Old House Vineyard Run - Nov. 15, 2025 (Washington DC to McLean / Gainesville / Culpeper, VA)

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Folks,

@Imperialist67 and I will be driving two C-bodies (likely Medina, my 1971 Monaco and Ming, my 1973 NYB) Buttercup, my 1972 NYB, from DC (Windom Pl. NW, next to the Van Ness metro station) to visit @73MFImperial in McLean, VA and then drive with him, his wife, and their gorgeous 1973 Imperial on to the Old House Vineyard in Culpeper, VA for lunch (and wine in moderation) and a chat outside. I have talked to @Analog Kid and @Imps Rule and have good hope that at least one of them (and perhaps both) will be able to join us, too.

As usual with the runs that I co-organize (cue the Links Bridge Run, Creamery Run and the Potomac Run in the mid-Atlantic, or the annual CATL drives in the Midwest), driving big Mopars on small scenic roads is the plan!

I am posting this thread so that others can join us. I know that @1970FuryConv unfortunately cannot partake in the fun this time, but I hope that others will be able to do so. As always, if the whole trip is too long, feel free to join for just a part of the drive or even just for a meeting. At the winery, we will make reservations for 6+ folks and the owners know that we may be even more numerous.

The date is Nov. 15 from 10AM-4PM. The weather for that Saturday is supposed to be nice, 66F at lunch time in Culpeper with little chance of rain:

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--> Here is a synopsis of the run (clickable map; the link will be removed after the drive):

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--> And here are some details:

1. 9:50 to 10 AM: Meeting time! @Imperialist67 and I park in front of UPS on Windom Pl. NW in DC (technically, 4401a Connecticut Ave. NW). I chose this spot because there is very little traffic on that section of Windom Pl. and it is very wide -- so we can park/turn a few C-bodies easily there.

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2. 10AM: Departure! We all leave Windom Place and head to McLean, VA to meet up with @73MFImperial -- whom we should reach around 10:30AM. To get to McLean, we will start by turning left on Connecticut Ave. NW and then making a right on Van Ness St. NW (see map above). We take Van Ness all the way to Nebraska Ave. NW, turn left at that light, and drive on Nebraska all the way to Arizona Ave. NW. We make a left at Arizona, and drive AZ all the way down to Canal Road. We turn right on Canal, make a left at the first light to cross the Chain Bridge, and make a right at the end of the bridge onto VA-123 -- which takes us to McLean (see map below).

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3. 10:30 to 10:45 AM: meet up with @73MFImperial ! After shooting the breeze with Mike and Darlene, we head to the winery. We take VA-123 to the Beltway (I-495) and soon after get onto I-66. I am usually a fan of smaller roads, but @73MFImperial convinced me that I-66 is much better (because suburbia at that time on a Saturday is full of traffic and stops). He's right of course, so I-66 to the Sheetz station it is:

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4. 11:15 to 11:30AM: Stopover at Sheetz in Gainesville, VA: We get off I-66 at the intersection with Lee Highway (VA-29 / VA-15). Before getting onto VA-29, we make a stop at the Sheetz station to get gas and (hopefully) meet up with some other FCBO members.

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5. Gainesville to Culpeper: we leave the Sheetz station and head to the winery. The directions are simple: get onto Lee Highway (VA-29), which becomes VA-15 around New Baltimore, and continue on VA-15 till Culpeper.

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We will drive on VA-15 till VA-666 (next major exit after crossing VA-762). From 15, we turn left onto 666 after taking the off-ramp. We make a right onto Corky's Lane -- a gravel road that leads to the winery and the Green Ribbon restaurant attached to it. The parking lot is good sized, so we could park together. To do so, we would turn right when reach it vs. going towards (left) the building (Pub/Winery). Note: Again entire way on Corkys Lane is 20-15 Mph and a gravel driveway.

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5. 12:30PM: Lunch! We should reach the vineyard around 12:30PM. @73MFImperial has been there before, he and his better half can vouch for wonderful setting and folks. There is ample parking for our cars on the lawn.

6. 2:30PM: return home...

It'll be wonderful if others in the area / near the route can join us. With apologies to those whom I am unwittingly forgetting, I am paging in particular local members @Newport Man in MD, and @kowalski1970 @Jim 68cuda @Copper1982 @hootothecore @68NewportDDD @Badvert65 @jmustian @Dillon @Julesva5 @mopars4life @ravenscat @The Rum Cove @MonacoBlue and others in VA or near our planned route.

