VA-Northern: Tag

Old:
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New:
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Sounds Strange, but I Fall to Pieces when somebody beats me to posting a tag I got. Call me Crazy, but I think that's So Wrong.

By the way, you should approach this tag from the north and park across the street. The curb on the side of the street where the house is has a weird slant to it. Try it if you want, but if you drop your bike and can pick it up easily, You're Stronger Than Me.

--Mark
 
Old (but still has a following)
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FYI- an elderly man came out as I was maneuvering to park and told me the museum was closed for the season. I explained what I was doing and he pointed at the bike and asked "Does it leak?". I assured him it didn't and he invited me to pull up onto the sidewalk. "Just don't scrape any bricks" he warned.

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New- all the clue you need is here. Grab a shot of the marker I've blurred out.
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Lunch tip: grab a healthy sandwich down the street. Leave time to explore the area. Lots of neat to see!
 
Terran Sin said:
FYI- an elderly man came out as I was maneuvering to park and told me the museum was closed for the season. I explained what I was doing and he pointed at the bike and asked "Does it leak?". I assured him it didn't and he invited me to pull up onto the sidewalk. "Just don't scrape any bricks" he warned.
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Before I scrolled down and read that, my first thought was, "Parked on the sidewalk... Ballsy." :)

--Mark
 
Woo hoo! What a day for taggin'! 72 on December 27th.

Nice day for a ride out to Millwood to collect Terran Sin's tag drop:
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And move it a couple miles away (sorry for the backlighting...)
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Not much point obfuscating too heavily since Steve was there for the drop, and may already have picked it up... :)
 
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As a matter of fact I did. And I included your bike too!
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http://www.burwellmorganmill.org/
The Burwell Morgan Mill is one of those interesting tidbits of American history. A National Register Historical Landmark and one of the oldest, most original operational grist mills in the country located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. It's easy to overlook as it's now on a side road off well traveled Rt 50. Built by Revolutionary War hero General Daniel Morgan, along with Col. Nathaniel Burwell of Carter Hall (see previous tag). The mill turned this area into a powerhouse of agricultural commerce using the nearby Shenandoah River to deliver milled grain to major ports such as Alexandria. It ran continuously day and night from 1792 until the 1940s.

So new tag, which I cleverly didn't pick until after parting company with Keith.

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Clues:
1) The tag is an authentic steel frame phone booth (non-working shell).
2) There are at least 2 of these on RT 50 between Rt 28 and Rt 17. You can tag either one.
3) It's British.

Bonus points for getting the flag in the photo. Triple points for anyone tagging on a Pan European.
 
Old: Old Salem Cafe in Marshall, VA
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Clue for the new tag: clearly visible from Routes 55 + 66 between Marshall and Haymarket.
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New:
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NOTE: the road to the mill is paved, however the mill grounds are only open on the weekend between 9am-5pm. This is a cool POI and worth the restricted access times.
If you're passing thru and really want the tag go ahead and use the locked gates with the mill sign on it and at least one of the stone posts.
This road also has parking for a popular hiking trail just before the gates. But the mill is usually empty and has open parking.
 
I have a gander at that mill every time I travel west on I-66. Am I correct in thinking I may have seen signs recently that some sort of preservation or restoration work has begun?
 
ibike2havefun said:
I have a gander at that mill every time I travel west on I-66. Am I correct in thinking I may have seen signs recently that some sort of preservation or restoration work has begun?
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They stabilized the structure a couple years ago so it's safe for the public to look around. They're never going to rebuild due to the damage the 1988 fire did to the stone structure. The recent focus has been on archeological exploration of the grounds to recover buried artifacts and the development of a master plan for future visitor facilities. I'll avoid from posting the website so as to not give away the circuitous route to the mill. But it's an interesting story.
 
The grab:
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Too bad the mill itself is not open during the week. Had to settle for the gate and sign.

And the drop:
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My budget does NOT permit me to dine here. Ended up in Sperryville, a few miles down the road.
 
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A nice "little" town to catch lunch in. They've been pretty nice in the past and have let us look around. Of course only when there's no paying customers! Sorry you didn't get to look around the mill. I'll go back and add a couple photos to my earlier post.
 
On a busy Saturday I had to be happy with parking my bike next to the tulip lined lot across the street from the Inn at Little Washington. There was a steady stream of cars pulling up in the drive and the bowler hat clad valets were sprinting to keep up. This place is out of my league!
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I was going to move the tag over to Sperryville but Mrs Sin announced over the radio that she was in need of fuel. We were riding in the great circular maze of roads within the area bounded by 522/211/15 and discovered the most amusing little old country store. With the impressive ruins of an old mill as a backdrop, mutant roosters posed surrounding a claypot cowboy while a garden gnome riding a cow watched. And the store had gas! And the lass (a Mrs actually) running the place gave us a little history on the store dating back to 1887 (or 1897). What a great find this was, being located in the middle of nowhere that has great roads. A place to get a decently priced fresh made sandwich and gas. Even after this tag is found this is a place to be marked as biker friendly. The only thing it lacks is a public restroom :(
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Thanks to the second photo, I was able to find and visit the Laurel Mills Store on my way home from the GA Spring Rally. Steve is right- it's a fascinating place and, since I happened to be there just about at lunchtime I was able to sample the sandwiches. Yum! Unfortunately they had no more gasoline to sell me so Brutus had to do without for a few additional miles.
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And the new tag:
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This interesting structure's external decoration carries on the theme of the building and grounds of which it is a part. It is part of the complex which remembers and preserves a Civil War battlefield, and which focuses on the part played by cadets from the Virginia Military Academy in the battle. The preservation of the battlefield has been an ongoing struggle as nearby development and roadways encroach on it, and indeed one major road divides the old field in two. Much of the modern-day preservation effort can be credited to a VMI graduate who established a trust fund and endowment of several million dollars in the 1950s, specifically for the purpose.
 
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I spent an very enjoyable Father's Day going after the MD and NOVA tags. I did MD in the morning and rode all the way from [secret tag location], MD down to the New Market Battlefield and the Virginia Museum of the Civil War.
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Traffic for the park was very light and I was able to score this personal bonus photo!
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I further indulged myself by taking the more "funner" RT 211 back across the hills heading east to the new tag :06biker:

The new tag follows up on the Civil War theme with a obelisk dedicated to a hometown confederate hero. The only parking spot in which to capture your bike and the tag is quite a few feet away downhill and to my surprise a tree has somehow ghosted into position to obscure it. Just another tribute to this original grey commando that was a master of hiding!
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Here's the monument unmasked:
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And just so we're clear, here's your parking spot, conveniently located next to the coffee and donuts wagon. Hmm, maybe they'll have pie :)
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A great day to ride! The two sets of tags netted me 281 miles of smiles and 8 hours of me time. Happy Father's Day to all.
 
What an awesome day for a ride. Time last weekend did not allow me to double-dip in the tag game as Steve had done but that was okay, since it meant I got two splendid rides out of the experience.

I started by nabbing the VA Northern tag in Warrenton VA, outside the historic courthouse. I think this photo has all of the required elements: the column, the courthouse, my bike, and the Red Truck Bakery truck that was the vital clue.

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Staying with the "red" part of the theme...

Steve almost certainly went past this distinctive feature when he was moving the tag from New Market Battlefield to Warrenton, along US 211. Now he (or someone else) gets to go back that way...

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Nicely done in Warrenton! But did you get any :pie1:?

I do believe I'll need to go after the new tag and replace my glass eye while I'm out there.
 
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