VA-Northern: Tag

[Terran Sin]

Keith's tag was one of those "hidden in plain sight" locations. We've ridden past here hundreds of times, concentrating more on the curve and the local recycling/trash facility adjacent to this site. Number 18 school is typical of the one room schoolhouses that were built across Virginia after the Civil War. Very few remain. This one was in use up to 1964.

Since the weather was so nice my SO and I went on to take advantage of free parks day for President's Day and rode down Skyline Drive. I had several spots in mind but found myself running closer to sunset than I had wanted. So my new tag is somewhat of a desperation plan C. The church shown is part of the historic district of the area and also had a one room schoolhouse as part of its grounds. Unfortunately both were burned down and only the church was rebuilt in 1930. The area was the hub of commerce, education and social life back in the day and had the first post office in the county. It feels quite remote and quiet now with no intrusion of suburban sprawl. Any building in this historic district will do, but this church has the most room and only paved parking!

 

[ibike2havefun]

Evidently Steve and I were struck by the same inspiration today. While he was out moving the MD tag, I was reciprocating in northern Virginia. He put the NoVA tag in Orlean at the Providence Baptist Church:

I've now moved it to a rival establishment, less than 1.5 miles distant from the previous location:

 

[Terran Sin]

Keith had moved the tag to nearby Orlean Baptist church. A quiet unassuming church with no internet presence of its own, no history of construction, destruction, scandals or schisms. Refreshing! (They must be hiding something!)

Switching gears and jumping over the Blue Ridge in the general-lee direction of west I've moved the tag to this *ahem* museum's new location.

***Unrelated BBQ recommendation- Just down the road is Triple Crown BBQ (www.shenandoahsmokehouse.com) located next to the *ahem* Luray Zoo. Bikes are welcome to park in the flat paved lot next door. Only open Fri-Sun 11:30-5:00.

 

[Hueyf4i]

Keith had moved the tag to nearby Orlean Baptist church. A quiet unassuming church with no internet presence of its own, no history of construction, destruction, scandals or schisms. Refreshing! (They must be hiding something!)

Switching gears and jumping over the Blue Ridge in the general-lee direction of west I've moved the tag to this *ahem* museum's new location.

***Unrelated BBQ recommendation- Just down the road is Triple Crown BBQ (www.shenandoahsmokehouse.com) located next to the *ahem* Luray Zoo. Bikes are welcome to park in the flat paved lot next door. Only open Fri-Sun 11:30-5:00.

I like this view better and I was glad when they moved away from Sperryville location. If anyone is curious, they are having an event this summer. . the last week in July, might be the last Dukes of Hazard get together.

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[Hueyf4i]

I finally got out here on my ST!

Here are some pics of another General Lee, Cooter's race car from the show, and one of Boss Hogg's Cadillacs used in the show.

New: the road signs in the background should help to find Dinosaur land. .

 

[ibike2havefun]

And what a day it is to be moving tags.

First stop: DinosaurLand Gift Shop, at the junction of US 340 and US 522 north of Front Royal. This is at least the second time this venerable homage to far prehistory has caught a tagger's eye.

And of course it simply begs for some arty-farty camera angles, since I am not clever enough with PhotoShop to do more...

Now, head up the road a bit and find this:

It turns out to have been an 18th century billboard, far anticipating the Wall Drug campaign (though more limited in scope). Who knew the Father of Our Country had previously been employed as a shill?

 

[Terran Sin]

Keith used the White Post marker placed by George Washington in his official capacity as the county surveyor for the "frontier" county of Fauquier at the age of 18. The post has been replaced several times over the years but has always maintained its original form. Locals claim that part of the original post still exists within the current post.

I declared a couple of years ago that all my photo tags in July would be ice cream stops. So once again, you're welcome!

 

[Hueyf4i]

Awesome, that's 15 minutes from my house, I'll try to grab it tonight and post another. .

