Weaver completes the Twelve Corners
in May and June, 2005
Here is his story: A Baker's Dozen.
Here is his story: A Baker's Dozen.
Getting Back on the Road
I began the 12 Corners adventure with a lot of hesitation and anxiety. After my spill in early April it was very clear that my motorcycling skills had suffered tremendously during my almost decade long riding hiatus. Once I got the VTX 1800C pieced back together, completed the MSF basic rider course, and worked with a friend to further shore-up my riding skills I decided to make my first road trip to Paint Bank.
A short trip to the Paint Bank General Store (mandatory stop) after work on May 4, 2005 was my first excursion. The ride up on SR-311 over Potts Mountain was absolutely beautiful. I learned that the Paint Bank General Store is a major supplier of locally processed frozen beef and bison products. There's a lovely valley right behind the store and a huge cattle/bison ranch/farm for about a mile down that valley. I'd decided to head from Paint Bank to Pearisburg via Big Stony Creek Road. Big Stony Creek is one of my favorite trout fishing spots and I wanted to check it out. Lot's of folks walking around with stringers full of rainbows! A quick run east on US 460 and I was home.
A Real Confidence Builder
I visited the site of the historic Whitetop Mountain folk festival on May 8 to complete a second of the 12 Corners. It was a fun "after Mother's Day festivities" run. I headed south on SR-8 to Floyd and onto the Blue Ridge Parkway at Tuggle Gap. At Cherry Lane I headed north and worked my way to US 58. I visited John Conklin's Trading Post in Volney for a Virginia Grand Tour stop and then took the "Highlands Parkway" US-58 to Whitetop Mountian. That 15+ mile ride from Volney to White Top Mountian was a thrill!
I took SR 600 north from Whitetop Mountain stopping to view Mt. Rogers peak. For the most part SR 600 was a wonderful road. There was one section -- about 1 mile -- that was really rough (rotten pavement and gravel mix) and under construction. But, overall it was an easy return to I-81 and a run north back to Blacksburg.
The First Really Long Haul
After a day of meetings in Washington, DC on Tuesday May 17 I left Falls Church at 4 PM heading towards Leesburg and Whites Ferry. The round trip on the Potomac River was $4 and well worth it!
Back on US-15 north to Points of Rocks and a short visit in Maryland. Heading west on US-340 I crossed the Potomac River for the sixth time in one day as I headed to Harpers Ferry (mandatory stop). After a brief visit in the historic district I headed back to US-340 towards Winchester.
A short ride north up US-522 I found the Shenandoah Memorial Park where Patsy Cline (Virginia Patterson Dick) is buried. It was almost 8 PM by the time I finished paying my respects to the artist who brought such life to songs like "I Fall to Pieces," "Crazy," and "Walkin' After Midnight." I geared up for a cold weather ride and headed towards Virginia Beach. I arrived at my father-in-law's house a little after midnight.
Wild Horses; What Wild Horses?
Wednesday I spent most of the day playing with my daughter and helping my father-in-law with various chores. My mother-in-law passed away 8 weeks earlier and dad had been keeping busy sorting through her belongings. One project that he'd initiated is making (i.e., scanning) digital copies of all their family photos. Basically, I spent the morning teaching him how to scan pictures, burn files to a CD, and then we made an excursion to Walgreen's to learn all about making high quality prints of digital photos.
About 4 PM Wednesday I took a quick ride down to False Cape State Park (a mandatory 12 Corners stop) and made a few photos. Honestly, I was a bit confused about this stop. There are no ponies at False Cape State Park, the fishing pier is called "Little Island Pier," and theres no park sign thats available to motor traffic. However, the sign for the Charles Kuralt Trail might make a good alternative for future riders. Needless to say, Ive submitted a handful of photos to document that I was in the right spot.
