The first challenge was negotiating the bumper-to-bumper traffic leaving Washington DC. This sucks on the highway where it is moving at 15-20mph but on US-50 it took me nearly 2 hours to go 30mi. What a nightmare. Fortunately I had some tunes to listen to and my emotions were buoyed by the fact that in two short weeks I would be leaving the congestion behind. Once I finally made it past Haymarket, my mood improved and muscles relaxed. I cruised out Rt.55 to Crest Hill Rd and down through the beautiful farming community of Hume, VA.
I rose at 5:45 and was packed and riding by 6AM. I scooted down Trout Run Rd to Wardensville and paused as the sun rose over the mountains behind me. I'm taking a cue from Scooter In The Sticks by taking shots of the bike from a distance. It helps lend scale to the ultimate landscape behind.