Letters From West Virginia

[emptysea]

11 October 2016 - Tuesday

Cheryl,

I hope you enjoyed your last day in Chapel Hill. It was good to hear that Chris and Kristin survived Hurricane Matthew with no damage to person or property. They have enough on the plate already with his dad's funeral and all. I saw on the news that there's a lot of flooding in the Carolinas, but I guess that it's not near either of their homes. Please be careful on your drive home; it's a long way to Chicago and Kristin can be a little...ummmm... aggressive. Are you going to the wake? The funeral? I think Chris would like to see you.

Another chilly start to the day today in Elkins. We planned a late start anyway, though, since that would put us in Webster Springs at lunch time. Remember Mike and Judy raving about the meatloaf they had on their last trip to West Virginia and how it was "not to be missed"? Well, that place is in Webster Springs and we didn't miss it. After lunch, Mike planned our route to have two more "not to be missed" things. We missed both of them. More on that later, but if either of them are as good as our lunches were, then we will just have to come back here again. (At this point you might be noticing a "we have to come back here" theme in my notes to you. Trust me when I say that everyone here wants to come back to this area soon).

Here's our route for the day.
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As you can see, another "west to go east" route was mapped for what should be a straight drop south from Elkins to Marlinton (Finally memorized the name. Not sure why it was so difficult for me.) Even with the C carved into the route, it was still only about 100 miles, but what a 100 miles it was!

I had a thought that since Judy is a passenger and they are in the middle of the pack, it might be fun for her to carry the point-and-shoot. All of the road pictures today and a few others, too are from her perspective. I think it worked out well and I may have her keep it for the rest of the trip. We'll see.

US219 southbound was interesting enough, although it was 4 lanes for a good piece of it through the sprawling metropolis of Elkins. It was WV15 that brought the early fun. Pretty big elevation changes with tight corners turning the road back on itself as it winds up one mountain and down another. I think we crossed over about 5 mountains en route to Debbie's Main Street Cafe in Webster Springs. My bike handled very well and I am now convinced that having it fully loaded with gear affects the way the suspension loads and unloads going into and coming out of turns. Not that I'm complaining, of course - it still did everything I asked of it. I'm sure you would have scraped a peg or two on your CTX. On the other hand, if we bought you that Tiger or the R1200RT.......

One of the few pictures I can find that captures a bit of the golden hues that have fascinated me so much this week.
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Judy is better at this than I am. Besides, I was too busy Look-Press-Rolling to take photos today.
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We spent a fair bit of time in Webster Springs. The ride on WV15 was a little fatiguing mentally -- imagine a cross between "The Dragon" and Cherohala Skyway with small towns tossed in every 10 miles or so. Anyhow, it was probably good to have a nice long lunch stop. We got to meet Debbie and her husband, Tom. Tom regaled us with stories about the town, about how high the water was during the big floods this past June, about all the mountains and mountain passes we rode on to get there, and about how good their food was. He was quite the character and I seriously doubt that we would have struck a conversation had we not been on bikes. They certainly are two-wheeled ice breakers.

Here's us parked across from the cafe. Tom is sitting on the bench in front of the restaurant. I thought I took a closer picture of him, but I can't find it now. I'll show you when I get home.
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Still LOVE me a CB1100 pic (thanks to Travis for providing us with the "Love me a ____"/"Hate me a ____" catch-phrase for probably the rest of our trip)
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FINALLY got these dorks to park in some sort of formation....
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The food was great and, again, I think there are some food pics around, but they'll have to wait for our ride debriefing party (errrr....meeting) for those.

We headed out of Webster Springs toward the town of Cowen on WV20. Just before Cowen, we'd come to a Y intersection with a gas station in the crotch of the Y. The plan was to fill up there and then exit the parking lot on the opposite side of the Y onto Williams River Rd. one of Mike's "not to be missed" places. We'd take that back east across the southern portion of the Monongahela National Forest, onto the Highland Scenic Highway and eventually back to 219 and into Marlinton. Except that almost none of that happened.

When we got to the gas station, aptly named Y-Mart, we found out that Williams River Rd. was closed for most of its length and has been since the June floods. In fact, there is some speculation as to whether it will ever re-open, at least as a through road. Oh, Mike G. dropped his Wing in the Y-Mart, but unfortunately, I was in the men's room when that happened. No photos. No damage. He'll be pissed if he finds out I told you this, so ssshhhhh.

