I’m happy to say that the 3rd edition of Motorcycle Journeys Through the Appalachians is done. Cooked. Submitted. I was happy to do it, but am equally happy to move on to other things.
This edition will contain five new loop rides and two new basecamps. Four rides and a base camp are in Ohio. I’ve added Bluefield, WV and a new ride in that area.
Perhaps more significantly, the new edition contains a lot of new pictures, and not just mine. I asked Journeys readers to submit some of their favorites and I got a lot of great pics. I think the pictures taken by others adds a fresh perspective and I’m looking forward to seeing the new edition in print.
Is that Ohio 555 ?
Nope, this one’s along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Do you know when this new edition will be available to purchase?
I would hope by April, but it may slip a month or so. Definitely the first half of this year.
Are you planning a trip?
Yes, we are planning to ride the Blue Ridge down to the Deals Gap and Cherohala Highway. I am not familiar with this area so I think your book would be a great help. We plan on riding for about 9 days.
Well you’re doing the right thing by carving out some time for the ride. Unless you want to be able to say you’ve ridden the entire Skyline Drive and Parkway, I’d suggest skipping Skyline and entering the Parkway at Crozet or, if you want the best taste of Skyline, get on at the US 33 crossing. The last 30 miles of Skyline are the best and least traveled. The Parkway in two days is a stretch. It is much more enjoyable in 3 days. I like riding the Cherohala into TN and then ride US 129 east into NC. Other roads down there are just as much fun, e.g. NC 215, NC 28, US 276. Have a great time and be sure to report back. And feel free to ask any other questions as you make your plans!
Thanks for your input. We are starting from Michigan, So I was thinking of starting at Front Royal and riding the Skyline and Blueridge. Four of us are going all with touring bikes and this is our first trip leaving the wives at home, so we will be able to enjoy long days of riding. I will wait for your third edition for a while but if it takes too long I may just buy the second edition. Thanks again for your fast response. Can you tell me approximately how many days you think it would take for Skyline, Blueridge, Cherohala, and Deals Gap.
Ideally, I’d give 3 days to Skyline and the Parkway. You’d be well positioned then to ride Cherohala and Deals Gap in a day. Skyline is approx 115 miles @ 35 mph, Parkway is 470 miles at 45. You can comfortably ride 40ish on Skyline w/o risking a ticket, 50/55ish on the Parkway.
If you start at the northern entrance to Skyline at the start of Day 1, Hillsville/Fancy Gap is approx 315 miles south. Roanoke is 230 miles south. there isn’t much in between, so I’d aim for one of those as a stopover. Day 2 I’d aim for Asheville on a normal pace. Blowing rock/Boone on a slower pace. Day 3 Cherokee. Day 4 Cherohala/Deals Gap.
Hello again, I just had a couple more questions if you don’t mind. Can you tell me why you recomend skipping the first part of the skyline? Also does your 2nd edition cover other rides around Cherokee other than cherohala and deals gap? Thanks for all your help, We are looking forward to the snow melting and taking this trip.
Happy to answer any questions you have. My initial response may have been a knee jerk reaction since I’ve ridden Skyline often. The reason I said that is because the speed limit is so low and it can be crowded with people stopping every time they see a deer. If you are on Skyline during the week rather than the weekend, it’s a lot more tolerable.
You’ll want to check the Parkway site for road closures because there have been sections closed in the past year or two that have had multi-mile detours (like forty, fifty or more). So, just keep in mind that in riding the Parkway end-to-end, there may be some sections that you don’t actually get to ride due to constructions/closures. That’ll just give you a good reason to come back again.
The 2nd edition rides are centered out of Brevard, NC. I biased the riding toward that area because I wanted to stay out of the Sevierville/Dollywood area of Tennessee.
Well wouldn’t you know, my copy of your book (second edition) arrived in the mail just today and you have a third edition coming out – congratulations!
A coworker had loaned me his copy and I was so pleased with what I saw I had to order my own, which I plan to ruin with drool and markup scribblings while waiting for better weather. Some great stuff in there.
