The W. Va. Cardinal

 

     From slow sweepers to kiss-your-hind-end rollercoaster twisties, West Virginia has it all with some of the most beautiful views you will be able to take back home with you:

     These are just a few of our fine motorcycle riding roads, there are plenty more that are very exciting to ride and just as good too, if you ride through West Virginia and it’s paved it will be a good touring road with lots of beauty every where you look.

 

     SR-2. From Huntington to Chester, this is an all day drive, very scenic with very little elevation changes. Most of this road is approximately 243 miles long at 55 mph with slowing for small towns. If this is your kind of riding you’ll love this road.

     SR-3.From West Hamlin to Sweet Springs, approximately 187 miles in length, this road is a very well kept and is a very good road to ride if you love the twisties and the rollercoaster ride, the only problem is you’re putting your life in others hands, and I mean this literately; there are a lot of deaths on this wonderful road because of drunk drivers that love to take the entire road in the curves at high speeds. Most of this road is 55mph.

 

     SR-4. From Clendenin to Rock Cave is about 95 miles will be most of a days ride with outstanding beauty and plenty of twisties that will be well worth your ride. Most of this road is also 55mph and well kept.

 

     SR-14. From Spencer to US-50 in Parkersburh, is only 45 miles long but you will be happy that you chose this road to ride, this is also a well-kept road that has lots of tight twisties and at times you’re riding on top of the world. Most of this road is 55 mph. that is if you can do 55?

 

     US-19. Coming from Erie Pennsylvania all the way down to lower South West Florida, this is the same US-19 that runs across and with US-129-S down in North Carolina and we all know that 11 miles of the northern part of that road is called the tail of dragon, US-19 runs through Atlanta Ga. and contuses on down to the bottom of the West coast of Fla.

     Through West Virginia it runs from Bluefield in the South to the Pennsylvania border in the North about 8 miles above Morgantown and is 258 miles long, this is a real good road to ride, well kept with plenty of elevation changes and lots of twisties, It is pretty much an all day ride and I say again with plenty of the kiss-your-hind-end twisties with lots of elevation changes to have all of the fun you’ll want to have. There are plenty of good places to eat along this road.

 

     SR-20. From Bluewell to New Martinsville, in 273 miles long and is all pretty much back road riding, but, this road is all you want a good ride to be, it is an all day drive and kept in good shape and plenty of good places to eat, most of this road is 55mph but you will more than likely not be able to maintain that speed.

 

     US-33. From Ripley to Rawley Springs Va. is 227 miles long and if you start out at Ripley this road starts with slow to tight sweepers and will be an all day ride, after a few miles past Spencer you will start to have lots of fun with the tight twisties and elevation changes until you get to Weston and it turns into a four-lane road with plenty of sweepers again until you get to Elkins and then you get back into the twisties with lots of elevation changes again all the way out of the state into Va. most of this road has some very beautiful scenery and is 45 and 55mph riding and has all of the rollercoaster twisties you’ll want to do for any one days ride. This ride is also a very beautiful ride, so make sure you bring your camera. You will find plenty of good places to eat along this road.

 

      Here we along US-33 coming out of Virginia about 10 miles West of the state line.

 

      This again is along US-33 at Seneca Rocks. Can you see the people climbing the rocks?

 

      Here they are!

 

     SR-39. From Gauley Bridge to Millboro Springs Va. is about 130 miles long, this road has it all also, from the slow sweepers to the kiss-your-hind-end twisties with lots of elevation changes and is about a half to two thirds of a days ride and will give you just about all you want in a days ride and is lots of fun to ride. There are also lots of good places to eat along the way.

 

     US-50. From Parkersburg to Winchester Va. is 227 miles long, this road starts out as a four-lane road with many slow sweepers until you get to just past Clarksburg and then you start to have some fun with the elevation changes with plenty of twisties. Most of this road is 55 mph with few small towns to slow down for.

 

     US-52. From Huntington to Bluefield, is 200 miles and has some beautiful sights to see and this is an all day drive, very scenic with very little elevation changes with mostly slow sweepers. Most of this road is 55 mph with slowing for small towns.

 

     US-60. From Huntington to White Sulphur Springs is 175 miles long and  has it all. This road is an absolutely must ride if you pass through W. Va.

