Meandering Through Virginia

Sunday, 13 September

A very peaceful night. Cool temperatures meant we did not have to run the air conditioner. A least one of the campers had a fire, so we got a smidgen of smoke smell in the window.

Our plan for golf today was the Front Royal Golf Course, a nine-hole course that has different tee boxes for playing 18 holes. In previous travels, we had played one of the other two courses - Sly Fox Golf Course and Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club. However, they were completely booked till mid-afternoon. Front Royal Golf Course is a first-come/first-served course, as we learned when we called yesterday to make a tee time. They said that 9:30 looked pretty good, but earlier would be likely be less crowded.

As Shenandoah River State Park was about 30 minutes away, we set an alarm for 7am to arrive about 8:30 for golf. Even with Darrell posting the blog this morning (he had finished writing it last night), we were rolling out of the campsite at 7:50.

We arrived to see a number of golfers had already gone off. As soon as we loaded up, we went to the tee box and found the next group was already a couple holes ahead. We both hit great drives, yet each made bogey. Kris picked up a stroke on the second hole. And again on the 5th. And two strokes on the 7th to make the turn four strokes up.

Just as we teed off on the 9th a single golfer caught up. At the turn, we offered to have him go in front of us. He was reluctant, so we asked him to join us as we could see the second time around was going to be following four-somes and a lot slower that the first time. Billy was fun to play with. He hit the ball about as far as Darrell, and made some good shots as well as some shots he wanted to do-over. Just like Darrell.

Darrell picked up a couple of strokes at the beginning of the back nine, and thought he might have a chance. Was not to be. Kris hung in to tie the back nine and she finished ahead for the day.

The course was okay to play - about 2/3rds the price of Sly Fox, and about 1/3 the price of of Blue Ridge Shawdows. Several holes required tee shots though slots what were only 10 yards wide. For the men's tees. Ladies tees were more friendly. All in all, we both played pretty well.

As we got close to the golf course earlier, Sprinty's eagle eye shotgun rider (Kris) spied a Starbucks, so she was eager to pay up. After the Starbucks stop, we headed for the entrance to Skyline Drive.

Almost three years ago, Sprinty drove the Skyline Drive (and Blue Ridge Parkway) on the way to Georgia.

Photo from November 2017:

The last time, in early November 2017, when we arrived late in the afternoon, they closed Skyline Drive just as we pulled up to the entrance station due to sleet and ice. So we took a chance it would reopen in the morning, got a campsite in Front Royal for the night. Sure enough, they opened Skyline Drive just a few minutes before we pulled up to the entrance station the following morning. Our drive that day was cold, overcast, misty and trees were coated with ice. The roads were fine. But it was an icy wonderland kind of drive and the scenic overlooks were all socked in clouds.

Today was a mix of weather. A lot greener than the last time. Lots of bike riders, which reminded us of when Darrell and Jean rode the length of Skyline Drive with a Navy group, while Kris sagged. We stopped at the first few overlooks and found we usually could see better from the cab of Sprinty as we here sitting so much higher than if we got out.

With 75 overlooks, we decided to be choosy about which ones we stopped at.

Before long, we got into the clouds, with visibility down to less than 1/8 mile in places. So many of the overlooks looked just like we remember them from three years ago - like looking into a fog bank.

Our original plan was to spend the night at the National Park campground at Mathews Arm. However, the combination of starting golf early, and playing the first nine holes fairly quickly, resulted in us arriving at Mathews Arm about 1:30. We decided it was a little early to stop for the night. We stopped by the campground checkin to confirm what we had seen at the entrance station - that there were vacancies at the Big Meadows campground. Jodi, the Ranger, called ahead to confirm. We drove through the campground just to check it out.

We continued the 27 more miles to Big Meadows Campground. Just past the Thornton Gap Entrance to Skyline Drive at about mile marker 32, we went through a tunnel. The tunnel clearance was 12'-2". No issue for Sprinty. Sprinty was originally 9'-9", and now stands about 9'-10-3/4" tall due to the addition of the Fantastic Fan vent cover (+1") and relocating the SiriusXM antenna to the top of the vent cover (+3/4").

When we got to Big Meadows Campground checkin, there was a long line. We briefly got concerned, but as Darrell walked up, most of the vehicles in line pulled out. With only a couple of minutes wait, Darrell learned they had lots of sites available and the Ranger picked a nice one in the A loop for Sprinty.

With no cellular service, we enjoyed a peaceful afternoon. After awhile, we broke out the eBikes to ride through the campground, down to the Visitor Center at Big Meadow, and up to the Lodge. About 6 miles of riding total. The campground was maybe about 2/3rds full, primarily smaller RVs and tents. Perhaps the tunnel height restriction kept some bigger rigs away.

