Dan Casey

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I can't exactly explain the thrill I feel each time I visit Bath County.

Perhaps it's the leisurely pace of quaint villages like Hot Springs, Bacova or Warm Springs, the county seat. Maybe it's because the county has no road wider than two lanes, nor a single stoplight.

It could be the 90-percent forest cover (the highest proportion of any county in Virginia), or, in the few treeless spaces, the green grassy swells that rise off deep valleys like rugged waves. Then there are the public baths, which you can still visit for a few bucks, where George Washington and Thomas Jefferson soaked away summer days.

It had been six years since I'd sampled any of this, but it all came rolling back thanks to an e-mail from a Cincinnati stockbroker. Paul Listerman posed this question: Where are some good road rides for a bicyclist visiting Hot Springs?

Paul Listerman and his wife, Lisa, were visiting The Homestead, the swank Alleghany Highlands golf resort and spa in Hot Springs, to celebrate her 40th birthday. Lisa doesn't care to ride, and Paul's golf days are mostly past him.

So while she indulged in the spa treatments, Paul wanted to get on his bike. But he had no idea where to ride.

I didn't either, so the question was part challenge, part invitation. Jim "Skydog" Palmieri joined me for the 75-mile drive up from Roanoke. Between Jim, Paul and me, we could find a decent ride, I reckoned. About 50 miles later, we'd done a lot better than that.

Highest airport east of the Mississippi

We ended up doing two separate rides, each from Hot Springs. The first was a challenging 34-mile round trip out-and-back ride from The Homestead to Ingalls Field, the local airport. At just about 4,000 feet above sea level, it's the highest airport east of the Mississippi River.

Elevation isn't the only aspect that makes Ingalls unique. The enormous runway can handle a full-sized Boeing 737 passenger jet. It dwarfs the miniscule terminal, which consists of a waiting room, offices, two soft drink machines and a couple of bathrooms.

The most notable thing is what's not there: people. On the top of a tall mountain, at the terminus of a 6-mile dead-end road, Ingalls Field has got to be the loneliest airport in the country. The only folks we saw there were two workers.

Directions: From Hot Springs, head south on U.S. 220 for 7 miles and make a left (east) on Virginia 703. Climb the mountain and at the intersection on the ridge top, make a left. Follow this road until it ends at Ingalls Field. To get back, reverse course.

Note: This ride is no picnic. For most of the distance from Hot Springs to Virginia 703 you'll be riding uphill. The minute you turn left on 703 you'll begin really climbing for the next 2.5-3 miles. The road to the airport follows the ridge in a series of ups and downs. The best views are looking west off the mountain about a mile before you get to the airport.

Gorgeous loop

Our next foray was a 16-mile loop. This is no easy feat to plot, because Bath County is made up of a series of long, north-to-south mountain ridges that are parallel to each other. There's a road down the center of each valley, and scores of short dead-end roads off each, kind of like a set of fish bones. Only a few roads connect the parallel valleys, such as Virginia 615, a.k.a. Main Street in Hot Springs. We headed west on it for 3 miles and turned right (north) on Virginia 687.

This 5-mile stretch was pure pleasure. Route 687 winds through shady hollows next to gurgling mountain streams. Then it opens up into pastureland, and finishes by passing through the charming village of Bacova, an ex-foundry company town that now is best known for its artists guild. Just past Bacova is Virginia 39. Take a right and follow it for 3 miles to Warm Springs and the U.S. 220 intersection. Make a right on 220 and head 5 miles back to Hot Springs and you're done.

Note: Average riders can easily handle this ride. The biggest challenge is the stretch of Virginia 39 between Bacova and Warm Springs. Most of it is uphill but the climb is not a killer. This ride is a great one to do in reverse, too.

Getting there

Hot Springs is about 75 miles north of Roanoke. To get there, take Interstate 81 north to Cloverdale, then U.S. 220 north to Clifton Forge. Take Interstate 64 west, get off 64 at the Covington exit and get back on 220. You can't miss Hot Springs; 220 passes right through town. Besides The Homestead, there's a 2-block-long commercial section of town. Park on the street . There are no meters, no time restrictions.

Some tips

Dan Casey | The Roanoke Times

U.S. 220 in Bath County follows a valley between mountain ridges that run north and south.

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Here and there on U.S. 220 are convenience stores with snacks and drinks, and there's also one on Virginia 39 between Bacova and Warm Springs. But on the other roads along these routes, there are only farms and residences. Plan accordingly. I recommend you carry at least two water bottles. Besides plenty of fancy restaurants in Warm Springs and Hot Springs, there's a sub shop in ther latter where you can get a decent sandwich. You can get soft drinks from machines at the airport, but the water from the fountain there tastes really bad.

The elevation in Bath County is much higher that Roanoke, so it tends to be about 10 degrees cooler. Keep that in mind when you're figuring out what to wear. Bath County also tends to get more snow than Roanoke. For that reason, it's probably a bad idea to try the airport ride in the winter.

Looking for a place to stay? If you've got money to burn, The Homestead is a first-class resort. Rooms there start at $180 per night (per couple), and go up past $1,000 for a luxury suite. Bed and breakfasts cost far less; my favorite, in Warm Springs, is Anderson Cottage. You can get a room there starting at around $75; for $50 more you can rent a 3-bedroom, 2-bath cottage with a complete kitchen.

Finally, no visit to Bath would be complete without a historical soak in Jefferson Pools in Warm Springs. This pair of round wooden buildings are on the west side of U.S. 220 just north of the Virginia 39 intersection.

The buildings sit over stream-fed rock-lined pools full of naturally heated mineral water that's just a bit warmer than body temperature. The pools are segregated by sex, and many people jump in au naturel. These are operated by The Homestead. It costs about $15 to soak for as long as you want.

The rest of the story

Or how Dan, in his reporter days, survived an assignment in Bath County

The last time I stopped by Higher Ground, Pat Robertson's 11,000-square-foot weekend mansion atop Warm Springs Mountain, I wound up on the wrong side of a 9 mm handgun. It was wielded by Pat's bodyguard, a faux sheriff's deputy who was determined that I and a photographer were NOT going to snap a picture of the multimillionaire televangelist's palatial digs.

He waved the silver-colored pistol, told us we were unwanted and threatened us with arrest -- all for standing on a public road and peering through some leafless winter trees. Then he proceeded to reel off a list of all the great things about Pat: for instance, he buys shoes for the poor kids of Bath County.

Photographer Stephanie Klein-Davis and I split, and the next day, she shot a great pic from an airplane high in the sky, safely beyond handgun range. That was seven years ago, back when I was a reporter. To this day, that bodyguard is the only person who's ever threatened me with a gun.

On a recent Saturday I found myself back in Bath County, this time on a bicycle. I recalled that cherished moment as Jim Palmieri, Paul Listerman and I slowly pedaled up 3,800-foot Warm Springs Mountain. Between huffs and puffs I told them the story and we hatched a plan for a return visit.

As we rolled along a white pine-lined road toward Pat's driveway, we emptied our water bottles to better fit the profile of thirsty bicyclists who might beg for a drink. We rode up the driveway to some imposing (and closed) wrought iron gates. The caretaker's house was situated there, and I knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

I pointed to the way around the gates and suggested we ride up to the big house to knock on Pat's door. But Paul and Jim demurred.

"On this side we could innocently claim we're looking for some water," Paul said. Then he pointed beyond iron gate. "But on that side, we're trespassing."