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.