Funerals, Mortality, Life: With a heavy heart I Ride From NJ to SE Ohio

[tankhead]

Teaser Pics from Ohio

[tankhead]

So I rolled into Wheeling with no place to stay and it was to get a bit chilly and quite frankly, as much as I wanted to camp, my sleeping bag is not really rated for 30 degree weather.  So I hurried and found a nice hotel, drove out to a golf course area and had a burger and a pint of beer, rolled back down the hill to the hotel and mentally prepared for the Wheeling-Marietta ride of about two hundred miles of twisty ribbons.
I got out of the hotel by 9:00.  I turned onto 147 and repeated in my mind what Garry warned me about: beware of the blind rises, the blind right handers, BEWARE!!!!!!!

I rolled through some rough parts and left the town of Wheeling consciously telling myself, easy grip, steer with feet and legs, outside foot weighted, knee into the frame, relax upper body...... and I was in heaven.


Simply awesome and quite serene i kept the motor in it's sweet spot of second and third gear most of the time.



Feeling very alive and always conscious of the dangers of the sport-hobby-way of life I call motorcycling, I stopped to take this shot of a church whose name said it all.  Though I am an atheist, I thought that was a great example of how my day was turning out to be.

[garry]

I turned onto 147 and repeated in my mind what Garry warned me about: beware of the blind rises, the blind right handers, BEWARE!!!!!!!

A local (Pittsburgh area) sport bike rider died in a crash on 255 yesterday. Didn't know the guy personally, but I would see him post on a local forum. These are demanding roads to ride at a brisk pace. One mistake can lead to serious consequences, but damn are they fun when you find "the zone". If I find myself making small errors in line or being a tiny bit surprised at anything, I slow down to where it flows again or take a break if that doesn't work.

RIP Strangeglove...

[tankhead]

Damn Garry so sorry to hear.  I absolutely respected the roads and always respect speed limits in tiny town out of respect for the locals. Really sorry.  

[garry]

Damn Garry so sorry to hear.  I absolutely respected the roads and always respect speed limits in tiny town out of respect for the locals. Really sorry.  

I didn't know the guy, but it's a sobering reminder about what can happen out there and to be careful. I was just using this unfortunate event to note why I warn people about the nature of the roads in southeast OH. I think the riding is great and not to be missed, but you have to leave plenty in reserve to deal with the occasional gravel filled corner and the blind corners/rollers that are somewhat unique to the area. I'm quite used to the terrain, but I remember Vivid1 complaining they were too twisty and intense for her.

But anyway, back to your great ride report. I'm looking forward to reading more about your Friday. It was a beautiful day (I was doing yard work) and I hope the route lived up to the hype.

[Rincewind]

   

[tankhead]

147.  Well it definitely started the day out with a bang.  As long as 147 is and as wonderfully twisty it is I was somewhat disappointed in the one item that kept reappearing: big 3-4 foot wide tar spooge sections that I guess have drainage pipes laid across the road underneath the surface.  Instead of filling them with pavement they repair the cut out with tar snake goo.  So that meant that the front tire would catch and slide ever so slightly.  No big deal but just surprising as I had heard how clean the roads were.  Still I would rank that road a great 8 out of 10 (could have been a solid 10 if not for the goo).  A short run down route 9 to 145.  More open spaces, pastures, with lush greenery. Unbelievable goodness in flow and keeping the revs higher in the third gear for nice traction and power.  A delight indeed.   556 came upon me quick.  556 is without a doubt 10 out of 10    




Here is the rest of the pic and the turn.



I got to the top of that climb in that pic and had to get off of the bike, which in hindsight, was a good idea.  I unplugged the heated gear, drank from my camelback.  AHHHHH: ice cold water. I always try and fill the camelback up with ice from the ice machine at a hotel before a ride while I am traveling. I took a couple pics.



  I started thinking about what my wife was going to be going through that evening at the viewing of her friend.  Now Mary and my wife have been friends for 20 something years, since they were juniors in high school.  Mary's sister Lynne is (was) 10 years older then Mary.  So Lynne, to my wife, was like an older sister. I started to become somewhat guilt ridden.  I thought about life and how lucky I am to have met my wife later in life after a horrible divorce.  And that I really have to take it easy out here because there was no way I could ruin her life by playing too hard here in Ohio.

