Lost Tour in Virginia! VA Riders look here! - Ducati.ms

BLZ2DWL · May 16th, 2007, 9:38 am

Big news! I've been working on a project that is finally taking shape, and I'd like to share it with all of you. The Community Design Assistance Center at the College of Architecture at Virgina Tech is charged with providing economic development assistance to small communities throughout Virginia by offering landscape and architectural design ideas. Late this year, we will be publishing a book called "Lost Communities of Virginia" that highlights once-thriving towns that have disappeared or dwindled over time.

An offshoot of the book is a motorcycle tour guide of lost communities, aimed at providing directions as well as historical background and recommended stops along the way. The motorcycle tour guide is dependent upon funding, and will be produced after the Lost Communities book is released. An example can be found on our website below.

To promote the guide, and the project, we are hosting our first annual "Lost Tour" this summer.Held July 28th, the one-day event will feature a safety session with Keith Lindgren, President of the Motorcycle Safety League of Virginia, followed by an educational presentation by Terry Fisher, one of the authors of Lost Communities of Virginia, and then we will head out for a 3-4 hour ride through southwest Virginia. These are some of the finest roads you will find anywhere! To wrap it all up, we will have a catered dinner and listen to an amazing presentation by Dale Coyner, author of several motorcycling books, highlighting the riding opportunities in Appalachian Virginia.

The purpose of the event will be to raise money for the production of the book, whose proceeds are directed to a fund that is then used to provide economic development assistance to these same communities. It will cost $25 per participant, with T-shirts and dinner each at $15. The event will be in two parts: the ride and the evening festivities. This will allow those who do not ride, or family members of riders to participate after the ride is completed. Details about the ride are still underway, as is the route we will be taking.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and check out our website in progress at www.thelosttour.com. We will offer on-line registration in about a week or so. I've also added a forum to focus on these communities and share stories and ride information. Please sign up and add something to the conversation!

Brennan-

**butch** · May 16th, 2007, 4:12 pm

Brennan that sounds like a great project. I'm sure that you will have a blast.

BLZ2DWL · May 16th, 2007, 5:29 pm

Hey, thanks! We're really looking forward to making it an annual deal, but we've got to get this first one knocked out first. We've got some great speakers lined up, and the roads are here for the pickin', so it ought to be great!

Brennan-

ST4R · May 16th, 2007, 5:34 pm

If the weather is good you can count me in. And - I'll add this information to my BMW club newsletter and ask a few other BMW clubs in VA and NC to add it to theirs too.

How many people can you accommodate?

betarace · May 16th, 2007, 6:11 pm

dont want a harley fest, but would like to join in

BLZ2DWL · May 16th, 2007, 7:31 pm

We're planning on 100 or so riders. Once we get the on-line registration up, we'd love to see people start signing up. Since its the first event we've done, we don't really know what to expect. If we get 200 people signed up, we'll have to rethink our location for the dinner, etc, but we'll damn sure take all 200!

The actual riding will be self guided, with several recommended rides so you can partner up or go out on your own. This is not a rally, or a parade, but a real riding opportunity. There will be riders of all sorts, but since we are taking to the roads independently, people can choose the ride they want based on skill level and level of difficulty. If you want to ride a lazy circle with some great scenery, or a twisty backroad that will keep you busy, we'll make sure you get what you need. Dan, I'll personally ride with you!

Thanks!

Brennan

BLZ2DWL · May 21st, 2007, 8:43 pm

The Registration page and schedule of events should be coming soon! Thanks for the positive response so far!

Brennan-

gngsquared · May 21st, 2007, 8:48 pm

Sounds like a great project. Wish I could attend, but VIR is calling me out that weekend.

BLZ2DWL · May 23rd, 2007, 8:33 pm

Alright, mucho information and the On-Line Registration is now available!

www.thelosttour.com

Check it out, and sign-up so we can spend your money advertising it to more riders! Thanks for all the support so far, its looking good so far. T-shirts are available for anyone at $15 too, so if you can't make it but want to help, get a shirt! They will be available in July, and will feature the main Lost Tour logo that you see on the website.

Thanks again, and I look forward to meeting those of you who make the ride.

Brennan-

brennan@thelosttour.com

ST4R · May 24th, 2007, 3:28 pm

I just sent an email with all the details to several people who are in large motorcycle riding clubs in Virginia. We'll see how many people we can get involved!

Dan