I feel like Gilligan! This trip just won't quit! We don't get up as early this morning as usual simply because we are tired people. We hit the road about 9:30 and we are still headed south. I started clicking off the towns in my head just trying to hang on to get home. I saw the Tennessee state line and was elated. We stop at our favorite Cracker Barrel just north of Knoxville and I was elated to have salad with huge slices of tomato. Veggies are good! We get just south of Knoxville and traffic is stopped on I 75. Why you would tear out a bridge and then take over a year to rebuild it, I do not know. Stupidity reigns! It is well over 100 degrees outside and we are stuck there in the elements. We finally crawl down to an exit and decied to get off and chance it. The GPS redeems itself. We do not hit the interstate again until just outside of home. We make our way through back roads all the way through the remainder of Tennessee and Georgia. We get to the Cherokee county line and I am so happy. Next comes Waleska. Then Canton. At this point, we hit 575 south and next comes Holly Springs. At this point in time, a woman from Cobb County decided she would cut over on us and try to run us over. Nice! We make it off the interstate at our exit and make our way home. Home! What a wonderful word. We had two dogs who were so glad to see us and two kids that I was so glad to see. This trip has been a good learning experience for all of us. I have found that I am stronger that what I think I am and that I can handle a lot more than I thought possible. The kids are capable of being the adults that they now are when they are asked to step up to the plate and I think they actually enjoyed it. Most importantly, we aren't promised unlimited time here and we should step out of our comfort zones whenever possible and explore. It is only by trying something new that we expand our horizons and have a larger base from which to speak.
Did I enjoy this trip with all its ups and downs? You bet! Would I do it again? Yes, but let me rest first! I am so blessed to have had the opportunities that I have enjoyed and to have such a wonderful husband to share these moments with! Whether on the road or here at home, life is good if you are with those that you love. Until my next adventure.....
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Day 7
We are now up to day 7 of what was supposed to be a six day trip. We get up and are on our way to Theil's Wheels for the third time. This time our friendly parts counter guy is not there and instead we get a surly guy who doesn't know our history. We take our part in and explain that it needs to be exchanged and he wants to know what we did to make sure this is what needs to happen. He takes the stance that it has to be something that we did to his part that we paid for... Not a good way to start the day! He quizzes Chowder for about five minutes before he decides that he has no other choice but to replace it. Not good when you hit trouble and the salesman has a chip the size of Montana on his shoulder! Speaking of issues, we were worried that we couldn't get another part for the bike so just in case, we called two different car rental companies in the Marion area and no one in the area will rent one way! If you break down in that area, you might as well contact a realtor because you will not be leaving as there is no way to get out!
With our part in hand, we got the motorcycle running, took Barb her car at work, and headed South! We did not stop except for short little breaks until we made it well into Kentucky! When we had gone as far as we could go, we bedded down for the night. Tomorrow, we hope to make it home:)
With our part in hand, we got the motorcycle running, took Barb her car at work, and headed South! We did not stop except for short little breaks until we made it well into Kentucky! When we had gone as far as we could go, we bedded down for the night. Tomorrow, we hope to make it home:)
Day 6
By this morning, the guys had decided that the motorcycle was having an issue other than the battery. We needed another part. Off to Upper Sandusky with Barb again that morning to Theil's Wheels. To the guy at the parts counter with the shaved head....you rock! He fixed us up with what was necessary and we were back on the road in no time.
Our itenerary for the day was to go to Findlay, Oh to see where Chowder had lived as a child for a while. We called Dwight along the way to get the address and was on our way. Findlay is only about a 30 minute ride from Barb and Eddie's house and we got there and located the street we were looking for. However, there wasn't a house with the house number that we were given. Up and down the street we went without luck. Chowder noticed a house that looked familiar and we stopped but he wasn't for certain given the info we had gotten. After looking around, we were going to head south for the first time all week.
