Part 2 of my epic year of riding.
The last half of January and all of February was mostly spent at home. Bruce had some medical stuff scheduled to be done in Nashville and it just made good sense for him to base most of that from my house. During the days he was here, he brought up Inzane in Taos and inquired if I would be going. I had already decided that I would be sitting this one out because of medical and financial issues. The medical part was a recent drug induced intolerance to heat. Although those drugs had been adjusted, I was unsure if I would be able to ride in the south in June.
Bruce was quick with a possible solution! I could just share the roads and motels/rooms along the way with him. His plan was to avoid those elevated temps by starting out early, taking a circuitous northerly route and turning back south toward Taos through the Rockies. His ideas for the return route was to be going even farther north before turning east through Canada and eventually dropping south through the UP of Michigan. I was hooked! I could most likely make it back to Michigan before the heat would become too much for me………….I could wait till then to figure out how to get home if it did.
Did I mention that I had been making plans to ride more this year? Sometime back in the summer of 2018 I had posted that I was going to ride in to Addison, West Virginia for the last weekend of March. I made an open invitation to any and all other hardy (maybe foolish) folks to join me there. I had talked with the owner of the Mineral Springs Motel there and set it up. The deal was on! Now weather at that time of year in that part of the country can be anything,………often leaning toward rain or snow……or both. A few other brave soles signed up.
So, in February, while Bruce was convalescing at my house, I was spending much time in the garage making sure my bike was at it’s best. The tires were not worn out, but they were on the short end of their lifespan. With the possibility of encountering snow in WV, worn tires were not staying on my bike. A new gummy 205/60r 16 directional tread for the rear and a new Cobra for the front were installed with beads. New plugs weren’t needed but I put them in anyway. I serviced the rear splines and installed a new seal on the drive shaft while I was changing tires. Everything was ready…..I thought.
I packed early and, on March 28, I headed toward WV. My mind was easy and I was in the groove, destination Addison, WV but I didn’t need to be there this day. If I get there this day, great. If I get tired or the day gets too late before I get there, I’ll get a room somewhere, that is great too. I was a straddle an amazing motorcycle and on the road living life my way.
I rolled in to the Mineral Springs Motel about dusk that evening. I was tired after 7 hours on the road.
Friday morning I paid homage to my first wife in her resting place at Cowan, WV. I wanted do that before the other brave soles showed up. The weather was fantastic this day but the forecasts for the weekend were calling for rain Saturday night and that was to change over to snow on Sunday. Still, I was expecting a few others to show and I had already confirmed that a few others had cancelled out. Those that cancelled missed a great outing and I might needle them about it but, if it had not been my event, I would most likely have stayed away too. Wet mountain roads are not much fun for this old man.
Saturday we rolled out after a quick stop at fuel and snack store. We headed south on 20. I forgot to start my go pro so no video until after a stop about 35 miles down the road. We cruised along typical Appalachian roads, along the Cranberry River, and made our way up up the Highland Scenic Highway (rt 150). It was warm in the valley where we started but the leathers and other warm gear was very welcome up on the highland.
A couple of photos at an overlook on the Highland Scenic Highway.
The restaurant in Addison (more commonly known as Webster Springs) heard that I was looking for ramps and fixed a ramp dinner special for that evening. Sorry, I ate most of it before I remembered that I should take a photo.
These are the ramps cleaned ready to cook or, if ya like, eat raw. I used to love them raw but they tear my belly up now if I eat them raw.
A few riders made a hasty withdraw Saturday evening. They might have been the smartest among us. Bill and Trish rolled out for home at some very early part of the morning……….in the rain. Their pathway took them through the storm, but they did get gone in time to miss the snow. The rain turned to snow about 10am but the temp was still around 45 so the roads were just wet. Mitch, Bruce, and I decided to just stay put for another day. That did give us a departure day without precipitation, but the temps were then in the mid 20s. I plugged in and turned the heat up as I headed out across the mountain on my way to my brother’s house a couple of hours ride farther north.
I certainly enjoyed this gathering of riders at my “Bigwolf Recon Ride”. Thanks to all that joined in the fellowship and fun.
