Day 5 Wild Hogs IV Homeward Bound

We awoke to sunshine and fair skies for the first time this week. While it would have been nice to have this weather earlier in the week, it was nice to have it while we broke down camp and packed for the trip home.

We left Hico for the final time about 9:30. It was a great ride on good roads and we made good time. We stopped for gas and lunch in Clarksburg WV, then continued on. The trip home was relatively uneventful. After the adventures of day two that was OK with me. The weather was perfect and the ride was pleasant. I arrived home at about 6 pm, the Lancaster guys probably an hour later.

In spite of the weather and the tire issues all agreed that it was a great time as always and talk of next year's trip has already begun.

It's always fun to take a trip down memory lane. Things have changed and yet remained the same. It's funny how everything was bigger when you were young and it seems we always remember things in a more positive light. It was surprising to me how sort of run down some areas were when we went back. I realize for some of those places it has been 40 years since I was there, yet other places haven't changed at all. I really believe that our minds polish up our memories of the "good old days", leaving out the not so great and amplifying the good.
I have pictures to post when I get time and I am already looking forward to the next "Wild Hogs" adventure were hopfully, everyone will be healthy and able to ride.

Day 4 wrap up

The day started like the rest of the week. We woke up to heavy rain showers and for the most part rode them out in our tents. By 7:30 or so the heaviest rain had subsided and we started moving around getting ready for the day. We didn't leave camp until about 10:30, and there was still patchy fog and low hanging clouds with light rain here and there.

Our first stop was the local Harley shop (only a mile down the road) for Jay to pick up a rain suit. We ran into a group of riders there from Dillsburg PA. What a small world! Then we were off to Huntington WV to take a look at Marshall University. The overcast skies stayed with us most of the day, though we were teased with a few breaks of sunshine along the way and very little rain.

It was interesting. Marshall had been a relatively small campus with a lot of open spaces. It has expanded greatly in the past 30+ years and is now much more spread out, but much more dense as well. It has an interesting mix of old and new. Many things have not changed, but they are still different because the areas around them have changed so much. Our tour of Marshall was short and sweet. Then we were off to the real destination, lunch at Hillbilly Hot Dogs.

Now I'm not going to say that Hillbilly Hot Dogs is going to be everyones cup of tea. But, it appealed very much to our inate redneck sensibilities. The place looks like a shack (not unlike many you might run across in this part of the country) with a couple of old abandoned school busses parked there and enough junk to excite the american pickers. It was a very busy place (Sat afternoon) so we got in line right away. There were picnic tables scattered around outside, and from the outside of the place you would think at first this was the only place to sit down and eat. We were greeted in line by the owners wife Sherrie, who took our orders then handed us the order slip to give the cashier. She asked if we were eating inside or outside and we chose outside as we were pretty sure there wouldn't be room for 6 inside. While the line was pretty long, there were lots of interesting signs like, "if a man goes to the woods without his wife, and he sez something... Is he still wrong?", to keep you occupied.

Once inside you quickly realize that the busses are actually a part of the "dining room" and the place is air conditioned in great redneck style with old window units hung through the wall here and there. We decided at that point to "eat in". I chose the Hillbilly dog which was a deep fried chili dog with mustard and onions. I had two along with an order of mac wedges (fried mac and cheese) and a can of diet coke. The hot dogs were good, not unlike a sheetz chili dog and the price was not too bad for a place that has become a national tourist attraction and been featured on Diners Drive-ins and Dives. The dogs were $1.79 ea. and the mac wedges were $4.99 (and really good).

It is really the ambiance that makes this place a must see. They also have a super dog called the "homewrecker" which is on about a two foot bun. The dog itself is longer than the bun and about the size of a ring bologna. They top it with an array of condiments that could be a meal in itself, and as challenge type foods go, was reasonably priced at
$16.99.

We very much enjoyed our lunch and the experience (I sat and ate in the drivers seat of the bus). I would very much recommend it as a stop if you find yourself in this area. We were at the original location. There are two others in the area, although I don't know if they are the same as far as the wacky design.

From there we started the 2 hour ride back to camp. We decided to make a stop at the New River Gorge Bridge overlook. This thing is an amazing feat of engineering and the gorge is beautiful.

