When Hubby, Mike, and I still owned our WV place, every now and then, when we weren’t busy actually constructing the place, we’d take rides around Romney. The roads in that area are pretty nice. Sometimes, we would go a bit farther, where the roads were even better. On two separate occasions, we tried to visit Spruce Knob, which is the highest point of elevation in West Virginia. Both times, the road up the mountain was closed. I forget why. Anyway… I’d been wanting to return. So that seemed like a logical target when I left the house on Friday, June 8.
One of the cool things about it being so high is that the plants are not like those you’d see in nearby lower elevations. According to a sign I read, there was “…flag-formed red spruce, heath barrens, and wildflowers typical of a more-northern climate.” There’s a nearby place — the Dolly Sods Wilderness — I’d visited in 2016, which is also within the Monongahela National Forest. If you’d like to read more about the flora and fauna of the region, please visit that post. Ironically, I took that trip after accepting the job offer from the employer that just laid me off.
Not only is it beautiful in that area, it’s usually cooler, and the roads are pretty awesome, too. Win-win, right?
Lucky for me, it was open!
I realize 4,863 feet (~1,482 meters) isn’t, like, the highest mountain on the planet, or even in North America, but, relatively speaking, it’s a nice-sized hill. And, most important, I REALLY enjoyed getting there and being there, finally. Plus, I was not at all rushed, so I got to enjoy the scenery and capture some pics to share here.
The road to and from Spruce Knob is way nicer than the road to and from Dolly Sods.
After taking my good, sweet time enjoying the place, I continued west toward Buckhannon. It actually started getting dark sooner than I anticipated, so I stopped in Elkins, West Virginia for the night. The bugs get really big at night in the mountains, not to mention the fact that the deer and bears tend to wander around a bit, too.
One of the places I definitely wanted to visit during my trip was Breaks Interstate Park. It’s in far southwestern Virginia and actually straddles the Virginia-Kentucky border, hence the “interstate” name. I also wanted to spend some time on WV-52, because I remembered reading that it was a good road.
On Sunday morning, as I drank my coffee, I looked at my various maps — Google and paper — to figure out a route for the day. I THINK I wrote the directions, but can’t remember. I plugged it into Google maps on my phone, too. But it wasn’t a complicated set of instructions. Head southwest on WV-20 then north on US-52. North of Welch at Panther, I’d be turning left to cross the mountains. Easy, right?
The next challenge was repacking the top case in such a way that all my stuff fit. My clothing, toiletries, shoes, and rain/cold weather gear went in the panniers (boxes that hang on the side of the bike).
Pretty weather as I left Princeton.
I hadn’t gone far at all on WV-20 before I realized Hubby and I had ridden there previously. In fact, we’d even been on US-52 all the way to Welch. That was actually the trip — in October 2010 — where we’d heard about Breaks Interstate Park.
I knew we hadn’t been to the town of Welch previously. I was curious to visit, since it is the county seat and should be doing better than surrounding communities in that woefully depressed region.
Along US-52 south of Welch.
The highway did pass through several smaller towns, all of which had seen better days, but there most of the route was rural.
Waterfall alongside of the highway.
Welch, West Virginia
For the most part, the town of Welch looked about as I’d expected. There have been efforts at beautification, but there still appear to be lots of vacant storefronts and other buildings in town.
Mural in Downtown Welch
Mural in Downtown Welch
Downtown Welch
Downtown Welch
I did take some video along the way, which I’ll have to edit before posting.
From Welch, I continued North along highway 52. I rode for quite a while before I started thinking I may have missed a turn. I pulled off to the side of the roads to check my maps and confirmed my suspicions.
Near Gilbert, WV, along the Guyandotte River.
I could have doubled back along the same route, but chose a shortcut through the mountains instead.
I wasn’t at all prepared for what I saw.
The towns along the highway looked depressed, but along the back roads it often felt like I was driving through a third world country. The poverty in that area really is extreme. I must have looked like an alien to those people.
