[MSCW list] MSCW 2025 Destination Drive #1 - Blue Ridge Hunt - April 12, 2025

[Timothy Metzinger]

Established in 1888, the Blue Ridge Hunt traverses land in Clarke County, in Warren County north of Front Royal, in Shenandoah County north of Route 675, in Frederick County south of Route 50 and west of Route 11 in Virginia and in Jefferson County, W.Va.  The members hunt with hounds, and also host an annual Point-to-Point Race as Spring begins each year.   We went last year and had a good time.  They have invited our group again to the Race on April 12, in Berryville, VA, to participate in a show of antique and exotic cars, and to watch the races - there's even a race where little kids ride their hobby horses.  The gates to the parking (in a large field) will open at 10:00 and the Race(s) start at 12:00 PM.

Our drive will start at the Linden Park and Ride on VA55 (I-66 exit 13, near the Exxon station).  From there we'll head West to join Dismal Hollow Road to lead us to VA624, and that will take us along the Shenandoah until we make a left on US50/US17 to cross the river and take a right on Millwood Rd and onto VA255 to Briggs Road and the Woodley Farm, where the races will be held.    The road onto the farm IS gravel, but it is well maintained and we'll take it slow.  We'll park together, and everyone is encouraged to bring blankets or portable chairs.
This is a big deal to the local communities out there.  There are likely to be lots of people there and lots of children, so we will want to do a good job of representing our group.  I am NOT responsible if you bring a child along and he/she decides they NEED a horse or a pony.
There's an optional pre-drive where I'll lead folks from the Stone House (near US29 and VA234) to the Apple House restaurant via VA55, in time to get breakfast including their famous apple butter donuts.  We'll leave around 6:30 AM to get to the Apple House by 7:30 so we can have breakfast and          be at Linden Park and ride in time to meet others.

When it's time to leave, I'm happy to bring the group up to VA7 via Berryville and stop for a hand-made milkshake or ice cream at Homespun.

Note, I'm currently planning to get to the farm by 10 AM, but if the races start later, I will push back the start times.

Logistics:
Assembly - We'll assemble at the Linden Park and Ride at 8:30 AM on Saturday, April 12th.  There is an Exxon nearby, with available restrooms.
Departure - We'll depart the parking lot at 9:15 AM.
Time/Distance - the drive will take about 40 minutes, and the one-way distance is 30 miles.
Food - The Hunt Group will have food trucks there to serve the crowds.  Last year it was ok, but not great. By all means feel free to bring a picnic!
Car limits - I'm going to set the initial limit at 30 cars, but will likely raise it if the ride fills.
Weather - I expect that the races will be cancelled or postponed if the weather is poor or the farmland is saturated.  Obviously we won't want to drive on ground that's not fit for horses to walk/run on.
Technology - I will bring nine extra Midland GMRS radios.  If you want to bring your own GMRS radio, we will be using Channel 30 on Midland Radios, or 462.7000 MHz frequency and CTCSS 17 for the privacy code.  In Glympse, we'll use the !mscw_cruise tag to keep track of each other.

RSVP via signup genius at https://bit.ly/mscw2025-dd-1. There are two slots - one for the pre-drive and breakfast, and one for the drive from Linden to the farm. Don't use Facebook to indicate you're going.
Visit www.midatlanticscenicdrives.com<http://www.midatlanticscenicdrives.com> for maps and GPS files.

Drive safely and HAVE FUN,
Timothy (Tim) Metzinger
Scenic Drive Coordinator - Mazda Sport Cars of Washington, DC
tim.metzinger at outlook.com
703.963.3015