Bike Virginia's Fall Foliage Festival 1996

I went the "I did it all" route, and had 65 miles on Saturday 26 October and 45 miles on Sunday the 27th. The event was extremely well organized, with registration at the Kate Collins Middle School in Waynesboro that included a short class in safe bicycling. Saturday's routes went north of town, up to Pineville, with lunch at the Grand Caverns in Grottoes, VA. Sunday's ride went south, and included a trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway from Reeds Gap to Love Gap. One rest stop was in Sherando, and the major Brunch stop was in Stuarts Draft. The color route maps are fantastic, and the nice red long-sleeve t-shirts are really great for these pleasant fall days. (We were lucky, it was warm, 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit, and the rain stayed away during the ride time.)

Quite a few Amateur Radio operators helped with the ride, and at least three riders were on the air (not me this time :-), my radio is being repaired). There is interest in a more organized Amateur Radio particpation in the next Bike Virginia ride.

The climb up to Reeds Gap really made the day interesting.

While the mountaintop leaves have faded, lower elevations still had some brilliant fall colors. After Sunday's ride I drove along the "76" bike route, down from Afton Mountain and east to Charlottesville. There are amazingly spectacular landscapes in that area. Someday soon I'll have to bike it.

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mb@rf.org Last modified: Tue Oct 29 21:15:21 EDT 1996