The New Virginian - transplanted from Wyoming

[DouglasR]

Well, it's a done deal now. Love makes a person do funny things. After living in Wyoming for 34 years (since I was 16) I have met a lovely lady from Virginia and decided to relocate to be closer to her. Virginia is For Lovers, you know. It hasn't hurt that Virginia is also loaded with fantastic motorcycling roads, literally EVERYWHERE you go. OK, maybe not in the DC metro area, but the rest of this area is simply outstanding! My new home is in Lexington, Virginia, a small quaint town of about 7,000 people located in the upper (southern extreme) Shennandoah Valley between the Alleghany and Blue Ridge Mountains. There are NO straight roads in the region. Even the Interstate is twisty and enjoyable to ride (well, at times...).

 

So after 34 years in the West I'd had enough of the ugly, dry, empty, windswept, barren country. I mean, Wyoming and the surrounding country is just not a lot of fun to ride scooters in. Take a look at the rugged conditions motorcyclists are forced to endure in that God-foresaken country:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that's just a sampling of some of the less-offensive spots in that State; it gets worse as you get into the more remote areas:

 

 

 

 

Check out this Hell-hole!

 

 

 

Or this place, OMG what a dump!

 

 

And the surrounding States aren't much better.

 

Utah:

 

 

 

Colorado:

 

 

 

Arizona:

 

 

 

Idaho:

 

 

Montana:

 

 

 

Oregon:

 

 

 

Washington:

 

 

 

OK, so British Columbia is stunning. It's the exception for the West.

 

 

 

More torture in a minute.... I'll download this sad tale of a mis-spent life in chunks.

[LJR]

Yeah, I can see why you left. Lot's of new things to look forward to. have fun.

 

BTW, where's this?

 

[SageRider]

Truly tragic that you've experienced such utter ugliness in the west...

Love, of course, cures all. (well, almost all. What love doesn't cure, Penicillin does... )

[OoPEZoO]

Yeah, I can see why you left. Lot's of new things to look forward to. have fun.

 

BTW, where's this?

 

 

I got this one. Chief Joseph Highway (296) in the north west corner of WY. I could run the loop of Chief Joseph and Beartooth Pass (212 in MT) all day and never get bored. They are both truely awesome roads.

[Joel]

Doug, you're forcing me to re-think why the hell I still live here. Geez, the West just plain sucks!

 

Best wishes to you! I lived in North Carolina for 5 years, so I know what you mean about the roads in that region. Certainly different than I-80 across Nebraska or I-70 across eastern CO and western KS.

[Marty Hill]

Best of luck in your new situation.

[DouglasR]

Thanks, guys! I just spent an hour putting together The Rest Of The Story, hit the download button, and got an error message that said "this form is no longer valid". Poof, gone. Damn. I'll post the Virginia side of the story soon! It's been a blast so far, and I've only just scratched the surface!

 

 

Doug

[marcopolo]

My God, he's come up for air. Hi Doug.

 

P.S., if you take too long with a post, it will time out. Try drafting it in a word processor, then just copy and paste into the board.

 

Speaking of your old neighbourhood, who could stand this for too long?

[DouglasR]

Mark! I've been BUSY!!!

 

Yeah, I see you've figured out the time-out thing too. I was going to use that picture in my post, but it didn't have ME in it! That's some Dude from Ottawa or some other God-foresaken spot carving a turn near Silverton.

 

So, let's try this again:

 

It turns out that I had too many motorcycles. I know, that's hard to comprehend, but DAMN there's only so much time in a day and I hate to see them go unridden! So, the KLR250 and DR650 were sold to happy friends who will use them with joy. The K75 (what a fantastic bike!) was given to my riding buddy and deserving son as a college graduation gift:

 

 

That left me with two boxer twin scooters to load onto a 5X10 flatbed trailer - tricky! With some creative chocking and careful loading, they fit but just barely. Ratchet straps are essential.

 

 

 

One last stop at a favorite dirt riding area, then off to Laramie to see my daughter at college.

