Get-away Day and ride to Nowhere?

Ron, Lisa, and I say our goodbyes.

The beautiful Shenandoah Valley

Doc skylarking

Historic marker

  Friday morning is our designated departure day. There is still more of the convention to go, but Doc and I have an appointment in Sandusky, Ohio to see some vintage motorcycles engaged in a cross-country race. Doc and I hook up with my shipmate Ron and his wife Lisa for breakfast and final goodbyes. During my time on the USS Andrew Jackson a bunch of us rode motorcycles and it was good to get together with one of my shipmates and talk about old times. Ron invites Sandy and I to their home if we are ever in the Houston area. Doc and I mount our iron horses and blast on out of Norfolk on I-64. We have around 380 miles to go and need to put some road behind us as we rocket to Charlottesville, Va. and US-250. We stop for a quick lunch and Doc is telling me stories of when he attended UVA in Charlottesville. Lunch done, we continue our trip up US-250 and into the Virginia countryside. We traverse both the George Washington and Monongahela National Forests. It is some of the prettiest country you will ever see. We climb, and twist, and turn our way to the top of Mount Sydney where I yank us off to a scenic lookout. We were treated to an absolutely stunning view of the Shenandoah Valley. We meet a director of a local group home for developmentally disabled adults. Or as he refreshingly put it, "I work with mental patients." He tells us about a few of the small towns we would pass through and wishes us a safe journey. He was a Southern gentleman and sounded amazingly like historian Shelby Foote. Doc and I wind our way down into the valley and through several quaint towns. We pass through Virginia and into West Virginia where after some miles decide to take a break and get some cold water. A small store and even smaller gas station bracket the road. Having no precise idea of where we are, I whip out the iPhone and hit the map app. Imagine my surprise when I cannot connect to any network! Hey Verizon! Can you hear me now? Nope! We are officially in B.F.E. ! We find from the locals that we have quite a ways to go and there is a large storm front brewing in the mid-west. More twisties and beautiful countryside lie ahead, but  darkness looms and we are glad to pull into Bridgeport and our hotel for another well deserved rest. Next installment . . . . Storms and Cannonballs!