 

     If you are traveling from the West to the East, the first part leaving Huntington until you get to Gauley Bridge is rather flat with some slow sweepers, but after that it the rollercoaster ride with some exciting kiss-your-hind-end curves for about the next 80+ miles that more than likely you’ll never forget, this is truly a premier well kept road to ride, with everything you would hope to find in a days ride.

     Most of this road is 55mph with plenty of good places to eat with a wonderful view.

     Wile on this road and traveling East on US- 60, at Glenfaris there’s a park to the right at Lower Falls.

     You should also stop a couple of miles just East of Gauley Bridge after you cross the rail road tracks, on the left is a beautiful water falls.

     A bout ten miles farther you will come to Hawk's Nest State Park on the right.

       Looking South West and down river you see the Hawk's Nest Dam and some of the best fishing tail waters to boot.

       If you look closely to the right of the dam through the trees you can see a concrete and steel structure that has been referred to as looking like an entrance to King Tut's tomb. This structure is very a important one, it is the beginning of a 3.5 miles long 35 foot diameter aqueduct. 

 

       There is a long and very sad story that goes along with this tunnel.

       In 1930 a tunnel was started at this site that ended up being about 35 feet in diameter and approximately 3.5 miles long that dropped some 170 feet and carries approximately 90 percent of the New River flow down stream to a still functioning hydroelectric plant just above Gauley Bridge.

       This electric production came at a huge cost and was the result of a very terrible industrial tragedy.

       The rock, mostly sandstone, which is composed of silica and the analysis indicated that most of the material was 99 percent silica, some of the purest quality known.

       Because the effects of silica on the lungs were unknown at this time and the results of 476 known people losing their lives, there was legislation introduced that would later become the Occupational Safety and Health Act, OSHA.

      About another twenty five miles you will come across US-19, turn South (right) for a few miles and you will come across The New River Bridge.

     Then back up (North) 60 East and about fifteen miles you will come across US-41-S to right, about and in about five miles and to the right you will come to Babcock State Park (no charge).

     When you come to Lewisburg, it’s a must to park and walk a wile.

     Then about ten miles farther East you will come to White Sulphur Springs, the home of The Greenbrier Hotel, it will be well worth your wile to take the tour of this very historic Hotel. A lot of our US history wrapped up in in this Hotel.

     I you like the twisties this is the part of US-60 you'll love the most.

 

     I-64/77. From Charleston to Bluefield is about 100 miles of toll road that is well kept and for the most part it's 70mph, some places it will drop to 55mph and is a very good twisty road, if you don’t mind paying six dollars for the 100 mile ride, you will enjoy every minute if your ride. There’s not to many roads in the USA that are 4 lane that will have this kind of twisties in them.

 

     I-79. From Charleston to up into Pennsylvania. Most people would not think that an interstate would give you a good ride but here in West Virginia most of our four lanes are just as much fun and exciting to drive as our two lanes, just more room in the curves, this is a well kept highway with lots of places to eat with a beautiful view and a 70muh speed limit, there are plenty of tight turns with also lots of elevation changes. This is 150 miles of interstate that is plenty of fun to ride; lots of twisties and plenty of elevation changes, this road is anything but boring.

 

     I-68. From Morgantown to Hancock Md. Although only about 30 miles of this highway is in W. Va. it is a real fun road to ride, most of it is 70mph with plenty of elevation changes and in places it has some good tight turns that will get you in trouble fast if you’re not careful.

 

     SR-92. From White Sulphur Springs 162 miles to Reedsville is a wonderful road to ride again this road has it all, from the slow sweepers to the tight twisties with plenty on elevation changes and lots of beauty to be seen on this road.

 

     US-119. From somewhere up in middle of Pennsylvania to down into the bottom of Kentucky is an all day plus ride, from 6 miles North of Morgantown down to Williamson in the South it is 330 miles of some of the best riding you ever find anywhere in the USA, this is again a wonderful road to ride but only if you love the twisties elevation changes and kiss-your-hind-end kind of riding, there is about 30 miles of four-lane road at 60mph section of 119 below Charleston with some real tight twisty riding and after riding the rest of 119 is a kinda boring, if you ride 119 from the South to the North it will be plenty of fun before you get to the real exciting part ride later on.