 

 

After a very emotional visit (I admit, I cried) with my daughter, it was off to Virginia! Sorry, no photos of the trip between Wyoming and my new home... The view was mostly the butt-ends of tractor-trailer rigs for almost 2000 miles. I went through West Virginia in the dark - must go back! I thought it looked pretty nice, even in the dark!

 

Someone was very thrilled to see my gypsy wagon pull into her farm yard. She lives in a gorgeous area with a creek running through her property and surrounded by mountains. From her ridge, looking at the surrounding area:

 

 

And looking from the mountain toward the farm, with the Blue Ridge Mountains on the horizon:

 

 

So I've learned to post in small chunks... again.

[DouglasR]

My new house sits on a hill overlooking Lexington, the upper Shennandoah Valley, and the Blue Ridge Mountains. At night I can see headlights of cars on the Parkway. It's about a ten minute drive up Highway 60 to the BRP, almost all of it gorgeous. More on the BRP in a minute.

 

 

 

 

There are deer everywhere! Luckily, they're small. I caught this one grazing in my yard one afternoon:

 

 

I was a bad boy, busy with my new life and exploring the area, so the grass got a little long. Luckily, it's true that "Nothing Runs Like A Deere"!

 

The ride between my house and the Farm is just about ten miles and it's gorgeous all the way. The roads are in great shape, with some sections of gravel. The riding begins at my driveway:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love how the trees make a canopy over the road, but sometimes they're a hazard. These are black walnuts, kinda like riding through tennis balls. I hope one never hits me as I ride or drive by....

 

 

 

OK, post before losing again.....

[DouglasR]

Now back to town from the Farm:

 

 

 

 

 

We rode out to Goshen Pass one afternoon to view the colors. It was glorious, but we've been in a drought so the Maury River was kind of low. We've since had 12" of rain in three days, so the water has come back up some.

 

 

 

The New Virginian:

 

 

The BRP is fantastic! I've had the opportunity to ride most of the northern half several times, but have yet to get south of Roanoke. I haven't made it up to Skyline Ridge yet either, in Shennandoah NP. That's only about 50 miles away, via the BRP. Just no time so far. Anyway, there are so many beautiful places along the BRP it's hard to pick just a few photos:

 

 

 

 

 

Post!

[DouglasR]

More BRP:

 

Well heck, now it seems that SmugMug has crashed! I hope it wasn't me...

 

More later when they are back on-line.

 

Guess I need to update my avatar too, huh?

 

Doug

[marcopolo]

Great pictures, and a beautiful area. Katherine and I will have to check out the flora and fauna in person! It's only 1100 kms from Ottawa.

 

Yes, you do need a new avatar.

[bakerzdosen]

Yes, you do need a new avatar.

And location in your profile...

 

Great pics. I hope you (two) have fun out there. I've never been out there on a bike, so it's good to see the area from that perspective.

 

As a side note, the board won't time out if you keep previewing your posts. Just hit submit (with the preview box checked) every 8 minutes or so, and you can merrily keep posting.

[Ben_Ricci]

Loved your post and all the pics! Welcome to the east.

[DouglasR]

Man, you guys are demanding! I'll finish the post and then take on the avatar and info update.

 

OK, so back to the BRP. It's Fall now, so the colors are outstanding!

 

 

 

 

It's not all fun and games out here.... I'm not quite used to the cuisine, for example. There are lots of these things running around on the Farm, I guess they are raised as a food crop. This is a dish that I don't think I'll ever get comfy with:

 

 

I commute to Roanoke to work every day on Interstate 81, so traffic is a little more than I was used to.

 

Wyoming:

 

 

Virginia:

 

 

The trees are EVERYWHERE. We needed some firewood, so we cut down two standing dead oak trees in my back yard and got over two trailer loads of wood out of them. I'm used to cutting and splitting pine, so this was WORK. The maul just bounces off the damned things. Pine is not to be used.... trash wood.

 

 

Well, I have to sum it all up now by saying I am quite happy in my new life. Not having to endure fugly stuff like this anymore has been easy to get used to:

 

 

I must admit to missing some things about the West, though:

 

 

Life is good! If you are out this way, give a shout and I'll try to join you on a ride! I've met a lot of fine people on the BMWST Board (yes, even Whip), and look forward to meeting many new friends in this area.