We got onto I 75 headed south and stopped at a rest area not far out. When we started to leave, the bike didn't want to crank. Chowder got it started and we made the decision to go back to Barb and Eddie's. The GPS took us what could only be considered the scenic route as it took three times as long to get back as when we left. We finally got back and after checking everything and calling Theil's Wheels, it was the concensus that the part we got was not a good part. Unfortunately, this decision came on the phone about ten minutes before they were to close for the day and they were almost thirty minutes away.
This left us the evening to spend with Barb and Eddie. We enjoyed dinner together and then went by President Harding's memorial. This was an impressive site to see. Even more impressive was that the marble for the memorial came from the Georgia Marble Company in Tate, Georgia which is just up the road from our home. I did not know this for sure at the time but told the others that I would bet on it and I was right! The stones in the momorial were massive and so well carved. Beautiful!
Our itenerary for the day was to go to Findlay, Oh to see where Chowder had lived as a child for a while. We called Dwight along the way to get the address and was on our way. Findlay is only about a 30 minute ride from Barb and Eddie's house and we got there and located the street we were looking for. However, there wasn't a house with the house number that we were given. Up and down the street we went without luck. Chowder noticed a house that looked familiar and we stopped but he wasn't for certain given the info we had gotten. After looking around, we were going to head south for the first time all week.
We got onto I 75 headed south and stopped at a rest area not far out. When we started to leave, the bike didn't want to crank. Chowder got it started and we made the decision to go back to Barb and Eddie's. The GPS took us what could only be considered the scenic route as it took three times as long to get back as when we left. We finally got back and after checking everything and calling Theil's Wheels, it was the concensus that the part we got was not a good part. Unfortunately, this decision came on the phone about ten minutes before they were to close for the day and they were almost thirty minutes away.
This left us the evening to spend with Barb and Eddie. We enjoyed dinner together and then went by President Harding's memorial. This was an impressive site to see. Even more impressive was that the marble for the memorial came from the Georgia Marble Company in Tate, Georgia which is just up the road from our home. I did not know this for sure at the time but told the others that I would bet on it and I was right! The stones in the momorial were massive and so well carved. Beautiful!
Day 5
Day 5 sees us again making our way up to East Liverpool. When there, we cross the bridge into Newell, WV. Be prepared for this bridge. First, it is a toll bridge. Second, it is a mesh metal floor bridge. Third, they were doing work to it when we were there. This is the only bridge we saw at that point to get across. Why Newell? The Homer Laughlin Co. Anyone who knows me knows that I have an addiction to Fiestaware. Thus, I had to go to the factory and shop at the factory store. I was like a kid in a candy store. When you walk in, you are in the Firsts room. This is the pieces that are premium grade or firsts. The next room is a seconds room. The color may be off or there can be a run in the paint, etc. Some of these pieces are just different enough that you would have a color that was never supposed to happen. Unfortunately, they won't ship the seconds. The firsts they will. My new pieces should arrive in a few days. I have got to go back there again with my truck and get in that seconds room! Outside of the factory, there is a huge pile of broken pieces that have been discarded by the factory. It is quite a site to see.
At the beginning of our trip this day, the motorcycle was having a hard time starting and Chowder declared that he was afraid that it was about time for a new battery. We made our way from West Liverpool to Caledonia, Ohio where Barb and Eddie, Chowder's aunt and uncle live. We made it to Caledonia and tried to find their house. We had been to the town before but not this house. We stopped at the convenience store to grab something cold to drink and call for directions on in. When we went out to leave, nothing... We waited on Barb to come and give us a boost and went on to their house. The battery got put on the charger and we rode with Barb to Upper Sandusky to Thiel's Wheels for a new battery. The motorcycle started with no issue. We bedded down for the night and kicked back for some conversation over pizza.
I was amazed to see the countryside across to Barb and Eddie's house. I had been over a great part of Ohio but not this section. There was huge, older farmhouses with barns and they were beautiful! Just picturesque! It made the farmer in me start rethinking life in the suburbs....
