I took advantage of the 15 minute head start offered by Rick to get
Headed toward Roanoke and Bonus #35, the star on top of Mill Mountain Park. Getting in and out of Roanoke early Saturday morning was much easier than I thought and then it was up one of my favorite roads VA/WV 311 to Bonus #44, Sweet Springs, WV. It was a bit wispy as the early morning fog burned off and there was very little traffic. What a great road. From there, on to White Sulphur Springs, WV for Bonus # 53 and a West Virginia fuel receipt.
I was doing great on time. During my planning I saw that I needed to
be at the Mandatory Bonus, #200 before 1030 to complete the second loop back to Lynchburg by 1700. With the early start and getting in and out of Roanoke much quicker than I planned I arrived at the Mandatory exactly at 1000. The rest of the day I was 30 minutes ahead, even when I stopped at the BBQ sequential to wolf down a sandwich.

From the Mandatory I took the back roads to Carpenter's Store, Bonus
#62. We had to get a receipt there and I figured the Rally
Bas....uh...Master, Rick had chosen this store because you had to go in to get something, no pay at the pump. I wound up standing in a long line to buy my first sequential bonus, a Virginia Lottery ticket, while a grouchy old silver hair waited on patrons. Finally, with receipt in hand, I was on my way to Bridgewater and the Iron Works Historical Marker, Bonus #92. From there it was up US 33, to cross the Blue Ridge and Skyline Drive. Gotta love those Virginia road crews. They have very thoughtfully laid down copious quantities of gravel in the sweeping corners. BOO HISS!!!!
Approaching Elkton I began thinking about looking for an "authentic" BBQ joint. Not 5 minutes later I noticed a sign for Log Cabin BBQ. Big time on the binders and whip in to find Scott Wilson and his riding partner(sorry, can't remember your name) in the parking lot. He said the gal working the counter was a looker!! And was she ever!! That was the best pork BBQ sandwich I ever ate!!

My next stop was Bonus #95, a historical marker at the crest of a hill
where, during the Civil War, General J.E.B. Stewart's cavalry attacked
and kicked the crap out of General George Custer's cavalry. Cool!! Next was Bonus #98 at Brandy Station then it was off for the big Bonus of the leg #26 worth 1791 points, an abandoned church. After that it was a sweep back to Lynchburg picking up Bonuses #104 in Cuckoo, #107 a revolutionary war historical marker, #110 a museum in Scottsville, #113 another church on a gravel road back in the woods that was started in 1883, and finally #41, the Banjo marker at Appomattox.

I made it back to Lynchburg about 20 minutes early, having stopped to
Pick up a Kudzu leaf and my last sequential bonus. Since my odometer
Registered 519 miles on the day, I needed to run an odometer check to determine how many penalty points I would incur for going over 500 miles. Penalties were 25 points per mile and this could be a significant hit. After the computation I was just under 500 miles and there were no penalties.

One thing was for sure. This was a precision navigation ride. Any
Wrong turn could potentially put you over the limit and incur penalties. I used my Garmin 2610 to good use to constantly look for short cuts and taking back roads. It worked well and is a very efficient tool.

Thanks again to all the people involved. For a short notice rally it
was a huge success. And what better way to spend a Saturday than riding around Western Virginia with 38 good friends!!!!

Can't wait till the next one. :-)

Jim Owen
Carpe Diem!!!!