West Virginia's Redbud Row

At the time of this writing, Hampshire County, West Virginia is under yet another winter storm warning. Sigh...

Maybe this quick glimpse of Spring will lift your spirits, too. Imagining any run on US-50 through WV makes me smile, but imagining a ride through this one particular spot in Spring even gives me the warm fuzzies.

There's a stretch of US 50 just west of Capon Bridge, West Virginia that's a must-see for us every Spring. For 1.5 to 2 miles, the road is lined on both sides with Eastern Redbud trees.

There's a reason for this, but dang if I can find out why (fruitless Internet search this morning).

Both Hubby and I look forward to seeing the Redbuds each year. Like Forsythias, they're one of the first signs of Spring. And, well, they're just pretty. Depending on the light, angle and distance from which you are seeing the trees, sometimes the flowers look purple, sometimes pink. They always look pretty though.

Eastern Redbud at the WV place.

Another shot of an Eastern Redbud.

Eastern Redbud looking purple.

Can you tell that I like taking pictures of them?

Along that stretch of US 50, there's not really a convenient place to stop. So I just shot a video as we drove by one Spring on our way back to MD from WV (that's why we're in the truck).

This is not exactly riveting, but it'll give you an idea as to just how many Redbuds there are. We're going at least 55 mph and the video is almost two minutes long. I could figure out the distance based on that information, but I hate math. Sorry. I hope you enjoy this look at Redbud Row...

Just Cannot Contain Myself

I am beyond excited and cannot wait one minute longer to share our exciting news.

I don't have any great shots to post yet, but I have to say... Hubby and I now have twins! And we are super excited.

Well, I might be a bit more excited than he is. But I'm the more excitable of the two of us in general.

I was going to wait until we brought the twins home post-delivery, but I can't. I am just too impatient.

Anyway... have any idea what I am talking about yet?

This isn't a great picture, but here it is...

Two brand-new motorcycles! Woo hoo!

I originally wanted an orange version (like you see in this picture), but we got such good deals on the blue twins that I couldn't justify the additional cost (about $2,000) for the orange one. But it ain't all about looks, baby. It's about the ride.

We got a great deal because our bikes are 2010 models. And the dealer needed to make room for the 2011s. They are exactly the same, except the 2011 also comes in orange.

The deal is done. It's official. We just haven't brought them home yet. The center stands still need to be installed. But they should be here by the end of the week.

Until I have better shots of our actual bikes to share, here's a stock image of the thing...

It's essentially the same bike we rode on our tour of the Alps, as shown below. Except it's a different, more awesome, shade of blue. And the stock image doesn't have the top and side cases.

Me with my rental in Germany, June 2010.

My rental was more of a royal blue. My new bike (doesn't THAT sound awesome?!?) is a darker, metallic blue.

I am so excited. Oh, wait. I said that already didn't I?

Now maybe you can understand why I want Spring to hurry up and get here!

I loved my old bike. I did. But it was more suited to cruising the open roads (that's why they call those bikes "cruisers") not tearing through tight mountain turns and traversing gravel roads. And since most of our riding is done in the mountains, and we always seem to find at least one gravel road while we're out exploring (not to mention the two miles of gravel inside our community), these bikes are just better for us. Hubby will get a big cruiser again one day. But for now, we'll be enjoying the heck out of these two, new, German-engineered, dual sport machines.

Woo hoo!

You Got Pride in Your Ride?

This is not motorcycle related. But I thought we could all use a nice little departure from thinking about motorcycle rides since we're all pretty much frozen right now anyway.

Sigh...

The Bridges of Bedford County

After going to the digital archives to find a bridge picture for yesterday's photo meme, I got to wondering what other pics we had hanging around from past trips. Not too old, because that would be pre-digital. And I'm too comfy sitting here with my laptop and one of my dogs to even think about moving.

I actually managed to dig up some pics from September 2004. That was over six years ago!

Coincidentally, they're bridge pictures, too. But these are all covered bridges.

I still had my bright yellow V-Star 650 Classic. Hubby's Vulcan Nomad, which has like 48,000 miles on it now, was still pretty new. My hair was long. His hair was still sort of brown. And I think we only had one dog.

Boy, how things change!

It was way before this blog, too. Heck, it was even before we built the WV place.

In fact, this just might have been one of the trips we took through the area (on the way back from PA) that cemented it in our brains.