In total, we will be out for two hours of driving together (plus driving time to/from Glen Echo) and probably close to 6-7 hours in total. Folks who cannot join for the whole run can easily join at the 2 stopping points: Sheetz in Gainesville (11:15-11:30AM) and Old House Vineyard (12:30-2PM).
 
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Wow, that does sound like a lot of fun. I'd bring my 65 Sport Fury but it is still in race trim and would likely not fit in with the group. I can't really make it this year anyway as I am assisting a long time friend with putting a lift kit in his 85 Ram W150. Good luck with the run, weather should definitely be nice as we are warming up from a cool spell.
 
Good morning, a little more info. Corkys Lane leading into Old House winery/brewery/distillery is all gravel with a speed limit of 10-15, plus very dusty. However, it’s all worth it. Green Ribbon is a catering company that has a cart where you order food from, recommend we order food first as it takes about 30 minutes to get. Food is good and fresh. Then can order wine and/or beer, the distillery is a separate building with a theme bombed out shelter and memorabilia. It’s cool. We will walk over there afterwards. There are two sides to sit inside the winery/brewery building, if there is no one under 21 we will sit on the pub side and I will secure tables for us; if we have kids we will sit in the main room. Both provide the same service for beverages. Not a problem. You are welcome to bring food, kids and pets. Pub side resembles an old Irish pub.

It’s one of our favorite vineyards to visit. Here’s the webpage link: Old House Today | Family Owned Winery, Distillery, and Brewery located in scenic in Culpeper Virginia
 
I would have liked meeting up with you guys in the Gainsville or Warrenton area, but my buddies and I have projects planned for cars in the garage this weekend. I'll mention it to my buddy in Warrenton who has a 68 Fury converible he wants to sell. But I think he is scheduled to work on Saturday.

If you plan this event again for next year, I would suggest doing it a couple weeks earlier so that the Rappahannock Mopar Club's Mopar show at Culpepper Chrysler could be a stop along the way. The combination of the two events would have been a natural.

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If you plan this event again for next year, I would suggest doing it a couple weeks earlier so that the Rappahannock Mopar Club's Mopar show at Culpepper Chrysler could be a stop along the way. The combination of the two events would have been a natural.
Thank you, duly noted. This year, work constraints would have prevented me from doing anything two weeks ago, but who knows next year?
 
Let me know if you ever do one of these cruises in western Loudoun, Clarke, Warren, or Frederick County Virginia, or the West Virginia pan handle. Bear Chase Brewery in western Loudoun might be a nice choice as it has an amazing view. Harpers Ferry Brewing also has a great view.

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That's this weekend?
The run, or the car show? The run, yes, Nov. 15. Short notice due to work constraints -- apologies but was not sure I could make it till a couple of days ago.

Can you make it?
 
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The Culpeper show was Sunday Oct 5; we attended and won. It’s always a good show. Did not have last year apparently.

Yes could do both and we thought about it, but it was getting late so decided with the drive ahead of us would be best to head home since had to deal with 66 and 495.

Good idea!
 
Thank you for thinking of me. Just a bit too far for me. Anything closer to Roanoke/Blacksburg/Wytheville would be quite do-able. Appreciate the invite!
 
Sorry to miss. Need rear brake shoes 11x2. Ordering rear brake shoes through Craig.
Hope you guys have fun!
 
Folks,

@Imperialist67 and I will be driving two C-bodies (likely Medina, my 1971 Monaco and Ming, my 1973 NYB) from DC (Windom Pl. NW, next to the Van Ness metro station) to visit @73MFImperial in McLean, VA and then drive with him, his wife, and their gorgeous 1973 Imperial on to the Old House Vineyard in Culpeper, VA for lunch (and wine in moderation) and a chat outside. I have talked to @Analog Kid and @Imps Rule and have good hope that at least one of them (and perhaps both) will be able to join us, too.

As usual with the runs that I co-organize (cue the Links Bridge Run, Creamery Run and the Potomac Run in the mid-Atlantic, or the annual CATL drives in the Midwest), driving big Mopars on small scenic roads is the plan!

