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06-12-2017, 06:52 PM | #1 |
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Road & Bike trip: Skyline Drive and Shenandoah! Pics and details inside
This past weekend I took the 1er on a nearly 1,000 mile road trip from Maryland to western Virginia (not WV). For pics, skip to the bottom, for the details, read on!
For my birthday my fiance rented a cabin for us way out in Damascus, VA. The main draw of the town is an old railroad that has been converted to a bike trail, named "Creeper Trail" after the train that used to run it. The train was named the "Creeper" for how slowly it would run the line, due to the many turns and steep incline, it was shut down in 1974 after it had not turned a profit since the Great Depression. The cabin we rented was literally right on the trail at mile 14, a place called Laurel Run Cabins. They have just 4 cabins and the owners are extremely friendly and accommodating. Despite their rule, they allowed us to bring our dog, Apollo, which we were very grateful for. Now on to the drive; the drive one-way is around 400 miles down RTE-66 West and 81 South coming from the DC area. The moment my fiance told me about the trip she'd planned I mapped out the route to see what fun could be had on the way. Sure enough, Skyline Drive, which runs the entire length of Shenandoah, was right along the route down 81. Taking Skyline drive the whole way would have added over 4hrs to our already long journey, so I plotted a trip that took us halfway on Skyline Drive and skipped back onto 81. We loaded the car with gear, bikes, and dog and left DC around 11:30am, en route to the Skyline Drive entry point at Front Royal. We arrived at Skyline just over an hour later and paid the seemingly steep entry fee. A quarter mile later I didn't even remember there was a fee. The views quickly became well-worth the detour, and the roads were a ton of fun! Doing the drive at noon on a weekday meant VERY few people were on the road, so I had some "creative liberty" with how I handled the corners. After having fun for a bit, we stopped at one of the many turn-offs for some pictures... 20170609_141713 by Matt Steele, on Flickr Feat. Fiance & Apollo 20170609_141702 by Matt Steele, on Flickr The views kept getting better! 20170609_142554 by Matt Steele, on Flickr We enjoyed lunch on one of the scenic overlooks and got back on the road. 20170609_142611 by Matt Steele, on Flickr Once we reached the end of our run on Skyline drive, I put the radio back on and headed down the not-so-exciting 81 South. Apollo served as my primary co-pilot while my fiance napped - how she manages to sleep through my driving/the 1er's exhaust, I'll never know 20170609_163351 by Matt Steele, on Flickr After another few hours, totaling around 8.5/9hrs with our stops and Skyline detour, we arrived at our humble abode for the weekend. 20170609_203351 by Matt Steele, on Flickr Shortly after arriving, I made way too many cheeseburgers and we watched the sun set over the treeline. 20170610_205935 by Matt Steele, on Flickr The next day we rode our bikes into town, took a shuttle to the top of Creeper Trail, and rode down the awesome trail. When we eventually made it back to the cabin we still had time to load the pup in the 1er and go for some ice cream, followed by beer at the local Damascus Brewery, just to completely undo any healthiness of riding 21ish miles Sunday we packed up and headed home, stopping at a couple wineries on the way. I only have one pic from Sunday, which shows the usual theme of me driving, dog spotting, and fiance PTFO as we cruise at completely acceptable speeds. It was an awesome trip and I'm happy to say the 1er performed very well, averaging 25.5mpg for the whole weekend. I had a SES light pop on a few days prior that had me concerned, so I ran with the JB4 off and everything seemed ok and the SES light has not returned. I'll be bringing it in to the dealer this week just to make sure everything is tip-top. So, whoever said the 1er isn't practical has never taken one on a roadtrip with supplies for a weekend, 2 people, a dog, and bikes on the roof! 20170611_151736 by Matt Steele, on Flickr Almost forgot the final shot! After arriving home, the poor car was not nearly as clean as when we left! A serious detailing will hopefully happen on Wednesday I also want to add that Stoners Glass Cleaner is a lifesaver. I always keep a can in the car with a MF towel, and I'm so glad I had it. I cleaned the bugs collected on the windshield each evening and it made a world of difference in visibility. 20170611_204112 by Matt Steele, on Flickr
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"Tobias" 2013 135i ///M-Sport 6MT • Pure Stage 1 • XDI 35 HPFP • 404whp/440wtq Last edited by Matticus91; 06-12-2017 at 07:05 PM.. |
06-12-2017, 06:55 PM | #2 |
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I Want Your Dog!!!!!!
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06-12-2017, 08:45 PM | #3 |
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Good to see the car back and running again, looks great with the 1M bumper!
Inspiration for road trip...sending this to the wife! hahaha |
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06-12-2017, 09:40 PM | #4 | |
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doG is my co pilot.....
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06-13-2017, 02:42 AM | #5 |
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06-13-2017, 08:06 AM | #6 |
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Looks like a fun trip! I'm spoiled here in North Carolina with quick access to the Blue Ridge Parkway, but no matter how many times I go, those views don't get old.
I'm all too familiar with the hot breath of a canine on the left side of my neck while driving. That is my border collie Winston's preferred position when riding, especially when the windows are down. The 1M front looks great on your car with the exposed CF hood and I love how you're utilizing this car to the max. The 1er may be small, but it can do big things on road trips! |
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06-13-2017, 08:27 AM | #7 |
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Looks like you had a blast!
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06-13-2017, 09:40 AM | #8 | |||
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Come visit him with your 1er!
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It took me longer than I care to admit to figure this out lol. Quote:
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A road trip wouldn't be the same without my furry buddy. Thanks for the compliments on the hood. I am STILL debating whether or not to paint it... maybe I'll do a poll thread lol. And yes I'm definitely using this car for everything it's worth. A car is meant to be driven in my eyes! For sure! We'll be doing it again sometime without a doubt.
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06-13-2017, 09:46 AM | #9 |
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06-13-2017, 12:04 PM | #10 |
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Nice pics
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06-13-2017, 01:00 PM | #11 | |
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06-13-2017, 01:06 PM | #12 |
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06-13-2017, 01:54 PM | #14 | |
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Speaking of which, Matticus91 you need to come out to Katies! |
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06-13-2017, 02:14 PM | #15 |
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Reminds me of going out East to PEI with the 1er. We fit camping/luggage/cooler and a bunch of stuff for the trip out from Toronto. It was roughly 4,000km of driving. Glad to see the car looks great after getting the repairs done.
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06-13-2017, 02:42 PM | #16 | |
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For sure!
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I still have yet to be let down by the 1er's carrying capacity haha
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"Tobias" 2013 135i ///M-Sport 6MT • Pure Stage 1 • XDI 35 HPFP • 404whp/440wtq |
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