11/14-15/ 09 Mothman

Saturday November 14th. I meet Steve for breakfast at 9am. Temperature is in the low 40's. The high is suppose to reach mid 60s and we are going to go for one more trip before winter sets in. We are heading to West Virginia, our first stop is Point Pleasant. We leave Chillicothe around 10am, riding East on route 35. Arriving in Point Pleasant just after 11, we park the bikes and stop in Harris Steakhouse for a cup of coffee. This was a great decision, we here tales of Mothman from the true believers. As it turned out one of the women in the restaurant was a witness,,and claims to have seen the creature. Before I go any farther,,NO,,I do not believe in the Mothman, Bigfoot, or any other boogie man that goes bump in the night. However, it made for an entertaining morning. We leave the diner and strike out on foot, we see the statue of Mothman, then walk down to the flood wall to see the murals,,then its off the the Mothman museum. The museum has many interesting artifacts, original police reports from Mothman sitings, and props from the movie.

The last two hours have been fun, but it is time to get back on the road. We leave town heading North on route two, a nice two lane road we take to the Ravenswood exit. There route two joins I 77, well we do not want to take the Interstate ,,so we check the map and find route 68 in Ravenswood. Riding route 68 north to Parkersburg , the sun is warming things up now and the ride is fun up this two lane. With breakfast wearing thin, we decide to stop in Parkersburg for dinner. I know a great retaurant , The Mountaineer,,,if I can remember where it's at. We ride to the East side of town, yup,,there she is, ok,off the bikes and grab the map. Over dinner we look over the route, looks like we will have to jump on I 77 and ride north one exit to get back on route 2,,ok thats not to bad. After dinner, and dessert ,,we are stuffed. We jump on I 77, ride north one exit and we are back on route two heading north, our goal for the day was wheeling WV. The problem is , it is getting late in the day. This time of year the sun is on its way down by 5pm,,and it is dark by 6. We ride route two along the river as the sun is fading from the sky,,and it is getting COLD...Several small towns pass with not a hotel in sight. Friendly, then Sistersville, Paden City,,then at last, New Martinsville, here we find shelter from the cold night air. A hotel, not the best but I have seen worse. They have a small bar, so we decide to go have a beer and watch the Ohio State game. That did not last long, in WV you can still smoke in a bar,,and this is a small bar with 4 or 5 people smoking,,,,within 15 minutes my eyes are burning from the smoke. That is enough of that, we strike out on foot to a nearby store, look around a bit then its back to the hotel,,,and it's only 8pm,,looks like it is gonna be an early night.

Sunday Morning, we rise early and get ready to ride. It is 40 degrees , and very foggy,,we wipe the bikes dry and pull out at 730am. We ride north on route 2 as it follows the river, this would have been a great fall ride 3 or 4 weeks ago,,but now the trees are bare. I see a barge on the river and thought about stopping for a picture, but this fog is so thick it would have been a waste of time and film. They are doing some construction work on route 2 and the road is very rough in in spot's,,I hit a bump that is so bad it throws me off the seat. 20 miles go by and we pull into Moundsville WV, there we stop for breakfast at The Guest House Restaurant . There we enjoy breakfast , and conversation with a few of the other customers. Talking to the locals, they suggest we cross the river and travel north on route 7 in Ohio,,after that last section of rough road,,,we agree.

After breakfast we head out, cross the river and north on 7 to Bridgeport where we stop for fuel. There we pick up route 250 north. This sounded like a good idea, two lane road, full of hills and twisties, BUT,,lined with houses, a lot of driveways to watch,,and way to much slow moving traffic for this to be fun. A long and boring 26 miles north to Cadiz Oh. This is where things get much better, we turn west on route 22. We have this two lane to ourselves , yup,,this is better, and we are away from the urban sprawl and the driveways. Riding along we stop to stretch our leg's,,and take a couple of pictures at Lake Piedmont. The weather called for Partly cloudy,,doesn't that mean it should be partly sunny??? No sun!!! overcast and cold,,I need a cup of coffee. We get back on the road, about 20 miles before we see a little store, a short stop for coffee and conversation with the locals. It is turning out to be a really good day, a little chilly but a fun ride. A fellow stops to talk when he See's the bikes, Steve tells him about a few of our rides. He looks at at us and asks,,sooo,,you guys retired??? Now I know I am not a kid,,but dang!! do I look that old????

