I found this write up on Road Runner Magazine for a 315 mile loop around the Roanoke area. It actually originates in Natural Bridge near Lexington Va., but could easily be modified to start and end in Roanoke. No dirt roads, but it does sound like some of the roads would be a challenge. I just can’t imagine any hard surface road that a car can navigate anymore difficult on a motorcycle. If I went down to join you on this trip, I would be there likely May 3-5 since I have off Thr-Sat. So are you guys traveling down on Friday the 4 or Thursday night the 3rd?
Below you will find a picture of the route and the write up.
Here is the handy tankbag map they supply:
Day Four: Ah, the Mountains Again
Thankfully, the heat has subsided and we're heading west toward higher elevations on the final leg of our Virginia tour. Riding south on Route 11, we pick up route 43 in Buchanan. The cool mountain air filling our lungs seems to pump an extra dose of life into the ride, and the small, twisty roads leading us southwest offer up a non-stop helping of the pastoral scenes that make riding in this part of the country so appealing. Most of the small country stores are still in business and all of them are crammed with unique samplings of personality. If fried pies and eavesdropping on the local gossip sound like fun, then stop in and linger a little - no one will mind.
In the small group of houses known as Mechanicsburg, we hang a left on Route 738 and begin one of the most bizarre rides over a mountain we've ever experienced. If a trip to the Alps is on your list, then this odd stretch of road is great practice. Though it is paved, the asphalt is in questionable condition and barely stretches to one lane in places. The switchbacks on the east side prove to be quite the challenge, even for the deft 599. Anyone on a heavyweight machine should bypass this bit of the tour and find the way to Pulaski via Route 100 back to the north, because it's that hairy here. Pulaski's downtown has obviously seen better times as there are far more signs reading "This space available" than "Open." We opt for Mexican eats in a generic strip mall. While not the local flavor we normally look for, chips and salsa trump burgers in a bag along Interstate 81 every time.
South of Pulaski we cross Claytor Lake and stumble across one of the most entertaining roads we've found in a long time: Route 787 south near Snowville. Up, down, back, forth, sweeps, twists, no traffic, nice pavement, and frantically challenging are all descriptions flashing through my head as we negotiate this stretch. When we finally pop out on Route 221, Kathy demands that we stop for a breather. She's as wrung out as I am.
Just on the other side of Floyd, we pick up another amusing road in Route 860. This narrow piece of time-buckled pavement is best approached with caution. Sudden bumps and dips have Kathy airborne so often she accuses me of trying to get rid of her. At the bottom I assure her that I'd be hard-pressed to let go of any woman who can hang on through what we've been through today. Today's loop has been long, but there are still more back-road high jinks in store. We veer left on Route 40 and continue on with the carefree curve-carving.
Before long, at the junction of Route 220 in Boones Mill, we hang a left and head toward Roanoke. The last leg of this leaf of the tour consists of a leisurely ride on a road that no trip in this area is complete without - the marvelous Blue Ridge Parkway. When the sign for Route 501 appears, we're back where we started.
Though we've had a couple of tough days in the heat, our ride in this part of Virginia has been incredible as usual. Kathy and I have ridden all over the U.S. and even some overseas, but as I tell people all the time, my favorite place destination always has been and likely always will be the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. Here, there's an unbeatable combo of mind-blowing roads, great weather (as long as you stay in the mountains), and truly hospitable folks like our new friends at the Natural Bridge Hotel. Motorcycles are appreciated and accepted in these parts and everyone around here seems genuinely pleased to share their part of the world with you. For these reasons, Kathy and I have always felt at home here and will continue returning for as long as we're on two wheels.