At the beginning of our trip this day, the motorcycle was having a hard time starting and Chowder declared that he was afraid that it was about time for a new battery. We made our way from West Liverpool to Caledonia, Ohio where Barb and Eddie, Chowder's aunt and uncle live. We made it to Caledonia and tried to find their house. We had been to the town before but not this house. We stopped at the convenience store to grab something cold to drink and call for directions on in. When we went out to leave, nothing... We waited on Barb to come and give us a boost and went on to their house. The battery got put on the charger and we rode with Barb to Upper Sandusky to Thiel's Wheels for a new battery. The motorcycle started with no issue. We bedded down for the night and kicked back for some conversation over pizza.
I was amazed to see the countryside across to Barb and Eddie's house. I had been over a great part of Ohio but not this section. There was huge, older farmhouses with barns and they were beautiful! Just picturesque! It made the farmer in me start rethinking life in the suburbs....
day 4
...and my butt is sore!
Had an awesome breakfast at Bob Evans to start out the day and then we headed off for the next part of our adventure. We are again headed north and our first destination is to be the Mason Dixon line. We took the interstate for a while until we could get off and work our way west as the Mason Dixon line marker that we were looking for was on Route 2 next to the Ohio River. We got off on a two lane "improved road" to get to the latitude and longitude that we had programmed in for the marker. I will post the road number later so that you can avoid this road. While we enjoy a good winding two lane road as much as anyone else, this road did not fit that bill. We rode FOREVER and was really getting nowhere fast. We hit a town called Hundred which we had saw online. It is the only town in the country with this name. Pics will be added later. From there, we were to get off in the town of Littleton, WV and then the gps had us get off on a gravel road. We are now creeping down a gravel road with no trespassing signs posted on each side about every 15 feet. The gps says we have arrived at our destination at this point. Off to the side, we see something that looks like a marker that is probably one of the line markers but not the one we were looking for. With the warm welcome of the no trespassing signs, we decided to try to find the one we were looking for instead of risk getting shot in the middle of nowhere. We make our way back to blacktop and are trying to find our way back to the main road. I am from small town USA and have been on those backroads and gravel roads and have no issue with that. However, this was different. The first house we went past, there were people on the back steps...we wave...nothing. The second house, someone is outside. We wave...nothing. The third house, the same scenerio. You get the message quickly when you are somewhere you are not wanted. We found our way back out to the main road of Littleton, WV and will leave you with this thought. Do not stray from the road there. The locals do not like it!
We finally made it to Moundsville, WV and backtracked the twenty miles to where the Mason Dixon line marker we were looking for was really at. Again, pics to follow. It is located at the Marshall County line. Since I am a Marshall U grad, I will not soon forget that. We made our way back to Moundsville and were trying to make our way on north to Newell, WV. Unfortunately, the signs are confusing in this area and we ended up crossing over the bridge and was now in Ohio. No big deal. We thought we would just follow the river up for a while. I don't know how that I have forgotten this point up until now, probably suppressed it, but the roads in West Virginia are horrible. There is a joint in the blacktop every few feet on most roads and it beats you too death if you are on the back of a bike. Not cool! So, we go into Ohio, and the roads aren't so rough and we decide for my back end that we will stay. We saw a billboard for a Harley store in Steubenville and decided to check it out. This ended up being in Wintersville, Oh and the name is Neidengards Harley Davidson. They are the oldest family owned Harley dealership and they were having a ride in that Monday evening. We are still waiting on our pics to be loaded on their website. They were very welcoming and offered us food and beverage.
We left Neidengards and headed for East Liverpool, Ohio where we were planning to spend the night. We stopped at a rest stop about eight miles out only to find that the motel that we needed was back in Steubenville. Backtrack another 18 miles... It was worth it for the king size bed that was awaiting us at the end of this long day. Yes, all of this happened in one day!