Well, time to roll, back on 22 westbound, we ride through Salt fork state park area. Wish we had time to explore, but I need to keep pushing for home. The next town we come to is Cambridge Ohio, I have never been through here this time of year. The streets are full of Statues of Dickens characters for the Christmas season, again,,wish we had time to stop and explore. We ride on to Zanesville where we pick up route 93 south,,hey,,look,,the sun is shining ,,,yippeee,,first time I have seen it all day. And you can tell its out, the air temp. is rising,,it feels warm,,time to shed a layer before riding on.

Leaving Zanesville we ride south on route 93, 50 miles of rolling two lane and we pull into Logan Ohio. What a great day to ride, with the sun out it is getting warm,,,time to lose another layer. We pull into a Marathon station that is closed on Sunday, oh well,,pull off my coveralls and put them in the saddle bags. The owners show up to get something out of the store and let Steve use the restroom, turns out they ride too . From here we are a short 40 miles from home, down route 180 to route 159 and we are back in Chillicothe.It was a great two days,,,maybe,,just maybe we can get in one more trip this year,,,hope so...

9/25/09 Day 2

Pine Ridge Ky.

I wake early, shower and get a cup of coffee. The weather does not look good, cloudy and grey and the roads are still wet. At 8:50 we load up and turn right on route 715, stopping for fuel in Slade Ky. From there its back on route 11 south, two miles down the road and we arrive at the first stop for the day, Natural Bridge state park. We arrive at 9:30, the skylift opens at 10:00,we purchase tickets and wait. The skylift takes you on a 1/2 mile ride to the top, once there you can go to lookout point for a great view and hike over and onto Natural Bridge. Getting on to the skylift I remember I have a fear of heights ,,,Oh well it does not look so bad. 30 maybe 40 feet off the ground then we come to the cliff,,,straight up,,don't look down, don't look down I keep telling myself,,,ok at the top . Now we hike over to Natural Bridge, a 30 foot wide walkway formed by nature from over 900 tons of sandstone. We spend some time hiking and taking pictures . It was a good way to start the day, but now its time to ride the skylift back down,,,did I mention my fear of heights,,,ok thought so. Remember the cliff,,as the lift leaves the platform you get a much better view of how high you are,,,I think this would be a great picture,,I decide to reach for my camera and take some pics,,,but my hand will not release the death grip it has on the safety bar,,I bet my fingerprints are still on the bar!!!! I am dangling there, my chair stopped while they load the chair behind me...Back at the bottom I am ready to roll.

Turning on route 11 we head for Boonville, 30 miles south. There we pick up route 30 west to London. It is a 50 mile stretch of two lane that winds through rural Ky. ,,A lot of great curves ,,some of the best riding Ky has to offer. We pull up to the one stop sign I remember on this road, I turn to ask Steve what he thinks of Route 30,,,,the mile wide grin on his face answers the question before I can even ask it. Pulling into London we break for lunch at The Cracker Barrel .

After lunch we head for our second stop of the day, Cumberland Falls state park. We ride about 10 miles when we have to stop, pull out the rain gear and suit up. We talk to a local at this stop and he informs us we are about to run into severe weather. Storms are coming our way, thunder,lightning, and driving rain up to two inches an hour moving from west to east. We decide to leave Cumberland falls for another trip, jump on the Hal Rogers parkway east bound to route 11 and head north for home. The ride north on 11 was a fun ride, we make it to Mount Sterling and call it a night at the Budget inn, just your typical little cheap dump.

9/26/09 wet ride home

We wake this morning to a hard rain , it is still dark when we roll out of the parking lot at 7:30, north bound on curvy route 11 . Even though it is dark, and raining hard the ride is still fun, we stop at Bob Evans in Maysville for breakfast, the hostess was not happy to see us come in. After riding an hour in a driving rain we were soaked, and dripping so much water on the floor she had to mop it behind us,,,oops,,sorry.

After breakfast we cross the Ohio River back into Aberdeen and follow route 41 north. We do change the route back to Chillicothe by taking route 32 east to route 23 north because that is four lane and with this rain will be an easier trip back. Home just after 11:30, time to unload the bike , clean and dry the gear ,,it was a short, and wet trip, but still a lot of fun. Time to start planning next years rides,,hope there are more than this year...

