It Doesn't Get Any Better

Sunday was a picture-perfect day for motorcycling. After freezing our asses off on Saturday, both Hubby and I were a bit noncommittal about venturing out on Sunday. But after driving into Romney for breakfast at McDonald's on Sunday morning, I told Hubby the weather was so perfect it would be almost criminal not to ride.

So I mapped out a route for us. Whether using old-fashioned paper maps or newfangled mapping software, route planning is not a perfect science. While county roads are fun, sometimes they are not paved. But we manage, as long as the gravel and/or dirt roads are in good condition.

I couldn't resist stopping at the Post Office just off US-220 South of Old Fields, WV after seeing the flowers growing there. After that brief pause, we headed West on Old Fields Road [CR-2/5] into Williamsport, WV.

Here are some images from that road...




We proceeded West and, after hitting Williamsport, headed North on CR-5 [Patterson Creek Road]. From there, the plan was to continue West on Poplar School Road (or Popular School, depending on which map software you believe). But there was a problem.

That road was not only not paved, it looked like this...

It's a pretty little scene, right? Do you see the problem?

This shot shows the trouble a bit better. The road went right through Harness Creek!

Had we been in the truck, we could have forded the smallish waterway. Fording creeks, however, is never a good idea on big-ass, 800-plus-pound street motorcycles.

Traversing dirt and/or gravel roads is enough of a challenge. Driving over slimy wet rocks in a creek? Uh, no.

I couldn't resist snapping some pics before consulting my trusty West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer (by DeLorme Publishing) to find an alternate route. Now, I knew where I was and could've gotten us home without a map, but it was too nice a day to quit so early. So we headed West to Greenland Gap Road, which goes right through the Greenland Gap Preserve.

Both this and the following images were from a previous trip I'd taken there without Hubby.

I did stop long enough so Hubby could see the gap as shown in the above image. You can't appreciate the size of the cliffs when traveling the road from East to West.

From there, we headed East on SR-93 then East on US-50 back into Romney.

Riding weather doesn't get much better than temperatures in the mid-70s, with very low humidity and sunny skies.

As much as I love Fall, I really hate to see the riding season end.

It's Coming

What's coming? Fall, of course. It will be here very soon. We experienced a bit of Fall weather this weekend. More on that later in this post...

It's not obvious at this point. But if you look closely, you'll see it. Some of the trees have already started changing.

The grass is getting red.

Seed pods are dropping.

Other grass is turning brown.

And I've been seeing more and more colored leaves on the ground. Actually, at higher elevations, there are quite a few maples that have already turned red.

Speaking of higher elevations...


View Romney to Aurora, WV in a larger map

If you click on the above map or link and zoom in, you should be able to see the terrain and elevation markings. You'll have to zoom in enough to see US-50.

Why am I showing you this? So you understand why Hubby and I had a very cold bike ride on Saturday.

We wrongly decided to head west. The WV place is at about a 1,000 foot elevation. We ended up in Aurora, West Virginia, which is only about 50 miles west of Romney, but at about 2,800 feet.

It was around 70 degrees in Romney and overcast. Heading west, as soon as we hit about 1,500 feet, the temperature started dropping. And dropping. And dropping. Hubby finally stopped so we could add some layers of clothing and our gloves.

Aurora was not the planned destination. We stopped there for lunch. When we went into the restaurant, it was a little foggy. As we ate, we both agreed we'd better head back east. It's a good thing, too. By the time we finished our meal, the temperature was hovering at 59 degrees (not so bad until you sit on a motorcycle at 60 mph!). The fog had gotten so thick that our face shields and windshields were covered with a pretty thick mist.

Not great motorcycling weather by a long stretch. We were both very happy to hit a lower elevation and warmer weather.

Luckily, Sunday was better. But I'll talk about that in a later post.

Motorcycling At Its Finest

One of our goals for this long weekend was to get some ride time in on our motorcycles. I am happy to report, we accomplished our goal.

On Saturday, we went to visit our friends' new property. We did more visiting than riding. But we took the long way back to our place to make up for it. Then Sunday, that was the best day, we did a 160-mile loop north into Maryland, then Pennsylvania, then back into Maryland and finally to our place in West Virginia.