      No matter how you ride US-119 the parts of it that are four lanes is a real treat to ride. Most of this road is 45 and 55 mph the four land is 60mph with plenty of elevation changes.

 

     US-219. From Rich Creek to about a mile East of Horse Shoe Run, is 200 miles of just about all of the fun you could ever expect out of a road anywhere, this is an all day drive, very scenic with many elevation changes and some good twisties thrown in for fun. This road is well worth the ride if you follow it all the way through. Most of this road is 55 mph with few small towns to slow down for.

 

     US-250. From Moundsville (SR-2) is 212 miles to West Augusta Va. This is another all day ride with plenty of good places to eat. If you're heading South East most of this road is fairly level until you get to Elkins, after that you will be getting on the rollercoaster again, the farther South you go on this road the twister and higher it gets, This road is one of those must ride roads with mostly 55mph. and a very scenic view.

      This is a view bellow that you will not see very often unless you follow our directions to get here.

      You must turn off of US-19 into the New River Gorge Bridge over look and go right on past it on what looks like a little traveled road that turns down hill and to the right. When you get to the first stop sign you will turn right and go down hill from there and you will be in for a ride of your life.

      This will not be a fast road by any means, but it will be more than worth your time to take it for the view and the experience of nostalgia.

      This road is now all one way, so be sure you want to take it before you start. If you forget to stop and use the facilities at the visitors center there is one more after you cross the bridge at the bottom.

      Please remember as your traveling this road that before that huge New River Gorge Bridge was built this road is all that anyone had to travel going North or South and had to use to get from Beckley down South to Summersville Up North.

      This picture was taken about 500 feet bellow the overlook.

 

      The only way you'll be seeing The New River Gorge Bridge this way is if you go to the New River George Airport a few miles North on US-119 to, The eat out site seeing rides to the public.

 

 

      Because of our mountains, we have very beautiful and fast moving rivers. Some of which have class-V rapids on them.

      The oldest river in the Western Hemisphere is The New River, (quite appropriately named, don't you think) it ends in West Virginia.

      We have the Gauley River, which confluence's with The New River in a magnificent cascade to form the Kanawha River at Gauley Bridge W. Va., which in turn flows through the South central part of the State, and into the Ohio River and then on down to The Mississippi River.

 

      Ole there he goes again, I am so embarrassed that I know I'm turning Red this time.

      This is a view of the bridge that not to many people get to see, but now that you know just how to get to it, and see it for yourself.

 

      This peaceful stream is just a few hundred feet after you come off of the bridge and are starting up the hill.

 

      This stream is about a half mile farther up the hill and is not the same stream in the first picture above.

 

 

 

      Another must see is also a slow ride once you get there but getting there is some what of a ride in it's self. You will travel US-60 to SR-41 and then South about 8 wonderful slow twisty miles to Babcock State Park, or you can also come North on SR-41 from Beckley W. Va.

      About 2.5 miles down SR-41 on the right coming South from US-60, you will find the Babcock camp grounds, this is a very good camp grounds that few bikers know about.

 

 

 

      As you can see this view here is as good as on the Blue Ridge Parkway just not any where as long.

 

      The stream that runs through this park is called Glade Creek. The force of the water of this creek was used to grind up grain.

 

 

      I knew I shouldn't have parked here, I just knew it, now look what he's gone and done. I know all of you don't want to be seeing me in all of these pictures. I keep asking him not to keep on taking pictures of me.

 

 

 

      Sunset over out beautiful mountains.

 

 

      Early Fall.

      For all of you hunters out there, here's one of many of my friends that love to help me keep my front yard cut.

 

      This one came out on our driveway as we was coming down just to say hi as we were going out for a ride. No there not pets or anything like that but they aren’t afraid of us either. She just wanted to say be careful, have fun and hurry back.

 

 

 

        If you visit this sight and it doesn't matter if you are a motorcyclist or not, and know of beautiful places in your state and would like for us to visit there and take videos and photographs to post on this sight, so everyone will be able to see what is in your state for them to see, please E-mail me with all the information and possibly a picture or two of what you're talking about and I will respond to you and make arrangements for a visit to your state.

         As far as we are concerned this website will always be a work in progress, I doubt it will ever be completely finished, even if all of the states are filled with photos and videos. There will always more to see.

                                                                           The W. Va. Cardinal

                                                                                            And Dick