Dan Casey

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This is one ride it's impossible to get lost on.

About halfway down the valley (see map below) park at the old closed store at the intersection of Virginia 785 and 679 (Sandyridge Road). Get on your bike and go south on Virginia 785. Keep going until you get to Lusters Gate Road (Virgina 723), about 7.5 miles south of your starting point. Then turn around and ride back.

The dominant color here is green: tree-covered mountains, grassy pastures and meandering Catawba Creek. You'll notice the "Gumdrops" -- a string of rounded hills that border the east side of the valley. A peculiar formation, they are all almost identical.

Although there is little traffic, the cars that do take this road tend to drive fast. Listen carefully for approaching vehicles.

Notes

No convenience stores on this ride, so pack your own goodies. Catawba General Store, which is on Virginia 311 after you come down Catawba Mountain, is a good place to load up. It's a short distance before you get to Virginia 785.

After the ride, the Homeplace Restaurant on Virginia 311 is a good place to eat. It's open 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Meals are family style and no alcohol is served.

Virginia 785 is part of the original Bikecentennial course, a popular cross-country cycling route that hardy touring cyclists have followed for more than 20 years. Don't be surprised if you cross paths with one or two loaded-down bikers who've ridden from the West Coast - or others out for a quick day ride.

There are a couple of good spots to stop and rest along the way. One is a grassy plot on the right at the intersection of Virginia 785 and Nature's Waye. It's a short distance past McPherson Road. Another spot, a bit farther up on the left, is McDonalds Mill. It's just beyond a small white United Methodist Church that's on your left as you're heading out to Lusters Gate. There's a beautiful covered bridge, of recent vintage, that crosses Catawba Creek on the driveway into the mill. Just past Lusters Gate is a large church with a parking lot. If anyone's around you can stock up on water here.

If you're really dry and need some along the route, you'll pass plenty of farmhouses close to the road.

Want a little more challenge? Keep going past Lusters Gate, for a 2.5 mile uphill into Blacksburg.