The Road to Damascus

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There are many routes from Arlington to Damascus VA, the starting point of the Mid Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route (MABDR). Most of them require going South on I 81, a truck filled artery linking industrial towns in the gritty underbelly of the Mid Atlantic states. This freeway strikes fear into the hearts of ordinary four wheeled motorists -- and panic into two wheelers like myself. So Beth and I chose the most round about option, and headed for the town of Monterey in Highland County, Virginia, where we own a cabin. We spent Saturday night (June 27) there enjoying the quiet cool evening. Sunday I started South, following VA Route 92 to White Sulphur Springs and the famous Greenbrier Resort. From there the route followed the Greenbrier river til it emptied into the New River at the Bluestone Dam. I didn't realize it at the time, but those two rivers are part of the Mississippi watershed, and empty into the Ohio. I wandered around the dam for a while in the rain, and then continued SW through the valleys of West Virginia. It was a perfect day, and with no one on the roads, the motorcycle was in its element. At Princeton WV I came up against one of the huge, out of place, underutilized interstate highways that West Virginia is famous for. Interstate 77 carves its way North/South through West Virginia. I took it due South through two huge tunnels to I 81 for the final lap to Abingdon VA.

I don't know if it is just me, or if it always rains in mid summer in the mountains between Bland and Roanoke. Whenever I go through that part of the world I get wet, and today was no exception. The summer drenching proved a good test for my recently waterproofed suit and boots (some leaks, what can you expect).

Checked into a good Covid aware hotel -- masks and distancing required -- no restaurant service -- and met up with two more bikers headed for the same route as I - the MABDR. The were from Indiana no less. Big new bikes. Smooth road tires. I'm not sure they will get far. Running back to the hotel room in the rain with my takeout dinner I realized how Covid-19 was going to make this trip a lot more lonely than I was used to.

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Photos

The Mid Atlantic Discovery Route
Illegible map showing general features of the 9 section ride.

The Bluestone Dam on the New River WV
Built just before the Greenbrier River empties into the New River, on its way to the Ohio and the Mississippi.

Comments

[Beth]

Damascus
Any epiphanies on the road to Damascus?