Unfortunately, because these pics are from SO long ago, you won't really get a trip guide with this post. I can't remember any of the roads we were on. I know we stayed overnight in Somerset, PA. And we ate at least one meal at the Eat n Park. But that's about it.

You will get to see some nice pictures of covered bridges, though.

But first, check this out...

I told you it was bright.

That's my handsome Hubby. He's still just as handsome. And his hair matches his beard a bit better now.

Now that you know what we both look like, here are the rest of the bridge pics.

I know it's lame not to give you more detail. I promise, when this Arctic freeze is over, I'll have new trip info, with detailed routes. I do know all of these bridges are in or at least near Bedford County, Pennsylvania. And since the people behind Visit PA have done such a great job assembling state information, they can tell you where the bridges are located. Follow this link: http://www.visitpa.com/alleghenies/. Once you are there, click on Attractions & Activities and then Covered Bridges. After a few seconds, a handy little map will pop up. And voila, you have your trip planning helper.

The Bedford County Visitors' Bureau has a web page that lists all 14 of their bridges.

If you decide to do a bridge run, let me know. I'd love to see some pics from your trip.

Motorcycle Photo Blog-o-Rama

Fellow blogger, Fuzzygalore (aka Rachael), started a fun little meme today. She called it "Motorcycle Photo Blog-O-Rama" and invited others to play. Before I dive on in, I have to say I was quite tickled to learn that a shot of mine actually inspired her. (When one has a brand-new blog, it's easy to get excited when people mention you.)

Fuzzy started the meme off with a picture she took of the Bixby Creek Bridge just south of Monterey on California Hwy 1. A gorgeous picture in a wonderful setting. I bet that was a great ride.

Since I am completely addicted to taking pictures, and I also happen to like taking pictures during my motorcycle rides, of course I'd want to join in. You can play, too. I'll tell you how in a minute. But first, here are my bridge pics for the meme.

This photo was taken in late September of 2007. Hubby and I took a week off of work and rode down to the Deal's Gap area south of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Motorcycle vacations aren't usually about the destination. They're all about the ride. So we almost never take the direct route anywhere.

We have a thing for national parks, too. When I saw that the New River Gorge was actually designated as a National River AND that there's a really cool bridge there, I just HAD to add it to the return leg of our journey. Check out the New River Gorge National River web site for more information.

New River Gorge Bridge, Fayetteville, WV

The New River Gorge Bridge is 876 feet above the river. The bridge is 3,030 feet long with a 1,700-foot arch. It's an impressive site. It would've been more impressive with nice, blue skies as a backdrop. But that was not to be.

It was also interesting to see the old bridge and drive the original route down one side of the gorge, across the old bridge, and up the other side. This is one of my favorite bridge pictures. It was the first image that popped to mind when Fuzzy mentioned bridge pics.

The old New River Gorge Bridge. I shot the first picture from the middle of this bridge.

The New River Gorge area is FABULOUS for motorcycle rides. We actually spent some time in the area this past October. More on that one day. For now, I have to tell you how to join the meme.

Show Off Your Motorcycle-related Bridge Pics

1. Post one of your motorcycle-related photos that suit this photo meme on your own blog.

2. Caption or describe your photo. Tell us where and when it was taken. Maybe include an interesting note about it.

3. Encourage others to post their photos!

4. Go back to Fuzzy's original meme post and leave a comment. You can comment here, too, of course.

Cool Springs Park

Hubby and I had an amazing Fourth of July weekend. It was the kind of weekend that reaffirmed our decision to build the WV place.

He mapped out an amazing Saturday ride for us. We had picture-perfect weather. The first leg took us west from Romney on Route 50 to Grafton, WV. An approximately 90-mile ride with sweeping curves, crazy switchbacks, 3,000+ foot mountains… Get the picture? A perfect motorcycle road.

About 20 miles east of Grafton, we stopped at quirky Cool Springs Park. It’s one of those weird, “only in America” roadside attractions. It's right on US-50, southwest of Rowlesburg, West Virginia.

Next time, we’ll have to linger a bit. We were both anxious to get back on the road.

When we hit Grafton, we turned south toward Tygart Lake State Park, where we’d planned on stopping to enjoy our picnic lunch.

I never knew there was such a big, beautiful lake in West Virginia.