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[Hueyf4i]

Old:

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New:

"Largest VFW post on the world"

 

[Terran Sin]

What better way to spend the last Sunday of Summer than to go move a tag! Hueyf4i had placed the tag at the Dale City VFW, known as the General Lewis B. Chesty Puller Post 1503. For many locals this is the gathering point for Rolling Thunder and other rides if you're not staging out of a HD dealer. It's an active post with all kinds of events always going on. Frequently this is also the campaign stop for presidential candidates.

This is the largest VFW in the world (according to their own signage) http://www.vfwpost1503.com/

LT General Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller was an officer in the United States Marine Corps. To date he is the most decorated United States Marine in history. Puller was the only Marine to receive five Navy Crosses; the United States Navy's and Marines' second highest decoration after the Medal of Honor. He served 38 years and retired from the Corps in 1955 and became a founding member of this post in 1970. Born on June 26th, 1898 and passed away October 11th, 1971. They don't explain his nickname but after reading his bio I'll respect it!

I've been saving the new tag for awhile and it comes with bragging rights! Find this and you can proudly say "I've ridden my Honda ST1300 to Timbuktu and back!" (or whatever off-brand you're stuck on)

Not that anyone will need hints finding this but:
1) You will first find the southern Rogue to get to this location.
2) Your next stop after this could be the circus
3) Oh heck, pick this up on a weekend and you'll get a free airshow

Dad joke time! Yo Soy ST1300!

 

[Hueyf4i]

Old:

New: The Marine Corps Museum

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[Terran Sin]

Old tag: a favorite one, the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, VA.

My wife and I were on the way to Tim's Rivershore in Dumfries to get our stamps to complete the VA Motorcycle Grand Tour! I took pity and did not move the tag there. The last hundred yards or so is chunky gravel, quite nerve-racking for bikes clad in plastic!

Instead we took a great ride out towards the mountains for lunch and stopped by this place. FYI- look up the reviews on Trip Advisor- hysterical!

 

[Hueyf4i]

Old: Virginia Beer Museum

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[Hueyf4i]

Old: Virginia Beer Museum

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New: this is a Lutheran Church with an awesome view. . I think the mountains may actually be over the WV border. . .this church is west of Edinburg, Va. .

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[ibike2havefun]

Hueyf4i set the tag at St Paul's Lutheran Church, waaaaay out in the VA hinterlands west of Edinburg, making for a very pleasant day's excursion for me to move it yesterday. And, as it turns out, this is the 500th anniversary of the start of the Reformation. Coincidence? I have no idea. What IS a coincidence is that I happened to have passed this very spot back in August, on my way west to see the total lunar eclipse.

Negotiating the turn into the parking lot was a bit of fun, but I "got 'er done" as the saying has it.

Now go visit this:

The Fort Valley Museum (and I'll take either building, though I only put my bike in the first shot) is one of those roadside finds I love so much, when out on a tag run. I had no notion that it existed until I happened on it and stopped to see. I expected to find a solitary volunteer docent, half asleep and starved for visitors. Instead I found a lively community center, with quite a number of people dropping by for conversation and general socializing.

The original red brick building dates from the 1830's and has been used as a church, a school, an infirmary, and lately a local history museum. In the greater Seven Fountains area, a health resort / spa sprang up in the 1850's and lasted for about 20 years. It had daily stagecoach service from no fewer than four separate area towns, which was no mean accomplishment because there was no VA 678 until the 1930s, when the CCC was active. The stage from one of the towns had to cross (ford) no fewer than a dozen streams.

Later, the white frame church was built on land deeded to the community with the proviso that it always be used for religious services. When the congregation dwindled to two souls, and could no longer afford the upkeep, the community petitioned a local judge to allow the building to be added to the museum. As no living descendants of the original landowner could be located to either affirm or object to the proposal, and with the promise that the exhibits would focus on the religious life and history of the area, the judge agreed, so as to prevent the building from falling into ruin through abandonment and disuse. From the museum's website:

In addition to the original Museum building, the Old Brick Church (circa 1830), the Trinity Brethren Church (1904) on Dry Run Road became a part of the Museum in 2008. This lovely old church is open to the public on special occasions and by request. It currently houses a religious and organizational history of the Fort, and a newly created spinning exhibit. In progress are a portrait room and an archive and genealogical resource room.

