2007 VIRGINIA EAST COAST NATIONAL JUNE 6TH TO 10TH
Posted: Sun Mar 25, 2007 7:42 am
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
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