On one hand, I wanted to take pictures, to show y’all what I saw. But on the other hand, I couldn’t. I didn’t want those people thinking I was looking down on them. Gawking at their plight. Or even pitying them.
There is a great deal of natural beauty in that region, but there was little beauty to be seen in the houses, mobile homes, and other dwellings scattered along those back roads. There was nothing even remotely pretty or picturesque. Run-down shacks, some of which were still being lived in. Camping trailers older than me serving as people’s homes. Burnt-out buildings, left standing, I assume, because it takes money to tear them down. Cars and other vehicles in various states of disrepair, some no more than empty shells.
People should not live like that in America. Really.
Most of the time I was riding through that area, I had no real clue where I was, or if I was on the right roads, even. But I felt like I was headed in the right direction, so I pushed on. I was never scared or worried. I just kept going, absorbing all that I saw. It was heartbreaking.
I did capture a few general pics along the way, after I’d left the residential areas behind.
Road project or surface mining operation?
One thing is for sure, I was REALLY happy to see the sign in the next photo.
Breaks, Virginia
I’d found Breaks, Virginia! My gut had been right about my direction of travel.
I couldn’t find the park entrance initially, and I had no cell signal, so I headed to the closest town where I knew from that previous trip that I’d find a Hardee’s for lunch and, hopefully, a wifi connection.
I knew I couldn’t linger long. It was actually late-afternoon and I thought I had many more miles to cover before I would find any decent motel rooms. I thought the lodge and other concessions in the park weren’t open. Imagine my delight when I reached the park and discovered the lodge and restaurant open for the weekend.
Honestly, I was pooped. It had been a long, emotionally draining day. It had been hot that day, too. I was sooooo happy not to have to spend a few more hours in the saddle.
As I continued south and west on day one of my journey, I was continually surprised to see more and more barn quilts. The trend certainly seems to have caught on.
I’d seen several of the barn quilts in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, and know that county has an established quilt trail — map and guide/listing of quilts to draw people to the area — but there were some barn quilts I hadn’t seen. I also had not noticed barn quilts in Greenbrier and Monroe counties the last time I’d ridden through.
Pocahontas County, West Virginia #1
That barn quilt in Pocahontas County, along WV-92 north of Green Bank, is one of the first I’d ever seen up close. That was several years ago, but it is still one of my favorites.
Speaking of Green Bank, I did stop for a quick look at the biggest telescope. It’s hard not to marvel at the size. How big? It supposedly could hold two football fields.
I do remember having seen this one, which is on US-250 near the intersection with WV-92, but it was raining pretty hard when I saw it the first time, so I hadn’t stopped.
And here’s one I had not seen before. I love the pattern in the paint. (Click on image for a larger view.)
Pocahontas County, West Virginia #3
As I was contemplating my trip, I’d thought about making Princeton, West Virginia my first overnight stop, but as I rode on, I was getting tired. I knew I’d be passing through Marlinton to get to US-219, and considered spending the night there, but it was still pretty early in the day. Once in Marlinton, there didn’t seem to be enough for me to do if I did stop. My fear was that I’d book a room, stop and rest, then get bored and kick myself for not moving further along.
So I just stopped for a snack and a drink, which seemed to be all the refreshment I needed, and continued on.
At the risk of sounding repetitive, US-219 through West Virginia really IS a nice road. It is both scenic and fun, with lots of long, smooth sweeping turns interspersed by hills and twisties (think zig-zags). And not much traffic. Of course, I hadn’t encountered much traffic all day.
The next couple images were captured along US-219 north of Hillsboro, West Virginia. I think the barn is on the property of the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Museum. Check out that unique fence. It’s hard to tell if the cross-wise pickets were meant to be decorative elements, or added as an afterthought to close-in the larger openings.
Interesting Fence
Here’s a closer look at the barn quilt.
Barn Quilt north of Hillsboro, WV
Still further south (Monroe County), I was surprised to see barn quilts on some of the businesses in the town of Union, West Virginia.
