22 Sept. 2015

Little chilly starting out at 0800 this morning.  Temp is 58 but damp from all the rain.  I have a 1000 appointment to meet Don Ryder in Hot Springs VA, the home of the Homestead.  Up until last week Don had been the Director of Golf at the Homestead for the past 43 years and grew up in Hot Springs with Sam Snead and his nephew J C Snead, both PGA golfers.  Don's brother Fred was the pro at the Bowie Country Club where I golfed for the 20 years I lived in Maryland and worked for Westinghouse.  Fred and Don worked up a package each year where 24 of us from Bowie went to the homestead for four days to play golf.  On Thurs. afternoon we played 18 holes on the old, original course.  Friday and Sat we played 36 holes, 18 on the Upper Cascades and 18 on the Lower Cascades.  Sam Snead would come out and play four holes with each of our foursomes.  On Sat. night Don would have us all over to his home for a steak cookout and Sam Snead would join us.  It was really a great time.
Well I met Don at 1000 for breakfast and we had a fun time reminiscing.  While we were eating J C Snead showed up and joined us for coffee.  He and Don are golfing and hunting buddies.  I was in HOG HEAVEN sitting there with a PGA player but he was also just a good old boy and had some great stories.  Too soon it was time to get back on the road so I said my goodbye's and hit the road.
Before leaving I had to ride around to the Homestead entrance and get a few pictures.

 



You can see the overcast in the background.  It was trying it's best to rain but never did.

 

My next stop was Covington VA and the Humpback Bridge.  Bitchin Betty took me over some unbelievable back roads but we finally made it to the bridge and I have to admit it was pretty awesome to see and to know the bridge was built in 1835 and all parts are wood.                   

After this I stopped at a super Italian restaurant Cucci's that was recommended by a guy at a gas station in Covington.  I was amazed, they had Peroni beer, a great Italian beer and a fantastic Stromboli.  After this lunch all I could think of was nap but I still had 70 miles to ride to Blacksburg and the cold, damp weather was getting to me.  Bitchin Betty took me on some of the worst back roads I have ever been on.  Speed limits were 30 mph and the roads had no centerline but had plenty of curves.  Being the exceptional driver that I am, there was no problem and by 1500 I had arrived at my hotel for the night in Blacksburg, home of the Virginia Tech Hokies.

So I am presently in my room with the heat on and enjoying my Manhattan and talking to y'all.  I hope your day was as good as mine.

 







 

 



 



 





1. 

21 Sept. 2015

Nothing to report today.  Had to hunker down and spend an extra day in Staunton due to heavy rains all day long.  My afternoon cocktail was still tasty and I got a good night's sleep.

20 Sept. 2015

I had plans to see a number of attractions today but as usual, plans don't always go as planned.  I launched out of Mt. Jackson right at 0830 and it was sunny and a little cool.  I road some real back, back roads where the speed limit was down to 25 due to the curves and hills.  My first stop was to be in Harrisonburg to check out the Crossroads Valley Brethren Mennonite Heritage Center but alas, it was closed.  My next stop was in Dayton Va at the Silverlake Mill but it was also closed.  Next I stopped in Bridgewater VA to see the Natural Chimney's Regional Park.  I had no idea what this was but it was open.  It was a very nice park with camping facilities and the Natural Chimneys which were something to see.

 

 

Then it was off to Staunton which was my last stop for the day.  I had read that if you went through Staunton you had to stop at Wrights Dairy Rite Restaurant.  It's a fifties type drive-in with 50's music but it does have inside seating also.  When you sit down there is an old fashioned phone attached to the booth.  You dial 71 and place your order.  I also read that if you were eating there you had to try the sausage cheeseburger.  I gave it a try with some red onion, tomato and mayo and it was outstanding.

Looks like I may be spending an extra day here in Staunton.  The weather forecast is for a 60%

chance of rain for the entire day.  So we'll just have to wait and see what develops in the morning.
Good night y'all.

19 Sept. 2015

I laid off the blog writing while I was in Gettysburg.  Of course the main purpose for going to Gettysburg was a squadron reunion of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 "The Silver Eagles" from Vietnam days.

