Elkins WV
Miles = 682
June was going too busy so we wanted to get another trip in before the end of May. We only had two days to ride and it had been 5 years since we last stayed in Elkins so wee thought it was time for a repeat.
Day One - 368 miles
We decided to take the route north of OH32 and south of US50. We rode many OH backroads once we left US50. We finally rode OH73 which is a bigger road, and then rode US41 for a short time before catching OH124 headed due east. We stopped at an APV site just short of Latham OH which is an area where off-road vehicles can ride on designated trails. I didn't even know these places existed in Ohio, but I wish I knew about them several years ago when we were still riding dirt bikes. Anyway there was a parking area with some nice surroundings so we stopped for a brief rest. I don't think there were more than five cars that passed while we were there. OH124 was a very nice nice well maintained road and we were really feeling it as we rode on this nice warm late May morning. We continued on OH124 as connected with OH32 and its 4-lane highway, but as soon as possible we jumped off and rode through downtown Jackson on Beaver Pike. We were forced to ride another few miles on OH32 before OH124 once agin broke free of the 4-lane highway. We rode OH124 all the way to Pomeroy where we crossed the river and began riding KY62 along the river. Traffic was a little heavy as we made our way through Mason WV. Once traffic began to die down some and we began a slight climb above the river we stopped at a scenic overlook on the outskirts of New Hartford WV. The overlook had once was a nice little shelter but it had been maintained in some time. We walked around some, took a few pics and were back on our way. We stayed on US33 as it combined with US119. We broke away on WV5. At Stout's Mill we stopped at an old steel bridge over the Little Kanawha River but it was blocked on both sides and without crawling over some pretty big rocks and impediments we decided to ride on. We had another place picked out just a few miles down the road that we deiced to try. This stop was in the small "town" of Gilmer WV. It was also on the Little Kanawha but the only indication of a town was an abandoned grocery store that we deduced closed in the early 1980s. There was an old steel bridge across Copper Run Creek which we explored. We stayed on WV5 until it connected with US19 stopping at Walkersville Covered Bridge. This Covered Bridge was not much to speak of, but there was a nice shaded area where we had a little refreshment before taking the final leg into Elkins. We stopped at Big Timber Brewing for the second time, but they had a new place that was much nicer than the original we visited in 2019. We just had a pint before moving on. The Hampton is a little south of town and just north of that is the Fox Hops Brewery. The place is in a light industrial building but the beer was good and the people were friendly and we even had some good authentic German brats. The Hampton was across the street so we made a relatively early night of it.
Day Two - 314 miles
We went to Scottie's for breakfast for the second time, and for the second time it was good eating and reasonably priced given 2024's inflation. We had to ride 42 miles on 4-lane highway to start off but that was ok as we were trying to get home before it got too late. After crossing over I-79 we hit 2-lane road and then once through Weston US119 became good road. We broke away from US119 and began a long stint on WV47. This is a really good road and we were cruising along nicely. On the other side of Smithville we stopped along Cedar Creek. We didn't realize until we stopped there was a private drive right there so we were not able to explore much but it had been 80+ miles and we needed a quick stop. We continued on WV47 following the Hughes River and whenever a road follows a river it generally means good riding and this did not dissapoint. WV47 took us into Parkersburg WV where we stopped at Fort Boreman Park overlooking the city. We had stopped here the year before but the place was packed with people taking prom pictures. Not the case this year. We stopped and walked around quite a bit reading all the various historical signs. This park is certainly worth a visit. We mad one last stop at the Martinsville Covered Bridge but we had been more than once on some of our local rides. We made it home well before dinner and very much enjoyed the ride.