It was a great ride again today.
As usual, we try to find the back roads, off the interstate, that show the back of West Virginia. Today we scored big time!
We left Fayetteville and headed north on the #19 to Summersville, a nice little cottage country area. From here the plan was to go to Valley Head (we picked it out on the map) and then on to Elkins. This looked like a less travelled backroad to enjoy and get us right up through central West Virginia.
When we got to Summersville our written out turn-offs went a little awry. We had to find a map. There was no way I was trusting the bike's GPS again on a backroad after the highway #8 incident.
Do you have any idea how difficult it is to buy a map today, other than getting it at the tourist info booth? Hardware store, drug store, gas bar, no luck. As well, we asked if anyone knew if we were on the right road to Valley Head. No one knew of the place. (More reason to not trust the bike's GPS). Finally we got one at a convenience / gas bar store.
After I had purchased the map I mentioned to the lady where we were headed and if we were on the right track. You sure are, she assured me. You keep following the # 20 road to Craigsville, head to Webster's Spring and it will bring you right to Valley Head. As I was about to leave I heard her say 'You're going to go through some pretty good kiss your ass turns on that road you know'.
Well, she was right on ! They were up, down, sharp, hairpin, some all at the same time! There were some pretty good turns, steep banks, steep slopes and real hair pins going up and turning down. It was a nice ride.
Meanwhile, once we got to Webster's Spring it was lunchtime and time to stop. What a great little town. Again, the typical small town America, founded in the 1800s, witha stone Post Office, an overbearing stone courthouse...... and a nice little country style downtown. It was here the lady was explaining to Karen what a 'ramp' was. It was one of the ingredients in a bottle of homemade salsa she picked up (apparently it is a root vegetable, similar to an onion but stronger, and only grows on the leeward side of mountains in West Virginia and some parts of Ohio).
After a very filling lunch - no one here believes in moderate portions - it was time to hit the road again. We checked our map and saw that the #20 we were on continued to head north but we had to make a right to get to Valley Head. Hmmm, the 20 looked more interesting, kept us in the back country longer, eventually got us to our destination of Elkins for the night, and it seems to have more twists and turns!
Yippee ! It sure did ! By the time it was over I had enough of twists, turns, hills and slopes! But it was a nice ride, saw some great hillside scenery, and saw 4 deer. One, we had to stop for!
The #20 finally ended in Buckhannon and we pulled in to a McDonalds for an ice cream and a break. Before we got the gear off we were chatting with 2 bikes from Ontario. They were in the area doing the same as us.
Following the break it was just a 20 min ride down the highway to our destination.
So tonight we are in Elkins. A nice town of about 7000 people, a nice historic looking downtown, founded in the 1800's......you know the story!
And as for Valley Head. It is on a map, despite what the people in Summersville know. However, like them, we've never been there either!!