Next, I rode west over to Northwest, VA for some more pics. Unfortunately, the Post Office at Northwest has been closed (see enclosed photo) and there's no public school in the little community. I finally found the Northwest Baptist Church (photo included), parked the VTX in front of their sign, and took some pics. It was the best I could find to prove I'd visited that stop on the 12 Corners. One alternative for future riders might be the "Dividing Line" historical marker at the intersection of SR 168 and Northpointe Blvd (photo enclosed) Honestly, it was a boring ride except for the bridge on Pungo Ferry Road. What a spectacular view!
A Bowl of Oyster Stew Ill Never Forget!
Thursday after lunch I headed north on US-13 across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (dropping $17 in tolls!). There are two 12 Corners stops on the Eastern Shore: Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Fisherman Island. Chincoteague proved a real thrill because the wild ponies were lounging along Beach Road. So, I was able to get several nice pics of the VTX with the ponies in the background. Might have to make an 8 X 10 of that for the office!
Also, while in Chincoteague I asked several locals what was the "best place to eat?" Everyone said "Bill's Seafood" so I decided to give it a try. The gravel parking lot in the rear of the eatery is a bit unnerving when parking a big bike like the VTX but all went well. The huge bowl of fresh oyster stew was steaming hot, delicious, and just what I needed to get myself charged-up for the run back to VA Beach.
On a side note, I had the best time teasing my dad while eating. It was mid-afternoon and I was the only customer in Bills. So, know that my dad is a huge fan of fresh oyster stew and that he lives about 300 miles away from the ocean, I called him on my cell phone and described for him all the details of the huge bowl of stew while punctuating the conversation with all sorts of slurping noises. He was so jealous and we both got a big laugh out of it.
BTW: There's a really educational NASA exhibition on SR-175 on the way to Chincoteague. Oddly, when I stopped in and mentioned Chris Hall's name I was promptly escorted from the premises (just kidding!).
One of the stops for the 12 Corners is a photo of the Fisherman's Island sign. Just so you'll know, it's not a particularly easy pic to get. Basically, as you're heading south on US-13 just past the Toll Station there's a scenic overlook where you can stop. But, you can't get a good pic of the Fisherman's Island sign there. Instead, I decided to just pull over on the side of the road (this is before you get on the two high bridges of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel run) and snapped a couple of pics from my bikes saddle. Got back to my father-in-law's about 6 PM.
A Wet Ride Home
Friday morning I awoke early to discover that the weather in Virginia Beach was nicer than the 11 PM forecast. So, I had a nice breakfast, backed all my gear, kissed and hugged the wife and little girl, said my goodbyes to my father-in-law, and headed to Riverdale, VA. Riverdale, VA is about 200 yards from the VA/NC state line and is even more barren of landmarks than Northwest, VA. I found a street sign that said "Riverdale Road," check with a couple of locals to insure that that was the only Riverdale landmark, parked the VTX under the sign, took pics, and headed on my way. During a stop for lunch at Wilson Brothers Barbeque in South Hill some nasty rain showers began. Unfortunately, they persisted all day and I dripped back into Blacksburg about 7:30.
The Longest One Day Ride
I rode 496 miles on Monday May 30, enjoyed some great views, delightful twisties, and completed another mandatory stop of the 12-Corners adventure.
The morning started about 9:30. My parents came to visit for the weekend and when they left this morning to return to Georgia I just followed them down I-81. When they turned south towards Asheville, NC at Bristol, VA I continued on I-81 to Exit 50 in Tennessee. After a short ride down Tenn SR 93 I was in Greenville where I stopped to visit the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site. Ive decided to attempt the Iron Butt Association NPS Challenge (visit 50 NPS sites in 25 states in 1 year). The Andrew Johnson NHS was a convenient stop for a NPS Passport stamp for TN.
Next, it was northwest through Morristown, TN to Cumberland Gap. What an awesome ride! And where did that tunnel come from? I can still remember visiting Cumberland Gap with my parents 40 years ago (now I know where my wanderlust comes from) and Im pretty sure there wasnt a tunnel. The folks at the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park Visitors Center were really nice. I got another NPS Passport stamp (this one for Kentucky).