When we got to Big Meadows, we had zero cellular service on our iPhones (Verizon). The cell booster took the Verizon signal from no bars to 1 bar 1x - useless for anything requiring data, even simple texts. Not surprising as National Parks are usually away from everything. Maybe the National Park Service also makes it hard or impossible for cell providers to install the towers and infrastructure in National Parks. Or there just isn't a business case for cell providers to make the investment. We then checked AT&T (Darrell's iPad and the cellular modem (Cricket) we got for the trip to Alaska). Zero service. Even with the cell booster on. So we were resigned to the reality that we were going to experience camping in the wilderness like when we grew up.

After dinner, on a whim, Darrell fired up the T-Mobile hotspot and we were amazed to get 3 bars LTE. The T-Mobile hotspot has a small data cap, but video streaming of certain sources, like YouTube, does not count in the limited data cap. Which is the primary use and reason we keep it active. Ahhh, the advantage of having multiple cell providers in your kit. Minimal internet let us check email, get iMessage texts (texts from other iPhone users), and feel connected slightly.

Monday, 14 September

A very peaceful night - the low temperature reached 58 degrees, which made for pleasant sleeping. Pleasant enough, we slept in until almost 8am, a rarity. As we did our breakfast routine, the fog rolled in, making us in no hurry to head out as there would not be much to see.

When pulled out, visibility was down to just over 100 feet, making 10mph the maximum safe speed. As we exited the campground, all of a quarter mile away, we started planning where we were going to park until the fog lifted. As we made our way to the Big Meadows Visitor Center about a mile away, we dropped in elevation about 100 feet, got below the cloud, and visibility was just fine.

We drove rest of Skyline Drive to Rockfish Gap Entrance Station located at the gap where I-64 and US250 cross the Shenandoah Mountains. We enjoyed vistas both to the east and to the west. Traffic was very light, as expected for a weekday. As we pulled off into a pullout just outside the Rockfish Gap Entrance Station, we were faced with the classic Yogi Barra "When you come to a fork in the road, take it" moment. Quite willing to take it, the choice was which way. West? East? After all, we had no real plan for the day except to finish the Skyline Drive, which we had just accomplished by 11am. Lacking much internet last night, we chose to use what internet we had for more important things like email, texts, and streaming YouTube videos.

Consulting TrailLink.com, we looked for biking trails as an option. The closest candidate was in Charlottesville, but the reviews said was not very nice for biking. Looking a little further, we found the High Bridge Trail that was 32 miles long, and ran from Pamplin City, VA to near Burkeville, VA.

https://www.traillink.com/trail/high-bridge-trail/

From TrailLink: "The central feature for which the High Bridge Trail is named is an unforgettable experience, towering 125 feet above the mighty Appomattox River and nearly a half-mile (2,440 feet) across it. The bridge's breathtaking view of the surrounding Central Virginia countryside, combined with the ease of getting here—the trail is only about an hour's drive from both Lynchburg and Richmond—make it a must-see destination.

During the Civil War, the bridge—now included on the National Register of Historic Places—was a strategic point for both Union and Confederate soldiers; both armies made attempts to destroy it to prevent the other side from crossing the river. About a dozen miles from the west end of the High Bridge Trail is the famed Appomattox Court House, where General Lee finally surrendered. Several museums and other historical attractions in Appomattox make the town a worthwhile side trip."

We decided to park near the mid-point in Farmville, VA. As we entered the town, we spied a municipal parking lot with plenty of spaces just after we crossed the Appomattox River.

After getting the bikes ready, we rode the block and a half on the sidewalk along Main Street to where the trail crossed Main Street.

We crossed and started heading for the namesake High Bridge. The trail surface was very smooth - well compacted limestone.

As we rode, we compared it to our gold standard, the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail we ride in Pennsylvania. Darrell commented that it was as good at the GAP, and Kris replied it was nicer.

About 4 miles from Farmville, we arrived at the High Bridge. An interesting quote on the sign was "There have been higher bridges not so long, and longer bridges not so high, but taking the height and length together, this is perhaps the largest bridge in the world." C.O. Sanford, Southside Railroad Chief Engineer, 1852

We cruised slowly over the bridge - Darrell enjoying the view but careful not to have another Oops. Kris rode down the center, uninterested in looking around as she is not fond of heights.

After crossing the bridge, we continued east. The rail bed was quite a feat to construct. In addition to the High Bridge, there was a lot of fill needed to have the rails at the proper elevation in the rolling terrain. Considering that the railroad was built in the mid-1800s, it was quite the task to move that much earth to construct earthen "trestles", some of which were over 50 feet above the original terrain. It made for a wonderful bike trail as we know Rails-to-Trails constructed on former rail beds to be.