I did see mention of a what looked like a discussion board to submit suggestions for other routes, is this the right place or where would you recommend?
Thanks again and good luck on your other projects – ride safe!
Hi Eric, I’m happy you found the book useful. I have to admit, when it’s time to do an update, I really enjoy the “research.”
Feel free to post any comments here about other routes you’d recommend. Where’s home for you?
d.
Thanks Dave! I can only imagine how grueling the drudgery of investigating good backroads can be, heh heh!
Most of my riding is commuting in the Northern VA / Washington DC area and although I’ve been riding a while (on and off since my teens, now 48) I’ve only done a small amount of recreational riding – looking to expand that, hence the interest in your excellent book. At the same time, I’ve found some nice stuff while exploring but have only recently found a decent way to do any online route planning that’s worth sharing. Here’s a route I’ve been toying with on google maps and just put together at the “Ride with GPS” website which seems to actually work very well and has some cool features:
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/27742
It would be really nice if Google Maps Streetview worked with that route planning site but you can’t have everything. So to check out some sections of that route with Streetview (where available) here’s a link to the intersections along the rote in regular Google maps:
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=37.0625,-95.677068&spn=49.444078,135.263672&t=h&z=4
I ride a ‘zuki VStrom DL650 (Wee-Strom) and am in Gainesville VA, which is where that route starts out at. Streetview is killin’ me now that I’ve seen Paint Bank and some other areas down around Eagle Rock and Roanoke, etc. 3 hours ride away…arrgh!
Gainesville. Yep. I’m in Herndon. We’ll have to do some exploring this summer.
I’d be VERY much up for that, sure! I’m a proficient rider, not a pro, but not crazy. Have a few local-ish routes that I’ve been playing with that might be interesting if you’re up for it and time allows. Either way I also plan on enjoying some of the routes in your book, thanks!
Dale: I have been reading and re-reading and enjoying your book, Journeys through the Appalachian Moutains. My husband and I are planning a week-long motorcycle touring vacation for this upcoming summer. We will trailer and stay at hotel and ride all day long (every day if I have my way). So far it looks like staying in Lexington VA during the weekend and Mon then driving to Front Royal and riding around there during the week. I like that you have some local rider routes in your book. We are planning on riding the rides you describe for that area. And even though we will be there a week, I bet we won’t get to ride them all! Got any recommendations? We live in TN, close to “the Snake”. It is a great local ride.
Marianne I appreciate the kind words and I’m glad you’ll be joining us in the Commonwealth for some great riding this year. If you’re planning to stay in the Lexington area, check out Llewellen Lodge (http://www.llodge.com/) or Rider’s Rest (http://www.ridersrestbandb.com) – both are very rider friendly accommodations. I can’t remember the name of the loop now, but if you only do one out of Lexington, make sure it’s the one through Monterey. You can also contact the Lexington Visitors Bureau for a ride guide they put together that includes good backroad suggestions. Out of Front Royal, I’d recommend the Seneca Rocks Loop as the “must do” of the ones in that section, or maybe the Cannaan Loop. Or Home Country. You just need to make your trip TWO weeks.
Wow, thanks for the ride and lodging suggestions. We do get to ride in VA a lot since we live in NE TN. VA’s roads are good ones! I was planning on incorporating the”Highlander Loop” in our summer travels since you described Route 39 as “no finer road for motorcycling” and Route 250 as “widely known among area riders for its twists and turns”. And if your descriptions match the rides, I am so looking forward to the Front Royal rides as well. As long as the weather cooperates we are planning on ~150 mile rides a day so I hope we can get in as many as possible. I have been using your book to plan our weekend rides as well. Your advice hasn’t dissappoined us yet!
Hello again Dale, can you tell me where I can purchase this book.
Hi Barry,
Turns out the publisher decided to hold the 3rd edition until this winter. They needed to let the inventory of the 2nd edition clear the retail channels. So it’ll be this winter before the 3rd edition comes out.