 

See you out there!

 

Doug

[Whip]

Louise and I are wishin you all the best!!!

 

Thanks for the pix.

 

Maybe you should bring your new friend to the UN so we can all meet her.

 

Whip

[TyTass]

It's not all fun and games out here.... I'm not quite used to the cuisine, for example. There are lots of these things running around on the Farm, I guess they are raised as a food crop. This is a dish that I don't think I'll ever get comfy with:

 

What? It's just cat ... the other white meat!

[Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs]

Congrats Douglas! Uhh, you need to change the location as it appears under your avatar.

[Endobob]

Fantastic pictures both from your previous and current homes!

 

You will soon learn to love western VA, WV, western NC, Northern Georga, and much of Tennesee (Caroseega)!

 

I remember meeting you at this year's Spring Torrey and you mentioning your likely relocation to Virginia. I look forward to seeing you at our BMWST spring gathering yet to be named!

[Calvin (no socks)]

Doug, Welcome to the Right Coast.... Looking forward to bumping into you again at one of the BMWST events....

Now we don't have a member in Lander to post pictures of snow in June....

[Bill_Walker]

P.S., if you take too long with a post, it will time out. Try drafting it in a word processor, then just copy and paste into the board.

 

I'll do that if I know ahead of time my post is going to be long, or that I'll spend a long time on it. Otherwise, before I hit the "Continue" button, I hit Command-A (Ctrl-A for Windows) to select all, and Command-C (Ctrl-C) to copy my long post to the clipboard. Then, if I get the "timed out" message, I can just go back and paste my whole post back into the window and hit "Continue".

[Bill_Walker]

 

I can beez Cheezburger? (see http://www.icanhascheezburger.com)

 

Great pics, Doug. I've been to Lexington, and it's a great little town. And I can see from your marvelous pictures why you were in such a hurry to get out of the west!

[eddd]

Now back to town from the Farm...

 

 

 

 

...Post!

 

Come on Douglas...You are holding out on everyone.

 

You moved 2,000 miles for a reason, and it wasn't the trees and roads of Virginia...

 

And do we get to see a picture of the real reason you moved??? Noooo...Only a teasing shot shot from the rear!!

 

Time to show everyone the real reason for the big move!

[DouglasR]

Sorry, eddddddddddd, she's a very private lady and well known in the area, so I didn't want to stick her photo out there on the Internet. C'mon out and join us on a ride and I'll introduce you. You'll just have to use your imagination until then! And you're right, completely jacking up the life I've known for 34 years and moving 2000 miles wasn't about the roads and riding out here. I'm happier every day with my decision; she's an outstanding person and I'm a lucky man. And the roads around here really are quite nice!

 

So, now my avatar and info have been updated. It's official!

 

Doug

[eddd]

Sorry, eddddddddddd, she's a very private lady and well known in the area, so I didn't want to stick her photo out there on the Internet. C'mon out and join us on a ride and I'll introduce you. You'll just have to use your imagination until then! And you're right, completely jacking up the life I've known for 34 years and moving 2000 miles wasn't about the roads and riding out here. I'm happier every day with my decision; she's an outstanding person and I'm a lucky man. And the roads around here really are quite nice!

 

So, now my avatar and info have been updated. It's official!

 

Doug

 

OK, I guess we'll just have to wait. She must be special to have precipitated such a move. Nice to "see" you are so happy! We should all be so lucky.

[jbr7t]

Welcome to VA. I'm a bit east of you in Hanover County. Just north of Richmond. Can't wait till you invite me out for the weekend But seriously, lets try to get together and go riding sometime soon. have a great weekend.

[Tank]

Doug, I have just caught this post.... i am really happy for ya and i send best wishes to both you and your lucky lady.

[TNT]

Doug, I will miss you man! Good luck brother, you know all the rest. keep in touch. Richard

[hANNAbONE]

yOU lIL' ball of crap...!