After about an hour, we stopped for our customary snack stop at just over 11 miles. Darrell had decided that Kris would decide when we turned around. Reviewing the trail details, Kris elected to ride the remaining 3+ miles to the end of the trail. As we continued east, the trail looked a little less maintained. The trail surface was still as good - just the leaves and such were more prevalent.

As we continued, we guessed that this end of the trail was not used as much as there were no further trailheads. When we got to the end of the trail, it ended almost as abruptly as the Western Maryland Trail. Only no barricade - just a narrow gravel trail leading on into the woods.

Darrell offered for Kris to lead on further, she declined.

We rode back to Farmville, logging just over 30 miles for the day. After loading our bikes, we headed for Twin Lakes State Park about 20 minutes away. ReserveAmerica showed several sites available for the night. When we arrived, the Ranger gave us a list of available sites and let us drive through the small campground and pick. We picked a nice level spot, and were glad we did not try and reserve online where it is hard to figure out slopes, shade, etc. Of the 8 sites available, two were ideal, the others not so much. We could have made any of them work - just nice to able to back in and be done.

Tuesday, 15 September

Yesterday, we elected to play golf at The Manor Golf Club in Farmville, VA. There are four golf courses near Farmville, three of them being only nine-holes. The Manor Golf Club was the only 18-hole Course in the area. When we called, we got the tee time we requested, which surprised us as often golf courses have leagues in the morning.

From the golf course web site: "The Manor Golf Club is a one of a kind golf course in a spectacular setting and features bent grass greens, fairways, and tees."

The course was a challenging layout - the slope rating for Women on the Red tees was 137. Kris later said she could not remember ever playing a course with a rating that high. It was also a very pretty course. The practice range was closed, so we spent just a few minutes practice chipping and putting. We were the first golfers to tee off this morning, with only a single golfer warming up. We both hit great drives. Unfortunately, Darrell's ball decided to play hide-and-seek in the creek on his second shot. He managed to get up and down to salvage a bogie. While we both were hitting well, the extra distance took a toll on Kris' score. Darrell was ahead at the turn despite losing three balls. As we made the turn, we estimated there were maybe four golfers out on the front nine behind us based on the number of cars in the parking lot.

The back nine was similar. When it was all done, Darrell donated four balls to the tall weeds, and Kris donated three. Darrell took honors on the day. We basically had the course to ourselves. While it was a tough course, we enjoyed having to figure out how to play the holes and took great pride in making the challenging shots.

Various artifacts of the course - cart path condition, deteriorated wood bridges over water feathers, etc, suggested this course was developed in the mid-2000s to anchor upscale homes built along the golf course. The real estate crash put an end to that plan, so today, the golf course has been around for 13 years, and only four homes were built.

After golf, we headed southwest for our overnight stop, which conveniently passed through the city of Danville, VA, which had a Starbucks. Kris invoked the 10-stroke rule, which is that if the winner wins by 10 strokes or more, then he/she has to pay up with the next larger size Starbucks. A small consolation for the disappointing score, however, once the course rating was factored in, Kris almost played it to par.

We decided to see if we could get in to Goose Point Campground in Bassett, VA, one of four Army Corps of Engineers parks on Phillpott Lake. Selected in part because of the Senior Pass discount (50%). Recreation.gov showed available sites. Having Fairy Stone State Park nearby as a backup helped.

Goose Point Campground is located about 5 miles off the main road. Five miles of winding, hilly road with sharp turns. If it had been a gravel road and a little narrower, we would have rolled down the windows to listen for banjo music.

When we arrived, the staff gave us a list of available sites, but made clear we had to reserve whichever site we picked in Recreation.gov. We could not reserve the site at the office. As Recreation.gov reviews indicated adequate cellular service, we did not see that as a problem. We decided Site 17, a nice backin site by the lake was perfect and there was adequate internet to be able to book it quickly.

After getting settled, we went for a walk around the campground. Down by the boat ramp, there was a sign showing some of the recreation high points of Philpott Lake.

When we arrived earlier, we saw a couple of Roadtreks already in the campground. Pretty unusual for us to see more than one other Class B RV in a campground. Later we observed the couple from the Roadtrek with New Hampshire plates was visiting the Leisure Travel Van camper with New York plates two sites over - so we figured they were just friends getting together at this park. Little did we know.

As we walked by, the group at the Leisure Travel Van site consisted of five people sitting around a campfire. As we looked at the group, we recognized Carol from Georgetown, KY whom we knew from several Roadtrek Rallies. Carol recognized us and waved us over.

Turns out we had stumbled on some Roadtrek friends who had traveled from Kentucky, New York, and New Hampshire, that were gathering at this particular campground for a get together. Four were solo travelers, and one couple. The Liesure Travel Van owner was a former Roadtrek owner.