Speaking of not knowing stuff... I had no idea that ten of West Virginia's state parks and forests operate major lodges and hotels. Every lodge features restaurant(s), conference and meeting facilities, and a variety of other amenities and are open year-round.

Tygart Lake State Park is one of the parks with lodges. We didn't see it during our visit, but we did ride through the cabin area and, I gotta say, it was lovely.

After leaving there, we meandered through the mountainous countryside on some very cool, scenic back roads that were sometimes more farm lane than road, but the scenery was gorgeous.

Do yourself a favor and check out the WV State Parks web site for more information. There are campsites, too. But there are also almost 20 state parks with cabins/cottages available for rent. The prices are typically pretty reasonable, too.

Lots and Lots of Cool Roads

Know why we like motorcycling in West Virginia so much? Cause it’s just a durn purty place. With lots and lots of cool roads like this that meander through the myriad mountains and valleys.

Hubby didn’t feel like riding one gorgeous Saturday in July 2009, so I went out exploring on my own. Which is why, even though I finally found a spot to take a picture of me and my bike in front of a field of cows, you don’t see me in the next picture.

Have I mentioned yet that I have a thing for cows?

Saturday was a very nice day weather-wise. A bit overcast at times, but pleasantly cool. It was so cool, I was wearing a long sleeved shirt and wishing every now and then for a jacket.

US-50 east of WV-42

This tiny spot on US-50 is one of the funnest in the area. Check out this map I made on Google. Make sure terrain view is turned on. Better yet, drag the little yellow guy over for a street view.

Paw Paw Tunnel Run

Guess what I finally found?

The Paw Paw Tunnel! I was here once as a kid, like 30+ years ago. I thought it was cool and have always wanted to go back.

Now I know Paw Paw (the town) is close to our WV place, I just didn’t know how to find the tunnel. In fact, the run to Paw Paw / Berkeley Springs and back is one of my favorite quickie loops. WV-9 between Berkeley Springs and Paw Paw is OMG fun.

Back to that tunnel... I hadn’t ever really looked for the thing. But now that our place is finished and we have so much time on our hands, we actually get to do cool stuff like explore.

I drove to the WV place on Thursday night with the doggie girls (I had Friday off). Since Hubby wouldn’t be arriving until Friday evening, I set out that morning to do a bit of exploring by myself. One of my goals was to find the tunnel.

I didn’t actually go to the tunnel. It’s only a 0.6 mile walk from the parking lot. But it was hot. My head was already all sweaty, hence the lovely hairdo, I was wearing black jeans and heavy leather biker boots. I thought of my friends who, the previous evening, had asked why I didn’t just take pictures of myself. Actually, I thought of that before I left and switched to an appropriate lens.

I found a cool road on the way to Paw Paw. From there, I went over to Berkeley Springs via yet another very cool back road. Both were a bit rough as far as road surface, but it felt like I was riding through a cool (as in temperature) forest. I didn’t spend much time in Berkeley Springs. It was hot, as I said earlier, and the traffic on 522 was backed up in both directions as far as I could see.

On the way to Berkeley Springs, I stopped near Great Cacapon (the town) and took some pics at the Cacapon River.

This is actually a train bridge.

This is the road bridge on Route 9 just outside of Great Cacapon.

As for the return trip, just west of Berkeley Springs on Route 9, I stopped at a neat overlook.

The town you see in the distance, to the left of the river, is Paw Paw. That’s the Potomac River, by the way. The land to the right of the river is in Maryland. I was actually headed almost back to Paw Paw via Route 9 this time.

I couldn’t decide which picture I liked best, with or without the bike, so I posted both.

Can you guess what happened after I left the overlook?

I got rained on. It didn’t last long, though. And even though I got pretty wet, it actually felt kind of good since the day was pretty hot. And I dried out relatively quickly, too.

I made a Google map of the route for you. It's HERE. I added a note to the map that says this: "An alternate route that ROCKS if you have 30 extra minutes on the way back to Romney is to turn right from 29 in Slanesville onto CR-3/Springfield Grade Road. At Jersey Mountain Road (CR-5) turn left and ride as fast as you can (LOL!) through the many smooth twisties. When you hit US-50, turn right to get to Romney."

Long, Leisurely Weekend

One of our goals for Labor Day weekend in 2009 was to get some ride time in on our motorcycles. What else would a motorcyclist ever want to do over a long weekend, right?

I am happy to report, we accomplished our goal.

