2008 Fall Cruise October 11-12, 2008
The VA-MD VCA Fall Cruise will be held Saturday-Sunday, October 11-12. Join us for a two-day tour over some great roads and through some very scenic countryside. If you have a garage queen and you don't like to put any miles on it, this excursion is not for you. We'll be driving about 250 miles each day, and nearly all those miles will be on quality two-lane roads with a high "fun-to-drive" quotient. Our route will be similar to the route we took last year, with some variations. Everyone who participated in this event last year loved the roads and had a great time.
On the first day we will cover about 280 miles. Our route will take us in a southwest direction along the Appalachian Mountains. We have 4 different pit stops planned for refueling and restroom intermissions. We will be traveling along the Virginia/West Virginia border throughout the day. Day one will conclude at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Staunton, Virginia around 5:00 PM.
The Hotel Information is as follows:
Holiday Inn
Golf and Conference Center Staunton
152 Fairway Lane
Staunton, Virginia 24401
(540) 248-6020
(800) 932-9061
The room rate is $110.00 per night. I have reserved 10 rooms, 8 King/2 Double. Please call the Hotel and make your reservations for Saturday September 26th. Please mention that the room is for the Viper Club to get the discounted rate. Here is a link to the hotel:
http://www.histaunton.com/hi/index.html
On the second day we will cover about 230 miles and we will leave the hotel at 9:00 AM. On this day we will travel northwest from Staunton to Thornwood, WV. We will then take a Northeast route into Strasburg, Virginia. The cruise will end there around 3:00 PM allowing everyone enough time to get back home.
If you do not want to participate on both days, you don't have to. You are welcome to come along for as much of the cruise as you wish. We have had attendees only participate on one day or even as little as part of the day in the past.
If you wish to participate in the Cruise, please let me know as soon as possible. You will need to make the room reservation before September 26th. After September 26th, any remaining rooms we have not booked will be released and will only be available on a first come-first serve basis. The room reservation can be cancelled anytime before 6 pm on the day of arrival. (That is a fantastic cancellation policy)
Contact:
John Mavridis
Fall Cruise Event Schedule
October 11-12, 2008
Official starting point will be the Shoney's Restaurant at 1359 Berryville Avenue in Winchester, VA (directions below). Plan on meeting at 8:30 AM, we will have breakfast, discuss itinerary and hand out detail maps. My recommended place to stay in Winchester Friday night is the Hampton Inn North, at 1204 Berryville Avenue (540-678-4000). There are two Hampton Inns in Winchester; the other one (which you don't want) is at the Apple Blossom Mall.
We will depart the Shoney's Restaurant promptly at 9:45 am. Please be sure your tank is full. We've got 255 miles to cover Saturday, with lunch scheduled around 12:30 in Harrisonburg, VA. If you gas up in Harrisonburg, you should not need to refuel until we get to Staunton. We should arrive at the Holiday Inn in Staunton around 5:00 pm. Our excursion Saturday will take us from Winchester through Wardensville WV, Baker WV, Broadway VA, Harrisonburg VA, Franklin WV, Monterey VA, Warm Springs VA and Staunton VA. I'm not sure yet where we're going to eat Saturday night; I'm working on finding a place.
Sunday morning we'll leave Staunton at 9:00 am (breakfast in the Holiday Inn dining room). The early morning departure is so that we can take on the mountain roads of US-250 with minimal traffic. Our route Sunday will cover about 210 miles and will take us from Staunton through Monterey VA, Thornwood WV, Judy Gap WV, Seneca Rocks WV, Petersburg WV, Moorefield WV, Wardensville WV and wind up in Strasburg VA around 3:00 pm. Lunch is scheduled in Petersburg WV. Those of you heading west will probably want to turn off at either Seneca Rocks or Petersburg.
Those of you who traveled with us in the past will remember the fun we had on Route 55 in eastern WV (the expressway in the middle of Nowhere). I've planned this trip so that we can enjoy this road on both Saturday and Sunday. We will also include a short blast on Old Route 55. Our route Sunday is exactly the same as last year. Saturday's trip will take us on some different roads, however, and we'll tackle twisty US-33 between Harrisonburg and Franklin. (Hopefully the other traffic will cooperate.)
Directions to Shoney's Restaurant in Winchester, VA:
From the north via I-81, take exit 315. At the exit, you want to turn right onto Route 7 West toward the town of Winchester. Shoney's will be on your left immediately after you turn onto Route 7.
If you're coming on I-81 from the south, you will see Shoney's on the left side off I-81 just before you exit the interstate. On the exit ramp, stay to the right to take you onto Route 7 West. Once you cross over I-81, you will see Shoney's on the left.
If you're coming from Leesburg, Berryville or points east on Route 7, when you cross over I-81, you will see Shoney's on the left.
PM me if you have any questions.