We finished out our day with our first evening of clear skies and no rain. We cooked on the fire again and enjoyed the evening around the camp fire. Tomorrow we return home and another Wild Hogs Adventure will be in the books. It has been trying at times and we had our worst weather yet, but everyone is already planning for next year.

Day 4 Wild Hogs IV

So far the day is starting out like yesterday, heavy rain showers. The forecast is decent though, if we can get past the morning showers.

Each time I consider venturing out of my tent it dumps more. The plan for today is to get to Huntington (Marshall University) . Then "Hillbilly Hotdogs" for lunch. If time permits we may try to back track to Ripley and Kenna, since my little tire adventure caused us to miss them.

The campground seems to have gotten rather busy since yesterday. Lots of weekenders I guess.

Well off to the bathrooms and showers to get another day started.

Day 3 Wild Hogs IV wrap up

As I mentioned earlier, the day began early with heavy rain after severe thunderstorms earlier in the night. We were all awake early but waited out the heavy rains in our tents.

About 10 am we struck out for Charleston to pick up my bike which was supposed to be done between 12 and 1. We crossed the New River Gorge Bridge which is a marvel of engineering. We made a pit stop at wal-mart to pick up supplies, then ran through some of the most impressive mountains in the east. We arrived at the cycle shop just before 1 and they said they were just finishing up.

Just before 1:30 my bike and I were reunited. I have to say that as far as I was concerned, the rest of the day was great! Rain and cloudy skies couldn't ruin my day.

Our first stop was Dunbar WV. We lived there from '73 to'76. For me that was grades 8,9,10. I have many fond memories of that time. The town has changed in many ways, but in other ways is the same. The house we lived in is gone, replaced by a parking lot. The junior high has been torn down and rebuilt as an "intermediate school " and the high school while exactly as I remembered is now the middle school.

We ate lunch at Graziano's Pizza for old times sake. The location was different but the atmosphere was familiar.

From there we moved to St Albans. While we only lived there about 9 months, I had no problem finding the house and some other familiar haunts.

We decided that we would head back to camp and pick up some food along the way to cook on the fire. We travelled Rt 60 from Charleston back to Hico. This road follows the river (as many do in WV) providing the opportunity to see several locks and dams as well as some amazing mountain riding that I think could rival the tail of the dragon in TN.

We stopped to view and photograph Kanawha Falls, an amazing water fall on the river as well as another fall that cascades down the mountain.
Upon our return to camp we got the fire started and started preparing our supper.  Just as we were getting the coals good and hot, a quick downpour threatened to spoil our plans. We were able to keep things going until the rain subsided. I enjoyed a steak and baked beans. The picture below shows Scott taking his off the fire.

We sat around the fire and talked for a while, until another cloud burst sent us scrambling for our tents about 10:30. As of this posting the rain has again stopped and tomorrow's forecast is much improved.
Tomorrow we will attempt to get to Huntington WV where I spent my freshman year of college. We plan to eat lunch at the Hillbilly Hot Dog place, a must see according to Mom and Dad Laird our day one hosts.
Enjoy the pics below. I will attempt to label them when I can get more reliable internet access.

The House we lived in Saint Albans WV

Mechanic bringing my baby back with a new "sneaker" on the back

Scott with his freshly cooked steak, hot off the fire.

What used to be Dunbar High School, Dunbar WV (now a Middle School)

Falls we passed each day on the way to and from camp

Another set of falls near camp

Day 3 Wild Hogs IV waiting

Just started this entry and they told me it was done. Thanks Dohm Cycles! Ready to hit the road!

Day 3 Wild Hogs IV

Well it's about 0620 and it's raining steadily. The tent seems to be holding up OK. There's a small leak but mostly dry. No thunder and lightning at this point, but, it's a hard steady rain.

The good news is , the mattress held up for the rest of the night. Today's weather doesn't look promising. It looks like this rain is due to continue for a while (judging by the radar) and it appears there's another wave behind it by an hour or so. We shall see. One way or another I will be picking up my bike this afternoon.

We have very sketchy cell service here at Ray's Campground in Hico WV so I will wait until we are someplace with better bandwidth to try to add some pictures.