Getting to the Y-Mart was a hoot and a half. Leaving Webster Springs on 20, you cross the Elk River and start up a steep hill. Then its a up-hill slightly off-camber hairpin to the left and the mirror of that a few hundred feet later. The road at this point is basically residential and lined with homes so it's not like we were coming into the corners fast, and the funny thing was that I think it would have been a little easier carrying in some speed before the hairpins--I felt a little out of sync for those couple of turns. I may have even touched the yellow line on one of them (again.. ssshhhhh).

Here's our revised route. I drew this up after the fact.
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Once it was determined that Williams River Road was a no-go, we decided to stay on 20, connect to WV39 which, along with WV150 comprises the Highland Scenic Highway. 39 runs along a river and you know how much I love me a road along a river. It also traverses the national forest so we again enjoyed that filtered autumn sunlight I've been raving about. 39 has a few curves, but it's mostly straight. I felt so relaxed for the entire length of it. There was almost no traffic, the road was newly paved, it was cool but not cold, it was peaceful. I should tell you that my bluetooth crapped out on Day1 so I've been listening to the wind and my motorcycle and enjoying that 'music' probably more than I would have enjoyed my regular playlist, although I really need a new helmet (Christmas? hehe).

OK, speaking of music....thanks for the reminder about Justin's concert Saturday night. We're lucky that Lawrence University has these webcasts. If all goes well, I'll be home early enough on Saturday to catch the Wind Ensemble concert from the comfort my lounge chair, maybe with a martini as accompaniment. Is he playing with the Symphony on Friday, too? I can tune in from the hotel Cincinnati, if he is. Let me know.

39's portion of the Highland Scenic Highway emerges from the deeper woods just about where it intersects with WV150. The Cranberry Mountain Nature Center is located at the top of this intersection and it seemed like a good place to re-group and figure out where we would head next. Mike's other "must see" was Beartown State Park. He's told us all about it and its unusual rock formations and it sounded great, but going there from where we were would take longer than continuing onto 150 back to US219 and on to the Marlinton Motor Inn -- our home for the next couple of nights. Mike said that we could probably make it to Beartown SP tomorrow.

The brain trust figuring out our next move
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Judy enjoying the view from Cranberry Mountain
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We enjoyed our short stay at the Nature Center, but then we layered up a little as it started to get cooler and we headed out and up on WV150.

I was told to pull off at a scenic overlook (the map showed several) for pictures. I found one and a round little man who loves motorcycles came over and took our pictures. He must have used Glen's camera though, because I don't have them with me to show you now. LOL. I did snap a few pics myself, though, so here you go...

Group Montage
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Me
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150 runs along a ridge line which gifted us with some of the most expansive views we've had thus far. The picture from behind Judy and the one of me give you just a hint of what we could see from our bikes as we worked our way back to US219. Amazing.

Once we got back to 219, it was a right turn and a relatively short ride downhill to the Marlinton Motor Inn. It was on the last little stretch that it dawned on me that "US219" is "US129" in Pig Latin (sort of). The few miles just north of Marlinton coming out of the mountains was very reminiscent of "The Dragon". There weren't as many turns, but they were sharp like on 129. The views were much better here. We got stuck behind a truck for part of it. I think I would have passed it if I were alone (sssshhhhh), but it was fine with me to take a breath after a fairly long day of twists and turns.

We arrived at the Marlinton Motor Inn in short order. Very large motel with very few people in it. I was preparing for the worst, but they the rooms are clean, they have a nice bar and restaurant on property, and the folks were friendly. We'll have breakfast here tomorrow and then head on another loop that looks pretty amazing.

Pretty much have the place to ourselves
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Roommates
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I'm going to get some sleep now. have a good trip tomorrow.

Oh...I hit a milestone today....
Turned 25,000 miles somewhere between Cowen and Cranberry Mountain. I LOVE me a milestone!

Where was I? Oh yeah. Have a good trip. I love you.

Matt

[Cormanus]

Another great tale of a leg well ridden.

[the Ferret]

Ridden those roads many times and it looks like you guys hit it at the right time, colorwise and all. It's so cool that West Va is like NC in a way that on one hand there is 20, and 219 ( Dragonesque) and then there is 150 and 39 ( Cheraholaesque) roads that keep you busy and roads that afford some time to look around and enjoy the splendor.

Good job Sea! LOoking forward to the next letter to Cheryl.

[Rocky_imp]

Great story. Really enjoyed that

[emptysea]

12 October 2016 - Wednesday.

Happy Anniversary (of our first date)!

By October 12, 1984, when we were playing Uno in Tim's apartment, the Cubs had been eliminated from the playoffs, just a few wins short of going to the World Series. Today, they are the Division Champs and in a couple of days they play LA for a shot at history! Kinda makes all those days you spent stuck on the couch watching your oh-so-dreamy Kris Bryant and the Cubs on TV this summer worth it, right? What a difference 32 years makes.