I am posting this thread so that others can join us. I know that @1970FuryConv unfortunately cannot partake in the fun this time, but I hope that others will be able to do so. As always, if the whole trip is too long, feel free to join for just a part of the drive or even just for a meeting. At the winery, we will make reservations for 6+ folks and the owners know that we may be even more numerous.

The date is Nov. 15 from 10AM-4PM. The weather for that Saturday is supposed to be nice, 66F at lunch time in Culpeper with little chance of rain:

View attachment 742469



--> Here is a synopsis of the run (clickable map):

View attachment 742504

--> And here are some details:

1. 9:50 to 10 AM: Meeting time! @Imperialist67 and I park in front of UPS on Windom Pl. NW in DC (technically, 4401a Connecticut Ave. NW). I chose this spot because there is very little traffic on that section of Windom Pl. and it is very wide -- so we can park/turn a few C-bodies easily there.

View attachment 742505

2. 10AM: Departure! We all leave Windom Place and head to McLean, VA to meet up with @73MFImperial -- whom we should reach around 10:30AM. To get to McLean, we will start by turning left on Connecticut Ave. NW and then making a right on Van Ness St. NW (see map above). We take Van Ness all the way to Nebraska Ave. NW, turn left at that light, and drive on Nebraska all the way to Arizona Ave. NW. We make a left at Arizona, and drive AZ all the way down to Canal Road. We turn right on Canal, make a left at the first light to cross the Chain Bridge, and make a right at the end of the bridge onto VA-123 -- which takes us to McLean (see map below).

View attachment 742507

3. 10:30 to 10:45 AM: meet up with @73MFImperial ! After shooting the breeze with Mike and Darlene, we head to the winery. We take VA-123 to the Beltway (I-495) and soon after get onto I-66. I am usually a fan of smaller roads, but @73MFImperial convinced me that I-66 is much better (because suburbia at that time on a Saturday is full of traffic and stops). He's right of course, so I-66 to the Sheetz station it is:

View attachment 742508


4. 11:15 to 11:30AM: Stopover at Sheetz in Gainesville, VA: We get off I-66 at the intersection with Lee Highway (VA-29 / VA-15). Before getting onto VA-29, we make a stop at the Sheetz station to get gas and (hopefully) meet up with some other FCBO members.

View attachment 742509

5. Gainesville to Culpeper: we leave the Sheetz station and head to the winery. The directions are simple: get onto Lee Highway (VA-29), which becomes VA-15 around New Baltimore, and continue on VA-15 till Culpeper.

View attachment 742515

We will drive on VA-15 till VA-666 (next major exit after crossing VA-762). From 15, we turn left onto 666 after taking the off-ramp. We make a right onto Corky's Lane -- a gravel road that leads to the winery and the Green Ribbon restaurant attached to it. The parking lot is good sized, so we could park together. To do so, we would turn right when reach it vs. going towards (left) the building (Pub/Winery). Note: Again entire way on Corkys Lane is 20-15 Mph and a gravel driveway.

View attachment 742512

View attachment 742514


5. 12:30PM: Lunch! We should reach the vineyard around 12:30PM. @73MFImperial has been there before, he and his better half can vouch for wonderful setting and folks. There is ample parking for our cars on the lawn.

6. 2:30PM: return home...

It'll be wonderful if others in the area / near the route can join us. With apologies to those whom I am unwittingly forgetting, I am paging in particular local members @Newport Man in MD, and @kowalski1970 @Jim 68cuda @Copper1982 @hootothecore @68NewportDDD @Badvert65 @jmustian @Dillon @Julesva5 @mopars4life @ravenscat @The Rum Cove @MonacoBlue and others in VA or near our planned route.

In total, we will be out for two hours of driving together (plus driving time to/from Glen Echo) and probably close to 6-7 hours in total. Folks who cannot join for the whole run can easily join at the 2 stopping points: Sheetz in Gainesville (11:15-11:30AM) and Old House Vineyard (12:30-2PM).

Would have loved to do this trip. But I'm several months away from having her back on the road...
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Being in Charlottesville (actually Earlysville), it's a short drive to Culpeper. Maybe next time!
 
1972 NYB meets the 1973 Imperial. Lens artifact makes Buttercup look really long.
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@Analog Kid met us at Sheetz — big thank you for taking the time to join us, despite a hectic family schedule. The 2001 Aztec is his.

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