prharper
GOLD Star
Got a little spontaneous early last week and with the 3 day long weekend decided to check out the above. Spent 3 entire days off the beaten path in the 200 scouting out new places, at least new for me.
Left early Friday AM and returned home late yesterday afternoon.
Fri AM - Started in Moorefield, WV and made it to Warm Springs, VA and stayed at the Inn.
Sat - Departed Warm Springs and made it to Mountain Lake Lodge with some detours.
Sun - Headed to Damascus, VA to complete the trip. Long day and more detours. From there, jumped on I-81 (a real bummer) and stayed the night in Blacksburg.
Weather was really windy Friday and got some sleet in WV. Sat-Sun weather was perfect for this time of year. I did encounter fallen trees (most likely from Friday high winds) blocking the trails and forest roads on several occasions. I was able to remove several with a chainsaw but others were too big to tackle. Resulted in having to turn around and backtrack on some trails. Also ran into 2-3 locked gates which was a bummer.
I ran into only 1 motorbike doing the route. Came across a few locals and that was it. I'm sure any other time of the year, I would have encountered a lot more traffic and backups.
In Tazewell - I hopped on Route 16 and missed my off road exit at the early part of it. Decided to ride 16 out and see what this Back of the Dragon is all about. After clearing one pass and several choice words, I thought I was done but nope - there would be another set of tight switchbacks that our lifted trucks just don't care to appreciate like motorcycles or exotics. However, I was very impressed with some of the local farm trucks and flatbed trailers that I saw on it. Glad it was light traffic this time of year.
I'll post up some pics later and some notes on the highlights.
Overall, it was a fun trip. Saw some really interesting hollows, towns, locals, farms, parks and scenery. Truck did well and look forward to returning to sections I missed and doing some sections again while camping.
Mid Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route (MABDR) Map & Information
MABDR is a scenic ride for dual-sport and adventure motorcycles that uses dirt, gravel and paved roads to wind through remote parts of the Eastern US.
ridebdr.com
Left early Friday AM and returned home late yesterday afternoon.
Fri AM - Started in Moorefield, WV and made it to Warm Springs, VA and stayed at the Inn.
Sat - Departed Warm Springs and made it to Mountain Lake Lodge with some detours.
Sun - Headed to Damascus, VA to complete the trip. Long day and more detours. From there, jumped on I-81 (a real bummer) and stayed the night in Blacksburg.
Weather was really windy Friday and got some sleet in WV. Sat-Sun weather was perfect for this time of year. I did encounter fallen trees (most likely from Friday high winds) blocking the trails and forest roads on several occasions. I was able to remove several with a chainsaw but others were too big to tackle. Resulted in having to turn around and backtrack on some trails. Also ran into 2-3 locked gates which was a bummer.
I ran into only 1 motorbike doing the route. Came across a few locals and that was it. I'm sure any other time of the year, I would have encountered a lot more traffic and backups.
In Tazewell - I hopped on Route 16 and missed my off road exit at the early part of it. Decided to ride 16 out and see what this Back of the Dragon is all about. After clearing one pass and several choice words, I thought I was done but nope - there would be another set of tight switchbacks that our lifted trucks just don't care to appreciate like motorcycles or exotics. However, I was very impressed with some of the local farm trucks and flatbed trailers that I saw on it. Glad it was light traffic this time of year.
I'll post up some pics later and some notes on the highlights.
Overall, it was a fun trip. Saw some really interesting hollows, towns, locals, farms, parks and scenery. Truck did well and look forward to returning to sections I missed and doing some sections again while camping.