Day Eight: Huntington, WV to New Cumberland, WV
I knew it was too good to be true, and I was right. I’d ridden across the country without seeing one stray dog or dead dog, and I thought I was home free. But there it was, a fluffy gold-colored handsome dog, hunkered down and shaking with fear in the grassy median on I64. I already have two dogs I found on the side of the road, and there’s no way I could get this one on the bike. My stomach turned sour, my whole trip would be ruined with worry. What to do?
Pull of at the next exit and call local animal control, that’s what! The next exit happened to be a rest stop with a dog friendly attendant. He called animal control and then went off in his truck to see if he could get the dog himself. Hallelujah! I didn’t stick around to see if he was successful, but rather decided to press on knowing that I’d done my best.
West Virginia is one of my favorite states for riding. Only here will you pass through towns with names like Nitro, Institute and Big Otter. I put my head down and aimed for Fairmont. There I left the freeway and took one of my favorite roads, Rt. 250, which winds through the hilly forest and cuts through long-forgotten old steel and mining towns like Hundred and Littleton. After 50 or so miles of switch backs and dense foliage, the road opens up on the top of the mountain to wide grassy farms where you can see the shades of green fields forever topped by a bright blue sky almost as big as Montana.
RT. 250 curves down the mountain and dumps you out onto RT. 2, which follows the oHIo River, and back into local life and small towns. It also passes right through the center of the employee-owned steel mill in Wierton, one of the last working mills in West Virginia.
I arrived at the rally as I’d hoped, right in time for dinner. My old best friend Bill handed me a cocktail and we fell into conversation like we’d seen each other just last week. My husband, Ed, snapped my photo, gave me a kiss, and my trip was over, just like that.
Miles: Total 3057
Routes: I64; I79; Rt. 250; RT. 2
Seat Time: 6 hours
Pull of at the next exit and call local animal control, that’s what! The next exit happened to be a rest stop with a dog friendly attendant. He called animal control and then went off in his truck to see if he could get the dog himself. Hallelujah! I didn’t stick around to see if he was successful, but rather decided to press on knowing that I’d done my best.
West Virginia is one of my favorite states for riding. Only here will you pass through towns with names like Nitro, Institute and Big Otter. I put my head down and aimed for Fairmont. There I left the freeway and took one of my favorite roads, Rt. 250, which winds through the hilly forest and cuts through long-forgotten old steel and mining towns like Hundred and Littleton. After 50 or so miles of switch backs and dense foliage, the road opens up on the top of the mountain to wide grassy farms where you can see the shades of green fields forever topped by a bright blue sky almost as big as Montana.
RT. 250 curves down the mountain and dumps you out onto RT. 2, which follows the oHIo River, and back into local life and small towns. It also passes right through the center of the employee-owned steel mill in Wierton, one of the last working mills in West Virginia.
I arrived at the rally as I’d hoped, right in time for dinner. My old best friend Bill handed me a cocktail and we fell into conversation like we’d seen each other just last week. My husband, Ed, snapped my photo, gave me a kiss, and my trip was over, just like that.
Miles: Total 3057
Routes: I64; I79; Rt. 250; RT. 2
Seat Time: 6 hours
posted by Alice at 8:44 AM
5 Comments:
Way to go, Alice, great job! Cheers!
That was fun reading Alice (Queen of the box turtles)!
Thanks
Nancy
Hey Alice! Great to hear the status reports on the Breva, esp running thru creeks and down dirt roads as I will try to copy your stunts when I go to Europe next week to ride the same bike. Thanks too for the practical stuff, mileage, seat time, and for the LOLs here in my chair. See you back in CA!
- Carla
Awesome blog girl! And I think you look quite attractive with your finger in your nose - it's a new look for you. LMAO
Angela
Way to go, Madame President! And WAY COOL outfit . . .
Love,
Suzanne
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