More two-wheeled adventures recently.
Spent a weekend at M&C's Canaan Valley house and enjoyed some of the best riding I've ever experienced. Drove up Thur. after work. Rode all day Fri. & Sat. Drove home Sun.
The house: Five stars top to bottom. An excellent dvd collection of BBC mystery/crime shows. (I love that stuff!) WV has an impressive network of NPR affiliates, so good radio at almost all times. Never missed the internet or cable TV. Hope they'll have me back despite mucking up at departure (the water - turn it off dummy! And, go ahead, don't just remove the sheets, run a load before hittin' the road.).
The weather: Sunny. 80's and 70's during the day, 50's at night.
The roads: Heavenly. Hilly, rural, scenic, switchbacks and roadside streams. Nearly zero traffic.
Bike Bliss factor: Off the charts.
~65 miles in. Start of 4.5mi Leadmine Road descent.
Highest point of the day, elev 3400ft
The man behind the nasty Savageman Tri bike course, and the punishing Garrett County Gran Fondo route sent me a suggested loop from Parsons, WV up to Oakland, MD and back. He calls it the Monongahela Massacre. (Sold!) I deviated slightly, dodging the Sugarland Road climb that would've started around mile 80 near the end of the route.
I'm going with "Monongahela Mauler" for my lesser route - painful at times but not deadly. And, great rides deserve an over-the-top name. Yep. Road the Mauler last weekend. Twice.
Stopped in Aurora at a lonely little joint that reminded me of the Coachman's Inn but with the bar front and center. Got some free water and ice served up by a sweet big-haired Loretta Lynn look-a-like.
Riding off I noticed the sign. "Weekend Special: Turtle Soup. Courtesy of WVU Crushing the Terrapins." Which they did (football). Swallowed my Terrapin pride and scurried across the state line to Oakland, MD.
Saw a few deer, and horses, donkeys (?), and longhorns. Not a single bear.
Chased by one dog. Kind of a long haired pitbull looking beast. Surprised me as I was grinding up the last little spike of the day on Fri. Well played Cujo.
Did the same loop Sat. This time without the bonus wrong turn miles.
More me and trees here.
1 comment:
Nice detailed report Cullen. You've sold me on the area. If only there was a good lake or two for the kayaks.
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