September 17: Beard to North Caldwell, WV. 35 miles.

Dianne and I were up early this morning, and got in a couple of games of Scrabble before Bill arose at 8. We ate breakfast, packed up the cabin and the bikes, and were out of the park just after 9 AM. We were on the trail by 10 AM, glad the rain was done. We found it quite muddy in spots, but passable at all times.

We met up with 3 women from Michigan today, and they knew we had been on the North Bend Trail earlier in the week--the maintenance guys in the truck had told them. Char, Sharon and Ruth were traveling with Flat Alice, and here they all are. It was fun running into them; this trail has been quite desolate. We had not seen another person until we met up with them, but there were plenty of other creatures--deer, turkeys, woodchucks, chipmunks and squirrels.

A bit later we met some local people from Anthony. They had just seen a bear on the trail and told us where to look for the "evidence" (bear scat). They also told us about a really great rail trail in Virginia--the Virginia Creeper. Maybe next year????

We met Bill at the lunch stop near Anthony, and ate most of the rest of the food. There was no bread (and no grocery store for miles and miles) so we rolled up the leftover lunchmeat and cheese, and ate apples dipped in peanut butter--who needs sandwiches?

The end of the trail was there all too soon. We took some photos and headed out for Lewisburg and ice cream. At Lewisburg, we stayed at the Church Street Bed and Breakfast, where Tom and Sheila made us feel right at home! After dinner out, we set up the Scrabble board and Sheila brought us a glass of wine and some cheese and crackers... not the usual B&B fare!

Morning dawned and we set out for home. The end of another wonderful bike adventure. What could be better than this?

September 16 Cass to Beard, WV. 42 miles.

We drove up to Cass early, and the drive was significantly shorter on the state road as compared to the county road we took yesterday... When we got to the Greenbrier River Trail head we saw 6 or 8 deer--just a harbinger of what we would be seeing on the trail ahead.

Dianne and I left on the bikes and Bill drove away, planning to meet us down the trail after about 11 miles. We found him at the old depot at Clover Lick, just as planned. He was the only other person we saw this morning, so we were glad to see him! There were plenty of deer cutting across the trail in front of us, and we watched the sides of the trail carefully--we knew we would lose if there was a collision! This is a great trail! The surface is mostly packed gravel, much easier to ride than the North Bend Trail. Another advantage is that there are no barricades across the trail--it is easy going, and the scenery is beautiful. For the most part, the trail runs right along the river for which it is named. Most of the original mileposts are in tact, repainted white with black numerals, and there are whistle posts at every little crossroads. There is only one water tower left, so we stopped and looked at that on the way into Marlinton.

We went through one tunnel today, and crossed many bridges, some of which are the original trestles, and some rebuilt.

After our rest stop with Bill, we headed north toward Marlinton, the largest city on the trail. He said he was going to take an unmarked road that was shown on the GPS to go through to Marlinton instead of the road shown on the trail map. We left with plans to meet up at Marlinton to eat lunch together and go to the bike shop. My rear derailleur will not shift at all today, and I have a wobble in the rear wheel.

When Dianne and I got to Marlinton we saw people everywhere! We had not seen another person on the trail all day, and suddenly there was a group of bikers parked in the middle of the trail, which became blacktop within the city limits. And there were people walking... culture shock! We pedalled over to the meeting spot, and Bill was not there. Dianne took a comfort stop while I waited for him, and then I went to the bike shop while she waited for him. The bike shop is also a coffee shop, so we ate lunch there, leaving our distinctive bikes outside so Bill would see us if he came into town. We were plenty worried about him since he is so reliable and was going even farther off the beaten path than he has all week...

We checked back at the meeting spot after eating our lunch, and he still was not there. Now we were REALLY worried... so we went to the Visitors' Center where a nice young woman told us that this was a new one--she gets many requests to look for people on the trail, but never had been asked by people on the trail to look for anyone on the road! She offered to look for him in her car, which was a good thing, because our next move would have been to go to the police.

While she went out to look for Bill, Dianne and I went back to the meeting place. Still no Bill. A short time later I got the idea of looking at the old (burned out) train depot, and there he was! He was sure that was the meeting place, and we were sure the trail parking lot was the meeting place.... you may rest assured that we will never discuss this again, since there is no resolution... We were plenty glad to see him, and just as I was ready to go to the Visitors' Center to tell them he was found, the young lady who was looking for him drove up in her car! All's well that ends well.... we lost an hour and a half, but we got Bill back.

Dianne and I left on our bikes, leaving Bill in the parking lot after filling our water bottles. About a half mile down the trail, I got another flat tire! This on one of my brand new tires... Dianne got a ride back to town to see if Bill was still there--John and Joel were walking on the trail and offered to drive her... While she was gone, I looked over my tire and wheel very carefully and found a teeny blip in the rim tape on the rear wheel, exposing a sharp edge. I taped it up with duct tape, and soon we were on our way. (They did not find Bill--he had already left for our next meeting point, since he has to drive 20 miles or more of curvy mountain road to meet us 11 miles down the trail).