Yet another late start. Fog tumbling down from the mountains was sufficient incentive to enjoy a healthy breakfast, and by "healthy" I am referring to its size rather than its relative dietary worth. Same waiter as dinner last night and the same waiter we had for dinner tonight. The fact that I cannot recall his name for this note to you is mildly disturbing, but before you call for the Alzheimer's medication, remember that I am still reeling in the joy of one of the very best days I have ever had on a motorcycle.

A little foggy
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Breakfast Conversation
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Mike thought it would be fun to take a ride up to Snowshoe Ski Resort. The resort is closed, but he thought that that it would be cool to walk around the ski village itself and that the vistas are pretty amazing. He was right on both counts.

Today's Loop -- The red dots mark where we had lunch. Great place. Tell you about it further down.
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Hey. You drove to Lexington, KY today, right? Do you recall what time you passed by Charleston, WV? If it was before about 11, I think we were within 100 miles of each other, closer than we've been in 4 days. Regardless of the time, though, we were both in the same state on our "anniversary". Pretty cool, I think.

So, we headed out from the Marlinton Motor Inn and up US219. I believe that I could ride 219 from I-64 north to US50 and back every day for a year and never grow tired of it. The combination of very technical turns and magnificent views would keep things interesting. It even has a few stretches of straight pieces which run along valleys, spotted with farms and grazing fields, and bordered by rocky little clear-water springs. When we come back, and we WILL come back, you will see firsthand what I so inadequately attempt to describe to you on these pages and you too will be in awe.

Still foggy, but clearing as we rode the 25 miles or so to Snowshoe. By the time we climbed the resort road to the parking lot, it had lifted entirely.

We parked, pretty much in formation, in the nearly empty parking lot and headed into the resort area.
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Walked past the closed shops, some with workers inside, stocking and decorating for the upcoming season and came out at the top of the ski runs. Oddly, there were exactly five folding chairs set up in a shallow curve; as if we had called ahead to reserve them.

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Mike and Judy were right. The views were amazing. I know you don't like skiing, but this would be an wonderful place to come for a long weekend in winter even if we never strapped on the flat-boards.

Mike and Judy
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Me and .......
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I guess we spent about an hour at the top of Snowshoe and then we spent about 20 minutes at the base while Mike G shopped for stickers--you know how much he likes stickers. He came back with one for him and a couple more for the rest of us to divvy up. I now have another sticker for the wall of the garage.

From Snowshoe, we headed east on WV66 (no relation to US66) then northward on WV92 to US250, where we'd turn east-southeast and begin the return half of our day's loop. I believe that 66 took us over a mountain ridge and then back down into a long, narrow valley. Again, the road put my cornering skills to test and again, my unloaded CB1100 carried me through the switchbacks and the sweepers with confidence and a fair amount of speed. No yellow lines touched here, thankyouverymuch. 92 ran up this narrow valley for a long way. Again, the valley had farmland and pretty little streams to capture our attention. 92 started to climb us out of the valley and to the top of the ridge line just about he time we turned right on to US250 which would take us rather abruptly down into, across and up the other side of another valley. It would also take us in Virginia - another state to mark off on my map when I get home (and when I buy a map).

Judy was again in charge of the point-and-shoot. She didn't take too many pictures, but in her defense, much of the route was heavily wooded.

Here's us just after hopping on 66. We were able to get our kicks on this version of 66, too.
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Not sure where this one was at...probably on our way to Snowshoe.
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Mike and I kind of took off from the pack again. There was a point on 250 where the two of us had climbed mostly out of the valley and could look back across it to see our three companions snaking their way down the other side. It was quite a spectacular sight.

I have to remember to ask on the forum if anyone has an altimeter on his bike. There have been many times on this trip where I had the feeling we were climbing or descending, but I wasn't sure because of the density of the woods that bordered the roads. Might be a fun thing to have.

Recalling back to our ride to Seneca Rocks and wanting to avoid any banshee-like yells of hunger from our ranks, I decided that we would stop for lunch in Monterey, VA. It helped that I was pretty hungry, the town was just ahead, and I thought it would be neat to eat in a different state.

Monterey is a pretty little town. Seemed like there was just one main drag and that we were on it. I spotted two women on the left side of the street so I stopped our line right in the middle of the road:

"Excuse me. Is there a good place to eat in town?"
"Yes"
(long pause during which I checked my mirrors to see if cars were coming, checked my fuel level, and tried to figure out how to phrase my next question in a way that would elicit the information I required without any further follow up questions)
"We'd like someplace where we might be able to sit down and have a burger or something like that. Which places can do that for us?"
"Well, there's a deli right over there, they have burgers down by the gas station, or there's High's?"
(The deli looked nice, but small and I didn't think that burgers at a gas station was what we were looking for. So, thinking that I probably had one more question and answer before a semi came barreling down the street...)
"Is High's any good?"
"Yes"
"Thank you so much!"