It was a fabulous ride, if I do say so myself. I got to do all the route planning this weekend 'cause Hubby left his GPS at our Maryland home. That's one difference between Hubby and I... he's more than happy to use nothing but electronic maps for route planning. I like good old, ordinary, paper maps. There's just something about having a map in hand, Plus it gives you a wider picture.

Anyway...

We left our place in Romney and headed north on Route 28. At Springfield, we continued north on CR-1, which took us across that cool old toll bridge and into Oldtown, Maryland. That's where we got onto Bear Hill Road then Town Creek Road, which took us to Flintstone, Maryland. From Flintstone, we got on Black Valley Road, which quickly becomes PA-326 at the Pennsylvania line.

PA-326 runs along Warrior Ridge, at the base of which is Bedford County Bridge #29, better known as the Hewitt Bridge.

The bridge, originally constructed in 1879, was refurbished in 2000. So it's in pretty good shape. There are 14 covered bridges in Bedford County, PA. We've seen a few of them previously. But maybe in the Spring we can do a bridge tour where we see them all in one day.

From the bridge, we continued north on 326 to Bedford, through Buchanan State Forest. We did stop at Sportsman's Lake, just north of Charlesville, for a picnic lunch. At first glance (from the highway with my head in my helmet and earplugs playing tunes), it looked peaceful. I mean, it was a tiny mountain lake.

So we pulled into the boat launch area and parked. As soon as I cut my engine and the tunes, I heard it. Gunfire. Lots of gunfire. It seems Sportsman's Lake is home to a pretty active hunting and fishing club. And there were about 20 men there at their range shooting. Said range was only a couple hundred yards from where we parked. So we ate lunch surrounded by gnats and serenaded by gunfire. Lovely, eh? It really wasn't bad. And the quality of the roads more than made up for that.

Just outside of Bedford, we headed east on US-30, then south on PA-26, which eventually became PA-484. All three of those roads were amazing. Smooth surface, hills, sweeping curves, lots of twisties. A motorcyclists wet dream.

From PA-484, we dropped into Hancock, Maryland. We made a quick stop at the C&O Canal then headed south across the Potomac River on US-522 into Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. In Berkeley Springs, we headed west on WV-9. That's another awesome motorcycle road. Especially the 25-mile section between Berkeley Springs and WV-29, just south of Paw Paw. From there it was south on WV-29 then west on CR-3, which is the Springfield-Millesons Mill Road. That brought us back to WV-28, just a few miles from home.

We were gone for about 4.5 hours. It was a lovely ride. One we'll definitely have to do again. Maybe we can even convince some of our biker friends to join us.

Enjoying the Long Weekend

It's Labor Day weekend here in the US. The unofficial end of Summer. Boy, has this summer flown! The best thing about Labor Day weekend is that Monday is a holiday. Three-day weekends are always, ALWAYS welcome.

Today, we set out on our motorcycles from the WV Place to visit some new neighbors/old friends.

Our long-time buds, Kathy and Barry Spice, bought a chunk of land a bit north and west of Cumberland, MD. It's only about a 35-mile drive from us. Which is cool. I call it the Spice Mountain Retreat. In my head anyway. I'm not sure what they'll call it. But I think Spice Mountain Retreat has a nice ring to it. Sort of like they own a mountain on which they built (or are going to build) a retreat.

They have just started clearing a "driveway." They have their work cut out for them. It's a great piece of land in a very nice location, but it is a bit overgrown.

They spent the morning using weed whackers to clear a path. They'd like to be able to access the place easily enough to camp there this Fall. That's Hubby waving in the above picture.

There's a nice view from their driveway, too.

Here's the happy couple with their faithful pal, Max. Since we rode our motorcycles to visit, we didn't get to take Meg and Belle along.

Max would have enjoyed their company. He was happy enough hanging out with us humans, but nothing beats canine companions. Especially when they're girls.

Speaking of girls... Hubby snapped this shot of Kathy Spice (on the left) and me. We don't have many pics of the two of us together. It isn't bad, either. Especially considering that I have helmet head and she'd been weed whacking all morning.