I lost my Dad when I was not quite 1.5 years old. He was drinking returning home from an Irish wake after a series of deaths in his family.  His father died in 1966 and within 3 more years he would lose his mother, then his sister and have to take care of his younger brothers.  On this particular evening he probably drank a little too much, hit a post at a stop sign, probably fell asleep at the wheel and died instantly from blunt force trauma to the head.  It has been hard on me and my family but we got past it and rose above.  Then I started thinking of my daughters and how I would never want to put them in the position that I was put in by loosing a father.  It was all getting too real and I turned around and noticed that I was yet again at another reminder of death.

[tankhead]

Back down to the Ohio. I immediately got on 78 and climbed right back up into the pastures of Cameron.  Beautiful lush green pastures with cows.  Pleasing to the eye and if you don't mind me saying, strange as it is, the smell of dung reminds me of taking my kids to the local zoo when they were much younger.  So yeah I was digging the pungent aroma of horse and cattle feces and loving it. Which led me to 536. Holy crap.  Take a look at the pic and notice the rise (a couple of teaser pics). If you notice in the pic of 536 the immediate rise in elevation.  Yeah, this is where the undulating was relentless and fun.  Bermed roadways with blind rises that made me snap off the throttle no matter how many times I checked the GPS to assure myself that there was not a swift right or left immediately over the rise.  I just could never trust what I could not see. I was riding with flow most of the time except for the rises.  I am just not that used to that type of riding. I thought I got my feet wet in WV but really it is just not as constant.  Strange enough it reminds me of riding in Eastern MD.  More on that later.....  Route 536 a strong 11 out of 10. Yep that good. Great road surfaces.  Smooth flow.  Awesome.

[garry]

147.  Well it definitely started the day out with a bang.  As long as 147 is and as wonderfully twisty it is I was somewhat disappointed in the one item that kept reappearing: big 3-4 foot wide tar spooge sections that I guess have drainage pipes laid across the road underneath the surface.  Instead of filling them with pavement they repair the cut out with tar snake goo.  So that meant that the front tire would catch and slide ever so slightly.  No big deal but just surprising as I had heard how clean the roads were.  

Odd. I know 556 has a few of those, and 536 even more, but I don't recall them on 147. Maybe ODOT has been busy in the last couple weeks. They are especially interesting on a hot summer day when the tar is nice and slick...

556 is a favorite. 536 is unrelenting tight and twisty, but can be a bit dirty in spots. The best section of the route (IMO) is about to come (255, 26, 537, 260)...

[tankhead]

Hey I could be wrong.  But in thinking of the trip I felt that it was very early on in the ride.  There were not a few, it seemed like many.  We don't have that in Southern NJ.    NO need for drainage in the twisties because there are none.

[tankhead]

And then there was:


and this


and this


and my first Mail Pouch tag


and a whole lot of this

[tankhead]

Now I don't have too many shots of the uber twisties.  I noticed many trucks on the back roads.  Dump trucks if you will.  Now for the most part they kept to their side of the double yellow but I did not want to catch a driver off guard and be startled by some jackass from jersey in my get up, scouting the best shots, with my bike on the side of the road because there really was no where to park the bike without being in the way..
255 was all that you can imagine.  Very clean road and had forest cover so the road felt narrower and tighter.  Glorious glorious.  I was screaming in my helmet, HOLY SHIT! Not many pics of the route or for 26 for that matter, nor for 536.  The sun was high, I needed to get to my tent site at Leith Run Campground.









And then this little side road that took me down to the Ohio River again where I would soon set up the tent, and go back out for the second part of the ride.




2nd Mail Pouch tag on RT 7


Leith Run Campsite:







More to come......

[02VFR]

Great ride report, sometimes I take the roads in SE Ohio for granted they are my day ride destination.  I am glad you are enjoying them and it has been great weather...  


Enjoy..

[sagerat]

Great ride report!

