Danger, a bridge and twisties

It took me 8 hours to travel the 317 miles from Lewisburg, WV to Lexington, KY. Judy and John covered the same distance in 5.5 hours.

Dangerous Slick

I left the hotel and went to the local gas station to fill up. As I drove in, I noticed the attendants power washing the parking and pump area. John inquired later and was told they were preparing the surface for a new coat of asphalt. I assumed it was just water and thought nothing of it until I put my feet down. My boots’ special “sticky soles” slid like they were greased. I moved very carefully and deliberately as I filled my tank thinking if the bike slipped down it would be very hard to right it on the slick surface. Once fueled I gingerly drove the bike out of the station and at the next stoplight rubbed my soles against the pavement to wear off the water and fuel mixture. One always needs to be on the alert with two wheeled vehicles.

New River Bridge

I drove to Lansing,WV to see this engineering marvel. It is the worlds’ longest single-arch steel span bridge. Towering 876 feet above the river it is America’s second highest bridge. It is built of cor-ten steel, which rusts slightly on the surface. This inhibits deeper rust eliminating the need to paint.

Navigating the Twisties

Driving the “Coal Road” from Fayetteville to Cedar Grove, WV, I encountered numerous curves with 25 mile an hour speed limits. It was fun and challenging to judge a conservative entry speed and then look through the curve while accelerating through the curve. On this road I ran into a brief shower where the rain mixed with the coal dust on the road and added a random patina to my bike giving it an “experienced” look.