We're hoping to do some more riding tomorrow. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous. We need to take advantage of it while we can.

You Call This a Highway?

What do two motorcyclists do when there are places they want to go and it's raining? They hop in the truck and go, of course. We saw some cool stuff, too.

The coolest and most unexpected was Capon Springs Resort in West Virginia. We were riding down what we thought was just another country lane, skirting a national forest, when we came upon this beautiful, 100-year-old resort.

It was raining, so I didn't get many pictures. I'll have to go back for sure. It was really quite interesting.

We're still scoping out real estate possibilities in Virginia. Today we ended up exploring parts of Shenandoah County. Fort Valley, to be specific. Hubby plotted the route. I had no idea we'd actually be driving through a friend's town. We'll have to stop in for a visit next time.

The whole area was very pretty. We were very thankful that we were not on motorcycles, though, as originally planned. Because we were on lots of rough dirt/gravel roads. It seems we saw a nice chunk of the George Washington National Forest.

We were on this very narrow gravel road that I kid you not must have been chiseled into the side of the mountain. According to Hubby's GPS, we were on "Highway" 691. It was unlike any highway I've ever seen, but we enjoyed it.

That's where I snapped one of what I call my Rainy Shenandoah images. The other one is below. There's a term for clouds hanging over valleys like this, but it has escaped me.

As we were driving, I said to Hubby, "See. If I were a Forest Ranger, I'd get paid to drive on roads like this all the time."

He said I'd get tired of it. I think not.

Though, if I did work here, I'd have to contact the company that supplies maps to the GPS system companies. I'd send them the following image and say...

"Dude. According to you people, this is HIGHWAY 59. Does this look like a highway to you? Yeah, it's pretty. But it should be labeled a forest road, or a gravel road, or maybe even an unimproved county road."

It was a nice road, really, but it's definitely not a road we'd want to be traveling on motorcycles in the rain.

Wanna Know Where I've Been?

You know, the funny thing about being a blogger with a general interest blog like mine is that I am constantly wracking my brain for stuff to write about. Well, not constantly as in all the time, but a lot. I mean, I have to keep folks entertained, right? So they'll come back again and again, and log on to the Internet at least 57 times a day just to see if I have said anything new.

That's what I've always thought. But I haven't posted anything since last Friday. I skipped four whole days. And not one person said, "Hey. Where have you been?"

So I figured I'd just cut to the chase, you know, be up front and honest, and ask if I have been missed.

Well???

Seriously though, it's just been one of those weeks where not a lot worth writing about has happened. Instead of writing about one big event, I'm going to share some scintillating (or not) tidbits...

Motorcycling in West Virginia

Know why we like motorcycling in West Virginia so much? Cause it's just a durn purty place. With lots and lots of cool roads like this that meander through the myriad mountains and valleys.

Hubby didn't feel like riding on Saturday, so I went out exploring on my own. Which is why, even though I finally found a spot to take a picture of me and my bike in front of a field of cows, you don't see me in the next picture.

Saturday was a very nice day weather-wise. A bit overcast at times, but pleasantly cool. It was so cool, I was wearing a long sleeved shirt and wishing every now and then for a jacket.

Back in 2003 or 2004 when Hubby and I took our first bike trip through WV, the trip that convinced us we should actually buy some land there, we came across this neat little stretch of road. I sort of knew where it was, at least the general area, but we'd never managed to find it. Well, on Saturday, I found it. It's called Greenland Gap Road. It runs through Greenland Gap. Which happens to be the home of the Greenland Gap Preserve.

In the above photo, you can see the rocky cliffs that rise 800+ feet on the northern side of the gap. There was a cool little waterfall, but nowhere safe for me to stop, which is why there's a link to someone else's picture.

It wasn't the smoothest road, but it was certainly picturesque.

Besides an abundance of scenic beauty, know what else WV has a lot of? Twisties!

