Japan Meets West Virginia

RetroTours:    Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1

1978 Honda CX500. 1977 Yamaha XS650. 1976 Yamaha RD400. 1976 Kawasaki KZ750. 1975 Suzuki T500. 1974 Kawasaki W3 650. 1973 Yamaha TX750

Harnessing the magic of classic motorcycles, we can bring these two very different worlds together. Leaving early on Friday morning, we take to the hills of PA uncluttered by baggage as the RetroTours BMW/EML sidecar rig “chase vehicle” carries our gear, along with spare parts, tools and supplies, and snacks. Meandering across PA, crossing through Maryland into West Virginia and Virginia, we settle into a soothing rhythm as our humming ‘big twins of the seventies’ motor along scenic byways on a southwest heading. No GPS, our cell phones out of service range; just nature and the sound of our engines as we change bikes every 75 miles or so, experiencing the full range of Japanese engineering from one of the most technically diverse decades in all of motorcycling. Towards sunset, we begin to grow weary. After traveling over 200 miles we are in the arms of Appalachia and just ahead, Pembroke Springs Retreat: our Onsen in the hills.

ONSEN (hot springs)

As Japan is a country of volcanic activity, natural hot springs abound: there are said to be around 19,500 of them. The custom of bathing in hot springs in Japan dates back over 2,000 years. Hotels and ryokan and other tourist accommodation have developed around most hot springs. Traveling to such resort areas is a favorite form of recreation among Japanese people. Although many large resort areas have developed around famous hot springs, there are still numerous springs along sea coasts and in the mountains that remain undeveloped, and in their natural state.

That “natural state” is what we are after. In the Shenandoah Valley is an authentic Onsen. Our accommodation is rustic: a cabin in the woods. Bring your sleeping bag and be prepared to gather dead wood, rustic means just that! After our all day ride, we’ll settle into our camping cabin and then enjoy a shower before hitting the tubs: two large Japanese baths are fed by natural spring waters, and kept at 104 degrees. Utter joy and relaxation is assured; you will enter a state of MOTO-ZEN enlightenment. Saturday morning begins with a Japanese breakfast on the premises, followed by a day of riding some of the best motorcycle roads anywhere. We can ride as much or as little as you like; the day is yours. Stay holed up at the cabin and bath or hike the marked trails on the 175 acre tract. Our far east immersion continues with Japanese food for dinner, more bathing and then an amazing ride Sunday back to our base in Kennett Square.

Gone since ninety-one

Soichiro Honda-San

His soul; this motor?