9/24/09 short fall ride

Well its September, I should be on week long ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway,,but not this year. It has been a rough summer, off work for 5 weeks due to an injury . That has left the bank account to low for that trip. so,,plan B.

9/24/09, Thursday morning I meet Steve for breakfast at Carl's townhouse, we are leaving for a 3 day trip through Kentucky. I check the forecast that morning, yep,,we will be getting wet. I don't care, been wet before and it will be good to get back on the road. I have not been on a trip in 3 months, have had a few day rides and a couple of poker runs,, but no trips.

We leave town west bound on route 50, 20 miles to Bainbridge where we turn south on route 41. to Aberdeen Ohio, cross the Ohio River and we are in Maysville Ky. The sun is out, well sort of..but at least we have not hit rain yet. In Maysville we pick up route 11 south,, I have not traveled this section of 11 and am glad to get the chance to. Route 11 is a two lane road that weaves through rural Ky. passing farmland and rolling hills with a few good curves to keep you on your toes. Mid day we roll into Mount Sterling , breakfast is wearing thin so we stop at Jerry's restaurant for lunch. Back on the road, a few miles south of town the sky lets loose and the rain pours. We pull off the road, dig out the rain gear and suit up. We pull into Clay city KY., I have a stop to make. Carmichael's Leather and bike accessories , a store we found on last years Ky. ride. Last year Wook and I stopped there to escape the hot August sun, today Steve and I stop in to escape a downpour. We go inside, look around and talk to the owners for about a half hour or so. With the rain letting up, we say our goodbyes and promise to stop in next year.

We continue south on route 11 through Stanton and on to route 77 ( Nada tunnel road) We stop for pictures at the tunnel, then continue on to route 715, we stop at Gladie house, a restored log cabin that was built in the 1800s. We continue on through the red river gorge area and end up in Pine Ridge KY. Here we stop at the True North Inn for directions and a meal. We pull in thinking it was just a restaurant.

This turned out to be a great find, we were greeted by the proprietor, Jeff Colombo. Jeff moved to the area from Michigan after his job was moved overseas. He is an avid rock climber, and one hell of a cook. He runs the inn with his fiancee, Gloria. We did not have the pleasure of meeting her as she was out of town on business. The True North Inn offers lodging, dining, and adventure outings . While not a traditional biker hangout, it is biker friendly, if you find yourself in the area do yourself a favor and stop in. They are located at 20 sky bridge road Pine Ridge Ky. We are already planning a trip back to the Inn next year.

7/28/09 the triple nickel

9 am I leave Chillicothe on rout 50 east. First stop, Hamden Ohio where I will meet up with my friend Wook and his son. It is just cool enough for a jacket with temps in the low 60's, the fog is lifting and it is a great morning to ride. 25 miles to Allensville where I pick up route 683, in the shade of the trees the temp. feels a good 10 degrees cooler than out in the open road of rt. 50. I ride along past Lake Rupert, a place I have many fond memories of. As a child it is where my Uncle taught me how to fish , in my teen years I would go boating and fishing with friends on Rupert. I pull into Hamden, turn right onto Route 93 and head to The corner restaurant. Wook and I arrive at the same time,,his son looks a little cold and happy to get off the bike for breakfast. Over egg's and coffee we discuss our route for the day. Down to Pomeroy, then east along the Ohio river.
We finish our meal and leave town on Rt. 160. Like all roads we will be on today,,a winding two lane,,,what a great way to spend a day. We ride about 20 miles to Wilksville where we pick up rt. 124, another 18 miles and we are in Pomeroy. Pomeroy Ohio is like many southern Ohio towns, fighting a tough economy and struggling. We take a short break at a park bench and watch the boats on the river. From this small town we head east on 124 along the Ohio river, next stop,,Little Hocking Ohio.
Arriving at Little Hocking, I find the reason for this ride. For almost two years I have wanted to come here to ride Route 555 "the triple nickel" until now I have not found the time to ride over here. This road is everything I was told it was, and more. It runs north to Zanesville Ohio, 65 miles or so away. A two lane , roller coaster with twisties, switchbacks.. With only a hand full of towns to slow down for. The only downside is you have to watch for gravel in a few of the curves . We reach Zanesville a little tired and ready to head for home. Rout 93 south to Logan, this is where we part ways. Wook continues on 93 to Jackson, I take route 180 back to Chillicothe. It was a great ride, about 270 miles,,a ride I will make again.