The hotel gave us a conference room to use as our "Ready Room" and we met there after the days activities to have a libation or two, tell war stories and generally renew old friendships.  Squadrons had a mascot.  For instance, I was in 542 at one time and they were the Tigers.  The squadron had a Bengal Tiger skin complete with head and it was normally displayed in the squadron ready room and carried to the Officers Club on Friday afternoons for happy hour.  The junior Lieutenant in the squadron was responsible for the safety of the mascot and God forbid that another squadron should abscond with your mascot.  Well, there are no known Silver Eagles so that was a problem but when we were sent to Nam Phong Thailand from Danang in June of 72 our young troopers from the metal shop came up with what they thought was the answer.  They went out in town and bought some scraggily chickens and spray painted them with silver paint.  You had to be there to really appreciate it.
On Friday we had a two hour bus tour of the battlefield with a certified guide.  He really knew his stuff but there was just to much info in a short period of time to be able to retain it.  Sadly noted was the fact that in three days of fighting there was over 30,000 Union and Confederate soldiers killed.
After the battlefield tour we went to a wine tasting and after that we were the guests of General and Mrs. Grant for lunch and it was an outstanding lunch.

I had a really nice ride today on some great back roads where speed limits were 30 mph because of the curves.
So that's about it for tonight.  It's after midnight and 0600 comes early.  I have a good ride today with some interesting sights.
Goodnight all.

16 Sept. 2015

Good evening folks!  Another sterling day on the highways and byways of the Shenandoah Valley.  It was a little warmer starting out this morning.  Had a nice breakfast and was on the road around 0830.  Almost all the places I rode through today were colonial towns and heavily involved in the civil war.  I was happy to see that a lot of homes were still flying the confederate flag and I applaud them.  No confederate flag has ever killed anyone.  It does represent some 100,000 you men and boys who gave their lives for their beliefs.  Your beliefs may not be the same as their's but that's the beauty of this country, supposedly your beliefs are sacred.  I fought under the Marine Corps flag.  God help the poor dumb sombitch who tries to tell me I can't fly my Marine Corps flag.  Enough said.  I went thru a small town, MT. Jackson.  I had to stop and take a couple pictures.  Again, my picture taking cannot do justice to the scenery I am seeing but they refurbished the old train station into town offices.  There is also the old fashioned band stand and a green.  It brought back many memories of my childhood growing up in Brookfield and going to grammar school in New Milford.  New Milford had an expansive green and just about in the middle was a bandstand and in the spring, summer and fall in nice weather on Sundays bands would perform playing martial music.  Those were the days.  Here are the pictures of the train station...............

My next stop was the small, beautiful town of Edinburgh and it's mill.  I stopped to see it but it wasn't going to open for another hour so I took some pictures and moved on.  It is an impressive site and there was an impressive home right next to it.

From Edinburg I rode on to Woodstock, another beautiful, small colonial town and best known as the home of Massanutten Military Academy.  I stopped in at the Woodstock Café, got a great cup of coffee and sat outside watching people.  I was told that during the Civil War the students marched from the school and took up positions to protect the town from the "Yankees".  I refrained from telling them I was a "Yankee"
From Woodstock I rode through Toms Brook, a civil war town and on to Front Royal.  I checked out Chester St. which is supposed to be the oldest street in Front Royal and also the location of the Baithis House, the oldest home on Chester St.  Also there was the Belle Boyd Cottage in the same area.  Belle Boyd was a spy for the Confederate Army.

My next stops were White Post and then on to Stephens City which was known for the wagon industry and the craftsmen who built the wagons.  I was on Main Street and just happened to pass Granny's Kitchen, a little diner that probably sat no more than thirty people.  I did a U turn and went back.  Granny's special for the day was Pot Roast, potatoe's and carrots and green beans.  What a great lunch.  I wanted a nap but had to press on.  The next stop was 15 Tannery Lane and the Burwell-Morgan Mill.  This mill dates back to 1785 and is one of a very few mills that has an interior waterwheel that allows millers to grind nearly year-round.  It's amazing to see all this machinery and it's made totally out of wood.

 

 

I rode some great back roads and saw some beautiful scenery getting to the Burwell-Morgan Mill.  After the mill I was ready to call it a day.  The temp. had gotten up to 82 and I was ready for a cocktail.  Another great day.

