Surely beats working (my first ride report)

I had a surprise mid-week day off a couple of weeks ago and decided to test out my new Seat Concepts seat with a half day ride to Staunton River State Park. Mapquest says there and back would be 140 miles but I took the scenic route. I'm not a great writer or photographer but I enjoy reading others' day trippin' reports and snapping some pics along the way forces me to stop and smell the proverbial roses instead of getting into my usual RIDE-RIDE-RIDE mode.

The ride got off to a bit of a late start due to me swapping the GPS mount from the 919 over to the DR. Perhaps it was ceremonial; I really like the DR.

First stop was in Shoofly. It's Chrstmas time in the city....

I've passed this lake a number of times on a motorcycle but never stopped for a pic. Amazing what you see when you pause... A little path dipped down to a prime fishing, pondering, photo taking stop beside Chub Lake.

I had only gone a few miles when I stopped again. The old bit of road I parked on was the roadbed before the After Bay Reservoir was created and you can see where it connected on the other side. Writing this up, I was curious when the bridge was built but a quick google search didn't reveal the secret.

Just as I turned onto a little back road, I was stuck behind a slow truck. Breath in, breath out. Stop! Hackberry... what an odd name for a community. I don't know the origins, but I bet I'll remember the name now that I stopped and took a picture. The pokey car was long gone after the stop.

No, not that Brooklyn, this one :

More, please! I love a good DR650 ride report! When I moved to Virginia from Wyoming 4.5 years ago I sold my DR (and KLR250) and really miss them. I just could not afford to move 5 motorcycles along with all my other crap .

I hear you - it's frustrating sometimes trying to find out about things you see on your rides. Lots of history in this area just flies right by me without me really understanding it. We had some hackberry trees in our yard at one time; I wonder if the two are related?

Ride on!

Doug

Doesn't look like that other Brooklyn.

This place caught my eye then piqued my curiosity. When I was a teenager I spent 4 summers working on a tobacco farm. We planted it, topped it, suckered it, primed (cropped) it, hung it, cured it, and sheeted it to be sent off to the market. But what the heck is a tobacco factory? Well, to add to my list of verbs, I came home and googled it :

http://www.oldhalifax.com/county/RiverRoadTour15.htm

I made my way through the hectic traffic in Scottsburg VA to Staunton River State park. Scottsburg fascinates me but not enough to stop and take a picture. Of course, reality is it only took me ~15 seconds to blow through town. I didn't blink, but I still missed it. I was lucky to find a parking spot at lunch :

Now this is what ADVers live for.... Pictures that make your mouth water. Here you can appreciate my skills with a camera as I zoom in on a tennis ball and a brown bottle of mystery liquid. I still enjoyed my lunch. As real estate agents say it's all about LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.

Serenity achieved on the banks of the Dan River, where it flows into Buggs Island Lake. Something about water on a cold day makes me cold. This day wasn't particularly cold (~50 degrees) but after sitting beside the water a while, I could have sworn it was cold.

I think the CCC story is a great part of US History. I don't think it could happen today. Would thousands of men willingly go live apart from their families in substandard housing to do manual labor? Would it be labeled a big government entitlement program? I certainly don't want to start a political debate but those are the thoughts that ran through my head as I read this plaque.

Hey xKLR John,

Very nice first report. I have added pictures on here in the past few years but NOT YET any ride report. Thanks for stepping up and doing this one.

It gives me courage to maybe do one myself. I have six bikes and a 4 wheeler and have done many rides and pictures but just haven't done a report.

You da man.

Les in Boise

Staunton River State Park is on a peninsula bounded by two rivers. I like to go there and hike because you can hike a nice big loop around the entire park. In addition to my water obsession, I like boundary lines and the hike hits the park's boundaries. There was no hiking on this trip. I snapped this photo of the other river, the Staunton. The way sun was hitting the tops of the trees was nice, like a sunset or sunrise, but my feeble photo fails to capture it. Use your imagination!

Ok.. Here's where the report gets exciting. I hit gravel! Woohoo, I am a mighty ADVrider now. I read another daytrippin' report where the author included a link to his trip across Mongolia or something as a disclaimer to prove he was legit. Well, I don't have that report to back me up. I am a daytripper, no more, no less. On this trip, the tires touched gravel for a few miles. This was a pretty view alongside that road.

oooo... Look ma, no pavement!

cue the Bruce Springsteen soundtrack... only I'm not so sure that the Glory days in Virgilina were ever that glorious. This old building might have been as good as it ever was. If nothing else, this town should get an award for creative naming. It's just on the Virginia side of the NC/VA border and is named Virgilina. NC has a town a bit east of Virgilina named Norlina. Really.

GPS shot. And the verdict is in on the Seat Concepts seat; it rocks! 4 hours on that seat is approximately equivalent to 30 minutes on the stocker. I think the ATV seat pad on top would enable a ride to Mongolia, if only I could schedule the vacation time.

Great report on your surrounding area. I sold a DR650 with that same type of top box on it last year. Need to get another one for my KLR. Thanks for the time and work to share your area with us.

Aha! Hackberry trees. I had never heard of such. Thanks for the clue.