Had an awesome breakfast at Bob Evans to start out the day and then we headed off for the next part of our adventure. We are again headed north and our first destination is to be the Mason Dixon line. We took the interstate for a while until we could get off and work our way west as the Mason Dixon line marker that we were looking for was on Route 2 next to the Ohio River. We got off on a two lane "improved road" to get to the latitude and longitude that we had programmed in for the marker. I will post the road number later so that you can avoid this road. While we enjoy a good winding two lane road as much as anyone else, this road did not fit that bill. We rode FOREVER and was really getting nowhere fast. We hit a town called Hundred which we had saw online. It is the only town in the country with this name. Pics will be added later. From there, we were to get off in the town of Littleton, WV and then the gps had us get off on a gravel road. We are now creeping down a gravel road with no trespassing signs posted on each side about every 15 feet. The gps says we have arrived at our destination at this point. Off to the side, we see something that looks like a marker that is probably one of the line markers but not the one we were looking for. With the warm welcome of the no trespassing signs, we decided to try to find the one we were looking for instead of risk getting shot in the middle of nowhere. We make our way back to blacktop and are trying to find our way back to the main road. I am from small town USA and have been on those backroads and gravel roads and have no issue with that. However, this was different. The first house we went past, there were people on the back steps...we wave...nothing. The second house, someone is outside. We wave...nothing. The third house, the same scenerio. You get the message quickly when you are somewhere you are not wanted. We found our way back out to the main road of Littleton, WV and will leave you with this thought. Do not stray from the road there. The locals do not like it!
We finally made it to Moundsville, WV and backtracked the twenty miles to where the Mason Dixon line marker we were looking for was really at. Again, pics to follow. It is located at the Marshall County line. Since I am a Marshall U grad, I will not soon forget that. We made our way back to Moundsville and were trying to make our way on north to Newell, WV. Unfortunately, the signs are confusing in this area and we ended up crossing over the bridge and was now in Ohio. No big deal. We thought we would just follow the river up for a while. I don't know how that I have forgotten this point up until now, probably suppressed it, but the roads in West Virginia are horrible. There is a joint in the blacktop every few feet on most roads and it beats you too death if you are on the back of a bike. Not cool! So, we go into Ohio, and the roads aren't so rough and we decide for my back end that we will stay. We saw a billboard for a Harley store in Steubenville and decided to check it out. This ended up being in Wintersville, Oh and the name is Neidengards Harley Davidson. They are the oldest family owned Harley dealership and they were having a ride in that Monday evening. We are still waiting on our pics to be loaded on their website. They were very welcoming and offered us food and beverage.
We left Neidengards and headed for East Liverpool, Ohio where we were planning to spend the night. We stopped at a rest stop about eight miles out only to find that the motel that we needed was back in Steubenville. Backtrack another 18 miles... It was worth it for the king size bed that was awaiting us at the end of this long day. Yes, all of this happened in one day!
Day 3
Sunday offered up beautiful skies for riding. The rain was gone and we were off to see something new. I was anxious and very excited. This leg of the journey held special meaning to me. But, I am getting ahead of myself.
We left Mary Ann and Dave's house bright and early Sunday morning heading for West Virginia. We took US 23 to I64 and headed for Charleston. When we got to Charleston, we took HWY 60 and headed into unfamiliar territories. Our destination was to be Gauley Bridge, WV. This trip was special to me because my grandparents had adopted me as a child and raised me and so they were mom and dad. This was a second marriage for both of them as they had lost spouses prior. Mom was my maternal grandmother and her first husband, my maternal grandfather, was buried in the Gauley Bridge area in a mining camp called Gamoca, WV. I had never been there but today was the day. He had died from a heart attack at the age of 40 which is the same age I am now.
I had done research as much as possible before we left home and had found pics online that a cousin I had never heard of had posted. They were of my great-grandfathers grave in the same graveyard as my grandfather was buried in. I was feeling hopeful and optimistic. On the way there, just south of Gauley Bridge, there were waterfalls beside the road. We made a stop to take pics. The waterfalls were awesome. We came into Gauley Bridge about lunch time and, just like magic, a Ginos pizza was up ahead. We had not ate at a Ginos in years and the subs hit the spot. Just off the parking lot was a train tressle. I took pics and sent them to my sister Patty to see if they jogged any memories. It had been too long.