Monroe County, West Virginia
And then there was this barn, which I just HAD to stop and photograph.
Not a barn quilt. Sort of an anti-Mail Pouch barn.
It was starting to get cloudy and windy, and I could smell rain. I thought for sure I was going to get caught in a thunderstorm, but I didn’t.
Who can resist a giant chicken?
The chicken was actually outside of Narrows, Virginia, a little, tiny piece of the state I had to ride through to reach Princeton, West Virginia. I may have just ridden past, but I wanted to check my phone for lodging options in Princeton.
Unfortunately, the signal wasn’t strong enough. So I just rode on into Princeon, figuring I’d take my chances. I’d stayed in Princeton a couple of time previously. It’s off of I-77, so there are lots of hotels, motels, chain restaurants, gas stations, etc. Even a pretty big beef jerky outlet (at least the third one I’d seen that day).
I was headed for a Bojangle’s — I was hungry AND they usually have free wifi — when I turned off the highway and saw this cute little Turnpike Motel. Places like that are great for motorcycle trips because you can park right outside your door, which means you don’t need to make multiple trips to/from your room for purposes of unpacking/packing and readying the bike for a new day of travel.
It was recently refurbished, had a vacancy, and was cheap. It was within walking distance of Bojangle’s, too. Even better, I got to park under a roof (at the suggestion of the lady at the front desk).
Parking doesn’t get much more convenient.
My door was the one on the left.
After checking in and getting settled, I walked over to grab some dinner. It always feels good to walk a bit after a long day on the bike (it was close to dark by the time I reached Princeton).
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the cool, crisp air, but I especially love seeing all of the colorful leaves.
This year, either I am too anxious to see color and it seems like it’s taking FOREVER, or the change is a bit later than usual. I think it’s the latter, but it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that I finally got to see some amazing color on Friday, but I had to work for it.
After being laid off from my job without warning (don’t worry, that’s old news), I suddenly felt like I had lots of free time on my hands. That’s not entirely true, because I had to find a new job, and that takes a lot of work. But working to find a new job didn’t prevent me from daydreaming about taking a motorcycle ride through the mountains. And since I typically work for contract research organizations, and there are several of those in North Carolina, I came up with a plot to schedule things carefully and line-up a bunch of interviews next week in NC.
Sounds like a great plan, right? I thought so. But then I was offered a job with a company in Charlottesville, Virginia. And I start on Monday. That’s tomorrow.
It’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, even if it does mean I can’t go to North Carolina. So I planned a trip to West Virginia instead. I was going to go on Thursday and spend the night on the road, but the areas I wanted to see were forecasting rain, which would have been miserable, so I went on Friday. Just for the day.
The drive into Dolly Sods on FR75.
I revisited the Dolly Sods, a place Hubby and I had gone to by car from the WV Place in 2010. The Dolly Sods is a wilderness area that sits at an elevation of about 4,000 feet atop the Allegheny Plateau. It is one of many areas of interest in the Monongahela National Forest. The Dolly Sods is significant because of its elevation and what that means to the flora and fauna.
Much of West Virginia is pretty mountainous, but the mountains aren’t very high (the highest peak is only 4,863 feet). It’s been said that many areas of the Dolly Sods are like high-alpine regions in Canada. The snowshoe hare can even be found there.
We’ve ridden our motorcycles near the Dolly Sods many, many times, but never ventured into the actual wilderness area because it is known for its rough, dirt and gravel roads. It is a wilderness, after all. Descriptions of the route into The Sods said something to the effect of “the road climbs the Allegheny Front.”
Terrain map showing the Allegheny Front.
In 2010, we entered from the southern end. Yesterday, I entered from the north. The road goes up, and up, and up — five miles from the hard-surface road — before you finally reach the top of the Allegheny Plateau. Hubby’s GPS software plotted a graph showing our elevations at various points on the trip down and back, which clearly shows the extreme elevation change entering and leaving the Dolly Sods.
