Stretching through northwest Virginia and a portion of West Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley lies between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains. It's a 150-mile-long run of rural landscape steeped in a distinct American history of Native American life and Civil War fame.

As a section of the Great Appalachian Valley, Shenandoah Valley is considered one of the classic American landscapes. The name of the valley itself is derived from a Native American expression for "beautiful daughter of the stars."

While not a natural feature of the picturesque valley as is the Shenandoah River, I-81 traces its length on the way from the Canadian border down to Tennessee. The route is not only a busy trucking corridor, it's also a tourist highway.

Shenandoah Harley-Davidson's 1,500 sq. ft. deck offers customers a 50-mile-wide panorama of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Says owner Bob Ladd, "Everybody who comes here and stays ... they end up on that deck with their feet propped up looking at that view."

When considering a new location for his dealership three years ago, Shenandoah Harley-Davidson owner Bob Ladd sorted through all these factors before nailing down a spot that is now as much a way station as it is a destination.

By locating directly off I-81 and I-64, Ladd positioned himself to grab the local Harley market, the trucker crowd, the tourist trade and those who head to his dealership during blowout events such as his Rallyin' the Valley, now in its fourth year.

"I've always said that if all you wanted to talk about is local business, you could sell Harley-Davidsons from the basement of a pancake house," says Ladd, a 65-year-old former pharmacist. "They're going to find you if you're the only dealer. But it's this location that lends itself to making it easier for tourists.

"Nobody will ever convince me that being on the interstate and paying that premium for the real estate is a bad idea. We sell four hundred and something thousand dollars of T-shirts a year," he says.

The interstates may drive a lot of the traffic, but it's his spot on a hill overlooking the valley that keeps many of them coming back. Ladd says he often de-stresses by looking out of his office window at the 50-mile-wide panorama of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Clockwise from top: The stores priority maintenance program policy is "in by 10 a.m., out by 6 p.m." Shenandoahs Riders Edge program has trained nearly 1,000 people in three years. Amenities include a living-room-like atmosphere — and showers! Accessory sales average $1,000/unit last summer.

Customers can do the same on the 1,500 sq. ft. exterior deck that serves multiple duties as vista point, beauty pageant stage, band shell and (yes) wedding altar.

"Once they're here they go, 'My lord, look at the view,'" he says. "I think the beauty of the surroundings is what they take back to friends in wherever they're from and say, 'You need to stop here.'"