15 Sept. 2015

Brrrrrrr!!  Got a wake up at 0600 this morning.  First thing, check the local weather.  It was 48 but climbing and was forecast to be sunny with a high of 77.  That's my kind of weather.  So I took my time, packed up, had breakfast and then packed the trailer.  Got on my coat and launched at 0830.  My first stop was Raphine and the Cyrus McCormick Farm.  For all you history buffs, Cyrus McCormick was the inventor of the McCormick Reaper.  I was the only person at this exhibit.  There was supposed to be a blacksmith working which is what I was really looking forward to seeing but he wasn't there.  As a matter of fact, no one was there.  All the buildings were unlocked and could be visited but there was no one there to tell you what you were looking at.

 

The building on the left is where Cyrus McCormick invented and built his first Reaper.  The mill on the right was built by his father to provide the family with corn meal and flour.

 

 

 

Next stop was historic downtown Waynesboro which was very picturesque.  As I turned onto W. Boone St., there was a fire house on the right and around eight firemen working on one of their trucks.  As I approached they apparently saw my Marine Corps flag and a couple shouted Semper Fi which I responded to and then stopped to talk with them.  It was just about lunch time and I was asked to join them at one of their local hangouts which served great burgers and some really good beer.  A lot of sea stories were told and a great deal of camaraderie was enjoyed.  It's always great to be amongst a bunch of Marines.

From there I was off on a really great ride through Grottoes and Elkton and on to Swift Run Gap and one of the entrances to the Skyline Drive  I took some pictures but pictures or at least the pictures I take cannot portray the exceptional beauty of the countryside.

 

 





Next it was the Skyline Drive for 40 miles at 35 MPH.  It was beautiful.  When I went through the gate at the start of the skyline drive, the temp was 75.  When I got to the top of the drive the temp was 64 degrees.  35 was a great speed to look all around and see the sights.  The ranger at the start of the drive said to watch out for wild turkey, deer and black bears and that was the reason for the 35 MPH speed limit..  I never saw a turkey, deer or black bear.  I guess I only see them when I'm driving on a highway at 55 and don't have time to stop.

From there it was an easy drive through Luray and on to New Market VA which is where I am spending the evening and enjoying my cocktail.  It was another great day traveling the Shenandoah Valley.



 





 







 

 



14 Sept., 2015

Another beautiful day to ride the Shenandoah Valley.  I got up at 0600 and firt thing I did was check the weather.  I was shocked, Rocky Mount VA was presently 47 degrees.  I did bring a warm jacket and gloves but it's no fun riding in the cold.  By 0845 it was 58 degrees and sunny so I hopped aboard the Goldwing and off we went.  my route today included Boones Mill, and then to Bedford which included a ride to the summit of the Legendary Peaks of Otter which are two very tall mountain peaks on the Blue Ridge Parkway.   But, I get ahead of myself because on the way to Bedford I stopped in Hardy VA to visit the Booker T. Washington Museum.  It was extremely interesting and very educational.  Being a Monday in mid Sept. I was the only customer there and sat in a theatre to watch a 15 minute video on Booker's life.  The museum is on the Burroughs Tobacco Farm which despite it's small size Booker always referred to it as a plantation.  He was an amazing individual who succeeded during very hard times because he wanted education and once he got it he wanted to pass it on to all who would come to obtain it.  The bottom line; through hard work and dedication he built what is now the Tuskegee Institute.  I was blown away when I saw the below advertisement for the sale of Negroes.  I don't know if I have the right words for it but it was just so casual as if, oh, if you're not busy on Saturday, we're gonna auction off a bunch of Negroes.  Y'all come and have a good time.

 

Well, enough of that but it was a worthwhile stop.  Next stop was Buchanan for lunch.  It was a quaint, small mountain town.  I rode up the main street and saw the Buchanan movie theatre which was the old 40"s & 50's type theatre.  I stopped a woman and asked..............if I was a regular in this town and was going to lunch, where would I go?  She pointed across the street to what looked like a 50's diner and said, right there.  She was right and the food and atmosphere was outstanding.  As I drove out of town I spotted this interesting home and had to stop to take a picture.

 

 

From there I was off to see the famous Natural Bridge in where do you think, Natural Bridge Virginia.  I was a little shocked at the tab to visit the Natural Bridge, $20 minus $2 for my service to the country but it was an awesome site when you know it was cut out strictly from water power.