7/12/09 ride to the wall

It's a beautiful Sunday morning, I have plans to go on a ride today with Sheila. I am looking forward to spending the day with her. I leave home around 10:30 and make the trip to Washington Courthouse. I arrive at her house at 11:00,,right on time. Our plan is to ride south and then east toward Ironton with a stop in Portsmouth to see the flood wall. I pull up and she opens the door to greet me, we both are excited about the ride, she grabs her helmet and we are off.

We head south on route 41, and in no time I discover she does not like taking curves fast. As I approach a 35 mph curve I hear her go ERK!!! ( making a braking sound) and telling me "slow down, slow down" OK, I get a bit of a chuckle out of the brake sound, but am happy to slow the pace as not to frighten her. We continue on route 41 through Greenfield, then Bainbridge and Peebles. This section of route 41 ( between Peebles and West Union) has an Amish population. We encounter several horse drawn buggies, they pull to the right side of the lane to allow us to pass. The one hazard is what the horses leave on the road, "droppings" Not something you want to run over on a bike. About 14 miles south of Peebles we roll into West Union , where we decide to stop for lunch at Wendy's. After lunch its a quick stop to top off the VTX and we are back on the road. As we pull out of West Union (a mere 70 some miles into the day) I realise what a great day this is going to be, not because of the trip,,it is because of the woman riding with me. I have known her close to ten years, and always enjoy her company. We always have fun when we are together.

A short time later we come into Aberdeen Ohio "right on the Ohio river" where we pick up route 52 east.

Route 52 runs along the Ohio river through Manchester and vanceburg and a corner of Shawnee state forest. Riding along the river we are enjoying the bright sunshine and beautiful scenery, we stop at A marina in Rome Ohio for a short break to stretch our legs .

Portsmouth Ohio, we arrive mid day and head to the floodwall. This is my first trip to see the murals. We park the VTX in the shade of a tree and set out on foot. The murals are 20 foot high and stretch for 2200 feet, 60 some paintings depicting the history of Portsmouth. It is quite a site, after walking around and taking in the murals we ride around the area a little before heading out.

Leaving Portsmouth on route 52 east we head to Ironton, where we will pick up route 93 north. Route 93 is a nice winding two lane through southern Ohio, but watch for gravel in the curves,,ERK,,I hear from the back seat again,,,she is right, this is a road to be cautious on. We roll into Oak Hill Ohio, I think about stopping to see my buddy Jim who lives just north of town but it is getting late in the day so we ride on. We continue on 93 to Jackson where we pick up route 35 west,,boring four lane. In Richmondale we pull onto old route 35,,ahh,,two lane road. Once in Chillicothe we are back on route 35 , just west of town we pick up route 550 and run that back to Washington courthouse.

What a GREAT day this has been, just under a 300 mile ride with someone I really enjoy being with. I hope Sheila and I can have many more days like this one. The scenery was nice, the roads good,,but her company made the day great.

vacation 09 and those are the memories that make me a wealthy soul.

I have been home just over a week, memories of this trip still fresh in my mind. The day after I got home I took the VTX to the shop to be serviced, picked up my mutt "Abby" I was happy to see her again, she is a heathen, but she's my heathen.

My mind drifts back to the great roads we rode, the sights we saw,,,but most of all to the people we met and new Friends we made, The rancher in Worden Montana, Marco's who we met in Wichita, and Kelsey and Tammy and the rest of the Missouri gang. I want to stay in touch with , and hope to see all of them again. Perhaps next year we can ride the back roads of Illinois with Marco's, and maybe a trip to the Ozarks will give me a chance to swing through Stockton and see my new friends there.

But for now, there is still a lot of riding to do this year,

vacation 09,day 12 heading home

Not much to say about today,,We take the parkways to Lexington where we pick up route 68, this is a road I know well,,,route 68 to Maysville, cross the river into Ohio,,,pick up route 41 in Aberdeen, Go north through West Union and on to Peebles,,route 32 east to 23 north and we are home,,,,,I am tired, a bit sore ,,Happy to be home