https://americasroutes.com/stories-from-the-roads/https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/farming32_022505.jpgWelsh Dairy / Green Hill FarmUnited States: 1987: Holmes and Sam Welsh milk cows during the afternoon milking in the spring of 1987. By 1993 the dairy herd had been sold off and faming in Loudoun had become a land value game. Agriculture in Loudoun was a losing business venture but the value of the land allowed farmers to keep farming even though they were losing money. The Welsh family dairy was started in 1948. (Photo by Douglas Graham)https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/postal-carrier-ar-35-08-21-2023.jpgPostal Carrier Rachel WetherillUNITED STATES - 08-21-2023: Postal carrier Rachel Wetherill talks about her career as a rural route mail carrier. This is the first post office in Bluemont Virginia. (Photo By Douglas Graham/WLP)https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/postal-carrier-ar-908-09-04-2023.jpgPostal Carrier Rachel WetherillUNITED STATES - 09-04-2023: Postal carrier Rachel Wetherill talks about her career as she drives some of her delivery routes when she worked for the Postal Service in Loudoun County Virginia. (Photo By Douglas Graham/WLP)https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/postal-carrier-ar-27-08-21-2023-2.jpgPostal Carrier Rachel WetherillUNITED STATES - 08-21-2023: Postal carrier Rachel Wetherill talks about her career as a rural route mail carrier. She spent the better part of 30 years delivering mail along Western Loudoun's vast network of gravel roads. (Photo By Douglas Graham/WLP)https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/postal-carrier-ar-27-08-21-2023-1.jpgPostal Carrier Rachel WetherillUNITED STATES - 08-21-2023: Postal carrier Rachel Wetherill talks about her career as a rural route mail carrier. She spent the better part of 30 years delivering mail along Western Loudoun's vast network of gravel roads. (Photo By Douglas Graham/WLP)https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/postal-carrier-ar-900-09-04-2023.jpgPostal Carrier Rachel WetherillUNITED STATES - 09-04-2023: Postal carrier Rachel Wetherill talks about her career as a rural route mail carrier. She is sitting in an old DJ 5 Jeep, the same type of light duty delivery vehicle most postal rural route carriers would have used. Note the steering wheel on the right hand side. (Photo By Douglas Graham/WLP)https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1725-gravel-grinder-78-06-11-2023.jpg1725-gravel-grinder-78-06-11-2023UNITED STATES - June 11, 2023: The 5th annual Loudoun 1725 Gravel Grinder put on by EX2 Adventures as a benefit ride for America's Routes. The fun ride is a scenic tour along historic gravel roads in Northern Virginia. Located east of the Blue Ridge, in lush Loudoun Valley, these crushed rock roadways meander through awe inspiring beauty, past stone walls, grand estates, horse farms, wineries, bubbling creeks, tiny hamlets, and significant historical sites. The 2023 event had 1000 riders and started and finished at Foxcroft School near the town of Middleburg. (Photo By Douglas Graham)https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1725-gravel-grinder-73-06-11-2023.jpg1725-gravel-grinder-73-06-11-2023UNITED STATES - June 11, 2023: The 5th annual Loudoun 1725 Gravel Grinder put on by EX2 Adventures as a benefit ride for America's Routes. The fun ride is a scenic tour along historic gravel roads in Northern Virginia. Located east of the Blue Ridge, in lush Loudoun Valley, these crushed rock roadways meander through awe inspiring beauty, past stone walls, grand estates, horse farms, wineries, bubbling creeks, tiny hamlets, and significant historical sites. The 2023 event had 1000 riders and started and finished at Foxcroft School near the town of Middleburg. (Photo By Douglas Graham)https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1725-gravel-grinder-36-06-11-2023.jpg1725-gravel-grinder-36-06-11-2023UNITED STATES - June 11, 2023: The 5th annual Loudoun 1725 Gravel Grinder put on by EX2 Adventures as a benefit ride for America's Routes. The fun ride is a scenic tour along historic gravel roads in Northern Virginia. Located east of the Blue Ridge, in lush Loudoun Valley, these crushed rock roadways meander through awe inspiring beauty, past stone walls, grand estates, horse farms, wineries, bubbling creeks, tiny hamlets, and significant historical sites. The 2023 event had 1000 riders and started and finished at Foxcroft School near the town of Middleburg. (Photo By Douglas Graham)https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1725-gravel-grinder-64-06-11-2023.jpg1725-gravel-grinder-64-06-11-20232025-05-14T00:01:32+00:00weekly0.6https://americasroutes.com/events/https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/screen-shot-2022-04-19-at-7.36.18-pm.pngScreen Shot 2022-04-19 at 7.36.18 PMhttps://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/screen-shot-2022-04-19-at-7.36.03-pm.pngScreen Shot 2022-04-19 at 7.36.03 PMhttps://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/screen-shot-2022-04-19-at-7.35.47-pm.pngScreen Shot 2022-04-19 at 7.35.47 PM2024-06-21T02:29:56+00:00weekly0.6https://americasroutes.com/video/2024-06-04T14:36:10+00:00weekly0.6https://americasroutes.com/donations/2024-06-04T14:24:40+00:00weekly0.6https://americasroutes.com/slide-show/2024-05-14T18:34:33+00:00weekly0.6https://americasroutes.com/portfolio-2/2024-05-14T18:30:01+00:00weekly0.6https://americasroutes.com/meet-the-team-2/2024-03-21T23:51:33+00:00weekly0.6https://americasroutes.com/about-the-project/2024-03-21T19:44:43+00:00weekly0.6https://americasroutes.com/2018/08/03/the-journey-begins/2024-03-21T19:39:55+00:00monthlyhttps://americasroutes.com/contact/2024-03-21T19:36:03+00:00weekly0.6https://americasroutes.com/in-the-news/2024-02-27T23:31:29+00:00weekly0.6https://americasroutes.com/history-tours/https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/anna-hedrick-taylorstown-4-01-05-1989-1.jpgAnna