DAY 1 • VIRGINIA
The shrill, piercing sound of the motel room alarm clock shocks me out of a sound sleep at 4:00AM. No, this was not a practical joke perpetrated by the room’s previous occupant. This was self-inflicted. I had a big day in the saddle ahead of me. I wanted to get an early start on day number one of a Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle ride.
I was anxious to hit the road after two days of laying low at The BMW MOA National Rally. I pulled on my denim jeans and a pair of sneakers (it was still much too early for me to climb into my armored riding gear) and stepped outside the motel room. I gave a quick glance towards my BMW Motorcycle parked right outside the motel room door, then looked up at the night sky.
After what seemed like an interminable stretch of time with the skies obscured by the smoke of Canadian wildfires burning 600 miles north, something of a celestial symphony had unfolded overnight. The haze was starting to disperse, revealing a velvety canvas of blackness; the universe unveiling those twinkling little jewels called stars. Like little distant beacons of hope they were dotting the wide expanse of the night sky, igniting a sense of hope that I may actually be able to view the wonderful landscapes I’d be riding through today.
Gourmet Breakfast
I walked over to the only eatery open at this ungodly hour…the Waffle House franchise that shared the parking lot with my motel. Two cups of liquid caffeine and a plate of greasy food later I was ready to hit the road. I normally just have coffee in the morning and don’t take my first meal until late morning/early afternoon. “Two hundred miles before breakfast” isn’t any kind of special challenge for me. It’s my norm. But today I planned on riding my Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle ride ALL DAY. I knew that there are no food stops along the route so I got this feeding formality out of the way now.
I returned to my room, donned my riding gear and strapped my waterproof roll bag to the back of the bike. It was still before sunrise with just the first light of day starting to appear in the sky. Leaving Ashland I had a short 30 mile backroads blast that would eventually lead me out to I-64 near the town of Mineral, Virginia.
Rays Of Hope
As I motored along Route 610 near Holly Grove, VA I saw something that stopped me dead in my tracks. The sun! Yeah, I know that’s not such a big deal, but it hadn’t made an appearance through the Canadian wildfire smoke in the past five days. I pulled over on the forested roadside just to be present in the moment.
In the tranquil embrace of the hazy forest a ballet of light was unfolding. Luminous beams of light played a game of hide-and-seek with the foliage, casting a soft, diffused glow upon Mother Nature’s woodland stage. It is in these precious moments, when the light rays filter through the hazy embrace of the forest, that one truly feels the magic of nature.
Onto The Slab
I lingered by the the forest, captured a few choice photographs and climbed back in the saddle. A few more miles down this splendid rural piece of paradise and I would run into I-64. Interstate 64 is a major east-west thoroughfare in the United States, originating by The Atlantic Ocean in Virginia Beach, VA and crossing the country all the way to St. Louis.
Though I have grown to despise interstate travel over the years, I would use about 70 miles of the I-64 “mileage disposal unit” to get me to Rockfish Gap, Virginia; the northernmost terminus of The Blue Ridge Parkway and the start of my Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle adventure. I would also stop at the interstate exit just before Rockfish Gap to top off the fuel tank. Caution travelers: There are no gas stations on The Blue Ridge Parkway! I almost learned this lesson the hard way some 25 years ago.
About The Blue Ridge Parkway
The parkway passes through six separate mountain chains within the Appalachians. From Virginia, the first 355 miles follow the Blue Ridge Mountains. Near Asheville, North Carolina, the parkway winds through the Black Mountains, the Craggies, the Pigsahs, and the Balsams. The parkway ultimately ends at the Great Smokies in North Carolina.
In terms of a Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle experience I think I best summed it up in my Amazon #1 Best-selling motorcycle travel book, Road Work: Images and Insights of a Modern Day Explorer when I said:
“The beauty of The Blue Ridge Parkway lies in the fact that it was never designed to be a means of efficient travel between any two points. At 469 miles in length it is America’s longest linear park. Its very design dictated that large population centers were to be avoided. If your goal is to go north or south from point A to point B as quickly as possible this is not the road to take. In fact you would be going far out of your way if you chose this road to do so. There are no interchanges with any interstate highway and it is off limits to commercial vehicles.
One hundred sixty eight bridges, six viaducts and 26 tunnels are encountered along its length. In terms of overall distance, scenic beauty and the motorcycle riding experience it is one of the finest two wheel byways anywhere…certainly the finest in the eastern United States.”
Mile Marker 1
Being on a Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle run in the early morning hours is an absolute delight. The crowds of tourists that flock to the region are still partaking of their deluxe continental breakfasts being served up back at their hotels. You virtually have the entire road to yourself, and what a joy that is.
I have the entire day ahead of me and no specific time that I needed to be anywhere today. That in itself was a refreshing change after two days of scheduled events at the BMW rally that I had just left. I pulled off into one of the first scenic overlooks that you encounter heading southbound. To my delight you could actually see across the Blue Ridge Range. It was still a bit hazy, but a good deal of the Canadian wildfire smoke had dissipated by now.