The museum is open Saturday afternoons from 1 to 4 and Sundays 2 to 5, between Memorial Day and the end of October, so I seem to have caught it just at the end of the 2017 season.

 

[Hueyf4i]

Hueyf4i set the tag at St Paul's Lutheran Church, waaaaay out in the VA hinterlands west of Edinburg, making for a very pleasant day's excursion for me to move it yesterday. And, as it turns out, this is the 500th anniversary of the start of the Reformation. Coincidence? I have no idea. What IS a coincidence is that I happened to have passed this very spot back in August, on my way west to see the total lunar eclipse.

Negotiating the turn into the parking lot was a bit of fun, but I "got 'er done" as the saying has it.

Now go visit this:

The Fort Valley Museum (and I'll take either building, though I only put my bike in the first shot) is one of those roadside finds I love so much, when out on a tag run. I had no notion that it existed until I happened on it and stopped to see. I expected to find a solitary volunteer docent, half asleep and starved for visitors. Instead I found a lively community center, with quite a number of people dropping by for conversation and general socializing.

The original red brick building dates from the 1830's and has been used as a church, a school, an infirmary, and lately a local history museum. In the greater Seven Fountains area, a health resort / spa sprang up in the 1850's and lasted for about 20 years. It had daily stagecoach service from no fewer than four separate area towns, which was no mean accomplishment because there was no VA 678 until the 1930s, when the CCC was active. The stage from one of the towns had to cross (ford) no fewer than a dozen streams.

Later, the white frame church was built on land deeded to the community with the proviso that it always be used for religious services. When the congregation dwindled to two souls, and could no longer afford the upkeep, the community petitioned a local judge to allow the building to be added to the museum. As no living descendants of the original landowner could be located to either affirm or object to the proposal, and with the promise that the exhibits would focus on the religious life and history of the area, the judge agreed, so as to prevent the building from falling into ruin through abandonment and disuse. From the museum's website:



The museum is open Saturday afternoons from 1 to 4 and Sundays 2 to 5, between Memorial Day and the end of October, so I seem to have caught it just at the end of the 2017 season.

Awesome! I've been out on Fort Valley Road At least 3 times in the last month and countless times before that and I've never even noticed the museum before. . Hopefully I'll get a chance to tag it before ice and snow start up. .

I was doing a loop I enjoy in that area and I always thought it'd be cool to get a picture of that church with its mountain backdrop. Here is a screenshot of most of the route I did that day. .as you can see, I drove past the museum and has no idea it was there.

 

[ibike2havefun]

I've been out on Fort Valley Road At least 3 times in the last month and countless times before that and I've never even noticed the museum before.

And that, as much as anything else, is what I love about tag. Things come to your attention that you'd never noticed before, even on familiar roads. And you also get prompted to get out of your usual routine and see something new-to-you. And THAT is precisely why I ride.

Happy tagging- pick me out something interesting to go find!

 

[Hueyf4i]

Old: The Fort Valley Museum

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[Hueyf4i]

New: Woodstock Tower or This awesome jet just outside of Front Royal

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[ibike2havefun]

I went for the jet, a long-since retired F86 Sabre on permanent static display (in need of more than a little TLC, sadly) at the Front Royal-Warren County Airport:

The new tag is this delightful bakery. There are at least two of these: one is in Warrenton, and this one which is not in Warrenton.

It was a rather more introspective and contemplative ride than I had anticipated; as I was gearing up to head out I got word that my 92 year old father would be riding along with me in spirit, while he watched from the heavens. I could not think of anything more fitting than to go on a ride- he put that fire in me 45 years ago and always enjoyed talking bikes and riding, even though it had been nearly 40 years since he'd last thrown a leg over on his own. RIP, Dad. We love you, and miss you.