That Sunday we did a 160-mile loop north into Maryland, then Pennsylvania, then back into Maryland and finally back to our place in West Virginia.

I got to do all the route planning that weekend ’cause Hubby left his GPS at our Maryland home. That’s one difference between Hubby and I… he’s more than happy to use nothing but electronic maps for route planning. I like good old, ordinary, paper maps. There’s just something about having a map in hand, Plus it gives you a wider picture.

Anyway…

We left our place in Romney and headed north on Route 28. At Springfield, we continued north on CR-1, which took us across that cool old toll bridge and into Oldtown, Maryland. That’s where we got onto Bear Hill Road then Town Creek Road, which took us to Flintstone, Maryland. From Flintstone, we got on Black Valley Road, which quickly becomes PA-326 at the Pennsylvania line.

PA-326 runs along Warrior Ridge, at the base of which is Bedford County Bridge #29, better known as the Hewitt Bridge.

The bridge, originally constructed in 1879, was refurbished in 2000. So it’s in pretty good shape. There are 14 covered bridges in Bedford County, PA. We’ve seen a few of them previously. But maybe in the Spring we can do a bridge tour where we see them all in one day.

From the bridge, we continued north on 326 to Bedford, through Buchanan State Forest. We did stop at Sportsman’s Lake, just north of Charlesville, for a picnic lunch. At first glance (from the highway with my head in my helmet and earplugs playing tunes), it looked peaceful. I mean, it was a tiny mountain lake.

So we pulled into the boat launch area and parked. As soon as I cut my engine and the tunes, I heard it. Gunfire. Lots of gunfire. It seems Sportsman’s Lake is home to a pretty active hunting and fishing club. And there were about 20 men there at their range shooting. Said range was only a couple hundred yards from where we parked. So we ate lunch surrounded by gnats and serenaded by gunfire. Lovely, eh? It really wasn’t bad. And the quality of the roads more than made up for that.

Just outside of Bedford, we headed east on US-30, then south on PA-26, which eventually became PA-484. All three of those roads were amazing. Smooth surface, hills, sweeping curves, lots of twisties. A motorcyclists wet dream.

From PA-484, we dropped into Hancock, Maryland. We made a quick stop at the C&O Canal then headed south across the Potomac River on US-522 into Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. In Berkeley Springs, we headed west on WV-9. That’s another awesome motorcycle road. Especially the 25-mile section between Berkeley Springs and WV-29, just south of Paw Paw. From there it was south on WV-29 then west on CR-3, which is the Springfield-Millesons Mill Road. That brought us back to WV-28, just a few miles from home.

We were gone for about 4.5 hours. It was a lovely ride. One we’ll definitely have to do again. Maybe we can even convince some of our biker friends to join us.

Capon Springs and Farm Resort/Spa

Hubby and I love our WV home. It’s cozy. And peaceful. The dogs LOVE it. Amazing motorcycle roads are abundant. It’s the perfect weekend getaway for us. The only bad thing is that it’s too close to Capon Springs.

The WV Place is located in Hampshire County, West Virginia, a county that straddles the edge of the Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands regions of the state. It just happens that the Capon Springs and Farms resort/spa is also in Hampshire County. Which means, even if it is the coolest little place ever, it would feel sort of stupid for us to go and stay there.

This map shows our place (the “A” pin) in relation to Capon Springs (the “B” pin) and our Maryland house, which is about halfway between Baltimore and Washington, DC.

It’s not that we’re spa people or anything. It’s that the place is just so darn cute. It’s exactly the sort of place we like to stay when on vacation. It’s old (est. ~1840), very well maintained and situated on 4,700 acres in the Allegheny foothills just outside a piece of the George Washington National Forest.

We discovered it by accident back in August. Back then, I knew I wanted to return to explore more. That’s what we did on Saturday. Although it was a beautiful day, our motorcycles were out of commission. Both needed new back tires, which Hubby bought and mounted on the wheels, but he left a crucial part at the Maryland house. So we just took the truck.

It really is a neat little place with all sorts of stuff to do. There’s hiking, golf, fishing, tennis and swimming. Did I mention the full-service spa? The outdoor volleyball court. The croquet course set up on the lawn?

This place manages to be quaint without being the least bit tacky.