To give you an idea of just how conducive this parkway is to sightseers, you will encounter 10 paved parking areas/scenic overlooks in just the first 20 miles of travel from Rockfish Gap. By the time you reach the end of your Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle tour you will have stopped at, or passed by, 194 individual scenic overlooks.
Today’s Route
By the end of today I’ll have put around 330 miles on the odometer. Quality, not quantity. Seventy miles of interstate travel is included in that final figure. Do the math. Two hundred twenty miles would be logged on just the Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle portion, with about 40 miles of secondary backroads through rural Virginia at the beginning and end of the day.
As the day progressed, and the further south I traveled, the smoky conditions seemed to continuously improve. The photograph below was captured at approximately 9:00AM.
By noon, the smoke had all but moved out and this Blue Ridge Mountain motorcycle run was looking more like a typical day in The Great Smoky Mountains. We won’t be hitting “The Smokies” until tomorrow, but if this trend continues it should be a glorious, clear second day on this excursion.
Biker-Friendly Accommodations
I’d be spending tonight at Oak Haven Lodge in the town of Floyd, Virginia. I’ve never been to this establishment before but it is a main-stay (pun intended) of the Long Island BMW Riders Club. It is located about 550 miles from Long Island and is the go to stopping point for the club when they make their annual run down to The Iron Horse Lodge in Stecoah, NC for a few days riding on the amazing roads in The Great Smoky Mountains region.
The lodge is small, quiet and has parking right outside your door to facilitate easy unloading and loading of your gear. Heading south from Floyd it’s just a short 6 mile blast back to a parkway access point to continue your Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle ride. A small brew pub is located directly across the street and often has food trucks parked there to serve up grub to the bar goers. They weren’t around on Saturday evening when I checked in so I took another step into the new millennium. I went online, set up a Door Dash account and had a sandwich and soda delivered from the local Subway shop. My fast food feeding frenzy continues.
The lodge was everything I look for on road trips. Neat, clean, convenient to exhilarating motorcycling roads, great hot water supply and strong WiFi. The only downside was a washout of bluestone gravel about 8 inches deep over the bottom half of the steep driveway up to the lodge. I had the presence of mind to stay on the throttle, keep off the brakes and plow my way up the incline. I made a note to myself. Self: Don’t hit your front brakes on the way out of here or you’re going down.
Still a bit smoky on The Blue Ridge Parkway in late afternoon
Saying Good Night
Being that it was only six miles back to the Blue Ridge Parkway I decided to take a quick burn just before sunset. The only good thing about the smoky haze, from a photographer’s point of view anyway, is that it allows you to shoot directly into the sun, capturing a dramatic image of that big red ball as it descends in the evening sky. So came to an end this first day on this Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle trip.
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Be careful on early morning starts. Early to me is a 1/2 hour before sun raise. The clouds have not yet lifted off the mountain
tops. I spent a hour in second gear with the four wayflashers on just looking at the center line. Then found an exit. Beside that a great highway to ride. I ride it on a week day and keep my speed 65 or less. Never had an issues. Do it once a year in late spring. Watch for bears (animals and park rangers) and deer. Great write up. Thanks
Thanks for commenting, Frank. Yes…wildlife can be a real concern; especially in those early morning hours.
Thanks for the great article. I also rode the Blue Ridge Parkway back from the rally in Doswell . I overnighted in Hillsville near the halfway point and finished up spending the night in Cherokee. I didn’t notice the wildfire smoke so much, maybe because the weather was dodgy Sunday night. I didn’t get too wet Monday morning. Tuesday morning found me searching for breakfast in Maggie Valley. There wasn’t anything open before 8am except for a little diner in the back of a filling station. Most excellent carbs, caffeine and local commentary. I left there to find a badly leaking front tire, and so Tuesday morning was an adventure in itself getting a new tire put on in Waynesville for the homeward leg. I appreciate the photos you took. I have a few of my own, but yours are better and I don’t have to lug all the camera stuff with me.
Our pleasure, Stephen. Yes, those storms that blew through on Sunday really helped in clearing out the wildfire smoke. The photo thing is an “occupational hazard”. My entire top case is filled with cameras and drone gear.
Beautiful! I’ve ridden the Skyline Drive portion of the parkway, from Front Royal to Rockfish Gap, and I’m making plans to do the Rockfish to Cherokee portion, maybe next year. Good job pointing out that you have to plan ahead to GET OFF of the parkway to get gas (luckily, I get about 190 miles on a tank loaded, but I still plan those stops carefully on the parkway).
Skyline is just the beginning, Steven. You’re going to love The Blue Ridge! It’s 4 times longer than Skyline with a higher speed limit and no admission fee. Allow two days, especially if you want to take any side trips or short hikes. Thanks for commenting.