I am sure there are more but here are a few Northern Virginia and surrounding area events of which I am aware. If you know of any others please add them in the comments.
Ride for NF – June 8th
Back of the Dragon Days – June 13th – 15th
Ride your bike to work day – June 16th
Maryland/Delaware HOG Rally – June 19th-22nd
ABATE of Virginia Rally – June 20th – 22nd
HOG Worldwide Ride – June 22nd – 23rd
Virginia HOG Rally – June 26th – 28th
Late Saturday evening Debbie and I rode the new bike to our friends (Tim and Karma) home. We were spending the night there with the plans to take a long ride Sunday.
We have all done the Rolling Thunder event multiple times and decided to take a break this year from this year’s festivities. We had no particular destination in mind until we were ready to pull out, then we decided to cruse to Solomon Island (which has an interesting history).
While Tim and Karma had both been to the Island in the past this was the first for Debbie and I. The ride out was outstanding, not much traffic (by DC standards anyway), warm but not hot and clear sky’s made the ride out very pleasant. When we made it to the island we had lunch at Stoney’s Solomons Pier restaurant.
After lunch we rode to the end of the island took some pictures and headed back out on our ride. Heading south towards Frederick, VA we crossed the Governor Harry Nice toll bridge ($6, really Maryland, for a bridge) and then up US Route 1. We stopped in Dumfries at Baylor’s Ice Cream shop which was very tasty and just right as the asphalt and concrete was warming us up.
By the time we made it home we were ready for a good shower. At over 275 miles we had quite a day on the bike with great weather and good friends.
Debbie and I decided to take a short motorcycle ride this past weekend. We had not been out on a bike for a few weeks due to weather and life “stuff”. Stuff meaning adult things like yard work, home maintenance, spring cleaning and all that “stuff”. This was a last minute decision as we had overslept and missed church.
It was a bit after ten Sunday morning when we pulled the Army bike out of the garage and headed to the Leesburg International House of Pancakes for breakfast. Surprisingly neither of us ordered pancakes, I had a spicy sausage and jalapeno omelet and Debbie had a scrambled egg platter. We made a few jokes about the May the 4th being Star Wars day, had a nice conversation about other things and stuff. We rolled out of the parking lot about 11:30.
We took VA Route 7 east most of the way to Georgetown and when we arrived….well it turns out we had the same idea as about another 200,000 people. The area was packed with cars, bicycles, and pedestrians. We did not stay very long and rode north along the Potomac River taking the Clara Barton Parkway, and River Road.
Eventually we stopped for a late afternoon lunch at Bassets in Poolesville, MD. Dining in the bar, we both had burgers and relaxed for a bit. In the short time we were indoors the sky and become overcast and the temperature had dropped noticeably. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor this day, we took the short route home and crossed the river using Whites Ferry.
Other than the mess in Georgetown the ride was great, we put about 100 miles of easy riding down and had a good afternoon together.
Earlier this year I stopped at the Catoctin Aqueduct. For background on what I am doing with the C&O please look at this post.
Location – Catoctin Aqueduct
Mile Marker – 51
Historical Comments –One of eleven stone aqueducts (allowing the canal to pass over Catoctin Creek) it was recently rebuilt. From 1978, when it was destroyed in a flood, until October 2011 the span across the creek was via a steel footbridge.
You can stay overnight in the Lock house, see here for detail.
Ride to Site – This stop on the C&O is between Point of Rock and Brunswick, MD. You will use State Route 464 and turn onto Lander rode to get to the canal. When approaching the turn off of 464 from the east pay close attention, the sign gives you the appearance that you take the next left. It is actually the second left!
Amenities – parking, lodging
Road Conditions (from main road) – Paved to parking area
Railway Situation – Ground level
Parking Lot Conditions – Large, loose gravel and, use a kickstand puck.
Main Attraction – Aqueduct is about a mile from the parking area. Lock house number 28
My Thoughts – This is a good area to see a lock house and how the canal flowed along the river. The restored aqueduct is a bit of a hike if you are wearing riding gear.
Map –
The risky location I flagged.
Earlier this year the Allstate Insurance Company introduced a Facebook app to help riders identify risky areas in which we ride (North America only). The application also allows us to identify new high risk areas on the “Rider Risk Map”.
The application allows users to flag locations that they deem dangerous to motorcycle riders. In addition to flagging the location you can also post pictures and comments to further articulate the risk at that location.
I installed the application and found two riders had identified two locations in my area as dangerous. I concur with both those locations. I added a third location at point of rock where Route 15 south enters the round-about. There are many close calls at that point and motorcyclists should be over cautious at that spot!
Allstate has several other applications for riders available including a Facebook page called “Allstate Motorcycles”. I will cover some of these applications in future posts.
C&O Canal Point of Rock MD
Location – Point of Rocks
Mile Marker – 48
Historical Comments – Point of Rocks is one of the sites where the B&O Railroad and the C&O Canal fought over the right away as the pass between the river and the cliffs were very narrow. They eventually reached a compromise that also saw a wall erected between the rail line and the canal towpaths so that the mules pulling the barges would not be frightened.
During the Civil War, the town, canal and railroad made tempting targets for the confederates operating in Virginia. The rail station, still in use, was built in 1876. Find out more about this stop at the C&O Canal Trust website.
Ride to Site – This stop on the canal is located just off of and even under US Route 15. The trains at this location run often so be alert for the oncoming locomotives.
