Touring - US Route 11 - Possible to ride?

I was just tinkering around on the internet and thought about US Rt 11 (Parallels I-81 on the East Coast). What is that road like? I know it's pretty popular for Motorcycles.. is it safe for bike touring? I know I-81 is like the major N/S Trucking route.. does that mean I'd be dealing with a lot of 18 wheelers on rt 11? :twitchy:

Rather general question.

US 11 runs from New Orleans to Upstate New York
I-81 is "just" from Knoxville to Upstate New York
So there's a lot of real estate in between.

There are a few places in Virginia (maybe elsewhere)
Where I-81 is overlaid on US 11 - so you are forced onto the interstate -
(Which is generally illegal in the East)

Virginia has lots of 600 roads that run in parallel valleys.
Why ride next to the interstate or within earshot -
When you can have a perfect mountain valley?

I've only been on parts of it in the Shenandoah Valley, and it's not bad. Some is 4-lane, some is 2. The parts I were on had decent shoulders. More likely to run into pick up trucks and SUV's than 18-wheelers.

Might try scoping it out with Google Maps Street View. Here's a random section near Raphine:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=middleton,+va&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.176833,79.453125&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Middleton,+Henrico,+Virginia&ll=37.945202,-79.184614&spn=0.001506,0.002425&z=19&layer=c&cbll=37.945498,-79.184867&panoid=mttofMAngIAPtzRq2A9CBQ&cbp=12,190.88,,0,5
(http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=middleton,+va&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=49.176833,79.453125&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Middleton,+Henrico,+Virginia&ll=37.945202,-79.184614&spn=0.001506,0.002425&z=19&layer=c&cbll=37.945498,-79.184867&panoid=mttofMAngIAPtzRq2A9CBQ&cbp=12,190.88,,0,5)

I've ridden it through Penn. and NY. It's very nice. Very rural through parts of Penn., and nice through NY. Perfectly safe for bikes, most of the trucks stay on 81.

Rather general question.

US 11 runs from New Orleans to Upstate New York
I-81 is "just" from Knoxville to Upstate New York
So there's a lot of real estate in between.

There are a few places in Virginia (maybe elsewhere)
Where I-81 is overlaid on US 11 - so you are forced onto the interstate -
(Which is generally illegal in the East)

Virginia has lots of 600 roads that run in parallel valleys.
Why ride next to the interstate or within earshot -
When you can have a perfect mountain valley?

600 roads?

600 roads?

Were I to hazard a guess, there seem to be a number of secondary state highways in western VA numbered 602, 610, 613, 630, etc., which seem to follow the valleys between Appalachian ridges.

600 series and 700 series roads in VA are the smaller back roads. Not all are rideable though with a road bike (unless you like riding up and over mountain tops on unpaved gravel.)