Tazewell VA, Staunton VA, Parkersburg WV
Miles = 1,184
 

The last time we rode the Back of the Dragon in 2020 the weather was not that great so wee decided to try again and we also had Staunton VA on our radar. Riding in VA is typically very good and this trip did not disappoint. Save was on his new RT 1250 that recently bought after selling his GA.

Day One - 405 miles
We started a very typical way when going to the southeast which is the loop around I-275 and down I-75. We jumped off at Corinth and when through Cynthiana before heading south toward Colville Covered Bridge. We have been here a few times but it had been awhile, so we made this our first stop. We covered some of the same ground we rode in the fall of 2022 but we tried to find new roads wherever possible. We stopped at Cave Run Lake where we tried to park on the dame but little parking area was blocked so we stopped at a lakeside pull off on the road. It was not much at all, so we made it a brief stop. We continued on many different back roads but all were in very decent condition and we were certainly enjoying the ride. We were headed mostly east but also south. We stopped next in Warfield KY which sits on the TUG Fork River separating KY and WV. Kermit WV is on the other side of the river. There is a little park on the river at the foot of a railroad bridge and we stopped there for some snacks and a drink. We continued south and somehow got a little mixed up and ended up going to far west and rode through Grundy VA which not on our original route. Not a big deal but we needed to be at Back of the Dragon Brewery before they closed at 6:00. We made it in time to enjoy a couple of pints and enjoyed a couple of food truck sandwhiches. Our hotel was within walking distance so we didn't have far to ride. The Old Jail Inn was perfect place and we had it to ourselves. We walked to the Old Va. Chophouse and sat at the bar and met some people, struck up a conversation and had a really good time. One the guys we met at the bar was a DC lobbyist and he ended up being friends with the Inn owner who we talked to as well. It was a really good time. The Tazewell area seems to be doing ok while many of the Appalachian small towns struggle. The town seems to play up the Back of the Dragon significantly and while we were at the brewery we saw several GM cars disguised to hide their latest features and we were told they bring them here to run up and down the Dragon to test handling. The day we were there they were testing some EVs and they even brought their our huge generator.

Day Two - 288 miles
After a great night we started off walking to breakfast at the Well Coffee Shop. They had some basic sandwiches which we were not breakfast focused but it was fine and they had good coffee so we got what we needed and headed south on the Dragon. We made our first stop before 8:00 on a little pull off where we had taken a previous picture more than 20 years ago. At the top of the mountain we again stopped and found they had made what used to be a little gravel turn out into a nice overlook. We were enjoying the great roads and riding on VA 619 when we ran into a closed bridge. No detour was shown so we were navigating by the seat of our pants. Not big deal and we knew where our next stop was and we navigated there. The next spot was the Jackson Ferry Shot Tower, a 75' tower built in the early 1800s to produce lead shot. It sits on the New River with lots of trials in the surrounding area. There was absolutely no one there when we arrived and only saw one other car before we left. However, I-77 is in the background, but this is a nice park to visit. We continued on and stopped for the second time at Draper's Overlook which we visited in the fall of 2021. There was road construction on the South side of the mountain, but even then it was a nice ride. We looked around a little more this time and walked up the cliffs and saw the remains of some of the old homesteads. We continued on and rode through Blacksburg and into New Castle where we backtracked some to view the overlook up on VA42. We rode through the valley north of New Castle. We stopped the Phoenix bridge in Eagle Rock. This is an old railroad bridge dating back to 1887 but I'm not sure when it converted to automobiles. It is a rough Iron trapezoidal Whipple design built by the Phoenix Bridge Company of Phoenixville PA. We rode on and followed the Maury River on VA39 which is one of my favorite roads we first rode back in the fall of 2019. We stopped at the Maury Monument on the river where there are some picnic areas but not the best spot. Next up was Staunton where we were staying at the Hotel 24 South. This has so many historic sites we could only view a very small portion. I could spend a couple of days here just walking around. We walked to Redbeard Brewing Co. and ate at Blue Point Seafood. There was a street festival going on so it was a nice walk back to the hotel.

Day Three - 287 Miles
We walked to breakfast at Cranberry's Grocery & Eatery. This is an organic hippy flavored place but everyone was nice and the food was pretty good. We had a traditional eggs and bacon breakfast but the hash-brown casserole left a little to be desired. We started out riding west and north on US 250 and after a short 25 mile run up the mountain we were at the confederate breast works at Fort Edward Johnson. This was a pretty cool site with lots of civil war history and a lot of hiking trails. We hiked around a little while exploring the area. We continued on US250 and planned to stop somewhere in the Cheat Summit Fort area. In the research I did I learned that this was a significant Civil War site but there wasn't much to it. There was also an old bridge nearby over the Shavers Fork River so we stopped there first and it was very secluded so we stayed for a little bit. We decided to just keep riding. After US250 we transferred to WV15 riding up in the mountains until we got to our next overlook. This spot was just outside of Webster Springs overlooking the small town of Curtin and its rather large looking lumber mill. We continued riding on WV 15, US 119, and WV 14 as we headed into Parkersburg. We stopped at Rathbone Well to view some old oil well equipment short of Parkersburg. We attempted to go to the big overlook above Parkersburg but it was a mad house with kids getting prom pictures. We stopped at Parkersburg Brewing on the way prior to our hotel.

Day Four - 204 miles
We left with great intentions of having a good ride through eastern Ohio but before we got more than 50 miles or so we hit rain and it was so hard we decided to just head home mostly on OH 32. It rained hard and steady the entire route. Not very good.