Last year I tried to start a 'tradition' with my middle brother by taking time to do a scenic ride and we had a successful trip across the Blue Ridge parkway and along US 421 (aka The Snake).
Last Year's Excellent trip So, to maintain the tradition we arranged to meet in Blacksburg, Va for a weekend ride around the New River Valley with the New river Gorge bridge being our main objective.
The ride up for me was just a lot of slab, suffering through Chattanooga and Knoxville but enjoying the rolling valleys of east Tennessee and southwest Virginia. Even though the hot humid skies threatened from time to time the trip to Blacksburg was rain free. I got in 30 minutes before my brother Tim arrived from his home in not-too-distant Springfield (near DC).
After a few moments of chewing the fat and consuming a quick snack we agreed there was still time to get an hour or so in before supper. We set off at a fair clip along US 460 to Newport, on through Pearisburg where we looped back south along VA 100 for some thrilling rolling hills and twisties all the way to Dublin and Hwy 11. We turned east and focused on dinner, ride plans and getting a good night's sleep.
Our ride plan: US 460 to VA 42 (pretty fantastic) to New Castle. Take VA 311 to US60 (and a very windy bit of I-64) and White Sulfur Springs. Try for a photo op at the Greenbrier (too posh had to give it a miss) then run US 60 to US19 and hook west to the New River Gorge bridge.
US 60 must be the equivalent of US 129 at Deal's Gap without the notoriety (again, fantastic ride). After oogling the bridge, a quick lunch and then time for the 'twist and shout' down US 19 to WV 3 on to WV12 and taking the narrow WV122 south along the New Rive r Valley to US 219, re-entering Virginia and joining US 460 back to the rooms.
One way is Virginia, the other view is West Virginia from high atop one of the many ridges we crossed:
We found this covered bridge from 1916 along a side road on VA 42:
and, of course, the magnificent NRG bridge:
and even if we did pass up the Greenbrier we still managed to find Oakhurst hidden away in the WV woods:
The country side was equally gorgeous all day, the threatening clouds evaporated and the blustery wind abated and a great ride was had by all.
Total run mileage from Alabama: 1265. Priceless...
