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.
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.
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| The House we lived in Saint Albans WV |
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| Mechanic bringing my baby back with a new "sneaker" on the back |
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| Scott with his freshly cooked steak, hot off the fire. |
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| What used to be Dunbar High School, Dunbar WV (now a Middle School) |
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| Falls we passed each day on the way to and from camp |
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| Another set of falls near camp |
Eat a Homewrecker Hillbilly Hot dog for me!!
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