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Skipped work Monday because the weatherman called for a "Bee-yootifull" day. If you ever visit the Southeast regional forum on ADVRider, you may have seen my thread about West Virginia Historical Markers: http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=407164 Back in 2009, the WV History and Archives was funded to repair and replace some of the 800+ historical markers around the state. A group of about 30 ADV riders went out over the next 2 or 3 years and photographed over 835 markers. They used our photos to determine which ones needed replaced/repaired. Now there are over 100 new markers out there and I wanted to get "before & after" photos. Today, I'm heading for Preston County, by the western tip of Maryland.
Just bought this 2007 Burgman 650 scooter last month and already have 1,200+ miles added to the odometer. Lovin' it!
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A nice stretch of Rt 50 east of Grafton near Cool Springs.
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Rt 50 continues to offer up lots of challenging curves and hills between Grafton and the Maryland state line. Watch out for the 15MPH hairpin at the bottom.
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An old tourist stop - Cool Springs. Lots of antique farm machinery around the grounds - great place to get seasonal produce and apples in the fall. Great little restaurant inside with foot-long hotdogs. Mmmmm....
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After the fun climb from Erwin to Aurora on Rt 50 (so much fun that I sometimes turn around and ride it again!), it was time to turn north on Aurora/ Terra Alta Pike (CR 53). Before turning, this nice scene is to the north and I always mean to stop and get a photo. Today I did. The church in the distance is a Lutheran church.
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After turning on CR 53 north to Terra Alta, I passed by the church on the previous photo. Time to explore.
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One of the neighbors said it was open and that I should go in and look. OK. Beautiful woodwork. The neighbor also told me the pews were all assembled with no nails - just dowels. You don't see that attention to detail nowadays.
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The neighbor also mentioned something about the stained glass and World War I. I'm guessing this is what he meant? Most of the stained glass was over 100 years old.
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Time to head north.. Continuing on CR 53 towards Terra Alta. Nice farmland.
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Passed by many old farms. Very relaxing ride.
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Old stone farm house. Maybe at one time it was used as a church? I wanted to get closer and explore, except.........
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.. it looks like a rough neighborhood.
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This bull wasn't smiling when I came near his ladies.
I stopped in Terra Alta to get a photo of a refurbished historical marker that I'd like to share.
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Though Edison and Marconi get most of the credit, Dr Loomis apparently laid the groundwork for their discoveries. Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahlon_Loomis
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Terra Alta is a beautiful town high in the mountains of WV. They get lots of snow and pretty harsh winters here. But the rest of the year, it's great riding all around.
After Terra Alta, it was time to head west to Kingwood and Albright.
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This historical marker replaced the one that was missing for years. Located just north of Albright on Rt 26.
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Nice view of the furnace from down the hill.
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And, of course, I had to climb inside and look up. No snakes today.
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Then it was time to head past Bruceton Mills to look for some more markers. Along the way, I made two new friends.
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Rt 26 northeast of Bruceton Mills is a peaceful and scenic ride to the PA state line.
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Bruceton Mills is now a kind of tourist -arts & crafts type town. Along the river is this scenic waterfall.
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Last stop of the day was my old college town of Morgantown (back in Monongalia County). I used to spend my summers on Cheat Lake swimming out under the I-68 bridge, climbing up on the beams halfway up, and diving (yes, head first like a dummy) in. Then I would swim back over to the old bridge that would have been just to my left in this photo. It's a good 1/4 mile.
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A view of the beams under the bridge. Hard to believe I was running on these about 40-50 feet above the water. And that I'm still alive to tell about it.
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Then it was time to stop at the church and practice organ for next Sunday before heading back home to Clarksburg.
Hope you enjoyed today's ride.
Total miles - about 190
Fuel Mileage (according to bike) - 48.5 MPG (including some "brisk" riding on twisty mountain roads and lots of stop and start for photos).
Just bought this 2007 Burgman 650 scooter last month and already have 1,200+ miles added to the odometer. Lovin' it!
A nice stretch of Rt 50 east of Grafton near Cool Springs.
Rt 50 continues to offer up lots of challenging curves and hills between Grafton and the Maryland state line. Watch out for the 15MPH hairpin at the bottom.
An old tourist stop - Cool Springs. Lots of antique farm machinery around the grounds - great place to get seasonal produce and apples in the fall. Great little restaurant inside with foot-long hotdogs. Mmmmm....
After the fun climb from Erwin to Aurora on Rt 50 (so much fun that I sometimes turn around and ride it again!), it was time to turn north on Aurora/ Terra Alta Pike (CR 53). Before turning, this nice scene is to the north and I always mean to stop and get a photo. Today I did. The church in the distance is a Lutheran church.
After turning on CR 53 north to Terra Alta, I passed by the church on the previous photo. Time to explore.
One of the neighbors said it was open and that I should go in and look. OK. Beautiful woodwork. The neighbor also told me the pews were all assembled with no nails - just dowels. You don't see that attention to detail nowadays.
The neighbor also mentioned something about the stained glass and World War I. I'm guessing this is what he meant? Most of the stained glass was over 100 years old.
Time to head north.. Continuing on CR 53 towards Terra Alta. Nice farmland.
Passed by many old farms. Very relaxing ride.
Old stone farm house. Maybe at one time it was used as a church? I wanted to get closer and explore, except.........
.. it looks like a rough neighborhood.
I stopped in Terra Alta to get a photo of a refurbished historical marker that I'd like to share.
Though Edison and Marconi get most of the credit, Dr Loomis apparently laid the groundwork for their discoveries. Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahlon_Loomis
Terra Alta is a beautiful town high in the mountains of WV. They get lots of snow and pretty harsh winters here. But the rest of the year, it's great riding all around.
After Terra Alta, it was time to head west to Kingwood and Albright.
This historical marker replaced the one that was missing for years. Located just north of Albright on Rt 26.
Nice view of the furnace from down the hill.
And, of course, I had to climb inside and look up. No snakes today.
Then it was time to head past Bruceton Mills to look for some more markers. Along the way, I made two new friends.
Rt 26 northeast of Bruceton Mills is a peaceful and scenic ride to the PA state line.
Bruceton Mills is now a kind of tourist -arts & crafts type town. Along the river is this scenic waterfall.
Last stop of the day was my old college town of Morgantown (back in Monongalia County). I used to spend my summers on Cheat Lake swimming out under the I-68 bridge, climbing up on the beams halfway up, and diving (yes, head first like a dummy) in. Then I would swim back over to the old bridge that would have been just to my left in this photo. It's a good 1/4 mile.
A view of the beams under the bridge. Hard to believe I was running on these about 40-50 feet above the water. And that I'm still alive to tell about it.
Then it was time to stop at the church and practice organ for next Sunday before heading back home to Clarksburg.
Hope you enjoyed today's ride.
Total miles - about 190
Fuel Mileage (according to bike) - 48.5 MPG (including some "brisk" riding on twisty mountain roads and lots of stop and start for photos).
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