Departs early on Thursday, and returns late on Sunday.

This four day tour has a day packed with riding at either end, with two days of relaxation in the middle. We’ll accomplish as much packing and orientation as is possible on Wednesday night, so plan to arrive in Kennett Square by 8 PM. An early departure Thursday will put us on back roads at once, angling southwest to White Post, Virginia. We plan to reach the Windfall Farm sometime around 2 in the afternoon, where we will meet Justin and Meridith McKay-Smith. In the center of their sprawling horse farm, we are greeted with true southern hospitality, as Meridith serves up a homemade lunch. After dessert, Justin gives us a brief tour of the farm, including the garage, where, in addition to John Deere tractors, a Vincent or Brough Superior has been known to appear.

The road from White Post heads directly west, over the mountain ridge dividing the Virginias. Passing through successive high passes, we may encounter weather. Really nasty weather or other factors could cause us to stop overnight, but generally, we reach our house in the woods after one long day. With four large bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, a garage and a hot tub, it doesn’t take long to settle in and get showered. We will have stopped about 10 miles ago for provisions, and Doug is anxious to display his culinary skills, utilizing the large kitchen and dining room. Time to chow down.

This house in the woods will be home for the next 2 days. Friday and Saturday are left open. You could sleep, read, soak in the hot tub, walk in the woods, or ride (or any combination of the above). These 2 days are yours, spend them alone, or hook up with a few of your fellow RetroTourers. Every road in every direction is twisty and scenic. You could do short trips from the house to visit Davis(www.blackwaterfalls.com) or Thomas(www.purplefiddle.com) , two cute towns to the north with art shops and trendy restaurants. Or head south a bit, and find Seneca Rocks , or Spruce Knob. A bit further south, and you could visit the huge radio telescope at Greenbank, or ride the Cass Railroad). Nights at the house are usually spent drinking, lounging, star gazing from the hot tub, or watching motorcycle DVDs. You could also find a nearby watering hole for socializing.

The truth is, no set course is needed, one could ride these mountains endlessly in any direction and besides the exquisite motorcycling experience, interesting destinations are all around, waiting to be discovered. You might head north to explore the head waters of the Potomac River or lunch at Deep Creek. Roads west will take you into some serious mountain back country where you may hear banjoes playing. Riding east enables you to cross back and forth over various scenic high passes, and reachable destinations in Virginia include Front Royal, where the Skyline Drive begins, and Luray Caverns.

Before retiring Saturday night, we’ll get packed and prepared for an early Sunday departure. We’ll try to leave just before sunrise, then head into Dolly Sods where a scenic turnout off of the main gravel road affords a magnificent view facing east, just as the sun comes over the mountains. We’ll descend from ‘heaven’ to find a tiny restaurant where we join the locals for breakfast, then meander north to Cumberland, MD for lunch, finally following old Route 40 east to arrive back in Kennett Square towards night fall.

COST FOR TRIP: $90 / per day for bike & insurance