Hubby’s 2010 GPS track of the elevation change.
In all, it’s just over 18 miles of hard-packed dirt, gravel, and rock (as in boulders embedded in the ground) road. It’s full of some very large potholes, with washboard ruts in many places because it’s a very well-traveled road. The ride up was so bumpy, I bet I stood for about a third of the climb.
It was so worth it, though. Far too many pictures follow as proof.
If you come here mainly to read my words, you may want to stop scrolling now. 🙂
Remember, click on any image for a bigger view.
The forest along FR75 into Dolly Sods.
Northern entrance at the edge of the plateau.
Looking north from just inside the entrance.
Looking west across the plateau.
A riot of color.
I couldn’t get enough of the color.
The blue sky makes a perfect backdrop.
It’s usually windy, hence the one-sided tree.
Looking east from atop Bear Rocks.
I took lots of pictures.
One of the most-photographed rocks.
Looking north and east.
Not a bad spot for my picnic lunch, eh?
I couldn’t have picked a prettier day.
The red bushes are blueberries and/or cranberries.
Very large conglomerate rocks.
Rocks and color.
One-sided tree (from the wind).
I really couldn’t get enough of the reds, greens, and blues interspersed with rocks.
Yes, I realize this is repetitive.
This is one of my favorites, I think.
I DID warn you there were lots of pictures, right? I’m not done sharing yet. LOL.
Seriously, isn’t the color amazing?
See my bike? I bet the place was mobbed on Saturday.
The colors just made me so happy!
Quaking Aspens! In West Virginia!
Yet another color shot.
The clouds were pretty cool, too.
Trail into the forest.
Trees and cotton-top flowers (or something like that).
The scenery was just breathtaking.
More Color
Cotton-top flowers (or something like that).
Beaver Pond
Same pond, slightly different angle.
Looking North
Looking South from the Same Spot
More Color
The reds were really vibrant.
Straight out of the camera.
The yellows were pretty bright, too.
Pretty, right?
Pretty Yellow Tree
RED!
It was darn pretty atop that plateau, but it was nice on the way down, too. The next pics were captured along the road at the south end.
Headed down FR19.
Tunnel of Color
Colorful Forest
Maple!
I love being in the woods.
The tunnel of color continued for miles.
Pretty Foliage
I slid to a halt when I saw that multi-colored tree.
The view as a whole wasn’t bad either.
Looking east from near that multi-colored tree.
And on the tunnel continued…
That’s it for the Dolly Sods pics. But here’s one last capture from not far south along US-220/WV-28…
Champe Rocks, just north of Seneca Rocks.
Even in West Virginia, the color is still spotty at lower elevations. But it’s slowly, but surely, getting more and more colorful closer to home.
It’s official. A mere eight days after being laid off completely out of the blue — knocked off a cliff, so to speak — I was offered an even cooler job. I start on Monday, October 17.
It’s crazy how things work, no? I was confident I’d find a job relatively quickly, but even I didn’t think I’d bounce back THAT fast. I mean, really. The interview and hiring process usually takes longer than that. And, no, I hadn’t been looking before being laid off.
I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason. I am very excited. So excited, in fact, that I’m going to go out on a limb and say this will be my last employer EVER. I’ll retire from this company.
The last couple of weeks have really been like a roller coaster ride. So I am taking off to find some Fall color today and enjoy my last full day of unemployment.
This past weekend Hubby and I enjoyed a fabulous three-day ride south and west of our home in Virginia. We covered 850 miles on wonderful motorcycle roads in Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and even parts of West Virginia.
I’d been wanting to really put those maps to the test. And guess what? They passed with flying colors. Really. We spent three days riding a series of really awesome motorcycle roads. It was tons of fun. We were having so much fun, in fact, that I didn’t even think about taking a picture until late in the day on Friday, after we’d already been on the road for many hours. You know I’m having fun when I don’t think about pictures, right?
Along Indian Valley Road in Floyd County, Virginia.
