EAST COAST NATIONAL JUNE 6TH TO 10TH

[harvey]

GO TO THE LOCKED AREA ABOUT THE 2007 RALLIES AND READ THE BASIC INFO FOR THIS RALLY. IT IS A GREAT TIME THAT MIKE ABRAHAMS IS PUTTING TOGETHER IN AN AREA MADE FOR RIDING.

MIKE HAS SENT SOME THREE ADDITIONAL POSTS OF INFORMATION THAT HE WANTED POSTED TO THIS FORUM SO HERE GOES:

FIRST:

Dear CBX-men (and of course all you CBX-women, too),


You've heard about it. Now it's time to ride it. Here it is: Virginia State Route 16:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_State_Route_16


Slicing the state from South to North at its skinniest section, State Route 16 defies superlatives. Here's the best I can do: THIS IS THE MOST CHALLENGING ROAD ON WHICH TO RIDE A MOTORCYCLE IN AMERICA. The section from Marion to Tazewell will leave your head spinning, your heart aflutter, your tires feathered and your footpeg feelers begging for mercy. You cross three mountains, each more spectacular than the one before. The north climbs are tight and exposed. The south sides are wooded, swoopy, and fast. Deal's Gap has NOTHING on this road.


Am I overselling it? Ride it first, then (once you catch your breath) try to argue. You'll ride it on the East Coast National Rally this June in Virginia. But only if you attend. (What was that silly reason you needed to be somewhere else?)


Michael


SECOND:

Dear CBX-men (and of course all you CBX-women, too),

I was trying to play coy and space out these teasers, maybe one a week for the next few weeks of "prime reservation-making" time, but I couldn't help myself. So here's another: Whitetop Mountain:
http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock ... ntain.html
Just opposite Virginia's highest peak, Mount Rogers, stands the second highest, Whitetop Mountain. It's over a mile high and YOU WILL RIDE YOUR MOTORCYCLE TO THE TOP on Saturday.

WARNING, this ascent involves a gravel/dirt road of about 3 miles so if it has been wet your motorcycle will get dirty. Sorry.

There is no visitor's center at the top. There is no cog railroad. There is no lookout tower. There are no interpretive signs. There are no crowds. There are no bathrooms (except for you men, because the whole world is a urinal). The view is incredible.

Stay tuned to this listserve for future enticements. Have you made your reservation yet? Are you waiting for something?

Michael

THIRD:

Dear CBX-men (and of course all you CBX-women, too),


My riding buddy Mike Gunther (he on the BMW RT and me on the '81 CBX) went by this place yesterday to have a look:


http://www.indianvillage.org/


This is about an hour's ride from our Rally site in Radford, a potential day-ride for those arriving early in the week. The caretaker told us, "You can spend just an hour but folks often spend three or four hours here." Might be a nice excursion if you have spouses or kids along.


We enjoyed (?) a cold, crystal clear day for our ride with some lingering dust-snow from earlier in the week. Whatever your notions of Appalachia, it is a gorgeous place to ride a motorcycle.


One of the things we take for granted around here is the scarcity of vehicles on the backroads. Sure, there's an occasional car now and then, but we encountered nothing you'd describe as "traffic". We passed two traffic lights leaving town (Blacksburg) but that's all during a 130 mile ride of which 110 was on 2-lane backroads. Curves, curves, curves, curves.


Please come to Virginia in June.


Michael

[harvey]

Once again Michael, the organizer and guy putting this event together has asked me to post an update of plans, events, and what happening in June. Okay here goes:

Dear CBX-men and of course all you CBX-women, too,

HAVE YOU RESERVED YOUR ROOM YET?

2007 VIRGINIA EAST COAST NATIONAL RALLY???
Here's all the info you need to reserve your room:

Radford Inn
1501 Tyler Avenue, Radford, Virginia, 24141-5007, US
Phone: 540-639-3000 Fax: 540-633-0251
Toll Free Reservations: 800-628-1955
http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern ... 47071#null
Located three miles north-west of Interstate 81 Exit 109 on Tyler Avenue, SR-177. Forty miles from Roanoke, 110 from Bristol

THE DATE(S)
Wed to Saturday 6th - 10th, June 2007
THE PROMISE
Mark the 6th - 10th of June 2007 on your calendars. That's when you and your'n are invited to attend the 2007 International CBX East Coast National Rally in beautiful Southwest Virginia. Picture roads better than Marlinton, EVERYTHING better than Morganton, and easy interstate highway access.
Here's the tentative itinerary:

Wednesday, June 6
Self-guided tours. I'll have maps for you. Possible destinations include:
Wolf Creek Indian Village, Bastian, VA http://www.indianvillage.org/
Historic Bramwell, WV http://www.bramwellwv.com/ and on the same trip,
Historic Pocahontas, VA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas,_Virginia
and its exhibition coal mine http://wvweb.com/www/POCAHONTAS_MINE/
or, Breaks Interstate Park http://www.breakspark.com/
or, the Crooked Road Music Trail http://www.thecrookedroad.org/
Wednesday evening, dinner on your own. Explore Radford, Radford University, and Bissett Park.

Thursday, June 7
Same list of self-guided tours.
Thursday evening, Ride to Blacksburg (30 minutes away) for walking tour of Virginia Tech campus and April 16 Tragedy memorials. Dinner at Sharkeys bar in downtown Blacksburg.

Friday, June 8
Guided tour, "East"
See the New River, Mountain Lake (home of Dirty Dancing), Paint Bank and the funky Swinging Bridge Restaurant, and the Peaks of Otter. Ride fabulous SR-42, amazing SR-311 and Potts Mountain, SR-43 and the awesome climb of the Blue Ridge, and the internationally known Blue Ridge Parkway.
Friday evening, dinner somewhere (yet to be determined) and entertainment at the Floyd Country Store (30 minutes away) and its famous Friday Night Jamboree of traditional music

Saturday, June 9
Guided tour "West"
See bucolic Burke's Garden, historic Tazewell, Marion and beautiful Hungry Mother Park. Ride SR-16, the finest, most challenging motocycling road in America (Don't agree? Ride it first and then pitch your case.), and to the top of Whitetop Mountain, Virginia's second highest peak (5520 feet).
Saturday evening, dinner and banquet near the hotel

Expect continuous great roads, sparse traffic, great weather (maybe!) and wonderful Appalachian scenery. (A friend and I rode 150 miles on country roads today with not a single car impeding our speed.)

Call and make your reservations. The hotel will begin to release the reserved rooms soon.

Michael

Michael S. Abraham
bike-ahlolic
eclectician
righter
entrepreneur
Please visit my website, < www.bikemike.name >
1981 Honda CBX
1989 Honda Hawk GT
1998 Honda VFR Interceptor
2000 Yamaha XT-350