We met up at Seebert, and I was ready to be done for the day--this was right at Watoga State Park, and our cabin was calling to me. But we stayed with the plan and got back on the trail after fortifying ourselves with PBJ and gatorade. We finished up at Beard, where Bill was waiting in the truck, and we loaded up and headed for home. We were showered and in our jammies by 4:00.

I cooked supper with the windows open, and it started raining just as we were ready to eat--nice timing! Bill happened to glance out the window, and saw a couple of bear cubs cavorting around the yard... soon there were 3, and this time I had the camera ready! Not the best resolution, but I think you can tell what they are. The 3 cubs played around for a long while and we thoroughly enjoyed watching them. Of course we knew better than to go out in the yard when they were there... we did not see Mama Bear, but knew she was out there nearby.

We had a nice supper and shared some wine, then got out the Scrabble board. This is our last night at this cabin.

September 15. Rest day.

We woke up in our wonderful cabin at Watoga State Park; there was a coffee pot on the table, but no coffee. Since it was already 9:00 (!!!) when we got out of bed, Dianne and I walked to the park office to see if we could scare up some coffee. The restaurant was closed, but the office workers were kind enough to give us 3 cups from their office coffee pot.

We had big plans for the day--Cass Historical Railroad train ride and a visit to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, WV, where Bill said they can listen for alien signals from space. First we stopped at French's restaurant in Marlinton for the authentic WV breakfast recommended by the people in the state park office... Thus fortified, we headed up to Cass on one-lane paved road with hairpin curves, many steep grades, and a view that reminded us of the John Denver song about this state. What unspoiled beauty!

We got to Cass and found that the railroad was closed on Tuesdays at this time of year. Not only was the train not operating, but the Cass Company Store was closed too. We were quite disappointed. (This was the day I could not find my camera, so these photos of the Cass company store and restored company housing that is open to the public were taken the following morning).

We got to the Observatory and found it closed too! Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in September. What's with this place!!??? We could see the radio telescopes out in the field, and there were workers around, but the Science Center was closed and there were no tours.

We found a better road on the way back to the park, which will make a difference tomorrow morning when we have to drive back up to Cass for the Greenbrier River Trail head.... We stopped at Marlinton on the way back to stock up on groceries, since it is such a long circuitous drive out of the park, and this is the only grocery store for miles around.

Once we were back at the cabin, Dianne and I decided to change the bike tires while Bill went in for a nap (he did all the driving, still suffering from allergies)... The first tube in the rear tire blew up in my face, and while setting the next tire into the rim, Dianne quietly called my name... She said, "Linda, look". I said "WHAT?" without looking up, and she touched my arm and directed my attention to the black BEAR that was about 15 feet behind me coming out of the woods! We calmly walked into the house and I started tearing the place apart looking for the camera while the bear headed for the garbage can. She made short work of the wire cage around the enclosure and liked what she found--we had cleaned all the food out of the truck and put it in the garbage can, including some moldy (but very aromatic) strwaberries.

By the time I found the camera the bear had been scared away by a car, of course, the only one that drove by our cabin that day... We came back out to finish changing tires and to clean and lube the chains, but one of us kept an eye to the woods at all times!

The bear did not come back that evening. After dinner we played Scrabble until 9 PM. We are all glad for the rest day, and are looking forward to the Greenbrier River Trail tomorrow.

September 14: Pennsboro to Wolf Summit, WV: 34 miles

We got up this morning with such good intentions for an early start... we thought the breakfast at the inn was not enough to ride all day, so we walked to a restaurant across the road and ate real breakfast... came back to pack up and found my bike with a flat rear tire. We changed it and were on our way. I did not find the cause of the flat. I guess this is why I was so tired at the end of the day yesterday--must have had a slow leak. Pretty hard to ride on soft tires.... why is it that I ALWAYS check my road bike tires and NEVER check my mountain bike tires??? You'd think I would learn.

Today's trail featured all different surfaces--we had rocks and gravel, mowed grass, tall weeds... and near the end it was a 6 inch wide rut in the woods with trees slapping us in the face. There was mud in some of the tunnels--most were unrideable and we had to walk our bikes through the rocks, mud, and gravel in the dark.



We met Bill at Salem, as planned. but right before we got to the trail parking (at another train station undergoing restoration) we passed a Dairy Queen. I had to drag Dianne to the meeting place--she did not want to pass up DQ... Bill had the same notion--it was either go to the store for bread for cold sandwiches or back to DQ, so guess where we ate???? That ice cream sure was good!

During today's ride we saw some trail maintenance vehicles, and only two other bike riders coming from the other way. The crew offered to let us go ahead of them in the tunnel, which would have been nice for the light provided by their headlights, but I did not want to breathe their exhaust fumes, so we let them go ahead... today we traveled through the longest tunnel of the trip (#6), and got answers for some of our questions--at Salem we learned that the last train passed through in 1985, and some of the tunnels had engravings from when they were built (in 1868). We saw the only whistle post of the trip this afternoon... where did they all go?