We ended up staying in Hillsville, Virginia Friday night.
Sunset from Hillsville, VA.
Lucky for us, there was a Bojangle’s about 15 minutes from our hotel, so we both enjoyed a nice breakfast on Saturday.
Hubby and Me
It wasn’t even hard to convince Hubby to pose for a goofy selfie with me.
From there, we rode into downtown Galax, looking for LOVE. (Since it was along the way, I figured we ought to stop.)
Galax, VA LOVEwork
Fortunately, the LOVEwork was right where it was supposed to be.
For the record, I saw the LOVEwork in Christiansburg, but it was hot, there was rush hour traffic, and it was on the opposite side of a busy street, so I opted not to stop for a photo. But I saw it. That counts in my book.
My Real Love
After a brief break, we continued south into North Carolina and then west and north to Mountain City, Tennessee.
Four States in Three Days
Why Mountain City? That’s where The Snake begins. 🙂
Hubby at the NC/TN border.
I missed The Snake on my solo trip earlier this year, so I figured it would be a good destination road that both of us could enjoy.
The Snake totally lives up to all the hype.
And enjoy it we did. Seriously, it’s a FUN road. That road alone was worth the trip.
The Snake
Shady Valley Country Store, about midway on The Snake.
From there, we headed north into Virginia, to Abingdon then East on 58 through the Jefferson National Forest. A repeat road for me that I really, REALLY enjoyed during my solo trip. We then followed 16 into Marion where we stopped for lunch before continuing north on the Back of the Dragon.
Marion, Virginia
My not-so-observant Hubby.
We chose Macados for lunch after discovering that the BBQ place we’d really headed for was closed.
After we were seated, I said to Mike, “Did you see the giant dinosaur head on the wall?”
His response? “What dinosaur?” Sigh…
We continued making our way north and east toward Paint Bank, Virginia, where I’d reserved a room at the quaint Depot Lodge. En route, we stopped at the Wolf Creek Indian Village near Bastian for some more LOVE.
Bastian LOVEwork
Yet another lovely road.
Hubby enjoyed the ride just as much as I did. The weather verged on hot at times, but was very pleasant for the most part.
The Depot Lodge in Paint Bank, Virginia
Lobby at The Depot Lodge
Paint Bank General Store
View of the store from our second floor porch.
Chillaxin’ on the porch.
Our room at The Depot Lodge
Sadly, the caboose was already booked.
Outbuilding at The Depot Lodge
View of the lodge from the rear lawn.
Sunday, we had to hurry home to get the dogs from the kennel and so I could get ready to head off to Rockville, MD for work.
Humpback Bridge near Covington, Virginia.
I’d read about the bridge in a pamphlet at the hotel. A pamphlet which did NOT clue me in on a special bonus we’d also find at that location.
Humback Bridge (notice anything odd?)
We’d accidentally found another LOVEwork. How cool is that?
Covington LOVEwork
Hubby, reflecting inside the bridge.
A bit further north, we stopped at this Falling Springs overlook.
This may be the largest waterfall in Virginia.
That waterfall was easily visible from the overlook along 220 north of Covington, yet another AMAZING stretch of road.
Road south of the overlook.
We continued north on 220, all the way to Franklin, West Virginia. It was a beautiful, scenic ride alternating between mountains and valleys. Spectacular, really.
Feanklin, WV
From there, we headed east on US-33 — one of Hubby’s favorite roads — north and east through the Shenandoah Valley, and then, at New Market, east on US-211 to Warrenton.
It may sound repetitive, but that particular series of roads we covered overed three days was probably the best series of roads we’d ever ridden together. Except for maybe in the Italian/Swiss/Austrian Alps. Really. It’s a route we WILL be revisiting.
Here’s a link to my Spotwalla tracker map with a couple little caveats. I forgot to start the app on my phone, so it looks like we started in Elkton, Virginia. Also, my phone battery died just east of Luray, so it appears that we never made it home.
I hope you enjoyed the recap. Now, I have to get to work.