Hedrick at Hunting HillUNITED STATES - January 5, 1989 : Anna Fancher Hedrick, also known as Miss Anna was a noted Loudoun County lawyer, equestrienne, and the first female judge in Virginia. Seen here in these photos from 1989 she poses for photos at her beloved Hunting Hill in Taylorstown, Virginia in 1989. The new settlers called the area Taylor Town, which became Taylorstown around 1900. The Taylorstown Mill was continuously in operation until 1911, when its water wheel was sold to the nearby Oatlands Mill and the mill converted to steam power. In 1932, the steam engines were removed and the Mill became a feed store until Anna Hedrick bought it in the late 1950s. Since the late 1960s, Taylorstown Mill has been a private residence. The private residence today called Whiskey Hill dates to the late 18th century. During the 19th century, the Taylorstown area was one of the most densely populated areas of Loudoun County. The town had a post office, a blacksmith's shop, 2 mills (one is still standing), a U.S. Government-operated still, general and supply stores and a movie theatre. There are also records of schools, most notably the Crossroads School built in 1834, which was located near Waterford Downs until the 1940s. Taylorstown is today a community of about four thousand people (3,216 were recorded in the 2000 census, a number that has grown significantly) who live generally within a three-mile radius of the original town center. (Photo By Douglas Graham)https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/downey-mill-4-02032024.jpgA Creekside Walk at TaylorstownDATE: 02032024; The Taylorstown General Store seen here was built in 1935 to replace a store that had recently burned, this general store served residents until April 1998. Taylorstown in Loudoun County VA was first settled in 1734. It holds two of the oldest standing houses in Loudoun County, Virginia. (Photo by Douglas Graham)https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/mosbys-rangers-including-monroes-grandson-large_edit.jpgMosby's RangersVirginia-1860's: Mosby's Rangers, some members of Co. D--Stop 17. (Photo Mosby Heritage Area)2024-02-25T19:54:43+00:00weekly0.6https://americasroutes.com/travel-by-gravel/https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/1725-19-061321.jpg2021 / 1725 Gravel GrinderUNITED STATES - June 13, 2021: Melanie Zinger hits the one lane bridge on Quaker Lane during her 80 mile ride in the 1725 Gravel Grinder put on by EX2 Adventures to benefit America's Routes. The Loudoun 1725 Gravel Grinder is a scenic bike ride along historic gravel roads in Northern Virginia. Located east of the Blue Ridge, in lush Loudoun Valley, these crushed rock roadways meander through awe inspiring beauty, past stone walls, grand estates, horse farms, wineries, bubbling creeks, tiny hamlets, and significant historical sites. Riding these roads is a sublime experience – like stepping back in time and cycling through history. With over 300 miles of gravel road dating back to the early 1700s, Loudoun County Virginia boasts the largest and oldest intact network of gravel roads in the United States. When settlement in this area officially began in the year 1725, these roads were first used by mills and farms to get goods to market and by settlers to get to town and church. Today these special routes are used by residents, farmers, visitors, equestrians, and cyclists. The event will start and finish at Salamander Resort in the quaint town of Middleburg. Salamander is a perfect setting for the event, with plentiful amenities, huge parking areas, and a gorgeous staging area. From Salamander, riders will embark along a 40, 60, or 80-mile route. (Photo By Douglas Graham)https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/1725-20-061321.jpg2021 / 1725 Gravel GrinderUNITED STATES - June 13, 2021: Melanie Zinger hits the one lane bridge on Quaker Lane during her 80 mile ride in the 1725 Gravel Grinder put on by EX2 Adventures to benefit America's Routes. The Loudoun 1725 Gravel Grinder is a scenic bike ride along historic gravel roads in Northern Virginia. Located east of the Blue Ridge, in lush Loudoun Valley, these crushed rock roadways meander through awe inspiring beauty, past stone walls, grand estates, horse farms, wineries, bubbling creeks, tiny hamlets, and significant historical sites. Riding these roads is a sublime experience – like stepping back in time and cycling through history. With over 300 miles of gravel road dating back to the early 1700s, Loudoun County Virginia boasts the largest and oldest intact network of gravel roads in the United States. When settlement in this area officially began in the year 1725, these roads were first used by mills and farms to get goods to market and by settlers to get to town and church. Today these special routes are used by residents, farmers, visitors, equestrians, and cyclists. The event will start and finish at Salamander Resort in the quaint town of Middleburg. Salamander is a perfect setting for the event, with plentiful amenities, huge parking areas, and a gorgeous staging area. From Salamander, riders will embark along a 40, 60, or 80-mile route. (Photo By Douglas Graham)https://americasroutes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/kasey-sunset_wdg1355_edit-1.jpgSunset CyclistUNITED STATES - Nov. 11, 2019: A cyclist rides into the sunset along Morrisville Raod in Western Loudoun County Virginia. 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