Long-time blog readers may remember that Carol was the damsel in distress that Darrell helped on the Illinois and Michigan Canal Rally we did two years ago. Darrell fixed her water pump. As the couple looked familiar (Bob and Kit from New Hampshire), we learned all had attended the Roadtrek Chapter Rally that we attended in Foxborough, MA last September.

All were COVID cautious, which suited us fine. We spent almost two hours around the campfire sharing stories. Until twilight and dinner called. So amazing to encounter Roadtrek friends we knew in such a remotely located campground. What a small world. Or what a larger circle of friends we have made traveling in Sprinty.

Wednesday, 16 September

As we started this trip back to Georgia, we decided we would follow a rotation of golf one day, bike riding one day and weather one day. As weather has cooperated so far, today is a bike riding day (not to worry - weather is forecast to be the main event Thursday and Friday as the remnants of Hurricane Sally move up the east coast - sort of like rain taking a rain check.

One of our objectives on the trip was to ride on the New River Trail which runs from Pulaski, VA (near I-81) to Galex, VA. From TrailLink: "Southern Virginia's New River Trail is one of America's premier rail-trails and has been designated as an official National Recreation Trail by the US Department of the Interior. It is also a state park running through Grayson, Carroll, Wythe, and Pulaski counties along the New River. In 1986, the Norfolk Southern Railroad donated the railroad corridor, which originally served to supply the once expanding iron industry to the Commonwealth of Virginia."

https://www.traillink.com/trail/new-river-trail-state-park/

After reviewing the trail map and the reviews, we decided to start our ride at the Cliffview Access just outside of Galex, VA. The reviews indicated this was a very scenic part of the 57.7 mile trail, and we knew we would enjoy riding along the river.

We purposely left leisurely as temperatures were in the low 50s and we wanted to give the day an opportunity to warm up a bit. It was an hour and a half drive to Galex, VA. We arrived about 10:30 to a nearly empty large parking lot. The State Park day use fee was $7 - which we thought to be good value for such a nice place to park Sprint for a few hours.

Before starting the ride, we consulted the trail information.

We were disappointed to see that the sign did not show the trail going along water until we got to the New River, 9 miles away. Not to worry - the trail followed Chestnut Creek all the way to the New River, crossing it several times. The ride from Galex to where it crossed the New River at Fries Junction was slightly downhill - as the creek was flowing in the direction of the New River. We saw some nice flow along the way.

One of the differences we noticed early in the ride was that the trail had more curves than many Rail Trails we had ridden. The curves were such that we could not ride abreast at times out of concern for an oncoming biker coming around the bend. We liked the curves and water features - it gave the trail a lot of character.

Just before getting to the New River, we rode though a tunnel. The tunnel was not very long, but it had enough curve in it that you could not see out the other end.

At Fries Junction, we once again had come to a fork on the road. Left was a spur that went to Fries, VA, right went downriver along the New River to Pulaski, VA. We decided to ride to Fries, VA today, leaving other sections of the trail for future rides. As this was along the New River going upstream, the trail had a slight incline to it - Fries Junction was going to be the low point of the trail today.

When we got to Fries, the Trail ended at a state park parking area adjacent to a city park by the river. In the distance, Darrell saw a dam/spillway with flowing water. Like a bug gets attracted to a light at night, Darrell continued towards the dam, riding down a street, a narrow walkway to avoid riding in the street, across a patch of grass, and down a rutted dirt road.

We enjoyed a nice view while we ate our lunch at what seemed to be a diversion dam for a power generating station.

The ride back was quite nice - slightly down as we followed the New River back to Fries Junction, then slightly up as we followed Chestnut Creek back to Cliffview. On the way back during a rest break, two guys riding eBikes stopped to chat. They were riding Juiced eBikes, which Darrell had researched in our buying decision. Nice bikes, slightly higher specs on components (shifters, battery, motor, etc). They had questions about our eBikes, and one guy really liked our fat tires.

With rain forecast for Thursday and Friday, part of our trip planning became where did we want to spend the days in the rain. In normal times, we would seek out museums and other indoor points of interest that are not weather dependent. Unfortunately, indoor museums and such are not within our risk criteria.

Darrell called a county park in High Point, NC, to see if they had availability. Part of the selection process was that the park had good ratings, claimed to have internet (many parks make this claim, no all deliver), and cable TV. With two inches of rain forecast, we decided we did not want to go anywhere on Thursday, and just maybe, the cable TV would include the Golf Channel.

David, the staff at the RV park, said he had sites, and tentatively assigned us to C12. After a quick stop for groceries, we headed southeast to High Point, crossing out of Virginia about 20 minutes into our 90 minute drive.

Thus ends Sprinty's meandering through Virginia. More to come as Sprinty is trying to stretch this adventure to the end of the month.