Wild Hogs IV Day 2 wrap up

It's actually about 1 am now, officially day 3. What a day day 2 was.  My bike is sitting at Dohm motorsports in Charleston WV. My new rear tire is due to be delivered tomorrow morning and should be installed by noon.

The day started well enough, with an outstanding breakfast of Bacon and eggs served up by Mom Laird. Thanks again to Mary and Danny  (Mom and Dad) for the great hospitality!

The fun began when we were loading our bikes to leave.  My rear tire was flat.  Upon closer inspection we noticed a nail. We dispatched Scott to find a plug kit.  After removing the nail and plugging the tire (a temporary fix at best) all seemed well. We roamed the "south side" checking out old schools, neighborhoods and even had a chance to talk to the people who live in our old house on Hawthorne St.  We enjoyed the trip down memory lane a lot, but it was time to move on.
We left Parkersburg and headed south on I-77 where we planned to make a couple of stops at some places we had lived in even earlier years. But, apparently this was not meant to be. About 20 miles south my tire went flat again. Our first thought was that the plug had not held. I made it off the next exit before going completely flat and discovered that the first plug was fine, but there was a second nail we had apparently missed.

(Let me pause here to say that as I write this, we are experiencing a very strong storm and I am wondering if a boat might not have been a better investment than a new tire!)

Anyway, while I normally would carry a small compressor that plugs into my power outlet on my bike, I did not this trip, nor did any of the brothers. We again dispatched Scott to the nearest town (7 miles down the road to find one).  While we waited we plugged the tire for the second time and waited patiently for a means to re-inflate the tire. Soon we were back on the road thinking we had this thing licked. NOT SO FAST! said fate.

7 miles down the road it happened again. I limped off the highway to a gas station. This time the second plug had failed. Undaunted, we prepared another plug while debating how long we might be able to go before replacing the tire. That debate ended with a bang when Jay attempted to air the tire up. The tire made a couple of odd sounds (we thought it was the bead seating) and then exploded with a boom that reminded us of the old m-80 fire crackers (no longer available but many of you have experienced them) . The look on everyone's face was priceless, and it will probably be very amusing at some point in the future.  But, it was not all that amusing for me and my wallet at this immediate time.

Our first call was to AAA.  That upgraded membership to cover the bike was now worth it's weight in gold. The next call was to the nearest Honda dealer (about 60 miles south in Charleston) to see if they could take care of me. I first spoke to service and they assured me that if they could get a tire, they could fix it tomorrow. I then had them transfer me to parts to see if we could get the tire. In the mean time AAA arrived and I had to help load the bike. I gave the phone to Scott (as I was on hold) and helped the driver get the bike on the rollback.  In the mean time a young boy in the parts department informs Scott that they do not have my tire in stock and it will take 4 to 5 days to get one! Upon hearing this, Mark called the nearest Harley dealer to see if they could do anything for us. A guy named Eddie said that they would not work on my bike, but that he could definitely get a tire by tomorrow morning. He also informed us the the Honda dealer could get the same tire from the same supplier. We promised to get back to him either way.

Now if all this wasn't enough, the tow driver informed me that this was his first time hauling a bike. He said he was going to run slowly, and hoped he could find the place (so did I) . We went on ahead to clear up the issue of whether or not they could get the tire. After a couple wrong turns we found the place.

While the young man we had spoken to was sorely misinformed regarding the availability of my tire (I am pretty sure he was part time summer help),  every one else was very helpful. The tire was available and could be had tomorrow for the low low price of $340 + installation. I informed them that that was out of the question and asked what other tire they could get. The parts manager stepped up and called the supplier to check actual cost and they ended up giving me the $340 tire for $225. A fair price for an Avon Cobra.

While there, the bike finally  arrived just ahead of a big storm. We waited an hour or more for it to let up, then hit Subway for dinner before making a wet trek another hour and a half to our campground. It's a very nice private campground very near the New River Gorge. The rain stopped enough to get things set up and except for the current storm, we should be fine.

One final note. This has really not been my day for inflatable things. In my first hour in the tent all the air leaked from my air mattress. I found the problem, I hope, (a loose valve) and refilled it. So far so good. I hope tomorrow /today brings better fortune.