 

 

After the natural bridges my next stop was going to be the Amish Cupboard in Buena Vista VA.  What a bummer, they didn't look Amish and didn't dress Amish and sold stuff you could get in most grocery stores.  So I left there and headed to Lexington which is my stop for the night.

 

All in all it was a great day with no intrusions from deer or buzzards.  I was hoping I'd see a Black Bear while traveling to the Peaks of Otters but no luck.

 

My cocktail seems to be better than normal tonight and now I will be off to dinner.  Hope y'all had a great day.  Mine was fantastic.

 

Toz

FIRST DAY

13 Sept., 2015

I actually got on the road at 0800.  I stopped at Gina's to see her and two of my grand kids Selah and Jack.  Gina took pictures but I haven't downloaded them yet.  Todays leg is probably the longest at right about 200 miles to Rocky Mount Virginia.  The weather was beautiful, with sunny skies and a starting temp of 64 degrees.  It never got above 73 the whole day.  I'm always amazed as I travel the back roads of this great land at just how beautiful it is.  I find myself thanking God for giving me the opportunity to perform this travel and view all this beauty.  I saw a lot of tobacco and beautiful farmland and went through a whole bunch of small towns and people actually waved and smiled.  I stopped to get gas and Goober had to come out and look at my machine so I gave him the grand tour and he thanked me and waved as I left.  I had lunch at Pookie's Place and some great BBQ.  I was the only white person in the place and I don't know if it was my blinding smile, the Marine Corps emblem on the back of my jacket or the fact that I was packing a weapon but I really had a great lunch and the folks were really nice. 
I left there and I was really out in the country.  I came around a corner on NC-58 and down the road a
ways were four buzzards who had landed on the road and were apparently refueling on some road kill.  When they saw or heard me coming three took off immediately.  The fourth must have been over max gross takeoff weight and was struggling to get airborne.  I was doing 50 and before I could get slowed down I saw my windshield and his rear end about to meet and a 3 or 4 pound buzzard is not what you want hitting your windshield at say 45 MPH.  At the last moment he pulled up and rolled left.  I hope he stalled, crashed and burned for scaring me like that. 
Ten minutes later my heart is just starting to beat at it's normal rate again when out of the woods on the left side walks a deer.  Now I've had some past experience with deer.  Two years ago I met one on a dark night with my Cadillac SRX.  We won but not without damage.  Now imagine, a dear versus a motorcycle.  There's no doubt in my military mind that in 99 out of 100 occurrences I will lose.  There is no consolation for the fact that I may have damaged him if I am damaged beyond repair.  Well, in this case I had an educated deer.  He stepped out from the woods, looked both ways, saw me and trotted across the road into the woods.  He didn't appear to be half as scared as I was.  For the rest of the trip I continually looked for his mom, dad, brother or sister but that was my only sighting.
Did not take any pictures today but will do better in the upcoming days.
The cocktail glass is empty so I have to start thinking about dinner.  It was a great day and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
Goodnight y'all.

9/11/2015

Started up the blog again today for my next trip.  I'm departing on Sunday the 13th for Gettysburg PA and a reunion with squadron mates from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115, the Silver Eagles where I served during my second tour in Vietnam, June 71 to July 72.  I'm leaving five days early to travel the back roads of the Shenandoah Valley visiting the small towns and villages and historic sights.  Interstate 81 runs basically south to north splitting the valley in half so on the way up I will visit the eastern side of the valley and on the way back I will take another five days and visit the western half of the valley.  Weather permitting, it should be a fun trip with some beautiful scenery.  Hopefully I can still get my leg over the gas tank and the GPS(BITCHIN BETTY) continues to work with little or no back talk or ideas of her own.
The preparation seems to be the hardest part of the trip but it all seems to be coming together and the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I'll be off and riding Sunday morning at 0800.  The first leg of the trip is mostly getting out of NC and arriving at Rocky Mount VA.  It's the longest leg of the trip at 199.5 miles.  I've tried to keep most legs in the 100 to 125 mile range so I have time to view all the sites I have picked out.  I will try to do better picture taking on this trip.
Well, back to work now.  Still have a lot to do.

Toz