The wall of mountains loomed before me as I headed west on U.S. 33 across the wide Shenandoah Valley. Soon I’d twist my way over them into West Virginia, that mysterious land with epic motorcycle roads and legends about other-worldly creatures. I’m on a pilgrimage to see a town steeped in UFO lore, but mostly I’ve traveled here just to ride the seemingly endless two-lane … [Read more...] about Monster quest: Exploring the mountains and mysteries of West Virginia
New River
What’s new is old in the New River Gorge
The New River Gorge is bass-ackwards. Carved by one of the world’s oldest rivers (number two in the world next to the Nile, local folks claim), it hosts the nation’s newest national park. Yet it’s called the “New” River! The New is an East Coast river that flows north. But what’s most askew is the nature of the park itself. Consider that most of the national parks, … [Read more...] about What’s new is old in the New River Gorge
Two roads diverged: West Virginia
Next to the small steel bridge spanning the Elk River in Webster Springs, West Virginia, I pulled over to wrestle with Robert Frost’s famous dilemma. The GPS unit insisted on turning north while my paper map tantalized me with an easterly dotted-green line, which symbolizes a scenic roadway. Both would get me to where I wanted to go. Being one traveler with the intent of … [Read more...] about Two roads diverged: West Virginia
Chasing the Powhatan Arrow: Riding in the wake of a long-retired train
It’s a fair question to ask why a rider like me from the epicenter of the magnificent roads and sublime scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains would be tooling along on my 2007 Honda ST1300 on one of Virginia’s flattest, straightest roads, U.S. 460 between Suffolk and Petersburg. It was a spiritual quest of sorts, following as closely as possible the original main line of the … [Read more...] about Chasing the Powhatan Arrow: Riding in the wake of a long-retired train
