6 AM: Rosie, R-2, and Ellen met at Blooms on Hoadly road to start our journey together. The weather was calling for rain later in the day, so we had hoped to get a jump on the rain by leaving early. As we were traveling down I-66 towards Fort Royal, the clouds were low and created a light mist. My lower pant legs were getting wet. I pulled over to a gas station so we can put on our rain gear, and started towards Front Royal again. As we rolled into Front Royal, R-2 wasn't feeling well, so we pulled off to a gas station. She really started to feel bad, so we go to the nearest hospital - Valley Health Warren Memorial Hospital. The staff had decided it was in her best interest to keep her for the night. Once Rosie and I felt she was in good hands, we hugged her, and with heavy hearts, we headed towards the Skyline Drive. We had taken off our rain gear at the hospital; but once we started up Skyline Drive, the higher we rode - the lower the clouds and the mist started up again. We stopped to put on our rain gear, and rode in light rain and fog on and off throughout the whole length of Skyline. By the time we reached Big Meadows, it was time for lunch. Rosie took an opportunity to top off her gas tank. We stopped again at Loft Mountain, the last gas station on Skyline, and I topped off my gas tank. The rain was coming down pretty good while we walked through the gift shop. By the time we were ready to leave, the rain had lightened up some. Once we rode off Skyline onto the Blue Ridge Parkway we saw the sun, and the rest of the afternoon was good weather. We rode a total of 244 miles on Friday, and stopped at Natural Bridge looking for a hotel. |
There was only one called the Natural Bridge Conference Center, and they had no rooms, but fortunately there were cabins available. When we were checking in, Rosie was talking to a gentleman that was part of the Antique Motorcycle Club of Virginia. They were having a weekend get-together, and our cabin was near theirs. Once we checked in, we dropped off our bags and headed for the Pink Cadillac for dinner. Pretty good food and interesting décor. King Kong is out front, along with Humpty Dumpty. Across the road a ways is Foamhenge. Because the road we came down off the parkway onto Rt. 11 was under construction with milling and fresh tar, we really didn't want to go back that way. A waitress kindly gave us directions using I-81. Much better roads, and quicker, too. We stopped on our way back to the cabin to top off our gas tanks. Once back at the cabin, the guys in the antique club were feeling pretty happy, and Rosie and I went outside to talk to a few of the members, only to find out one of the guys was my co-worker, and Rosie's brother went to school with one of them. It truly is a small world. As we were talking, a bunch of the guys and girls went into this ghost town that was adjacent to the cabins. The men with flashlights and the girls were just screaming and laughing. They were having the time of their life. We both got a good laugh over the fact we had to come to Natural Bridge to run into people we both didn't know we knew. We met some really cool people in this club and they welcomed us with open hearts. The journey continues! by Ellen |