Amenities – picnic tables, boat ramp, restrooms, parking. Nearby gas and food.
Road Conditions (from main road) – Paved but with pot holes.
Railway Situation – Ground level
Parking Lot Conditions – Paved.
Main Attraction – Boat ramp, Route 15 bridge for pictures, rail station for pictures, Lock House 28 is available for lodging on the canal but you would have to park the motorcycles about a mile away.
My Thoughts – Great site for pictures and a nice stop when riding in the area.
Map – 
Country store in Boyds, Md.
C&O Canal: Nolands Ferry
My most recent stop on the C&O Canal is Nolands Ferry. For background on what I am doing with the C&O please look at this post.
Location – Nolands Ferry
Mile Marker – 44.6
Historical Comments -The reported location Martha Washington crossed the Potomac River on the way to visit George Washington at Valley Forge.
Nolands Ferry is also a Paleo-Indian period archeological site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. More information on the archeological site can be found here.
Ride to Site – Getting to Nolands Ferry requires you ride through abundant farm land. Be on the lookout for slow moving farm equipment. Pay attention as well for deer and other wildlife crossing the road.
Amenities – picnic tables, boat ramp, restrooms
Road Conditions (from main road) – First half paved, second half hard packed gravel/cinder
Railway Situation – Underpass
Parking Lot Conditions – Hard packed gravel and cinder, use a kickstand puck.
Main Attraction – Boat ramp
My Thoughts –This site is primarily a boat access point for the Potomac River and a rest stop for those using the C&O trail. It is interesting in that the road to the amenities passes through what, I think, is the remains of the canal and lock.
Map
The area around Nolands Ferry
Foggy start to the day
This past weekend Debbie and I rode with the Northern Virginia Motorcycle Club (NOVA MC) to see and ride through a bunch of covered bridges in Pennsylvania. This was an all-day ride; we left the house on a foggy Saturday morning at a few minutes after six AM to get to the rally point. The club met up outside a Starbucks in Chantilly, VA before rolling out for the day.
Heading north on US Route 15 we crossed into Maryland at Point of Rocks passed through Frederick and quite soon entered Pennsylvania and the first stop. This bridge was literally just across the state line off of Route 15. I am not sure where we stopped or the name of the bridge but the picture is below. From that point on we attempted to capture a picture of the name or historical marker.
After a bit we rolled out to see the other bridges. About one o’clock we stopped for lunch at The Old Mountain Stone Inn in Bloomfield, PA. The food was good, the company better but the show was the best (LOL). About half way through our lunch a poker run arrived and they were having a lot of fun which made it a lot of fun for us to watch!!
Pennsylvania Amish country.
During lunch we also noticed that the incoming weather was getting much worse and decided to cut the ride a “bit” short. We decided to visit the longest covered bridge (271 feet) in PA, the Academia Bridge. From there we jumped on PA Route 75, which passed through the Pennsylvania Amish country.
Storm Chaser Powers ACTIVATE!
It was on Route 75 were we got the wettest! While we had experienced sprinkles and light rain we got a downpour, and of course nowhere to really pull over. We finally reached a gas station where Debbie and I did the group a big favor; we put on our rain suits, which normally guarantees the rain will stop. We split off from the main group to head home shortly after that stop and we might have had ten rain drops from that point on! I hope the others fared as well!
About Northern Virginia Motorcycle Club
NOVA MC is a “Meetup.com” group that “is for motorcycle enthusiasts who are interested in taking short jaunts, usually on weekends, around Virginia’s highways and byways.” Debbie and I discovered them about a year ago and this was our second ride with the club. I have to say that we have tried to ride more with them but life, schedules and other events have conspired to limit our experience with the club. BUT, I can say that without hesitation, if your live in Northern Virginia and want to ride in a motorcycle agnostic environment and want to have a good time, check them out!
…nowhere in particular. We did not start out that way; we had intentions of riding to Camp David (the presidential retreat in Maryland). I know that we would not get in to Camp David but riding up to the gate would have been cool. But, speaking of cool, it was anything but, by 10AM it was 85 degrees with 95 the high. So we thought better and decided to run around with no particular destination in mind.
115 miles later we had passed through a dozen small towns in Maryland and Virginia including Lovettesville, Point of Rocks, Poolsville, Brunswick, and Frederick. We stopped at the Monocacy Aqueduct (part of the C&O Canal) and dipped our feet into the cool water of the Monocacy River while sitting in the shade of the aqueduct itself. It was a fascinating notion that we were, basically, setting under what use to be a river that flowed over a river to move goods to and from Washington DC in the 1800’s.
While we were in Frederick we stopped by Frederick Harley Davidson. At the dealership we bought a magnetic tank pouch (part number 76000193) to hold my phone to the tank. I wanted this in order to connect the phone, and its music, to the Aux input with more ease vice pulling the cord to my rear pocket.
The pouch held very tightly to the tank and the neoprene like surface between the tank and the magnets gives me faith that the pouch will not mare the paint. The clear face of the pouch allows the user interact with the device. The only draw back is that in the heat of that day the phone got very hot, which killed the battery quite fast. Now I need to get a USB port to push into the cigarette lighter and a cord to charge the phone while it is playing.
After visiting the dealership we had lunch at the Mariachi restaurant. We have eaten there in the past and the food has been good today, maybe because we were so hot, it was only ok.
In the end Debbie and I had a nice day out on the bike going
nowhere in particular.
I JUST WANT 2 RIDE!! 