Unity wrote: rode 11 miles ,,,.on a gravel mountain road. A lot of first- and second-gear stuff with occasional body jolts from ruts, washouts and potholes
Firebird wrote: Congrats to Jody for conquering that fire.
Thanks, Dawn! I'm probably the only one in the world who expected a road across Dolly Sods Wilderness Area to be paved! Actually, the Rand McNally map I was using shows it as a paved road. I had a more detailed county map with me, but didn't consult it before suggesting a "shortcut" over to Route 55 to John.
We'd ridden a lot of back roads around Phillippi and St. George yesterday morning, after spending the night at a great B&B in Davis, WV. LOVELY roads over there. And the first part of the road we took was paved, and very twisty. I found myself wondering if there weren't a gear lower than first! Still, I put the skills I'd learned in the Rider's Workshop to use, and enjoyed the ride to Laneville.
The gravel started shortly thereafter, and seemed to go on forever. John was in the lead, so I could hug the side of the road away from the sheer dropoff until we met the occasional vehicle--I was afraid of bouncing right off the road! It was incredibly beautiful up there, but I didn't want to stop even for pictures--it started looking pretty cloudy up ahead, and we weren't sure how far we had yet to go on the gravel (the GPS couldn't find us). I did take a few on the first leg of the Laneville Road, though. I'd sure like to go back, but on a GS or in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle next time! It was quite an adventure for a lady on an RS.
Jody