West Virginia Part I

I'm back from my trip to West Virginia. This is my once yearly big motorcycle trip and I spent a week on the road touring and exploring West Virginia. I took notes on each day of the trip to remind me of my experiences while I was travelling.

Day 1 - Saturday July 12th
I was on the fence as to whether I should go or should I wait until Sunday. The weather forecast looked dodgy and that always puts me in tension. But, I kept fiddling with the bike and loading up the saddle bags. I was thinking I could do the whole trip to Summerville, my base camp in one day. The bike was loaded and the dogs had been walked and breakfast had been consumed, cleaned and put away by 11:00. Finally, I decided to leave. I had lots on my mind including work. Work had not gone well on Friday and I was leaving with a large project unfinished with a deadline for Monday the 14th.

I made it to Erie, Pennsylvania in time for lunch - about 2 hours away from home. Not bad timing. I was ready for some good food - it pays buckets to eat well when you are on the road. I found a Panera Bread store and had a good vegetarian sandwich and a green iced tea. Remember to stay hydrated as well, I thought. With plenty of fuel in the bike and myself - I was ready to head south to West Virginia. I made it to Waynesburg and an Econolodge. The price was right and the room was clean with new carpet.

Day 2
I was close to Summersville maybe 3 hours most - I didn't want to go and sit at the campground all day. I found a brochure to a toy museum about an hour and 1/2 in Moundsville, West Virginia and it looked interesting. I fueled the bike and checked the tires for air. The temperature was 26 degrees Celsius with light rain and overcast skies. The ride to Moundsville was a full immersion into what I would be doing for the next 5 days. Rolling hills and tall mountains with roads that hugged the contours of the land. The strip malls and franchise joints faded away as I rode deeper into the country side.

Moundsville was town that looked like it's heydays had come and gone several times but there was still some charm left in this town. Must be some opportunities still available as I saw a lot of people. I arrived in town early, before the 11:00 am opening of the toy museum - I found a park called Grand View and thought I'd check that out. The park was located high up on a mountain and when I arrived I was surprised that the 'view' was not grand, it was obscured by trees and the park signs were poor in letting visitors know where to go, where to park and what you could do. I used this as a rest stop and motored on.

The toy museum had changed it's hours and the tourist brochures had not been updated. It turned out to be closed on Sundays and not open. I took a few pictures from the outside and decided it was time to head to Summersville. I took Rt. 250, another curvy picturesque road that was a motorcyclist dream. Found a chain joint for lunch and head for the Spral-Mart for food and snacks. Heading into Summerville the rain began, lightly at first. I found the 'resort' and checked in for camping. The rain was falling harder now. Went to the campsite, could barely make out the site numbers at this point and saw what looked like my spot. It was at this point had turned into a large mud pit. I decided to bag camping that night and motor back into town for a motel room.

The rain was coming down in buckets now. The vents in my jacket were wide open for ventilation and the rain was pouring in. I could barely see out my visor and the ride was nerve-wracking to say the least. Finally after what seemed like miles (about 6 miles to be precise) I found a suitable motel with Internet access. While checking in, water was pouring out of my jacket - I couldn't seem to make it stop. I must have took on several gallons of water. Even after I got in the room - the jacket kept draining for another 1/2 hour.

With Internet access I could start to resolve the mess at work and begin to set my mind at ease for my vacation. I still had to deal with those awful negative thoughts in my head. Talk more about that later.