Appalachian Highways – October 2005 New Site, Foliage Rides, PARR Presentation Greetings from Appalachian Highways, Looks like the rains came to the region a little too late this year to benefit the fall foliage, however, the riding will be as fine as ever. I've put together a few ideas for day rides out of the mid-Atlantic and a few other things I've come across over the last few weeks. In other news, I'm happy to announce that I've launched a totally revamped site for Appalachian Highways to serve as a foundation for this newsletter as it grows. I hope you'll have a chance to stop by and see what's new. Kudos to Carol Lawson at Studio150 for a kickin' design. New site: http://www.appalachianhighways.com Carol's shop: http://www.studio150.com Many Happy Journeys, Dale ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Foliage Rides Gettysburg, PA: Some of my favorite foliage riding begins around Gettysburg. The hills west of town are home to acres of apple orchards. The foliage might not be spectacular this year, but the sweet aroma of apples never fails to disappoint. The best way to get right to the good stuff is to head out of town on PA 116 and then make the right on Cold Spring Road. From downtown, that's about six miles west. Cold Spring runs about 10.5 miles, becoming South Mtn Road before it ends on PA 233. Follow PA 233 north for a smooth, tranquil run through Michaux State Forest. This is one of my favorite routes in PA. From there, I've run as far north as Landisburg and headed west on PA 274, working my way over to US 522. You'll want to plot that out on a map for exact mileage, but those are some fantastic roads for laid back fall touring. If you happen to stick around Gettsyburg for an evening, check out the activities at the Farnsworth House Inn. They offer ghost tours and tales from the crypt in the cellar. Creepy fun! Farnsworth House: http://www.farnsworthhouseinn.com/candlelight-walks.html Michaux State Forest: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/michaux.aspx Sperryville, VA: Riders on US 211 crossing over Thornton Gap have developed a bit of an, er, reputation for reckless riding in the last few years. I'd recommend you ride over, enjoy the views and curves responsibly and show them how it's done, legally. US 211 is great, but I wonder why there's so much emphasis on that one road where there are so many other great ones nearby? For a fun ride off the beaten path in that area, get out your map and find the following two roads on the western side of the Blue Ridge. Following US 211 west, pick up US 340 from Luray to Front Royal. At Front Royal, ride VA 619 over to VA 678/675 which runs right through the GW National Forest. Here's a link to the route I mapped out using a new "map share" feature that is part of Street Atlas 2006. Hope it works for you! http://mapshare.delorme.com/Consumer/V.aspx?p=yj1rg5yz Berkeley Springs, WV: You may recall I wrote about the Berkeley Springs Studio Tour in the spring. Sandy and I spent a day and a half wandering around the countryside visiting artists working in glass and metals, weaving baskets, hammering iron, and more. Everyone we visited was creating beautiful work and they're all very rider friendly. The fall tour is Sat/Sun, October 22 and 23. I couldn't offer you a better guide to the backroads than what you'll find by visiting these artists in their studios. Be sure to stop at Tara's for lunch in town. Directory/Guide available at: http://www.frogvalley.com/studiotour.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Presentation at PARR Potomac Area Road Riders (PARR) have invited me to come over and chat ‘em up about the Motorcycle Journeys book. PARR is a non-denominational riding group that welcomes motorcyclists of all ages, styles and marquees. They're a busy group as all the activity on their website indicates. If you're in the area and get a chance, I hope you'll stop by. Main site: http://www.potomacarearoadriders.org Event: http://www.potomacarearoadriders.org/portal/EventView.asp?event_id=318& ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Found something interesting in your own Journeys? Please forward your discoveries to me at: editor@appalachianhighways.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Help Us Build Our List If you know someone who enjoys exploring the Appalachians as much as you do, please direct them to visit http://www.appalachianhighways.com and click the "Join" button. Recommend us to your friends -- there is strength in numbers! ----------------------------------------------------------------------