October 9–13, 2026 · Appalachia
Before mile one
We built a five-day loop from the middle of the Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route and a northbound return of our own. Brothers Brett and Max made the start with Brett’s son, Andrew. Jerry—an integral part of our group—had to sit this one out while recovering from a broken foot after a minor fall at an earlier motorcycle event.
Then, before the motorcycles were even unloaded, a trailer wheel bearing began to smoke.
The first obstacle
We nursed the damaged trailer to Bill Smith’s house near Charles Town. The delay cost us several hours, but Bill’s generosity kept the trip alive: while we rode south, he bought the parts and began the repair. Five days later, Brett assembled the bearing and wheel, and the trailer was roadworthy again.
Hospitality became part of the route.The group
Three of us rode this loop. Jerry’s injury kept him home, but not outside the group—and not outside the adventures still to come.
South by BDR · North by design
For three days we followed selected MABDR sections south. At Woods Hole we left the established route and turned north on our own line through Reddish Knob and the Shenandoah Valley.
Friday · October 9
Our adventure tried to stop before it started. Five miles from Bill’s house, the trailer wheel began smoking. We hobbled the final miles, unloaded several hours late, and set off while Bill tracked down parts. The Oldtown Toll Bridge carried us across the Potomac and into the first long miles south.
Saturday · October 10
Breakfast at Brandy Wine Family Dining on US 33 gave us a full start before we followed the MABDR through the Alleghenies and committed to the harder Hite Hollow alternate. After its dirt, rock, and tight mountain miles, Bacova Beer Company gave us the perfect counterpoint: locally brewed beer, live music, and an easy evening together before turning in at The RoseLoe Motel.
Sunday · October 11
Heavy overnight rain left the backroads saturated. We used a brief morning break to pack, then spent the day riding through intermittent rain. One fallen tree had to be muscled over; another forced us into a ditch to pass beneath it. Lunch at San Juan Mexican Restaurant in Covington gave us a welcome pause before Woods Hole waited on the mountainside with Neville, hikers, homemade bread, garden vegetables, and the kind of shared meal that stays with you.
Monday · October 12
Woods Hole marked our turn away from the official MABDR. From there, the route was ours: a long custom connector north through mountain country and up to Reddish Knob. At roughly 4,400 feet, the summit opened a full 360-degree view before we descended to the Haywood area, where we stayed overnight with Brett and Max’s niece Emma and her husband, James. Dinner at Los Brothers Restaurant in Madison closed the day around a very full table.
Tuesday · October 13
Skyline Drive was drawn into the plan, but heavy traffic made the choice for us. We left Emma and James’s home, skipped Skyline, and found something better for that day: local twisty roads toward Front Royal, a stop at Poppy’s Place, then beautiful curves beside the Shenandoah River. Back at Bill’s, Brett completed the bearing and wheel assembly while Bill stood by after sourcing the parts and beginning the repair. With the trailer roadworthy again, we finally completed the loop home.
Rain turned ordinary roads into consequential ones.
Over one tree. Under another. Onward.Places along the line
Some places were destinations. Others were crossings, turning points, or a plan we deliberately changed.
01The southbound backbone
The MABDR is an approximately 1,100-mile backcountry route linking quiet pavement, gravel, dirt, and forest roads from Virginia to Pennsylvania. We followed selected middle sections south before designing our own way home.
Official MABDR guide ↗02Day 1 · confirmed crossing
This privately owned, single-lane wooden-deck bridge crosses the North Branch Potomac between Maryland and West Virginia. Its low, intimate crossing became one of our clearest Day 1 landmarks.
Bridge information ↗
03Day 2 · confirmed visit
A small family-run brewery in Hot Springs, Bacova gave a long riding day an entirely different finish: local beer, a lively taproom, and live music shared together.
Visit Bacova ↗
04Day 2 · breakfast
This family restaurant along US 33 in Brandywine, West Virginia, was where we fueled ourselves before the dirt and rock of Hite Hollow.
Find it on the map ↗
05Day 3 · lunch
In Covington, Virginia, San Juan gave us a welcome lunch stop during a day defined by persistent rain, saturated backroads, and fallen trees.
Find it on the map ↗06Day 3 · overnight
The restored chestnut-log homestead has welcomed Appalachian Trail hikers since 1986. We met Neville, stayed in the Garden View Room, shared dinner and breakfast with hikers, and helped clean up afterward.
Woods Hole Hostel & B&B ↗07Day 4 · confirmed summit
At roughly 4,400 feet on the Virginia–West Virginia line, Reddish Knob opened the 360-degree Appalachian panorama that became the visual high point of our custom route north.
George Washington National Forest ↗
08Day 4 · dinner in Madison
After the long custom route north and our arrival at Emma and James’s home, Los Brothers Restaurant in Madison gave us a generous Latin American dinner and an easy finish to the day.
Find it on the map ↗
09Day 5 · planned, not ridden
Built through Shenandoah National Park during the 1930s, Skyline Drive was intended as our finale. Excessive traffic led us to bypass it for local twisty roads toward Front Royal and along the Shenandoah River.
Skyline Drive history ↗
10Day 5 · Front Royal stop
Poppy’s Place in Front Royal was our stop after we bypassed Skyline Drive and committed to the local-road route home.
Find it on the map ↗The soundtrack
An original Appalachian folk song drawn from the route, the rain, the people who helped us, and the roads that changed the plan.
The complete album
The strongest images carry the main story. All 109 photographs are arranged below in edited trip order and can be filtered by chapter. Open any photograph to begin the automatic slideshow, use the arrows to move at your own pace, and listen to “Five Days Through the Mountains” as the soundtrack.
Ride it yourself
Download the planning GPX used for this trip. It includes Skyline Drive, which we ultimately bypassed because of excessive traffic. Conditions, closures, surfaces, and access can change—compare it with current BDR and park guidance before riding.
Download GPX v18 ↓Current MABDR information ↗We set out to follow a line on a map.