It was a short easy ride (about 3 miles) from the Cumberland Gap NHP Visitors Center to the Lost Squadron Museum at the Middlesboro, KY airport. Id called ahead to make sure that the Glacier Girl (the P-38 recovered from Greenland and completely restored) was not away at an air show. The staff of the museum was really friendly and took several pictures of me with the Glacier Girl to complete another mandatory stop.
Id asked a couple of locals about a good place to eat. J. Miltons Steaks and Buffet received several positive comments so I gave it a try. The buffet was very nice; hot and tasty!
After a quick fuel stop it was back through the Cumberland Gap tunnel and east on US 58 (the Daniel Boone Heritage Highway). I made three stops on my return journey to Blacksburg. One at the Wilderness Road State Park; one at Ben Hur, VA (a stop on the Virginia Grand Tour) for a quick picture of the VTX in front of the Post Office; and one at the spot off US 421 on Wallens Creek where Daniel Boones son James and several others were killed by Shawnee Indians during the first attempt to find the Cumberland Gap. It was getting late so I followed US 421 to Bristol where I jumped on I-81 for a quick run home.
A Journeys End
It was quite a thrill on Saturday June 11th to point the cruiser towards Blue Grass, VA. It had rained almost all week and I was getting cabin fever!
After the TVR breakfast at Famous Anthony's in Roanoke I headed up I-81 towards Staunton. I'm very interested in Civil War history and decided to ride US 250 so that I could visit the battlefield at McDowell.
Most of TVR member are, I suspect, familiar with that stretch of US 250. It was especially fun since VDoT was doing a spot repaving (you know, spray hot tar and sprinkle with pea-sized gravel) of about 20 miles of the road. I saw so many "Loose Gravel" signs I was beginning to think that was the name of the county! Indeed, I cleaned enough gravel out of my radiator at the end of the day to fill a small cup.
At Monterey I headed north on US 220 and made the short run up to Blue Grass. Although I got there too late to tour the Book Bank I did have a very delightful experience. As I parked the VTX to make a photo the gentleman who lives across the street came out to look over my bike (he has a Suzuki). Our conversation continued for about an hour as I relaxed in one of the blue swings on his porch, ate my sandwich, and heard delightful stories of the history of Blue Grass.
Eventually, I returned to my bike and headed down US 220. My original plan was to grab I-64 at Covington and zip over to the New River Gorge NR in West Virginia. But, I'd spent so much time in Blue Grass that I couldn't get to the Sandstone VC before it closed at 5 PM. So, I just took my time enjoying the sights along US 220; the beautiful waterfall, the Homestead, etc. It was a really nice ride all the way back to Blacksburg.
A Bakers Dozen
The Blue Grass Book Bank was my last mandatory stop and my 12th stop on the 12 Corners adventure. But, I was a bit disappointed that I'd not completed my plans on Saturday. So, on Sunday afternoon June 12th I rode up to the New River Gorge NR. What a beautiful site! And isn't SR 20 in West Virginia a fun road? Actually, I had the misfortune to spend most of the trip from Hinton to I-64 behind a pickup slowly pulling a pontoon boat. (/blah!)
On the way back to Blacksburg I decided to ride down I-77. It's not very often that I get to ride the VTX in high gear since you need to be running a steady 75 to 80 MPH to keep from "lugging" the engine too much. So the 70 MPH speed limit of I-77 was alluring. At Princeton, WV I was ahead of schedule and decided to make the 12 Corners a "Baker's Dozen" by visiting the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine (my 7th non-mandatory stop). Of course, I arrived too late for the mine tour but I took some time to ride around downtown Pocahontas. Honestly, I would have really loved to see that place in its prime. An opera house, 20 plus salons, and an ethnically/culturally diverse population must have made for an interesting time.
I had a great time doing the 12 Corners challenge. Thank you TVR for sponsoring such a delightful adventure!
Jim Weaver
June 21, 2005
Blacksburg, VA