High's was almost right across the street from my new closed-mouthed friend. We parked and started in, but not before some folks came out of High's and engaged Glen in conversation about motorcycles. They asked us about the bikes, our trip, and where we were from. They told us a little about the town, the roads, and the late change of colors in the mountains. I doubt seriously that we would have had this encounter if we all had piled out of a minivan.

High's (your kind of place for sure)
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The locally-raised rainbow trout lunch was fabulous. Probably the best trout I've had in a restaurant. Various other meals were ordered and everything received rave reviews except the cobbler, which seemed more like a coffeecake. I liked the cobbler/coffeecake, but others did not. Regardless, I wished I had just ordered another plate of trout for my dessert. LOL.

After lunch it was time to head back home to Marlinton. We headed south down US220 to WV39 west back to Marlinton. What a ride!

220 was beautiful with sweepers and a few sharper turns. Another "valley road", this time with the prominent bluff to our right. Again, more farms, more cattle, more streams, more of what we came here to see. 39, on the other hand, had several steep and twisted inclines and declines as it crossed over or passed between mountain after mountain. Like so many roads here, it followed a river or maybe a couple of rivers. Also like so many roads here, Mike and I jumped well out in front of the others, so much so that we stopped for quite awhile to make sure they had navigated the turns successfully. The road was so desolate that we literally stopped in the middle of the road to wait for them. They showed up in a few minutes so we took off again and eventually met up in downtown Marlinton. We stopped at a little sporting good store next to the gas station where we filled up and then headed back to our hotel for dinner.

We arrived back at the Marlinton Motor Inn at about 5:00. We decided that it was too early to eat since we had the huge lunch at High's. Laura decided to take the extra time to adjust her foot pegs. Yes, she really did. See?

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It was a beautiful evening and there was still quite a bit of daylight. Laura must have read my mind because she said, "You should go for a solo ride. Cheryl told me to keep an eye on you, but if you tell us what time we should send out a search party, I think she wouldn't be too upset". LOL That's pretty much an exact quote. "I'll be back before 6:30" and I mounted up and headed to the switchbacks and keyhole turns that I knew were waiting just to our north on US219. I rode out about 11 miles stopped to contemplate the bubbling river running along the side of the road and returned. On time. Unharmed. 22 miles of joy. Wishing that you were here so I could tell you all of this to your pretty face.

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I grabbed a plastic deck chair provided by the hotel, set it next to my bike, and had a small cigar while I waited for the others for dinner. We have a new neighbor and he joined us for drinks and dinner tonight. Nice guy, BMW rider, from upstate New York. He had lots to say about his home state and the riding up there. I think Mike G may be planning our next trip for there. It's his turn to plan it you know and it sounds like it could be another great trip.

I hope you and Kristin are all settled in for the night in Lexington. Another day and you'll be home. Another three days and I'll be home with you. As much as I enjoy riding, I think that I'm glad this wasn't a two-week trip; not sure I could be away from you that long. I'm so happy that your recovery is going well so that we have a good chance of riding together next season. It's not the same without you, even though I'm still having a wonderful time.

Give my best to Kristin. Safe travels to you both.

Love you,

Matt

PS. Here's one more pic of my bike because I know how much you like random pictures of my motorcycle. I took this while I enjoyed my cigar.

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[Cormanus]

MTC, excellent as always.

Doesn't Eat, Sleep, Ride keep track of altitude changes? Otherwise there's a similar app by Navionics that does.

[Rocky_imp]

Great story

[redbirds_imp]

Excellent MTC!

[emptysea]

MTC, excellent as always.

Doesn't Eat, Sleep, Ride keep track of altitude changes? Otherwise there's a similar app by Navionics that does.

Ahhh...I forgot I had ESR. Probably would have been fun to use it on this trip. I'm dopey.

I'll check it out and also check out other apps for elevation. Probably more practical than something I have to wire and mount to the bars. Thanks for the tip

[the Ferret]

Awesome stuff Matt. I am enjoying this so much.

I have a compass app on my phone and it also on the same page as the compass lists latitide and longitude, and elevation. My wife says it came on the phone. It's icon is a black square cpmpass and it simply says compass below it.

My wife just grabbed her phone and looked some up and says there are many elevation apps available