Toward the end of the day I had a low tire again--same one, so we stopped and aired it up on the trail, believing we could make it to the end without changing it, and we did.

The last section of the trail was the worst--we usually could tell when the trail was rerouted from the original rail bed, and this section was like that. We got to the end of the trail at Wolf Summit, and Bill was waiting for us in the truck. What a guy.... Whenever we needed him he was there! We loaded up the bikes and headed for Clarksburg to look for a bike shop.

And did we ever find a bike shop! Holy Moses Bicycles is named for the owner, Paul Moses, pictured above. He sold us the tires and tubes we needed at a good price, gave us chain lube, and offered to change my tire (which by now was flat flat flat)... he was a good sport about it all, and came out to the truck to see our bikes. Like everyone else who knows bikes he had some comments about our Y-22's.... He told us some good stories about the North Bend rail trail and events (races) that take place there. We were glad to have met him, and could have talked all afternoon, but had to get on the road for Watoga State Park, our destination for this night.

I'm from Detroit, and when I see that it is a 136 mile drive to the next destination, I think that it should take about 2 hours.... well, not in West Virginia! It took 4 hours on curvy mountainous roads to get to Watoga State Park. We arrived well after dark to find the key in an envelope with my name on it (I had called ahead from Clarksburg to reserve it). We drove up some more steep curvy roads to find our cabin, and it was great! 2 bedrooms, full kitchen, heat and air conditioning... what could be better than this? We got a much needed shower, and believe it or not, were too tired to even play one game of Scrabble!

September 13. Parkersburg to Pennsboro, WV: 39 miles

We had a bit of a slow start this morning--we took advantage of the hotel's continental breakfast, loaded the bikes and gear in/on the truck and left around 9 AM. We found the trailhead after a few wrong turns, and unloaded the bikes and got started 9:30ish... I got on my bike and instantly got in trouble--the bite valve on my Camelbak fell off and water was spurting out... I tried to catch the bite valve and stop the bike at the same time and ended up on the ground. Not too much fun.

This is a lovely rail trail. We can so imagine the trains on this route. Once Dianne and I got started on the bikes Bill went in the truck to find a store--we needed batteries for the bike lights (need the lights for the longer tunnels) and a toothbrush... our plan was to meet up at the next town, Walker, which was about 10 miles up the trail.

When Dianne and I got to Walker, Bill was not in town; in fact there was no town there either. Just a post office that looks like it may have once been the train station. We waited at the post office for a while and then moved on and found Bill at the trail head about a mile out of town. We refilled our water and juice and found that only one of the bike lights still works.

We saw some nice sights along the route--there was evidence of the original use of this corridor. We saw piles of railroad ties, wheels and axle once, and old station buildings. The best photo not taken was of a log cabin by a creek. I would have had to get down (and then back up) a steep enbankmant to get a clear view. The trail surface was rocky, but it was pretty flat most of the time. As we approached the tunnels we had a slight uphill grade, but then after the tunnels we were on the dowhill so it all worked out. There is only about 300 feet difference in elevation over the 70 miles of the North Bend Rail Trail, which is where we are riding today and tomorrow.

We knew we would not finish the 70 mile trail today--this is vacation after all! We stopped and took photos at all the tunnels along the way, including the reputedly haunted tunnel 19; each one has its own character. Our planned lunch stop was at Cairo, which was a nice little town. Unfortunately this is Sunday and a lot of places were closed. Our word for the day today is "fortuitous". As we rode into Cairo to meet Bill, Dianne's rear tire had a bulge--very like the one I had earlier this year on my mountain bike. There was a hole in the tire; the only reason it did not blow out was that the earth guard was plugging the hole! The Country Trails Bike and General Store (see photo) was open, and when we walked in there we found 5 tires--a 12", 2 24", a road bike tire, and one mountain bike tire exactly the same as the one that had the bulge! That is indeed fortuitous! We bought the tire, asked if there was another available (there was not), changed it, had lunch and were on our way with plans to meet Bill at Pennsboro for ice cream and finish 50 miles today. The woman in the bike store was supremely helpful--she gave us "real" maps of the North Bend trail and other West Virginia information.

When we arrived at Pennsboro I was so done.... and Bill was having an allergy attack. We had planned on driving to Clarksburg at the end of this day for a room, but Dianne likes Bed and Breakfasts and other smaller independent places. She went for a little ride on the bike and came back with the information that there was an Inn here in the small town of Pennsboro, so here we are at The Legacy.--she again used that word--fortuitous. It is a lovely place and we were so glad to be done and off the trail even though we only rode 38 miles today. We walked to a place in town for dinner, then (what else) played Scrabble until 9 PM (in the common room of the inn).

Here is the train station at Pennsboro, in process of restoration. This was a great little place for us, fortuitous indeed!