National D-Day Memorial

(August 23, 2015) My friend Mike Russo and I took advantage of a beautiful summer Saturday and rode to the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia yesterday.

After bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches and coffee at BoJangle's, we hit the road at 9:15 and returned to Mike's house around 4:30 p.m., making it a relatively comfortable day trip.

Mike and I have been wanting to visit the D-Day Memorial since we participated in a Patriot Guard Riders (PGR) mission with D-Day veterans last June. We were honoring these men and women on the 70th anniversary of the English Channel crossing and invasion of France.

As I wrote in a blog back then, we escorted the elderly D-Day/World War II veterans along part of their route on the way to the National D-Day Memorial.

It's an outdoor activity

If you're planning to visit the D-Day Memorial, be aware that it's almost entirely outdoors. There are guided tours about every 45 minutes. The schedule for these tours is posted in the gift shop, which is also where the guided tours begin. There is no additonal charge for these tours, but as the memorial is privately funded, donations are much appreciated.

Also, remember that this is a memorial: please be respectful and leave your loud, hyper-active children at home. Kennels are available if you must bring your dog(s). Smoking and eating on the memorial grounds are prohibited.

Route Details

I planned the route based on recommendations from Google Maps. It's about 140 miles from Mike's house in Cary to the memorial in Bedford--by the shortest route. It turns out that shortest route, from the south, involves getting off US 29 at Altavista, Virginia and riding northwest on VA 43. VA 43 is a very scenic route with plenty of twisties to keep your attention focused on the road.

Bedford is located about 20 miles west of Lynchburg, Virginia, along US 460, where US 221 crosses. Bedford was chosen as the site of the memorial because of the high number of casulaties it experienced from the Normany Invasion.

Coming back, we got on US 460 east to Lynchburg and then US 29 south. It added another 20 miles or so to the distance, but it was more convenient as the entrance to 460 is right in front of the memorial. We would have had to search around for VA 43 if we wanted to return the way we arrived.

Features of the memorial

The memorial is broadly divided into three sections, corresponding to the planning, execution, and aftermath of the Channel crossing ("Operation Neptune") and invasion of Normandy ("Operation Overlord"):

1. Reynolds Garden (Planning) - at the back of the site
2. Gray Plaza & Beach Tableau - invasion itself
3. Estes Plaza - celebration of triumph

We started with Estes Plaza and worked our way back. If you go, I recommend you start at the gift shop and go with a guided tour. If you choose to do the tour on your own, start in Reynolds Garden and work your way forward.

For more information...

For more information, go to the Wikipedia entry for the National Day-D Memorial.

Admission was $10 for adults, $8 for veterans and children. These prices are subject to change. You pay at the Bedford Welcome Center on Burks Hill Road and US 460.

As always, keep the shiny side up!

-The Long Rider