This past weekend we hooked up in Marion, Va to scout the roads for the June ride " Return To Hillbilly Highway " . Folk's attending this ride are in for some outstanding roads just made for the art of motorcycling. The ground zero motel " America's Best " was motorcycle friendly and the rooms was clean. We had ( 15 ) bikes show-up for the scoutin' ride last saturday. This first picture is from the thursday ride we did with DDT ( Bruce ) Hal 47 ( Hal ) and Santa ( Tom ) they came into my hometown to ride up with us on friday.
Friday we rolled out and headed toward Johnson City to pick up Big Tom.
After leaving Tom's place it was time to hit the motorcycle playground with 3 mountain's 1 valley and 489 curves better known as The Snake.
Few more pictures from the motorcycle playground.
Hal at Backbone Rock part of the motorcycle playground .
These next pictures are from the saturday ride into the mountains of West Virginia.
October Sky.....
The film is set in Coalwood, West Virginia in the year 1957. The coal mine is the town's largest employer and almost every man living in the town works in the mines. John Hickam (Chris Cooper), the mine superintendent, loves his job and hopes that his boys, Jim (Scott Miles) and Homer (Jake Gyllenhaal), will one day join him in his mine. When it appears that Jim will receive a football scholarship to attend college, this leaves Homer to fulfill his father's dream, although his mother, Elsie (Natalie Canerday), hopes for more for her son.
In October, news of the Soviet Union's rocket launch of Sputnik 1 reaches Coalwood. As the townspeople gather outside the night of the broadcast, they see the satellite orbit across the sky. Filled with awe and a belief that this may be his chance out of Coalwood, Homer sets out to build rockets of his own and enter the science fair. Initially, his family and later his classmates think he has gone crazy and is wasting his time, especially when he teams up with Quentin Wilson (Chris Owen), the school's math geek who also has an interest in rocket engineering. With the help of his friends, Roy Lee Cooke (William Lee Scott) and Sherman O'Dell (Chad Lindberg), and support from their science teacher, Miss Riley (Laura Dern), the four try out their new passion. While their first launches are failures, they begin experimenting with new fuels and rocket designs. After several successful launches, the local paper runs a story about them.....You can read more if interested just click the link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Sky
Coal has fed familys in these moutains for more than 150 years .
Alot of miners died to get the coal out of the mountain's.
Pocahontas Exhibition Coal Mine, also known as Pocahontas Mine No. 1, or Baby Mine, is an inactive coal mine in the Pocahontas coalfield. The mine was the first in the sub-bituminous coal of the Pocahontas coalfield, opening in 1882. In 1938 it became the first exhibition coal mine in the United States. Uniquely, it was possible to drive one's automobile through the mine, entering through the fan opening and exiting through the original entry. The practice continued until 1970, when it was discontinued due to damage to the roof of the mine from car exhaust.
The site is also notable for its history of coke production on site for transportation by rail to steel mills. Pocahontas coal was especially suitable for coking, and played a significant role in the industrial development of the United States. Coke and coal were shipped by rail to Norfolk, Virginia for trans-shipment to eastern US ports and overseas. Coking on the site was eventually discontinued, and the mine spoil pile now covers all by three beehive coking ovens.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994.
I have no doubt whatsoever if you love ridin' a motorcycle on awesome roads with beautiful scenic views around every turn or from the many moutain tops we'll cross on " Return To Hillbilly Highway " you do not want to miss this ride .
" The Money Shot " taken at Pocahontas Exhibition Coal Mine.
