Starting Location: Loft Mountain, VA (Skyline Drive)
Ending Location: Jonestown, PA
Daily Miles Ridden: 260
Cumulative Miles Ridden: 1010
This Day's Route: North on Skyline Drive to Front Royal VA, Hwy 340
to Winchester VA, I-81 north to Jonestown PA [8].
Here are some scenes from Skyline Drive.
The Big Meadows at Mile 51.
I saw many deer on Skyline Drive. One bolted out and ran directly in front
of me for about 100 feet before exiting to the woods. The deer population has
skyrocketed across the country in the past couple of years resulting in many
deer strikes. I try to avoid riding at dawn and dusk in rural areas when the
deer collision risk is greatest.
After Skyline Drive ended and the route changed to I-81 my riding style switched from casual low speed scenic touring to pounding the slab to put down some miles. Both are fun - the scenery isn't nearly as nice on the Interstate highways but it's rather exhilarating to cruise along with the engine turning over 7500 rpm (I won't mention what speed that corresponds to). The bike is well suited for either riding style.
I skirted Harrisbug, PA right at the afternoon rush hour. Traffic was stop and go for miles, compounded with construction delays. It became miserable wearing the riding suit in the direct sunlight without airflow and the bike temperature gauge kept rising towards the overheating zone. I was almost ready to pull over to let the engine cool down when the congestion finally broke.
I took the first exit outside the metro Harrisbug area that had signs indicating camping was available. It was a KOA but I thought I'd try it anyway as there wasn't much else around. Much like the other KOA's I've previously stayed at it was crowded, noisy, and expensive ($29 for a naked tent site). Oh well, it was only for one night.
On a more positive note, I did enjoy a very good meal at a local country restaurant that evening.