Beckley West Virginia to Hendersonville North Carolina

It was election day in Ontario. Sandy and I voted in the advance polls before we left.

Today, we were pulling up stakes in West (By God) Virginia and heading for Hendersonville, North Carolina. As I hauled all the bags to the truck, I felt some nostalgia of the days when we traveled light and everything we carried would fit on a motorcycle. Then I realized that I really do like having all the extra stuff.

While I was waiting for the others, I took out my portable compressor and bumped the truck tires up to 35 PSI. A funny thing about the Avalanche is that the door plate calls for 30 PSI while the Silverado, with similar weight and identical tires, calls for 35. So let's see if this helps the fuel mileage.

The coffee and juice machines in the lobby weren't working because of the plumbing problems, so I had biscuits and gravy and Sandy made coffee in the room. I also took a picture of the trike outfit a gentleman from Phoenix rode in last night. Very pretty. He has been on the road two months, is not sure where he is from day to day, but wants to get home via the coolest (as in temperature) route possible. Humidity was new to him.

Phoenix trike

I wanted to get down to Virginia so I could fuel up with cheaper gas. The truck said I could make it but it would be close and I generally don't trust those vehicle computers when it gets near the edge. I took on five gallons at the station near the motel (at $3.68) on the way out. We were rolling at just after 9:00 AM.

Early on, we saw several police cars with one vehicle pulled over. Multiple officers were searching a vehicle while the couple who were driving it stood off to the side. We had to stop at a rest area near Camp Creek to check the bikes and give Gary and Dianne back our other GMRS radio. Gary has a set and we can hear them transmit quite clearly but they can't hear us. Soon, we were through the East River Mountain Tunnel to Virginia and the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel to Wytheville, where we stopped at the Travel Centers of America for fuel.

Someone is having a bad day

Welcome to Virginia

The light at the end of the tunnel

 TOA fuel price

We left I-77 and followed I-81 to the southwest. The truck traffic was moderate and the wind was friendly. Somewhere down there, we saw a whole group of Virginia State Troopers with people pulled over. As I signaled to move left in accordance with the law, a Mercedes slowed and flashed his lights to let me in. Then the car behind him lit him up with blue lights and pulled him over. They must have been using an aircraft. Good thing we travel 65 MPH in a 70 zone most of the time.

Troopers were busy

We left I-81 in Abingdon, Virginia and traveled south to the Tennessee border and US-421. This is a little back road I like to take. I call it a shortcut but it really doesn't save many miles, it is just more interesting. It also goes by Bristol Motor Speedway on its way to Johnson City. In Johnson City, we caught I-26 East (really south at this end) and followed it to Erwin where we got off at Exit 37. The  rain had started in JC and stopped as we arrived in Erwin. We had lunch at the McDonald's where we are supposed to meet the gang at 11:00 AM Monday morning.

Bristol Dragway

Bristol Motor Speedway

Johnson City, Tennessee clouds

No signaling, donut tire, many tattoos on girl driving

The rendezvous point in Erwin Tennessee

It started raining again as we left Erwin and started the climb to the ridge that forms the state line. It rained pretty hard in some spots so I decided to skip the usual stop at the lookout on the ridge. Maybe Monday. We drove on down the other side past three truck runoff ramps and, by the time we got to the mostly level Mars Hill area, the pavement was dry. But it was still sprinkling.

Glad we are in trucks

We followed I-26 through Asheville and got into Hendersonville about 3:00 PM. The Ramada was easy to find and had lots of room in the parking lot. Our rooms were right near the lobby with king beds.

Ramada Inn - Hendersonville NC

The sky was clear when we arrived. After we hauled all the gear to the rooms, it started to rain. I asked if anyone wanted to go to Schroader's Honda to check out the bikes. The ladies declined, so Gary and I unhooked the Avalanche and went for a drive. The rain intensity picked up and I'm sure we saw some frogs choking on the way over.