The GPS showed Gamoca, WV and we took off to go and find it. We passed where the GPS said to go and nothing was there. We turned and tried it again...not even a wide spot in the road. We headed back into Gauley Bridge knowing that we were going to have to ask someone where we were supposed to be. When we had first come into town, the police station was the first thing we had passed. I told Chowder if he would stop that I would go and ask for help. We stopped and I went in to ask for help. The officer on duty was absolutely awesome. Officer Roop took the time to tell me what that he could to help. He said that Gamoca was a mining town across the river and told me the location. He told me that the coal company had shut down about 1968 and that everyone abandoned the town when the work went. Unfortunately, there was no good way to get there. There is no bridge and we could not get there with our motorcycle.
I took this news rather well and we will return with the appropriate equipment to get across that river! Upon finding out all this info, we decided that we would head on north to Summersville where we would spend the night. What we had not anticipated was the natural beauty that we would encounter along the way. We meandered our way along the curvy road that is a motorcyclists dream. There were overlooks along the way that was well worth the stop for the spectacular views. We stopped off at one of the little towns along the way and enjoyed drinking ice cold gatorades on the porch area of the convenience store. It was here that I bought my lotto ticket. Unfortunately, to the cashier that I told if I won that I would remember you, I didn't win a thing. We went on up and found the New River Gorge. We went to the visitors center and then decided to go on the old winding road that is to the left of the center. It takes you to the bottom of the gorge and then winds you back up. It was awesome and offered many places to stop along the way. That bridge that crosses the gorge is HUGE! The rapids are beautiful and I was just astonished at the natural beauty. Love it! We plan on going back soon and taking the kids with us.
We made our way to Summersville and put up for the night. We are ahead of schedule as we thought we would be spending a couple of days in Gauley Bridge. I will need more time that that when we return. Love this area!!!
We left Mary Ann and Dave's house bright and early Sunday morning heading for West Virginia. We took US 23 to I64 and headed for Charleston. When we got to Charleston, we took HWY 60 and headed into unfamiliar territories. Our destination was to be Gauley Bridge, WV. This trip was special to me because my grandparents had adopted me as a child and raised me and so they were mom and dad. This was a second marriage for both of them as they had lost spouses prior. Mom was my maternal grandmother and her first husband, my maternal grandfather, was buried in the Gauley Bridge area in a mining camp called Gamoca, WV. I had never been there but today was the day. He had died from a heart attack at the age of 40 which is the same age I am now.
I had done research as much as possible before we left home and had found pics online that a cousin I had never heard of had posted. They were of my great-grandfathers grave in the same graveyard as my grandfather was buried in. I was feeling hopeful and optimistic. On the way there, just south of Gauley Bridge, there were waterfalls beside the road. We made a stop to take pics. The waterfalls were awesome. We came into Gauley Bridge about lunch time and, just like magic, a Ginos pizza was up ahead. We had not ate at a Ginos in years and the subs hit the spot. Just off the parking lot was a train tressle. I took pics and sent them to my sister Patty to see if they jogged any memories. It had been too long.
The GPS showed Gamoca, WV and we took off to go and find it. We passed where the GPS said to go and nothing was there. We turned and tried it again...not even a wide spot in the road. We headed back into Gauley Bridge knowing that we were going to have to ask someone where we were supposed to be. When we had first come into town, the police station was the first thing we had passed. I told Chowder if he would stop that I would go and ask for help. We stopped and I went in to ask for help. The officer on duty was absolutely awesome. Officer Roop took the time to tell me what that he could to help. He said that Gamoca was a mining town across the river and told me the location. He told me that the coal company had shut down about 1968 and that everyone abandoned the town when the work went. Unfortunately, there was no good way to get there. There is no bridge and we could not get there with our motorcycle.