/threadjack on
What kind of tent and how do you like it?
/threadjack off, er, closed

[tankhead]

ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr 2 Backpacking Tent

It was the first time I had used it.  All mesh tent with the cover (which is not mesh) with footprint for about $160.00.  Easy set up.  Not great for cold weather unless you pack the heavy bag.  I don't have a heavy bag so I was cold.  Slept in my riding jacket and did not get much sleep at all.  I need an inflatable thermarest.  But yeah it is a neat tent for the price. check Amazon.  That is where I got it. Great reviews.  

[tankhead]

 Set my tent all up and grabbed some food in the next town, Newton (?).  Nothing really there, went to an IGA to have them make me a tuna sub but nada.  So I went across the bridge and found a subway in WV.  Grabbed a tuna sub and headed back to my site to eat.




 I was starving.  I forgot to buy a couple protein bars like I did for the last two days.



The sun was starting to crest the sky and the shadows were getting longer by the second.  I figured I had at least 3 hours of sunlight left so make the most with the time I here. With all the weight of the gear off of the bike, The bike was noticeably flickier.  I was tired, hot, and quite honestly ready to get off of the bike.  I started really having pangs of guilt and was thinking of my wife and surely she would be going to the viewing with our daughters and have to be strong for them within the hour.  I promised myself that the second ride of the day would be a scenic grandpa drive.  My first ride was adrenaline filled and exhausting.  Now it was time to relax and enjoy.  With not many pics left of my Ohio ride, I leave you the rest of the ride.

Lets just say an awesome road right off of Route 7 near the park.  Very awesome indeed


Narrow roads without warning signs.
 The left side of the mountain (north?) had a blanket of these tiny white flowers coating the forest floor.  Here is the blanket....



Archers forge road sent me back to 26, if I remember correctly, that was one fine road.



My third tag for the trip:



Back to Route 7: Lockeheade something or other


Power Station

[tankhead]

Finale:
I built a fire on the grill.


  Had some Capt'n and diet.



Started getting an extreme headache.  Between the pollen explosion and dehydration my head was hurting so I finished my drink and called my wife.  She told me how the viewing went.  My youngest cried, it was hard for her.  Everyone was nice.  Lynne looked great. And my wife dropped my girls off at their mother's house, she took her daughter home and was now home relaxing, reading, and having a glass of wine.. She said she missed me and that house seems so empty without me there.  I told her I was going to start heading back tomorrow.  She said no rush.
We said our goodbyes and I tried to sleep.
Well the Ohio river has quite a bit of traffic at night.  Here is what I saw hours earlier





And this was pushing the four sections:  What talent:


The boats seemed to come one every half hour. Between my pounding head, no thermarest, no pillow and no winter bag just a spring bag I was cold and miserable. Slept in my moto jacket. I really think I got 5 minutes sleep all night. At the first sign of daylight or birds screeching I wrapped everything up, packed the bike up, and head to route 50 to 79 (?) N to 68 and headed for home. After coffee, of course. I got 151 miles on the Uly the first tank before the light came on and 153 the second tank before the light came on. My best mileage yet for that bike. And finished the trip with 146 more miles on the third tank without the light on as of yet. 450 miles for the day. I was spent.
The great news is that I got to see Mary's family at Lynne's house. Her husband had a after party party after the reception dinner. I rolled up and gave my sympathies, hugged those that needed it, kissed those who I haven't seen in a few, and felt good that I was a part of the ceremony in someway. So I stayed for an hour. Told my wife I had to get home, eat, shower, and lay down. My head was hurting still. I told her to take her time and spend the time with her second family. So she did. I was happy.
And I rode another 20 miles home.

As I sat on my deck after my shower, with a Capt'n and Diet, I thought of how lucky I was, how lucky I am, and look forward to riding more adventures with my wife and solo in the future.  WV Country Roads Meet here we come............

[Mastros2]

Excellent Ride Report.    You really do have a special way of writing especially with this time of sadness.  

Please pass to your wife my condolences.  

[tankhead]

Thanks my man,
Well I hope, even though the report was somewhat personal, that the folks took what they could, whatever that is, from a simple 1500 mile ride report.  On the surface or somewhat deeper than the epidermis.  Hope to see you in WV soon.  Thanks again and thanks for reading.

[BwanaDik]

Excellent report, thanks for taking us along!    

Bookmarked it for future reference