Harrisonburg VA Trip - day 2 of 4

Nothing helps me sleep like a pair of ear plugs.  The insects were singing loud last night so I popped in a pair of plugs and was out.  8:00 am came pretty quick and we were up making coffee and breakfast.

The bikes are still sleeping behind the tent.

We decided to do the Lookout Mountain ride from the SBC ride packet.  It looked like a good loop with some up, down, and views.  We rode from the campground and started back down the road on which we came in yesterday.

After passing the North River Campground, a more primitive choice with only pit toilets, we turned onto some double track and began climbing.  A couple trucks were randomly coming down the road as we headed up, but they were the last people we encountered on this ride.

Rocky up.

Some ridge riding brought us to rocky single track.  We had plenty of fun negotiating the rocky, off camber trail.  It was definitely rideable but required some attention.  I inadvertently rode off a pretty big drop while choosing my own adventure on a line through the rocks.  Thankfully I kept my weight back and avoided a superman over the bars.

A steep, loose rock chute gave way to some steep downhill switchbacks and a sign reading "overlook" pointed off the trail to the left.  We rode and then walked onto a rock outcropping and were greeted by a fantastic view.

One of those trees growing out of a rock.

We ate lunch and took some pictures from the rock outcrop.  It was pretty cool to sit back and see the peaks, ridges, and valley we had just ridden.  The sky was overcast like it had been all day but it didn't really seem like it would rain.  We enjoyed the scenery.

Cell phone panoramic.

One last rocky section brought us to a crossing of the North River.  It was quite a suspension bridge over the river.  An old railroad grade on the other side led to a road.

Ryan rode across, concerned about getting

splinters in his forearms from the hand rails.

No riding for me with these wide handlebars.

A short ride on the road completed our loop and we were back to the campground.  We stopped near the entrance for cell signal and phone checks, as there was none available back in the actual campground area.

GWNF: Todd Lake

Food, a hot shower, and more food restored some of energy.  Then we packed up to drive into Harrisonburg for dinner.  It was about 45 minutes east and then north to Harrisonburg.  We parked on a side street downtown and went for a walk.  Walkabout Outfitters was our first stop where we got a good recommendation for dinner.  Then we stopped into the Shenendoah Bicycle Company, supplier of our maps and ride packet.

I think there's a bike shop over there.

The bike shop was very cool and it was easy to get the sense of their involvement with trail building and support of the local cycling scene.  We talked with a couple shop employees about where we rode, where we were still going to ride, and, most importantly at the moment, where we were going to eat.

The SBC.

Downtown Harrisonburg was a happening place.  There were stores and shops, not sure what the difference is, and restaurants all over.  Lots of people were out walking.  There was an artsy feel to the area.  We ate dinner at Capital Ale House, per aforementioned recommendations.

100 beers on tap makes for a difficult choice.

After a pretty good dinner, and sampler of Colorado beers in Virginia, we found the car and headed back to the national forest.  But, we made a gas station stop on the way for chocolate milk (me) and an ice cream bar (Ryan).  I guess we were needed some chocolatey calories to finish the day.

Historic Harrisonburg: the land for the

courthouse was deeded in 1779.