I took this news rather well and we will return with the appropriate equipment to get across that river! Upon finding out all this info, we decided that we would head on north to Summersville where we would spend the night. What we had not anticipated was the natural beauty that we would encounter along the way. We meandered our way along the curvy road that is a motorcyclists dream. There were overlooks along the way that was well worth the stop for the spectacular views. We stopped off at one of the little towns along the way and enjoyed drinking ice cold gatorades on the porch area of the convenience store. It was here that I bought my lotto ticket. Unfortunately, to the cashier that I told if I won that I would remember you, I didn't win a thing. We went on up and found the New River Gorge. We went to the visitors center and then decided to go on the old winding road that is to the left of the center. It takes you to the bottom of the gorge and then winds you back up. It was awesome and offered many places to stop along the way. That bridge that crosses the gorge is HUGE! The rapids are beautiful and I was just astonished at the natural beauty. Love it! We plan on going back soon and taking the kids with us.
We made our way to Summersville and put up for the night. We are ahead of schedule as we thought we would be spending a couple of days in Gauley Bridge. I will need more time that that when we return. Love this area!!!
Day 2
The ignition switch is acting horrible this morning. Hasn't done it before, but it doesn't want to do it's job. Chowder fiddled with it for a few minutes and it decided to work. There is a Harley store in Ashville so we decide to go and see if they have a new one. No such luck. It would take a week to get one... That is how long that we have for vacation. We head out north again. Chowder has called Matthew and asked him to call the Harley stores along our route to see if any of them have a switch. We enter Tennesee and stop at a view point to take a few pics of the mountains. Very pretty. I haven't been this way in about 10 years and while it still looks familiar, there are businesses that have cropped up along the way. We make our way into Virginia. This leg of the journey we have been following route 23. We wind our way through Virginia and stop at Wise, VA at the Renos for a bite of lunch. The service and food are awesome. I highly recommend checking it out. We had made one other pit stop in Virginia at a point of interest to check out scenery and the old coal tressles. I will post pics later. We wind our way along 23 into Kentucky. Matthew has located a switch in Prestonsburg, Ky. That is our next stop. The Harley Davidson dealership in Prestonsburg should be glad to have the parts guy on staff. I didn't get his name but his is probably 50s with great smelling cologne. He hooked us up with the part we needed and we were on our way...for about 2 miles when we hit the rain. We were close to a bank and pulled under the canopy where three other bikers were taking cover. We got our rain gear on minus my rain pants. The wind was whipping so bad that it was have been like trying to jump into them while they were hanging on the clothesline with a breeze going to get into them. We headed out in the pouring rain and promptly ran out of it about three miles down the road. Don't worry...this wasn't the last we would see of it! We stopped at our friends, Mary Ann and Dave's house, who live south of Louisa and Chowder changed the switch in about ten or fifteen minutes. And then came the monsoon. We had narrowly missed having to ride through the torrential downpour. We put in for the night there and watched it rain and rain and rain some more. Up until this point, we had covered most of this ride before. The new stuff would start tomorrow.
Day 1
So, I was hoping to do this blog as we went on our trip. However, factors kept me from it. I am going from memory here as I play catch up. Day one found me and Chowder both at work. We reconveined at home about 2:30 that afternoon to start out on our adventure. We left home in Woodstock, GA about 3:30 that day and headed north. Our destination for the night was Ashville, NC. We made a stop by Dicks Sporting Goods to pick up rain gear just in case and headed up 575 and then 515. We got off at Blue Ridge and headed over to Murphy, NC. We took HWY 74 to Ashville. Just got to warn you that if you are hungry before reaching Ashville, do not stop at the McDonalds in Canton, NC. We made that mistake. The place had trash on the floors, flies inside, and the food was not edible. A part of Highway 74 is a parkway and, if you have never been on a parkway before, it is limited as to where you can get off at. However, there was a great scenic overlook along the way and the scenery was awesome! We got to Ashville and navigated to the hotel with help from the GPS. So far, right on track...
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