Bluefield WV
Miles = 981
April was not the best weather so when we saw a window in early May where the weather looked favorable we decided to take three days and ride. We have some friends that took their side-by-side to the Hatfield-McCoy set of trails and talked about how the whole area down there was focused on trail riding and they had all kinds of places to stay. We like riding in this area but there are not all that many good places to stay and where there are good places chances are we have stayed there. So, based on the comments on the trail system we looked for cabins that catered to the ATV crowd and we found plenty. We chose Riverfront ATV Resort as it looked better than most, and it was the right decision. They have an on-site restaurant that was really quite good, and the people working there were super nice. We had a big cabin with a nice deck and hot tub. The only complaint we had was there was only one queen bed and a sleeper sofa which was not comfortable. For the money we expected more but in the end we would stay there again. We had some significant technical trouble on this trip that had us scratching our heads. On day one my Sena SLR-2 headset just quit working. It was fine, I turned it off at a stop and it would not turn back on. I tried everything but to no avail. Steve's Garmin and the routes he downloaded were not functioning correctly so the whole trip he could only navigate to the next POI. We had better get it together before our next trip.
Day One - 382 miles
We began riding east on I-275 and exiting at US50 which is not our traditional starting point. Once we got on the other side of Georgetown we hit OH 125 and stayed on that until we hit the river. Prior to that we by-passed U.S. Grant's home in Georgetown since we had been there not that long ago. We rode over the George Miller Covered Bridge but also decided not to stop there. We tooled along OH125 enjoying the nice weather and nice road. We don't really get out this way that often and OH 125 is really a good well maintained road. We stopped at Shawnee State Park on Turkey Creek Lake but there wasn't much there. We had the place to ourselves but we didn't hang around too long. After we crossed the Ohio in dense fog my Garmin said there was traffic and changed our route off of KY 7 to a smaller road that runs parallel. It was not big detour but frustrating when you're riding. I didn't turn off the traffic alerts before I started so I guess that was my fault. We crossed over Bennett's Mill Covered Bridge and instead of stopping we decided to ride on and stop at Oldtown Covered Bridge. This bridge was well kept and in good condition but chainlink gates kept anyone from walking onto the bridge. There was some nice grass around the bridge and we walked around a bit before continuing on. We stopped in Grayson KY Wendy's for a quick lunch and continued south on KY 1 and KY 3 towards Louisa. The town sits at the confluence of the Tug Fork and Big Sandy Rivers and the very eastern edge of Kentucky. Crossing over we were in West Virginia for the rest of the day. Our route on WV 37 took us a little north before heading south WV 152. This was another great road and we found ourselves in the heart of the ATV area. I believe many. Of the trails follow the old N&W railroad bed and alongside this road. Soon we reached Cabwaylingo State Park where there is losing for the ATVers and lots of picnic areas. We stopped for a little bit and stretched our legs. Our next stop although just for a picture was the Breeden Tunnel constructed in 1890. It was on the old Twelvepole Creek line but when new lines were built for heavier loaded cars moving westbound the new lines made this old line obsolete and by 1933 it had been converted to automobile traffic. We stopped for a pic and rode through. Our stop was only a few miles away which was an even longer tunnel known as Dingess Tunnel. It was built in 1892 but by 1913 it had fallen silent and horse and buggies began using the tunnel. It is a mile long and we rode though both ways as it was slightly off our route. Obviously it is only one lane and I'm not sure how the locals figure out right of way during a busy day. We rode through Logan where the main thoroughfare through town were railroad tracks. We rode down Main St. but it was a couple of blocks off the main downtown area. We rode on the east side of the Guyandotte River as we had previously ridden on the west side. We followed the river all the way to RD Bailey Lake and Dam where we had hoped to ride to the visitor's center but for seem reason was closed. No big deal we were loving the roads, both WV 97 & 16 were really good. We stopped at the Itman Company store which was an old abandoned coal company store. The Pocahontas Fuel Company which was owned by Isaac T. Mann had the building built in 1923 for the company's HQ and an accompanying company store where mine workers could spend their script they earned for working in the mines. My guess is they didn't have many bargains there. The building is really magnificent but is gradually being eaten by nature. We were able to walk around and we took many pictures. After the store we continued on WV 10 and this road climbed up to the Wyoming County line and it was every bit as good as the tail or the back of any dragon. We finally arrived to Montcalm where we stopped for a bite at the local diner? It was nothing great but the hamburgers were very decent and the workers were nice to us. We were only a couple of miles away from the resort so we ate quickly and moved to the resort. We spent the evening at our cabin on the deck overlooking the Simmons River. Perfect day of riding.
