October 20th 2023 – Elkton, VA

We got back on the bikes early in the morning under a gray and gloomy sky. A cold wind was biting at us all day. At least it stayed dry!

It was late afternoon when we pulled up at Jim and Sandy’s house in Dayton.
I met Jim for the first time during a motorcycle trip to Morocco in 2013. We have stayed in contact ever since.
They live in an charming old firehouse. They bought it 9 ago. It was in bad shape at the time. Jim worked on it for a couple of years before they moved in. He did an amazing job!
We were greeted by a warm and cozy house. The wood stove in the living room did a good job.
It was good to be inside and in good company.

The following day Jim and Sandy showed us around Cincinnati. It was an interesting town.

When we got back to Dayton I spent some time in the garage. The foam pad underneath Katrine’s R80  was wearing through where it was in contact with the bike. With help from Jim I created a protective pad to put between the luggage and the bike.

The weather still tried to convince us that summer was over as we resumed our journey. Jim had suggested a route that would show us some of the nice scenery and riding Ohio has to offer. Before the fun started in earnest we stopped to grab a bite at Wendy’s.
3 old people were seated at the next table. One of the guys asked where we were from. When I answered Denmark he replied: “So am I” and switched to Danish.
His name was Emi. It turned out that he was from a small town near to where I grew up. He was born in 1938 and moved to Canada at the age of 22 in search of adventure. A few years later he managed to get into the US where he created a roofing company. He had done well since then. It was a great conversation. He was a good example that people often have an interesting story to tell if you take the time to listen.

Well fed both physically and mentally we picked up Jim’s route.

In the afternoon we stopped at The Ash Cave Fire Tower. The climb rewarded us with warmth and great views from the top.
Just before we arrived at the day destination we hit the Triple Nickel (OH 555) which according to Jim is the best riding road in Ohio. I see no reason to disagree.

On this high note we arrived at Mike @oldgezzer and Ann’s place near Amesville. They invited us in after I responded to Mike’s tent space offer. Mike had prepared dinner and baked a cake for us. It tasted good despite his acclaimed lack of skills in a kitchen.

Mike always gets up very early (the legacy of growing up on a dairy farm), so when Katrine and I finally got around to being vertical he had prepared breakfast and a GPX file with a track to carry us further east.

We often follow routing advice from local riders. It rarely disappoints. This was no exception. The fun started as we left the driveway surrounded by nice scenery.
The weather improved gradually during the day which added to the enjoyment.

We made it to Front Royal half an hour before sunset. Joe @5punksdad had invited us to camp in his heated shop. He was out when we arrived. One of his sons, Jim, greeted us and acquainted us with the amenities.
As we were settling in Joe got home. He invited us to the house for a beer and a shower. It soon escalated to pizza and an upstairs bedroom.
Yet again we were humbled by the hospitality we encountered.

The nearby Shenandoah River made for a misty morning. The sun burned through before we were ready to hit the road. It promised to be a gorgeous day.
The bikes had only just reached working temperature when we hit Skyline Drive. It would be the appetizer for the meal that had lured us across the country.
The riding and scenery was spectacular!

Late morning we pulled off the Skyline at Thorton Gap to meet up with Loftus @baloo. He came towards us as we descended the mountain, turned around and took the lead into Loray. He pulled up at his favorite cafe and invited us for brunch.

Back on the bikes we returned to the Skyline and continued south together. At Big Meadows Wayside we treated Loftus to a Blackberry cone.
It was still early in the day when we arrived at Loftus’ cabin by the South Fork Shenandoah River north of Elkton. He had an impressive shop. It was the home of a nice collection of bikes centered around 3 R NineTs.

I used the opportunity to go over the bikes and do a few adjustments. Elkton gifted Katrine beads for the seat. She had been looking for something like that for a long time and was very pleased.

The plan for the following day was to continue on the Skyline, but with a weather forecast promising rain throughout the day, it didn’t sound like fun. Loftus agreed and invited us to stay another day and enjoy the rain from inside his cozy cabin. We gladly accepted.
As a result we have spent the day hanging out around the house, talking and catching up on practical stuff.

Oliver @Can’tStopRidingDude dropped by around noon to say hello. He seemed like a decent guy even though he’s a former soccer playing German riding a BMW. When Loftus ran out of things he could eat, he took off in a hurry mumbling something about vacuum cleaning…

The weather looks good in the coming days and we plan on using that to full effect.