 

quit it...with the tempting me of going back to the big Wide-Oh-Ming...!

[DouglasR]

yOU lIL' ball of crap...!

 

quit it...with the tempting me of going back to the big Wide-Oh-Ming...!

 

Thanks, you guys, I can just feel the LOVE!

 

Seriously, I do appreciate all your kind thoughts. It's very different out here but I'm very happy to have made the move. Hopefully it will take Whip a while to find me....

 

You know, I discovered that cars are allowed on the BRP! It turns out to be pretty darned fun, too! On the advice of my pal MarcoPolo, I bought my first new car in 14 years. I believe in maintaining them and driving them forever, but having only a 3/4-ton 4X4 truck out here just wasn't practical, so I bought this little Mazda3 hot rod. Love it!

 

 

This photo was taken on the BRP about 15 minutes before I earned my FIRST EVER performance award! Thanks for the great advice, Marco! I'm almost 50 and have been driving and riding fast motorcycles for 36 years, and I get my first ticket ever driving my new little sporty car. Oh well, I guess I'm still WAY ahead of the curve...

 

Thanks again for all the good thoughts!

 

Doug

[BFish]

so she's a CIA agent ..as long as the VP doesn't know her we won't tell . i like the color of her hair!

 

she must be special...you left an amazing part of the world. at least you've got lots of exploring to do. have fun and good luck.

[marcopolo]

Nice car, but keep the speed down Doug.

[Paul Mihalka]

Welcome to the Mid-Atlantic! If you got your high speed award on the Blue Ridge Parkway the good part is that it won't show up on your driving record. It is a federal citation that does not go into state records. DAMHIK. Watch out for Virginia tickets. They can be tough.

[DouglasR]

Hi Mark! I'm just kidding, it was me behind the wheel and in control, so no one else to blame.

 

Unfortunately, Paul, we were on our way down Highway 60 from the BRP into Buena Vista and I got caught in their little revenue-enhancement zone (aka "speed trap"). Hwy 60 is an 8% grade down for about five miles with many curves, then it straightens out for about a mile before hitting BV city limits. They've got these miniscule signs whispering slow down, and the speed limit goes from 55 to 35 in about 200 yards. I was doing 58 in the 35, so it hurt $$$. And I do believe it goes on my record.... There's a letter from State Farm in my mail pile that I haven't had the courage to open.

 

It's not like Salt Lake City when Mark and I rode through at 1:00 PM on our way to Spring Torrey; we were in the HOV lane doing 80+ and I got passed on the right by a little old lady in a Dodge mini-van! I do miss the higher tolerance for speed out West.

[marcopolo]

It's not like Salt Lake City when Mark and I rode through at 1:00 PM on our way to Spring Torrey; we were in the HOV lane doing 80+ and I got passed on the right by a little old lady in a Dodge mini-van!

 

Yeah, and it was just around that time that we saw the police Harley on the right shoulder with all its lights on, and the LEO standing beside it brandishing a radar gun. Good thing that RV intervened.

 

BTW, that unopened letter from State Farm may have to do with the speeding ticket I got in your pickup in July. I might have forgotten to mention that.

 

 

 

 

 

Just kidding.

[bmweerman]

Wow! Beautiful shooting and congrats on your love life.

[DouglasR]

so she's a CIA agent ..as long as the VP doesn't know her we won't tell . i like the color of her hair!

 

she must be special...you left an amazing part of the world...

 

She is a rare and beautiful person. I'm quite lucky! I haven't had a single second thought about this move, but there are of course some things I miss about the West (it's so BIG, for one thing). I like the color of her hair, too! Did you notice that she's wearing a BMW baseball cap to keep it under control?? What a gal!

 

Yeah, Marco, that's the first time I've ever been happy to have an RV on the highway near me as I ride. Oooops!

[MikeRC]

Doug:

 

I won't be heading across the continent to visit for a couple of years (next sabatical should be 2011), but I hope to see you again before that.

 

Best wishes, glad you have met someone special.

 

Look forward to more updates.

 

Mike Cassidy