Day Two - 256 miles
We would have some logistic problems namely in routing but the day started out very nicely. We targeted a breakfast spot in Bluefield VA and they had a nice breakfast sandwich and good coffee to start the day. We first rode up to the East River Mountain Overlook. The overlook sits 3,500 feet above sea level and overlooks both Bluefields (VA & WV). It seems like this was a very popular tourist spot back in the day and there was even a small gauge train that ran up the mountain. We took our pictures and continued on. We rode down the other side of the mountain and across I-77 before jumping on southbound for one exit. We went west on WV 606 in the Kemberling Creek Wilderness area before looping back on Kimberling Road which is much narrower and crossed back over I-77. We were supposed to route on Wyrick Trail but it was a gravel road and I guess I didn't vet that properly so we continued south on US 52 and I was able to re-route and pick up the proper route just before we split from US 52. The new road was VA 42 and it was also very nice but when we crossed over VA 16 better known as Back of the Dragon and saw the sign pointing to Hungry Mother Park we were torn, but we stayed the course and it was well worth it. After Saltville we headed south on VA 107 crossed under I-81 and climbed over Skull's Gap down into the Mt Rogers Rec Area. We climbed up Whitecap Mountain for the second time in five years and didn't quite remember the length of the climb nor how bike unfriendly the gravel road was. Either way it was worth the trip we spent some time enjoying the view and it was much warmer this time than in April of 2019. Once back down we made a brief detour over to Green Cover Station which was a former depot on the Creeper Railway between Abingdon and Todd NC. We began heading back and we stopped at Grayson Highland and continued on through Troutdale and through Dickey Gap where the road crossed over the AT. We connected back up with US 52 and soon we were at Big Walker Overlook where there is a fire tower and old grocery store that now seems to focus on trinkets likely made in China. Oh well, there was a nice little platform for the overlook and we stayed for a short time and continued on down the mountain on US 52. We had planned to ride through the tunnel on I-77 but instead we rode back down past East River Overlook and into Bluefield WV. Back at the resort the restaurant was open and we had a nice dinner. Steve and I split the Surf and Turf. I wouldn't have thought Surf and Turf would be good in the middle of WV but it was quite tasty. We returned to our cabin for a dip in the hot tub and called it a night.
Day Three - 343 miles
We didn't have many options for breakfast and we looked everywhere. There either wasn't anyplace to choose from or the place didn't open until long past our departure time. So, we targeted a McDonalds in Welch and got going early. The weather forecast was calling for rain and we felt it was just a matter of when it hit rather than where. We headed north on US 52 and a short 20 miles into the ride we stopped at Peerless Company Store. This store was built in 1921 and was in greater disrepair than the Itmann Store. It was basically the same story though. We walked around and took some pics continued on knowing we wanted to get some miles in before the rain. After breakfast in Welch we took the by-pass in order to stop at the overlook of the town but it turned out to be a nothing burger. The trees and growth were so high we couldn't see much not to mention the 10' tall chain link fence surround the overlook. We stayed on US 52 until we reached Iaeger where shortly after US 52 breaks from following the Tug Fork River. We stayed on the river heading west on Panther Mohawk Rd. We were dodging coal trucks and gravel in the road. We broke from Panther Mohawk and began following Panther Creek and the road of the same name. We began running into more coal trucks as we drove through and near active coal mines. WV 194 was particularly and the narrow road in poor condition made it very difficult to pass them. Eventually we left them behind and stopped at the German Bridge Boat Ramp on Buffalo Creek. Not a very nice place but we needed a break. We continued on to Prestonburg and hit the four lane US 23 for a short time before exiting and running north toward Cave Run Lake. We had planned to stop along the Licking River but we ran into a closed area and there were many people loading boats so we just booked it to Moorehead and stopped at Sawstone Brewing. While we were there we looked at the radar and realized if we waited there another 30 minutes or so we might miss the rain altogether. It worked! We continued on and rode rain free all the way home except for the last 5 miles where I got drenched as Steve and broken away as we rode through downtown Cincy. All was good though and I got wet but as I pulled in the garage I really didn't care as it was a good day of riding.