Quote Originally Posted by jm21ddd15 View Post
Enjoy those roads, and like others have said, avoid the Dragon, on weekends. Just wondering, why you are taking the train, as the weather will be fine, mid June. Still takes time to fly up and get your bike. Just wondering.
I am not flying up, five of us are taking the auto train (it also takes bikes), from just north of Orlando, FL (about 3 hrs from our home town of Port Charlotte), and 17 hrs later (overnight) we get to north Virginia, just south of DC. We get there around 11am, take our bikes off the train and begin the trip back.

And thanks to all for the tips....our group did the dragon last summer, just after Memorial Day weekend, and enjoyed it during the week, when it was as everyone says, much less congested.

On this trip we are on the train heading from FL north on a Saturday, arriving Virginia Sunday around 11am. We drive west from there to Front Royal, at the top of Skyline Drive, and meander south to our first night on the road. The bulk of the miles will be during the week, finishing the Dragon Friday (we hope), and then heading home on Saturday, taking the back roads to Valdosta, GA for the night. The next day, Sunday, we are about 5 hours from home on 75.

Thanks to BigCity for the link to the appalachian back roads, that will surely help plan our trip route.