Riding, Camping & Motorcycle Parts (p3)

23. Feb, 2010 0 Comments

(Part 3) BY MARILYN ELMORE BRAGG

I left the Blue Ridge around the town of Webster and started making my way back west toward I-81 and Route 11. I found myself heading toward the city of Roanoke on Route 221, I then switched to Route 460 West in the city of Roanoke. It’s not long before I find my way back to Route 11 and the small town of Salem. It was in Salem I had to assume something wicked had come my way. It was apparent to me that vehicles were staying too far back from my rear fender. Knowing before that I was about to lose my tail light assembly I figured that I finally had. I kept going, looking for an Auto Zone or something. Seeing one, I stopped, looked at my fender where my stop light assembly was and seeing that it was still there was a bit of a relief. What wasn’t there was my lens and light bulb. OK, this was much better than losing everything. Walking inside I find that the guy behind the desk is a biker too. He helps fix me up and now I have a nice red lens and a new 1157 bulb in the socket. I’ll make it home the rest of the way with no problems. My tent site was only a mile away.

Pulling into my tent site and since it was still daylight out I gathered an armful of wood for a fire that night. I drank about a gallon of water, ate a hotdog with a small bag of chips (which I bought at the campground store) and relaxed. I slept well through the night awakening only twice, once because of a thunder storm passing overhead and the second time was a nature call. I visited the natural outhouse rather than making that dreaded trek to the shower house since it was quite a walk away and my body was stiff as hell. I didn’t want to get chilled and besides I’m lazy cuss who doesn’t mind peeing in the woods.

I wake up the next morning refreshed and ready to ride! I pack up my stuff, bungee everything back on the bike and head south on Route 11. I continue on 11 until I get to Fort Chiswell in Virginia. At Fort Chiswell, I shoot on Route 94 South until I come across Route 619 at Porter’s Crossroads. Here I take 619 west to Route 69 west and keep on that till I hit US 21 South at Speedwell. Wow, all I can say is if y’all haven’t taken this route, you should. I took US-21 South to Route 58 west. It’s all great riding once you get on Route 58 west which is designated as a scenic byway and good Lord is it ever!

The road has as many bent crooks in it as a knurled and twisted grandfather oak. It coils around this stream and up that mountain. These two roads afford views of checkered farm lands and grazing animals
and of acres of primal forests. Route 58 west is not to be ignored. One really needs to take this ride!

Route 58 hooks up with Route 91 south, which will take me home. I cross the state line into Tennessee and realize the ride is almost over. In three days of riding I had put 1,023 miles on the odometer of my bike. It seems all too soon. Time to make plans for another ride!