This particular twisty, which is actually a series of sweeping curves, is on US Route 50 just east of Mt. Storm. There are quite a few others. But it isn't always convenient to stop. Even if there is space alongside the road for me to quickly zip in to, the surface is usually dirt or gravel. Motorcycles don't take well to "zipping in" to dirt or gravel. Especially big, heavy motorcycles.

On Missing Grandma...

Hard as it is for me to believe, it's been a whole year since my Grandma Saxton passed. I've been thinking of her a lot lately. This morning, while enjoying (not!) my 15-minute jog, I passed a crepe myrtle bush in full bloom. It was gorgeous. Maybe tomorrow I'll go take a picture of it to share with you, since I can't share it with my Grandma. It would've made her smile and say, "Wow, that's really pretty." I can still hear her voice.

Engrish Lessons

Tacky segue? Grandma wouldn't think so. She had quite a sense of humor. "Engrish" is simply humorous English mistakes that appear in Japanese advertising and product design. The site'll really suck you in, so be careful. Here's one of my favorite Engrish pics. This lovely note is one of their most popular posts.

Newest Blog Addiction

I stumbled across the blog, So About What I Said..., a couple of days ago. It is written by a 27-year-old woman named Melissa who has Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome. It is a rare genetic condition, which causes physical disability. It's not the syndrome that has me so fascinated, it's the girl. Wowee, can she write! She writes a lot, too. I keep poking through her archives to read more and learn more about her. Her biggest issue, at least the one that is most frequently discussed, is with dating. It is really quite eye-opening. If you ever, even remotely, wondered what it is like to have a physical disability, you gotta read some of Melissa's blog.

Army Ten-Miler Training

I'm still at it. I've been running 15-minute stints. I am supposed to run 15/walk 5/run 15/walk 5, but I can't seem to bring myself to do that second 15. It's mental, I swear. Once I stop jogging and walk after the first 15 minutes, I just can't bring myself to start jogging again. So I am just going to start adding 5 minutes to my jog times. The next jog is supposed to be 20 minutes. I'll let you know how I do.

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That's it for now. I'm looking forward to tomorrow night. I'm having dinner with two friends who are former co-workers of mine. Usually, we do lunch, and it's always rushed. A relaxing dinner will be a nice change of pace.

Tomorrow night, the girls and I will be driving out to the WV place. Hubby will ride his bike out on Friday afternoon. Here's hoping for more good riding weather!

You may not hear from me again until Sunday. I hope you'll be okay without me again for the next few days.

One Amazing Weekend

Hubby and I had an amazing Fourth of July weekend. It was the kind of weekend that reaffirmed our decision to build the WV place.

He mapped out an amazing Saturday ride for us. We had picture-perfect weather. The first leg took us west from Romney on Route 50 to Grafton, WV. An approximately 90-mile ride with sweeping curves, crazy switchbacks, 3,000+ foot mountains... Get the picture? A perfect motorcycle road.

About 20 miles east of Grafton, we stopped at quirky Cool Springs Park. It's one of those weird, "only in America" roadside attractions.

Next time, we'll have to linger a bit. We were both anxious to get back on the road.

When we hit Grafton, we turned south toward Tygart Lake State Park, where we'd planned on stopping to enjoy our picnic lunch.

I never knew there was such a big, beautiful lake in West Virginia. I only wished the dogs were along to go for a swim.

After leaving there, we meandered through the mountainous countryside on some very cool, scenic back roads that were sometimes more farm lane than road. The scenery was gorgeous.

We topped the 227-mile ride day off with a lovely dinner that consisted of crab cakes (thanks, Dad!) and fresh corn on the cob. YUM.

Today, Hubby didn't want to go for a ride. He knew he'd be riding his bike home to MD and he had some things he wanted to get done, so I went for a brief jaunt without him.

Here's the sort of lovely country lanes we enjoyed (but didn't photograph) on Saturday.

We covered many miles of road like this. Today, I decided to stop and take pics of the cows. I wanted to park my bike next to the fence and get a shot with it and the cows. But the cows were a little freaked out by me.

See the strange looks they're giving me?

While I was off having fun, my wonderfully handy Hubby installed a screened door.

You know what they say... while the wife's away, the Hubby will be productive. That's how it seems to work in our world anyway.

