I am going for 8 days and will take 1 day down to Front Royal doing mostly 219. Than Ride Skyline Dr and BRP top to bottom, hopefully in 2 days. Then I will ride around Deals Gap area for a day or two. Whats a good 2 day route to get back home?
I've done the entire lengths of both the BRP/Skyline and the 219, except I did the 219 southbound and the BRP northbound. Doing the BRP from bottom to top was also a bucket list thing for me and I was really glad I did it. The reason I did it heading north, was to not be riding into the sun for so much of it. I also did it in 2 days which was enough time and stayed at Willville Bike Camp and some really nice campground off the Skyline Drive. Make sure you allocate extra time for stopping at the many beautiful scenic overlooks and there is an excellent tourist info and souvenir shop at the base of the BRP - just outside of Cherokee - that has nice stickers and hats.
The 219 is great through the forested areas in the south, but in the north it does pass through many small towns, which is often a major artery for the locals. Don't get stuck on it during after work rush hour times, because it can be slow. At off peak times, it is much quicker and a gentler, yet nice ride but there are also specific spots with much higher police presence and construction in the north. It's another good one for the bucket list, but there are many roads much superior. The sections through Monongahela are really nice (just south of Maryland).
For your route home, if you look at
this route, it's got a ton of awesome roads between Deals Gap area and Roanoke. If you can, try to hit up some of these great roads: NC281 "Canada Road, NC215, NC226A "The Diamondback", NC80 "The Devils Whip", TN143 "Roan Mountain", US#421 "The Snake" and VA#16 "The Back of the Dragon"- all of which are on the route above.
Have a great trip!