Dan Casey

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November's sun glared into our eyes as we rolled past Floyd County hayfields. We were riding on the high plateau of the Blue Ridge Parkway, around 2,800 feet above sea level -- open, rolling turf interrupted by piney groves and rhododendron glades.

To the east and far below lay the wooded hollows of Franklin and Henry counties. It was late morning, and they were shrouded in a thick fog, with treed hilltops poking through here and there, like islands floating on gray haze.

Suddenly, two big bucks crashed out of a thicket on the west side of the parkway and crossed the road in front of Ted Remandaban, Rob Kidder and me. Each sported racks of eight points or more. Muzzleloader season was upon us, but it looked as if these fine animals would live for at least a little while longer.

Spinning wheels

Our goal on this Saturday was Rocky Knob, an enormous and bald bulge on the parkway that tops out at elev. 3,572. That sounds high -- but we'd started out at 2,564 feet. Climbing 1,000 vertical feet over 16 miles is a piece of cake.

Farther north on the parkway, Apple Orchard Mountain climbs 3,300 feet over 13 long miles that roll by at a snail's pace when you're doing the pushing. Between Roanoke and the famed Peaks of Otter, there's a steep 4-mile climb that can make your quads seize up like a car engine with no oil.

Yet here we were, on a premier bicycling blacktop that mile for mile is one of the toughest roads in the eastern U.S., and we'd managed to luck into a nice long stretch with no big climbs.

This ride through Floyd is one that nearly anyone can do. Sure, there's some pushing here and there. But never too much. Anybody a bit better than "beginner" will not feel like they've bitten off more than they can chew. And what hard parts exist are mostly in the beginning. The ride back is quick and easy, just the way I like it.

Floyd County

Floyd County is shaped like an elongated triangle, and 31 miles of the parkway flank its eastern edge. It is a place where many people come to get away from it all, but not too far away.

The first settlers trickled in around 1748, but the county wasn't established until 1831, when an act of the Virginia General Assembly separated it from Montgomery County, its cousin to the west. In an act of supreme fealty, the legislature's solons named the new county after the governor of Virginia, John Floyd.

Much of Floyd's land was farmed, but there were also more than a few mines. Copper, lead, nickel, iron, cobalt, arsenic and soapstone were mined at one time in various parts of the county.

Today, spread over Floyd's 383 square and rolling miles are 13,874 farmers, hippies, rednecks, artists and here and there, a commune. At least one of them, Rivendell, was founded by a controversial group of anti-abortion activists, who regularly picket a Planned Parenthood clinic in Roanoke, about an hour to the north.

There's also a doctor who will barter her services for livestock, a jewelry maker who specializes in occult objects. The county seat, the town of Floyd, has a population of 432, and every Friday night there's an open-to the- public bluegrass jamboree in one of the town's old country stores. It draws onlookers from miles around.

You will only get a hint of all this action from the parkway, however. Still, there is plenty to do and see.

The ride

This ride is an out-and-back and totals 34 miles, or however long you want to make it. We started out at an overlook called Smart View at mile marker 154 and turned around at Chateau Morrisette, a winery-restaurant-gift shop just off the parkway at mile.

Rakes Mill Pond, a dammed up pond and adjacent swamp that where a mill once stood. Built in the early 19th century, it was the brainchild of Jarman Rakes. Rakes was a canny miller. His pond was stocked with trout and he offered a unique incentive for customers: They, and they alone, were allowed to fish in his pond while he ground their wheat.

Mile Marker 166

This is Tuggle Gap. Head west on Virginia 8 for six miles and you'll be in the town of Floyd. Head west for a few hundred feet, and you'll be at the Tuggle's Gap Restaurant, a small roadhouse that serves inexpensive breakfast and lunch.

Mile marker 169

This is Rocky Knob, a nearly shorn bluff that rises to 3,572 feet above sea level. Its 4,800 acres include a picnic area, bathrooms, campground, visitor center and 15 miles of trails including Rock Castle Gorge National Recreational Trail. Down in the gorge, you'll find 200 species of wild flowers (April and May), 45 species of trees and 28 species of ferns alone along the 10.8- mile loop trail.

From the knob itself, you'll be able to see the hulking bulge of Buffalo Mountain, elev. 3,971 feet, the highest point in the county. Now a publicly owned recreation area, the mountain was mined for lead for 50 years. According to a sign at the Rocky Knob overlook, mothers in Floyd used to let their kids roam hither and yon, as long as they could see Buffalo mountain from wherever they went.

Notes

For almost all of the two-lane parkway, there is no shoulder, so you'll be sharing the road with cars. Be careful. The National Park Service requires cyclists to wear a helmet and have reflectors on their bikes and/or clothing. None of the parkway is lighted, so you're safest getting off it by dusk if you can.

In Floyd, roads frequently cross the parkway and in that respect this stretch is unusual, at least in the Roanoke region. Some of them are paved but most are not. A short distance off the parkway, here and there you'll see an occasional gift, antique or collectibles shop. There's probably potable water here, but we didn't stop to find out.

Dan Casey | The Roanoke Times

Rob Kidder (left) and Ted Remandaban ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway's high plateau through Floyd County. This 34 mile out-and-back ride features gorgeous scenery, smooth riding and no mountainous climbs.

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A couple miles north of Rocky Knob is the intersection with Virginia 8. A stone's throw south of the parkway you'll see the Tuggle's Gap Restaurant. The word on this place is that it's inexpensive and great for breakfast or lunch.

A more romantic meal can be had a few miles south of Rocky Knob at Chateau Morrisette, a restaurant-winery-gift shop just off the parkway. To get there, go to mile maker 171.5 and take Black Ridge Road (Route 799) west, then an immediate left on Winery Road. Chateau Morrisette is open year round and offers tastings and tours. The restaurant serves lunch Wednesday through Sunday, and dinner (by reservation) Fridays and Saturdays. For more info, call (540) 593-2865 or check out www.chateaumorrisette.com.

Fall is the peak parkway season, when hundreds of thousands of motorists flocks to the road to view the colors of leaves changing. That means it's also the time of the most traffic. You should be especially careful if you're riding between Oct. 15 and Nov. 15, particularly on a weekend. During the winter, large parts of the parkway are closed during the winter because of ice and snow on the road.