See how nice and inviting the front porch looks now? Ready to come for a visit?

Bits and Pieces

I stumbled across a well-written story on CNN, written by a woman, describing a motorcycle road trip. Imagine that. AND their trip included the Blue Ridge Parkway, which made it very reminiscent of the trip Hubby and I took in late 2007. Even down to the picture of Mabry Mill that accompanied the article. (The one shown here was taken by Hubby.)

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Speaking of CNN... some of their headlines kill me. Especially the teaser-type ones they use on their "latest news" list. Like this one: State official resigns over underpants dance. Of course, I had to read the story. Boy, people can sure be stupid.

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Post Secret is one of those blogs I read periodically. I even have a Post Secret book. In case you aren't familiar with Post Secret, and even if you are, you should watch this video. I think it was made to promote some appearances by Frank Warren, the guy that came up with the idea. It's an entertaining way to learn more about the Post Secret project, how it came to be, and how big it has become.



Some of the secrets people submit are heartwarming. There are just as many, if not more, that can be heart-wrenching. So read the blog at your own risk. If you have a propensity for depression, avoid it all together.

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ToadMama fans who are interested in photography--taking pics, not just looking at them--might be interested in the Digital Photography School Web site I stumbled across. I haven't spent a whole lot of time there, but it seems to be chock full of interesting stuff like Portrait Photography Tips. And not just your average, everyday run-of-the-mill tips everyone likes to share, but cool things like Posing Tips - Waistlines, Thighs and Bustlines. And Give Your Subject Space to Look Into. I'm going to have to set aside a whole day to absorb the info Darren Rowse, the dude behind the Digital Photography School, has chosen to share.

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The very last "gem" I'll share is this goofy site I found that sells all kinds of frog stuff (like the lovely Frog Poop pictured). It is The Frog Store.

Need some frog-shaped pasta? They sell it.

Got a hankering for some caramel creme chocolate frogs?

How about frog clothing with the dual purpose of celebrating frogs and telling the world about God? Like this shirt? Or this one?

There's even a Useful Frogs category, which toadally restores my faith in humanity. The site owners know some of their stuff is a bit ridiculous, but also take time to point out USEFUL stuff like: this set of 6 froggy candles, and the CD holder, and this nite lite.

Those who know me can tell you I have my share of tacky froggy stuff. And if I stumbled across some of this stuff in a store, I'd probably buy it. I don't know if I'd go on-line to buy a bunch of frog tchotchkes, though.

I have to admit, there was an interesting dice game on the site. And some fun wallpaper border. I might even buy this doorbell if I thought it would fit on our front door (it amazes me how many people knock instead of ringing the bell).

Happy Friday!

Twisties + Sweeping Curves = BIG FUN

Another glorious weekend of motorcycling has come to an end. The weather was far from perfect. Friday, it rained. So we pretty much hung around the house relaxing. Saturday, it was cloudy. We still did about a 5-hour ride. Sunday, the weather was perfect. That's when we did our longest 7+ hour trip.

The roads in West Virginia are perfect for motorcycling. They are full of the twisties and sweeping curves that make rural riding the pleasure that it is.

A "twisty" is a series of switchbacks, or left-right-left curves. It's the kind of road you'd expect to encounter after passing a warning sign like this one.

The picture above is a small stretch of US 50 west of Keyser. This curvy incline, AKA hilly twisty, is a typical stretch of "highway" in the mountains. It really is exhilarating and relaxing all at the same time.

The weekend flew by. Even if we were in WV for 4 days. Actually, the entire summer has streaked past. It's hard to believe summer is almost over. It doesn't officially end until the autumnal equinox on September 22, of course. But with the kids back in school, the sun setting earlier, and the nights getting cooler, it sure feels like fall is on its way.

I'll share more images and stories from the weekend in later posts. Right now, I have to get to work (imagine a huge, damn-I-don't-wanna-work sigh here).

Bad-ass Bikers

No post today. Except this one, which I prepared ahead of time.

If all is well, and it is sunny, we'll be riding our motorcycles today. Tomorrow, too. I'll be back to civilaztion and blog posting on Tuesday.