Motorcycle Ride BRP1

Sept. 26, 2007 John and I took 58W out of Danville to Lover's Leap; then rode on to Mabry's Mill. Mabry's Mill is a must-see if you're in the area, and enjoy history!	First stop: Lover's Leap. The bikes parked by Lover's Leap.	John and Dawn with the bikes barely visible in the background.	An incredible view from Lover's Leap	Its sad that these signs even have to be erected...and even the signs get defaced.
Then on to Mabry's Mill for a peek into the past. This is a fantastic place to learn about history, as there are folks doing demonstrations at the outdoor exhibits. We watched a man creating chair spindles with a spring lathe - the "spring" was a long hickory branch, and the man used hickory bark to "sand" the spindles smooth, and hickory bark strips to "cane" the chair seats.	A look into a very old log home that was moved to the property in the 50's.	Each of the exhibits has a sign explaining the use and history of the item or building. My favorite part was inside the mill, as the antique machinery was absolutely fascinating, and the patina on all the old wood was gorgeous.	Mabry's Mill is a picturesque and interesting place to visit!
The gift shop and restaurant at Mabry Mills.	We then turned onto the BRP to an overlook and visitor center; the woman said to watch out for deer and bear, and she was right! We did see a few deer...story to follow later...	Breath-taking view across the road from the Visitor Center.	I can't help singing..."The hills are alive with the sound of music..."! I set the timer on the camera, and almost fell running down to John - that hill was STEEP!
John rests while I snap more photos...	The Deer Experience: The first deer I saw was on the left of the road, and just stood staring at me as I slowed down while passing. She never moved an inch. Then... I slowed waaaay down when a doe and her baby first appeared on my right, and I beeped my horn, hoping they'd take off into the woods or cross the road.	But the pair just kept hopping and bopping on our right side. They'd get closer to me, I'd beep my horn, slow down some more, and momma couldn't make up her mind whether to leap in front of me or to head off into the woods. Her poor little baby was trying to keep up with her indecisive moves...this went on for about a quarter of a mile.	A few more beeps of my horn, and the doe finally made her move and sprang across the road in front of me, with her baby following (she wasn't overly close, so I wasn't worried - I had been slowing down even further to give her some distance). I was happy to have watched them prancing through the grass and trees, and glad that I had the opportunity to enjoy their grace and beauty, instead of having them appear from out of nowhere as they usually do!	I WISH I had rigged up a handlebar mount for my new camera - the doe and baby prancing would have made a wonderful video! Next stop was Rake's Mill Pond because I missed the turnoff for 8 to get to Tuggle's Gap - I love it when you find something unexpected! The adventure is what it's all about, right?
Rake's Mill Pond Back in the day, Mr. Rake had a great advertising scheme - he offered his customers the exclusive privilege of fishing in his millpond while they waited for their grist!	The pond.	After snapping a few photos and learning about Rake's Mill Pond, we headed back to turn onto 8. I am looking forward to riding more of the BRP. It is absolutely lovely and relaxing, but you must stay "on alert" for the deer!	After a Tuggle's lunch, we were off for a few minutes of Fairy Stone hunting near Fairy Stone Park, and then back to Danville and our usual stop, Stallings Restaurant. The section of the BRP that we took was mild and relaxing...route 8 was a challenge. We did just over 160 miles, which was my longest ride on the Tourer so far. Next ride: a 200-mile goal!	photo: (c) dcr.virginia.gov You can read more about fairy stones and their legend on my Fairy Stone ride page: Fairy Stone State Park