Day 2 Wild Hogs IV a day that will live in infamey

It's 5:45 pm. We are at a Subway in Charleston WV waiting out a storm. My bike was hauled from Ravenswood WV to Dohm Honda (thanks AAA). It should be ready tomorrow about noon. We have another hour to the campground. This has turned into quite the adventure.

We are going to try to work our way to the campground during a little lull in the storm if we have a signal there I will add more and more pics

Flat again

7 miles and the plug didnt hold trying again.

Day 2 Wild Hogs IV the flat

Came out this morning to find a flat rear tire. We plugged it, but 20 miles down the road it went flat (a second nail). Had to send Scott down the road to find a small compressor. Hope to be back on road soon!

Wild Hogs IV Day 1 Wrap Up

We got a late start which is not unusual. I also was shocked that Kevin decided to ride in the car with Scott instead of riding his bike.

Once we got on the road we had good weather for most of the day. It was hot, but once we got into the mountains it was not bad. We didn't hit rain until late in the day. Our first taste of rain came in almost full sunshine. It was light and actually was rather refreshing. The closer we got to our destination for the day, the more threatening things became. We never got hit hard but we were on the fringe of a couple very nasty storms.

As we entered the city of Parkersburg WV the skies looked like something out of a movie. Had we not been in such a hurry to avoid getting caught in a very mean looking storm I would have snapped a picture or two of the sky.

We were priviledged to stay the night with the people who were my second parents in high school. A huge thank you to Mom and Dad Laird for the great dinner and first class accomodations. Mom even promised bacon and eggs for breakfast.

Tomorrow the forecast is for a chance of rain again with thunderstorms in the afternoon. We will take a look around the old stompin' grounds here before heading south to visit some other old haunts. We will be setting up camp tomorrow in the mountains a stone's throw from the New River Gorge.

Day 1 Wild Hogs IV

It's about 0630 and I am completing last minute preperations. I know I am going to forget some criticle piece of equipment, but I sure have plenty of extra other junk to make up for it!

The guys should arrive in about an hour and a half. I still have to pack my clothes and check the air pressure in the tires on the bike, but that shouldn't take long.

I'm really feeling the anticipation build now!

More later.

Wild Hogs IV

Well we are about 26 hours away from Wild Hogs IV, the 2012 version of our annual adventure. This year we will be taking a stroll through the past visiting old haunts from our childhood and enjoying the mountains of Wild Wonderful West Virginia. For those who do not know the history of our annual Wild Hogs Adventure (we stole the name from the movie), 4 years ago my 4 brothers and I started taking an annual motorcycle trip together. It was a short time after Wild Hogs the movie had come out, so it seemed like a natural fit. Each year we pick a different destination and spend the better part of a week riding and hanging out.

This year will be a little different for a couple of reasons.

First, the middle brother Scott will not be riding his bike. In late June he was injured in a motorcycle accident and broke his left leg in 3 places requiring a rod and other hardware to put it back together. He has tried riding his bike with some success, but a long trip on the bike and camping might be a bit too much too soon, so he will be driving along with us in his car. While it might not be the same, we are glad that he is going and his car will provide us with additional space to take along some extra equipment and supplies.

The second difference will be the addition of Scott's son Scott(ie). He was scheduled to come along last year, but a tragic accident in his wife's family shortly before last year's trip eliminated him from that go around as he took her to Texas to help with things there. This year he will be going along and seeing some of the places we lived as we grew up. It should be a fun time. I will attempt to blog along the way and provide pics of the various places we lived as we return to them.

Day one will take us to Parkersburg WV where I graduated from high school. We will stay with the family of my best friend from High School the first night. It will be interesting to see the changes that have taken place. Most of my brothers have not been back since we moved away from there in 1978. I have had occasion to return, but it has been several years since I was last there.
Day 2 will take us to Ripley, Kenna, Dunbar, St. Albans and Charleston. That should be very interesting since I have not been back to any of those places in decades. We will set up a base camp on day 2 near Beckley WV and do day trips through the mountains from there. Plans include a visit to the New River Gorge and possibly a short foray into Kentucky as well.

I have much to do to be ready to leave on time in the morning, so I need to get down to business. Check back each day for the next update as we retrace a portion of our childhood.