Schroader's was the same as always. Very many Gold Wings. Also a row of F6B's. And the new Valkyrie. OK Terry, I see what you were saying. But for you, he also had a whole row of the of original Valkyries and one Rune. I picked up some new turn down exhaust tips since mine were rusting out. They also had a replacement micro-switch for the front brake cruise control interlock.

Honda Rune

Gary talking trike prices with Casey

One of the rows of Wings

All Valkyries

1980 GL1100

GL1200 and Hannigan Sidecar

From Shroader's, I took Gary to Justice Cycle. CJ and his wife remembered our visit back in 2007 when they opened the shop late on a Saturday afternoon to help one of my riding partners who had taken a spike through his tire. They still have their hopped up garden tractor and have won some championships with it. Next year, it will be 50 years that they have been open in this location.

The Justices

Interesting business strategy

Credit policy makes sense

We got back to the hotel and found a Valk Interstate parked next to my trailer. That would be the trailer with the keys hanging in the door. I really need someone to follow me around and double check what I do.

Wet arrival at the hotel

I consulted Tripadvisor for supper recommendations. It seems the top two eateries in this town are bakeries. The third rated place was Binion's Roadhouse, a mere mile away. We went over and were seated immediately.  The food was all they said it was. I had brisket, coleslaw and baked beans. Sandy had a half rack of ribs, slaw and fries. Gary downed a whole rack of ribs and baked potato while Dianne had a small (5 ounce) sirloin and another baked spud. Sandy and I shared blackberry cobbler and ice cream for dessert. I would do it again.

One interesting thing about Binion's is that they have what they claim is Popcorn Sutton's last still. For those who know about Marvin 'Popcorn' Sutton, this is significant. Popcorn was the quintessential moonshiner and, before his death, used to bring shine to the VROC SEVROC gathering in Maggie Valley.

Binion's Roadhouse - Hendersonville NC

Popcorn and his 'last still'

The last still

Evil, Popcorn (may the RIP) and Jax in Maggie Valley years ago

After supper, we returned to the hotel where the ladies turned in right away. I stayed up and finished another blog day before quitting for the night. I was pleased to see comments on my last blog posts from Mark Faulkner. He did the Ballad of the Gap video that I enjoyed so much and played for Gary and Dianne. He was pleased that we liked it and also commented on our Back Of The Dragon ride.

Today's Route (253 Avalanche miles):
 

Interactive map

Beckley West Virginia - Babcock State Park and Exhibition Coal Mine

I was awake at 5:45. Early to bed and all that. I worked at my on-line chores and caught up on the news before going to the breakfast area for more biscuits and gravy. They had some plumbing problems overnight, with three separate leaking pipes in the lobby. My legs hurt yesterday and I was wondering whether the Crestor prescription was the issue, but then I remembered walking up from the lower observation platform at the Bridge two days ago. OK, that was the more probable reason.

The weather forecast was iffy, but another look at the radar suggested we might get a short ride in and stay dry. The road to Babcock State Park, suggested yesterday by the Florida Harley trike rider, looked like a good place. Once everyone was up, we decided to go for it.

The ladies are ready

Plumber in the lobby

There is sun up there somewhere

We fueled at a BP station and then left town on Highway 41 north. This road was great. I had told Dianne it wasn't as tight as yesterday. Then I saw a 15 MPH sign and thought maybe I had lied. But this was a West Virginia 15 MPH which is different from a Virginia 15. West Virginia is much more cautious and we never did find a corner that required slowing down very much.

After stopping at a construction zone and then crossing the Glade River river, we went through Prince, which consisted of a couple of houses and an Amtrac station. I have concluded that Amtrac is set up for the convenience of the trains, not the passengers.

Construction zone and bridge on WV 41

We stopped at Layland and viewed a historical marker describing the Layland Mine Disaster of 1915. I subsequently found a report from back in the day detailing how the survivors barricaded themselves more than a mile into the mine against the gas and how they walked out themselves after four days. Coal mining was hard and dangerous work a century ago.

