2018 - Day 14

Both of us were exhausted last night, being outside all day does that, so we had a great sleep. I was even physically tired from riding the bike through all the corners, that's how many there were. The sky was clear, with the promise of a warm day ahead this morning, exactly the kind of days we are hoping to have while we are in the area here.

We got ready fairly quickly today, had breakfast, and then our morning devotional and prayer before we hit the interstate. There was a half hour ride on I-81 and I-66 to get to Front Royal, where we started the Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park.

It took very little time to get up to a bit of elevation, where we were treated to vast and expansive views all day long. The drive is 105 miles long, with a maximum speed limit of 35mph. It took us almost exactly 7 hours to do it, pulling into well over half of the 70 overlooks along the way. A couple times we had a snack while taking in the views. We talked with a few people along the way as well, and though the park was busy it never really felt that busy.

We saw a bear walking down the road about halfway through our ride, and he seemed surprised to see us. He tried getting up the rocks beside the road, and was standing on his hind legs, looking right at us as we passed by. Between mile 96 & 97 we saw another mama bear, with two little cubs, almost within arms reach on our right side. We turned around and rode by slowly, while Leona took a video. My wife has taken many of the pictures that you see on the blog, and it's great to get some of the riding pictures that I can't always safely take on my own.

Once we got off Skyline Drive, it felt really loud and busy as we rolled into Waynesboro. We rented a room here, easily the worst one we've been in on this trip. It's not very clean, poorly maintained, and just downright a little sketchy. The stupid thing is we thought we would save a little money, but the exchange is so bad that it's still around $150 for the night. Hotel costs will be significantly higher this year than my previous trips. A room rate of $90USD is over $130 in Canadian dollars by the time your figure in the taxes and exchange. Getting anything under $150CAD seems like a total bargain already, and it's not like we are staying at the Ritz every night, just the regular Holiday Inn, Hampton, Best Western.

All in all it's been a great ride so far, well over 6,000km traveled to get to this point. It's been safe, the weather has been good, and we've seen some amazing country already!


Just after 10am and starting the 105 mile Skyline Drive











They say Virginia is for lovers...