Day 2: Into Virginia’s Dew Country | 1933 Harley-Davidson VL Cross-Country Ride | Riding Vintage

Day 2: Into Virginia’s Dew Country

Day 2 of this cross-country vintage Harley ride began in Central NC and turned north into Virginia before heading west toward the Appalachian Mountains.

The second day carried the 1933 Harley-Davidson VL and 1934 Harley-Davidson VLD through Virginia’s “Dew Country,” past Hillsville, and on to Hungry Mother State Park near Marion for the first night of camping.

Leaving Central NC on Day 2 after the odd experience of waking up in my own bed during a cross-country motorcycle trip. From here the ride headed north into Virginia before turning west toward the mountains.

Day 2 Ride Stats

• Date: September 20, 2015
• Start: Central NC
• Finish: Hungry Mother State Park near Marion, Virginia
• Distance: 172.78 miles by DeLorme track
• Route: Central NC north into Virginia, west on Highway 58, then I-77 and I-81 toward Hungry Mother State Park
• Motorcycles: 1933 Harley-Davidson VL and 1934 Harley-Davidson VLD
• Gas added: 3.674 gallons total
• Oil added: none
• Roadside issues: None noted

Day 2 Ride Journal

It's an odd thing to wake up in your own bed when you are on a trip. Perhaps that is what it feels like when you own an RV. Regardless, a good night's sleep should never be passed up before a long day of riding, and I'm glad to have gotten one. From here on out, I'm sure the accommodations won't be quite as nice, but sleeping under the stars adds to the adventure and seems more fitting for a trip on antique motorcycles.

Heading due north from my house, we hit the Virginia border within an hour. Just a few miles into Virginia, we turned west onto Highway 58 and rolled on toward the Appalachian Mountains. Along the way, I noticed signs at every gas station proclaiming that “Virginia is Dew Country.” I guess the old motto of “Virginia is for Lovers” doesn't sell as many sodas.

Virginia announced itself as “Dew Country” at gas stations all along the route as we headed west on Highway 58 toward the Appalachian Mountains.

As lunchtime approached, we were winding our way into the mountains, which were big on scenery but sparse on restaurants. Just outside of Hillsville, we spotted a place that looked promising and pulled into the parking lot. From the outside, it may not look like much, but the food was excellent and the prices were almost as cheap as the gas. We also got some travel advice from the cook and changed up our route, heading north on Interstate 77 and then cutting back south on Interstate 81.

The lunch stop just outside Hillsville did not look like much from the outside, but the food was excellent, the prices were low, and the cook gave us route advice that changed the rest of the day.

Another 50 miles down the road, we decided to take a break from getting whipped around by the traffic on I-81 and pulled into a rest stop. The bikes drew a small crowd, which gave us the chance to question some of the locals about a good place to camp for the night. It turned out one of the rest stop attendants was a retired park ranger, and he gave us directions to a nearby campground at Hungry Mother State Park.

A break from getting whipped around by I-81 traffic turned into another small crowd around the bikes. One of the rest stop attendants was a retired park ranger and pointed us toward Hungry Mother State Park for the night.

The welcome center for the state park looked like the inside of Noah's Ark, except everything was stuffed. Deer, fish, fowl, you name it, if it walked, swam or flew through Virginia, it was stuffed and mounted somewhere in that welcome center.

The welcome center at Hungry Mother State Park had a full wildlife and taxidermy display, this was just one corner.

Although there were some nice-looking spots on the lake, Camp C came highly recommended, so we passed them by. It turned out that Camp C was at the top of a tree-covered hill and all the campsites were set on wooden decks. Maybe not exactly what I had in mind, but there was plenty of room for my Atacama Expedition Tent from Redverz Gear, and I was excited to set it up for the first time. Besides having plenty of room for me and all my gear, it also has a garage so my bike can stay out of the weather too. What more could you ask for in a tent!

Camp C at Hungry Mother State Park put us on a wooden deck under the trees. It was the first setup for my Redverz Atacama Expedition Tent, with enough room for me, my gear, and a garage area to keep the bike out of the weather.

Made it another 170 or so miles today. We are going to have to start putting in some longer days if we want to make it to California in three weeks.

The Day 2 DeLorme route map shows the accumulated trip route through the second day, with the new section running from Central NC north into Virginia, west on Highway 58, and on toward Hungry Mother State Park near Marion.

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