Saturday Road Ride - Stanley Loop

This morning Gary, Linda and I rode another one of our favorite road loops out to Stanley and back. The temperature was pleasant enough, but the wind was vicious! We were pummeled by it for most of the ride out to the turn around point. At least we were lucky enough to have the wind at our backs for a portion of the locally infamous "Ida Stretch." We decided to make a right on Valley Burg Road and climb a nice little hill on the way back to Luray. First there is a short, easy climb followed by a flat section with a slight downhill. After the downhill you round a corner and catch a glimpse of the next climb, which isn't really a killer, but it's enough to get the heart beating and legs burning a little. This is also part of the Luray Triathlon course and it always manages to illicit gasps, wide eyes and a few muffled expletives from the competitors when they round the bend and look up. I snapped a couple of shots of Gary and Linda approaching the top and I am pretty sure they both have smiles on their faces. From the top of Valley Burg back to Luray is mostly downhill and usually pretty fast, but the winds seemed to shift and nail us head on as we pushed the pedals back to town. Even with the strong winds, we love to start the day by touring the beautiful back roads of Page County aboard our bicycles. "Thrive Outside"

Saturday Road Ride - SRO Loop

Another picture perfect day in the Shenandoah Valley. Another great road ride. This morning Gary & I took to the back roads with Shenandoah River Outfitters in our sights. We did pause briefly on Bixler's Ferry bridge to check out the South Fork of the Shenandoah River and snap a photo before continuing on Page Valley road to the Outfitters. (About the photos: For some odd reason, the camera on my phone inverts the images. I'm still trying to fix that, but have had no luck so far). Page Valley Road parallels the river, rolling and winding nicely, offering glimpses of the Massanutten ridge line to the West. Quick note here: During the busy season, this road will have a lot of fast moving traffic on it, making it unsuitable for inexperienced riders. The Redbud trees, Creeping Phlox and Lilacs were our constant companions for the ride, confirming that Spring has indeed sprung! After reaching our turn around point at Shenandoah River Outfitters, we stopped to chat with Nancy Goebel about the impending busy Summer season. SRO is going into their 40th year in business and this season promises to be another great one! As always, it was a great way to start the day. Tomorrow evening we will start up Sunday group rides. These rides are friendly (no one gets dropped) and depart from Ruffner Plaza in Luray at 5:30 P.M. "Thrive Outside"

Saturday Road Ride - Rileyville Loop

It's been a busy week for outdoor adventure here at Appalachian Outdoors Adventures. Not only did we start the Friday trail runs, we also started Saturday morning road rides. This morning we chose the "Rileyville Loop." All rides start from our store in downtown Luray and we usually ride 20 to 30 miles, depending upon who shows up. This morning it was only Gary and I. Our wives (and business partners) agreed to open the shop so we could spend more time on the bikes. Thanks again, ladies!
The weather could not have been better as we made our way through the back roads of the county. Mid 50's and lots of sunshine! Perfect! Another nice thing about riding the back roads on the weekend is the lack of traffic. We did get chased by a few dogs, which is completely normal. Most of the dogs seemed more interested in the chase itself rather than a morning snack. I managed to take a few photos during the ride from my phone. What an incredible way to start the day! "Thrive Outside"