Baptist Church - Layland, West Virginia

Layland Mine Disaster marker

From Layland, we continued up Highway 41 to Babcock State Park and its grist mill, which is reputedly one of the most photographed spots in West Virginia. We had a pleasant talk with the nice lady working in the gift shop and I bought Sandy a 2015 calendar of West Virginia scenes.

The Glade Creek Grist Mill is an operating reconstruction made from the components of three separate mills. It was constructed mostly of hemlock to resist deterioration, along with some poplar.

Babcock State Park

The Glade Creek Grist Mill

The miller

Copper water wheel

Beautiful natural landscaping

Glade Creek

OK

We left the park and followed 41 up to US 60, then we headed west to US 19 and went south over the New River Gorge Bridge to Fayetteville (billed as the "coolest small town" on a welcome sign). During this stretch the cruise control finally started working, although I had to push the brake lever out after every use before it would stay engaged. We stopped for lunch at Bob Evans (1/2 mile from Wrong Turn's former house as the crow flies), where Sandy and I each had half a turkey bacon melt and what was supposedly a cup of chicken noodle soup. I say supposedly because it looked like a bowl to me.

WV 41 near US 60

Lunch in Fayetteville

After lunch, I looked at the sky and saw some hints on the horizon. I suggested that we return to the hotel and load the bikes before going to visit the Exhibition Coal Mine in Beckley. Gary concurred, so we rode back to town. I detoured the stop and go by following I-77/I-64 around to the south end.

As we approached the hotel, we were briefly held up by a wreck. A full size van had attempted to occupy the same space as a small car and both suffered for it.

Wreck within sight of the hotel

We were in the hotel lot by 2:00 PM and the bikes were loaded and tied down by 2:30. Soon after, the formerly clear blue skies became black and ominous. Gary made some comment about my crystal ball.

The skies darken

The four of us jumped in Gary's truck and I guided us, via GPS, to the Exhibition Coal Mine operated by the City of Beckley. This was very similar to the Big Nickel Mine back home (except, of course, being about coal). Just after the loaded us in a tram in a covered building, the rain started pouring down. No big deal since we were going underground.

Our guide Curt was a retired coal miner. He described the various exhibits each time the tram stopped. The mining was very different from our hard rock mining back home. Our miners didn't have the same issues of gas and explosive dust. The old style work places were very low and the mining was very physically demanding. We got a feel for what it meant back then to be a coal miner.

At the Exhibition Coal Mine

Nice signage

Touching monument

The rain has started pelting down

Happy, dry folks in a tram

Eight of these and you have a Tennessee Ernie Ford song

Damn, I look old

There were examples of various new-fangled machine

Our guide Curt

Newer equipment again

Kettle tops (aka widowmakers) - petrified trees in coal

This caught my eye in the museum

It was still raining when the tour ended but it let up soon after. As we left, we could see a small lake had formed in the roadway in front of the parking lot. As we left, we saw portions of the town were flooding. Gary's truck made it through and back to the hotel OK.

Sunny again

Do we need an ark?

This driver didn't try - but we went through it

A manhole cover geyser

A main street

What, no fishing rods?

We made it back to the hotel without mishap. There was a new VW beetle sitting in the lot. It looked like a diesel engine and a six speed manual transmission. I could have fun with one of these.

I liked this

When it was time for supper, I had been talking about Five Guys since we got to town. We were at one in Williamsburg back in 2012 and I really liked it. The gang gave in and we went over. I had a double bacon cheeseburger with mushrooms (don't tell my cardiologist) while Sandy had grilled cheese. We split a "small" order of fries. It was still good.

Ready to eat

Eating

Back at the hotel, Gary hooked his trailer up to the truck in anticipation of our morning departure. He has an interesting way of lining the truck up using two magnetic based expandable rods with optional lights on top. It looked slick and worked perfectly.

Preparing to hook up

Setting up the guides

Loaded and connected, we went back to the rooms where the other three watched Youtube videos while I made maps, sorted photos and transcribed notes. Unfortunately, I ran out of steam before the blog for the day was complete. I was in bed before 11:00 PM.

Today's Route (83 motorcycle miles):

Interactive map