Damascus VA & Hot Springs VA
Miles = 1,064
We were trying to make up for some lost ground in riding so we set aside three days in September to make a ride in the Southeast. When putting the route together I knew there was going to have to be some duplication but I did the best I could to ride some new roads. We had been through Damascus many many times over the years but we had never stayed there overnight so we thought that would be good. We had not been through Hot Springs more than a few times but also never stayed there. So even though there was some duplication we picked two new overnight stays.
Day One - 412 miles
We rode down past Lexington on I-75/I-64 and exited in Winchester where the fun began. KY89 south to Irvine is a really nice road with a good amount of twists and turns. We stopped in Irvine at the base of the Irvine-McKee Truss Bridge over the KY River and CSX railroad. It was built in 1940 and still looks in decent shape. It sits high above the river and spans a total of 794'. There was an old bar/restaurant under the bridge where we stooped to walk down to the river but it didn't look like it had had any business in some time. There were also a couple of house boats moored under the bridge that didn't look like they would be available on VRBO if you know what I mean. We continued on KY89 where the road grew even more twisty and therefore more fun. We stopped at Beulah Lake next to the dam which was not spectacular but the area was well kept. We were on US421 at this point and another good road that we have enjoyed many times. After riding through Manchester and Goose Rock we turned onto KY66 to find a new route into Harlan that also included KY1850 and KY2058. After leaving KY66 the road became very narrow with no center line and only marginal asphalt. We ended up back on US421 just north of Harlan where we stopped again at the Baxter Bridge. We rode through downtown this time and continued eastward on KY38. We stayed on KY38 until we crossed through Morris Gap and into VA. This was a new route into Appalachia VA where we stopped at a nice park right on US23. Inside the park there is an old RR bridge over the Powell River that is now a pedestrian/bicycle path that is part of a trail that goes for a few short miles. We stayed on US23 through Big Stone Gap, Duffield and Clinchport but when US23 turned into 4-lane we jumped off onto Daniel Boone Rd paralleling US23 and rode into Gate City. East of Gate City we rode to Hiltons where we found some new road and stopped at a little set of falls on Nordyke Rd. It wasn't much but soon we would be in Abingdon and Damascus is not far beyond that. The road from Abingdon to Damascus used to be a good road but it has been under construction for the last couple of years making the road 4-lane which I certainly hate to see. Once in Damascus we found our residence where we were given the pass code and the former grocery store turned VRBO turned out to be a nice place to stay. We had two things we wanted to do after arrival; have a drink at the Appalachian Heritage Distillery and take a short ride to Big Bone Rock SP. We had hoped to take the ride and then go to the distillery but we had to reverse the order due to the distillery's hours. We had a pickle martini which was ok but I don't think I will be having another anytime soon. The ride was very nice but only about 7 miles round trip. We took a couple of pics and rode back before it got dark. We order pizza to be delivered and it turned out to be a great evening.
