Well, as it turns out, addiction prevailed over common sense. I got a call Saturday morning at 10:00 from Paul (UUBusa) who was patiently waiting for me at the Sheetz in Winchester. I had assumed nobody else had Busa fever as bad as me to even attempt such a stunt, but I was very wrong. Paul is one sick puppy.
So, one of my non-busa riding buddies and I scrambled to get our gear and meet Paul in the Balmy 40 degree weather. The three of us made a quick stop by Shenandoah Honda to pick up some additional layers (neck warmer & better gloves), then headed on our way. Only a few miles into the trip, the drizzle started. Soon we we hit the mountains and blazed our way through the thick fog once we hit cloud elevation. By the time we got to Romney, we realized this trip might not have been one of the smarter moves we've ever made.
Luckily, the rain or snow never materialized as it could have, and the worst of the conditions was the persistant, bone-chilling wet cold that would never leave us. Occasional road spray and drizzle problems hampered visibilty and traction, but we took it easy. Sort of. At each town we rolled into, I looked for the bank time and temperature signs, and they all said 40 degrees. No too bad until you factor in the wind chill at 60 mph which comes out to 25 degrees.
Despite the numb fingers and sore muscles from being tensed up and shivering for 8 hours, we had a great time. Even under the most miserable of conditions, the scenery was still spectacular. I can't wait until it's sunny and green. The roads are a great mix of elevation changes, straightaways, gentle predictable twisties, and tight mountain twisties. Unfortunately we hit the thickest fog of the trip while crossing the mountains south of Seneca Rocks, and we missed some of the best panoramic views available. We could barely see the road edges, or oncoming cars for that matter. Many sections of the ride parallel rivers and streams through the valleys, with a nice potpourri of farms, mountains, rock formations, and quaint little towns.
Bring your cameras folks. I hoping the weather on May 7 will allow for some beautiful shots.
Finally, after pre-riding the route, I sketched out a tentative agenda with starts & stops, breaks, gas stops, rest stops, etc. with approximate time and distance info. Follow this link:
Here's a few pictures of us freezing our b*lls off yesterday. Did I mentions we're idiots?
www.warrenbrown.com images missing
www.warrenbrown.com images missing
www.warrenbrown.com images missing
