Jack, Dan, Bill, Pete and El Voz Fuerte at the start of Skyline Drive
99 BIKE SKYLINE DRIVE
May 24, 1999 Monday Bike Front Royal to Big Meadows
Got up early and drove from Columbia, MD to Front Royal, VA the northen entrance to the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National.
Jack, Dan, Bill, Pete and El Voz Fuerte at the start of Skyline Drive
Park. I met up with Bill and Barbara Spangler who spent the night in Front Royal, Jack Bateman, Bill Sneeringer and Pete Flaton. It was raining off and on and not too promising weather wise. We debated and finally decided to go to breakfast before starting off. During breakfast it quit raining again so we biked out of Front Royal and into Shenandoah NP. They held us up at the gate because of fog at the higher altitudes. Finally the lady ranger said to go ahead with a warning to be careful. We started at 600 feet and climbed 1800 feet in about 6 miles. The rain completely stopped and there were short periods of sun. It was breezy and cool but great for biking. We all gathered at Panorama for lunch at $7.05. Barbara Spangler was driving their van in support. We biked out of the gap at Panorama up through the tunnel to the rolling ridge line to Big Meadows. We stopped at the Big Meadows Lodge having biked 54.4 hilly miles. Pete Flaton and I shared a room and the cost of $91.14 per night. We ate supper that night in the lodge dining room for $31.40.
Mountain scenery from Skyline Drive... 
The high point of the trip... 
May 25, 1999 Tuesday Bike Big Meadows to Rockfish Gap
Got up and ate breakfast at the lodge for $7.84. We biked south on the Skyline Drive which follows the ridge line. It was hilly because we were going either up or down with not much flat. Stopped at Loft Mountain for lunch costing $5.49. We ended the day going mostly downhill into Rockfish Gap and the Inn at Afton near Waynesboro, VA. We biked 56.3 miles this day. We ate a nice supper at Dulaney’s in the Inn for $20.88. We turned in early. Pete and I split the cost of the room at $58 per night.
May 26, 1999 Wednesday Bike Rockfish Gap to Big Meadows
Got up and packed up loading our gear in Spangler’s van. Ate breakfast at Dulaney’s for $8.55. Biked up into the park for a long uphill climb but not as bad as at Front Royal. We cycled into Loft Mountain for lunch. We continued on to Big Meadows Lodge for the night at $91.14 after 56.3 miles. Again we ate supper at the lodge for $24.46. After dinner we went to the basement bar for a beer and to listen to an Appalachian folk story teller, musician and singer all tied together and well done. We were all tired so we left after about ˝ an hour. I had seen him before when we stayed here during our October hikes. Went to bed early.
May 27, 1999 Thursday Bike Big Meadows to Front Royal
Got up, packed up and went to breakfast at the lodge for $9.44. Biked north on Skyline Drive passing the highest point at over 3600 feet where we stopped for a group picture. Jack had a habit of riding ahead of the group and then falling back later in the day. Barbara talked to Jack at the top of the mountain saying we were stopping at Panorama for lunch less than a mile downhill. We all arrived at Panorama but no Jack. We spent about 45 minutes eating lunch for $8.05. Barbara took off with the van and caught Jack about 10 miles from the end. He was tired and hungry and a little embarrassed as he forgot to stop. We all rode together the last mostly downhill 10 miles into Front Royal, VA after biking 52.8 miles. What a great four days of tough but exhilirating and beautiful biking. We loaded our bags and bikes into our cars and said goodbye. Drove home to Columbia, MD arriving in the late afternoon. We had biked 219.8 miles in four days averaging 55 miles per day. We exceeded 40 miles per hour many times on the downhills. The weather was perfect being cool, dry and breezy.
Last updated January 1, 2006