It really is a spring, too, as in water. There’s water bubbling up in a variety of places (like the ornamental ball in the above image). Their Web site says, “A bottle of refreshing Capon Water is provided in all guest rooms. Please take it home with you when you leave so you may enjoy the benefits of good healthy spring water between your Capon visits. You are also welcome to bring your own containers and fill them at any of the fountains around the grounds.”

Speaking of the grounds, there’s this neat swing on the lawn. There are Adirondack chairs everywhere you look. There are also hammocks and other assorted benches scattered strategically in spots that are sure to inspire deep contemplation.

In case you’re wondering, this is not a paid endorsement. We’ve never even stayed at the place. It’s just so darn charming, I figured I’d tell the world so maybe a friend or two could come and enjoy it.

I’d guess the best times are Fall (mid- to late-October) and Spring. There are huge old rhododendron bushes in front of several of the cottages. Plus little flower gardens galore.

Here are some more images of the place…

If you decide to stay there, do let me know how it is. It’s a bit weird to talk-up a place you’ve never stayed. But, really, it’s just so darn charming.

After we left Capon Springs, we drove up to Capon Bridge for dinner at our favorite Hampshire County restaurant, El Puente. Then we took the scenic route home, which is where I snapped the closing image I have dubbed…

Fall on the Cacapon River

Consolidated Ride Information

This blog has a companion website, Greater Appalachian Valley Tours.

It would actually be more accurate to say this blog is part of the Greater Appalachian Valley Tours web presence. Because the goal always has been to build a web presence, not "just" a blog.

Blogs are great ways to present new and timely information. But, since information is typically presented in a most-recent-post-first format, it isn't always easy to find specific stuff when you are looking for it.

So, while new ride posts will always be featured here first, they will also be cataloged on the website. Each state will have a ride index. There's no index for Pennsylvania yet, but I wanted to go ahead and share the location of the indexes for the other states, which are as follows:

Maryland Rides - http://www.appalachiantours.com/MD/MD_Rides.html

West Virginia Rides - http://www.appalachiantours.com/WV/WV_Rides.html

Virginia Rides - http://www.appalachiantours.com/VA/VA_Rides.html

That should make finding information on the one ride you are looking for on any given day easier, right?

I added a little navigation tool on the left. I labeled it "Handy Dandy Ride Index." I figured that would be self-explanatory enough.

As you peruse my blog and website, if you have any problems, wish things were done differently, etc., please be sure to let me know. I've built this thing for you after all.

What do you think so far? Have you told all of your friends yet?

Those convenient little buttons just below this post on the left are designed to make sharing this post easy. You can share by e-mail. You can blog about me if you use Blogger. You can Tweet, share to Facebook, and even share via Google Buzz. Although I must admit, I'm not exactly sure myself what Google Buzz is all about. Note to self... "look into Google Buzz."

Leather or Textile Ride Gear?

I know I need to upgrade my gear, I just don't know what type of stuff I should buy. Leather or textile?

If I go the leather route, I know what jacket I would want. And that's this one (also pictured below).

It is made by the folks at OneSexyBikerChick.com. I tried one on at the International Motorcycle Show that was held in Washington, DC this past weekend. This is one great jacket. It fit like a dream. It's got plenty of pockets. Real pockets. By that I mean, deep enough and accessible enough that you can actually use them. It appeared to have vents in all the right places, too. And layers, so it's an all-weather jacket.

I can't remember if it has armor. Heck, I don't even know how important that is. I mean, it's not like I am a sport bike racer. The only problem for me was the price. It retails for $375. Inessa would have given me a $50 discount for the show purchase. But that's still $325. That's a lot of money to me. I'm not saying it isn't worth it. That's just a lot of money. I know good, quality gear is important. But still. That's just for the jacket. I did buy a cool t-shirt though, which I'll have to share some other time.

If I were to go the textile route, I might choose this one. I like the loud colors, so I'd go with the yellow/orange, which they call "toxic," or yellow/black style.

I wasn't going to post this picture because I look like a huge dork sitting on that little motorcycle, but then I figured what the hey.

Ignore the tiny, green bike, 'kay? I was sitting on it to gauge the feel of the jacket.

The jacket is me, isn't it?

At a retail price of $250, this one is more affordable. It does have armor. It would also make me WAY more visible. And we want to be visible when riding, right?

Hubby isn't crazy about the color combo. What do you all think?

As far as gear goes, do you prefer leather or textile?

Do I need armor or not?

Help a girl make a decision here...