Day Two - 261 miles
We left Damascus at 7:00 headed east towards Whitetop Mt but we would not be riding to the top this morning. We rode south of the mountain and turned south onto VA600 which was new to us. A really great start to the day. We had decided to catch breakfast after an hour or so riding since nothing opened early in Damascus. We rode into the town of Lansing NC and found our designated spot; Country House Restaurant. Upon arrival we discovered the dining room was not open but we could order food to go. There was a picnic table nearby and despite the rather chilly morning we decided to eat there. The service was slow but friendly as only one girl was doing everything. The food was below average but we gave her a very generous tip anyway since she was working solo. Back in the saddle we needed to continue south to Warrensville where we were to head west on NC88 but upon arrival we realized we needed gas and decided to run down to West Jefferson rather than risk running out. We should have gassed up in Damascus before leaving but I guess we were too eager to get riding. Anyway after the short detour we re-routed back to Warrensville and were back on track. In Creston we turned on 3 Top Rd that took us down to Todd NC. After Todd we were headed towards Boone but we turned west on NC1306 and another new road to avoid riding through Boone. Soon we were riding west on US321 where we stopped on the Laurel Creek Falls. We had to walk a trail back to the falls but it was easy and not very far. The falls were very worth the visit. We continued on US321 for a few more great miles before turning south on Pago Rd and down the backside of Beech Mt. This road was not as good as I had hoped for both in road quality and scenery. The road ended at NC194 and we headed west to Rain Mt where we turned on TN143. This is a highlight road as it climbs up Roan Mountain and breached Carvers Gap as it moves into NC. At the top we stopped at Roan High Knob where we rode back to the trailhead a few short miles. Once there I thought there would be a nice view but I guess the only view is on the trail and we didn't want to hike. So, we continued on riding back down the other side in NC. We rode towards Erwin TN crossing the state line on NC197 at Indian Grave Gap where there is a trailhead for the AT. Once through Erwin we headed back east and south and we stopped at Spivey Falls on US19W short of the NC state line. We had to walk a little down the road to get a glimpse of the falls. Not a great view and maybe if we had walked further down it wold have been better but there was not a walking path and we were just on the road walking through a set of twists and thought this wasn't the safest thing. So we returned to the bikes and continued on. Great riding on Big Laurel Rd took us to Marshall NC where we stopped at Madison County Brewing for lunch. This was a neat little place with good food and beer right on Main St. It sat next to the firehouse and across from the county courthouse built in 1907. This looked like a really nice little town situated on the French Broad River. We continued south of Marshall wanting to go far enough south so that we could run over to The Rattler and ride north into Hot Springs. The Rattler is another named route meant to draw motorcyclists to the area and it is worth the trip. We wanted to stop at the Rattlers Den and maybe pick up a shirt or hat but somehow we missed it and didn't want to back track. The road was great with many twists and really good road quality. We rode this back in 2002 but I don't recall it being named at that time. We stopped along the road to soak things in before we ended up in Hot Springs and the end of our day. We stayed at Creekwater Inn which was just behind Big Pillow Brewing. After unpacking and settling in we waked over to Big Pillow for dinner and a couple of pints. Afterwards, we sat out outside our room and enjoyed some wine in the patio area. While we were sitting there we heard what had to be a significant car wreck. We walked out to the road and we could see indeed there had been a wreck but we couldn't see the severity but is seems as though everyone was ok. That concluded our night.
Day Three - 391 miles
Learning our lesson from yesterday we stopped at the local gas station to fill up before leaving. At the gas station there were several locals milling about and we struck up a conversation. One of them was a local volunteer fireman who gave us the low down on the wreck the previous night. The young guy left a bar and drove on the opposite side of the RR tracks of the oncoming car. The RR tracks have some elevation to them so it is difficult to see the other side until you are up on top and by that time it is too late to stop to avoid hitting someone on the other side. The guy complained the car that hit him was driving too fast and was probably right but it doesn't matter. No one was hurt. It was fun talking to the local guys. One was holding court and dishing out insults but we fired back some and it was all in good fun. Again there was no place to eat breakfast early in the day so we rode several miles and stopped at Ma & Pa's on the South side of Greenville TN. After breakfast as we rode toward Greenville we passed Nolichucky Dam on the river of the same name. The dam was built in 1913 and has a height of 94 feet; it's a big dam. Soon we were in Greeneville and passing by Andrew Johnson's homestead as well as another old mansion a few blocks away known as the Dickson-Williams mansion. The ride from Greeneville up to Rogersville TN was nice all riding on TN70 and all new routing for us. We were riding through gaps in the mountain ranges and once we crossed the Holston River and through Rogersville TN70 it got even better. Now we were going up and over the ranges and stopped just north on Blackwater on TN70 in Hunter Gap. We rode through Janesville and Pennington Gap before heading due east on KY987; another new route for us. This was surprising a really good road with great scenery and good asphalt. We stopped at Martins Fork Lake on this road for a quick stop at the state park. Once we got into Pineville KY most of the good riding was over. We stayed on US25E all the way to I-75 at Corbin and jumped on. We stopped at Clays Ferry at our normal spot underneath the bridge for a quick rest. Once we got past Georgetown we jumped off again and rode US25 for awhile before getting back to complete the ride.