Day Trips from DC to VA, WV, MD, WV, and back to DC

[jailonacs99]

Couldn't wait until spring to take some 2+ day trips. Living in DC, love how many great backroads there are just an hour or so outside of the city. Typical is towards Middleburg or N/S east along the coasts. Too cold to bring my fishing gear so just planned for some nice rides.

Hit Harrisonburg yesterday, today took the off-highways from DC to Harrisonburg on to Morgantown.

Woof, was worried how the car may handle the snow on these Michelin Pilot A/S 3+. Did OK in the end, although I was missing my Blizzaks to truly drive spirited. As it stood, temps 19-ish, and especially on unsalted, barely plowed roads in WV I was taking it really easy; kept pulling aside to let locals blast past me. DSC kicked on a couple of times. Literally no cell service a good part of the way, last thing I wanted was to run off some road I couldn't see and didn't know in the mountains.

Heading back towards DC tomorrow. I usually program NAV for "avoid highways" and get great backroads. Turns a 1.5 hour freeway trip into a 3+ hour by-ways trip.

Any favorite by-ways anyone likes along these routes or in western VA, MD or PA? Out here took 259 from Harrisonburg, to the 48, bit on the 50, then 7. Handful in between. A few stretches one lane, often didn't see any other cars for miles.

Didn't get too many shots, but here are a handful in the wrong order:

[AJJ3]

How do you like the Michelin Pilot A/S 3+ during the summer and winter months? I hate not driving my car when it super cold outside but I can't justify buying dedicated winter tires since the weather here is so bipolar and I have a truck for when the weather is really bad.

[jailonacs99]

Originally Posted by AJJ3

How do you like the Michelin Pilot A/S 3+ during the summer and winter months? I hate not driving my car when it super cold outside but I can't justify buying dedicated winter tires since the weather here is so bipolar and I have a truck for when the weather is really bad.

I'd say I had about 85% confidence, which is probably underselling them. Before I had Blizzaks and those never lost traction once even the slightest when I was in light snow/ice.

I felt the tail go a little bit squirrelly just a handful of times, and only on bits that hadn't been salted or plowed in days or when I was on a sharper incline/decline. Even then, I was more concerned I couldn't see the single lane roads, had a few windy whiteouts where I couldn't see at all, and was often in the middle of nowhere WV mountains with no cell service. If I did suddenly lose control or couldn't see a turn I'd have gone off quickly. I was being overly cautious, I could've pushed them harder if I had wanted to.

But if I braked, they braked with no ABS; DSTC only flashed once when I was starting from a full stop on ice. On the dry and wet, they've been excellent. So all around they really do give all season mobility. I just don't have a ton of experience driving in the snow in this type of car.