Parkersburg, West Virginia
Monday, May 7, 2012
It is hard to leave. Always one more alternative to consider. But there is a limit to how much one can strap to the back of a motorcycle ( at least, for me -- I will always be beaten by the experts in Melo (Cerro Largo, Uruguay)). I finally moved out at 10 am -- starting mileage on the odometer was 18,824. Stopped to say goodbye to Harry and return the essential Neats Foot Oil. Made the decision to go directly west to Parkersburg via rout 50 (all the wise friends and maps and programs suggested going round via Maryland and route 70 and 68) -- and boy was I glad I made that choice. It is a fantastic route. Runs directly west. From Leesburg I went on to Winchester, and then straight across the top of West Virginia (see link to map --
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=218349381846655394814.0004bb01f2f6de5fefebc&msa=0&ll=39.113014,-79.348755&spn=2.621074,4.718628) The road is a simple two lane highway, same as it was when built in 1935 or thereabouts. Twisting and turning through the hills and valleys it travels through little towns that are still alive and have no big box stores -- small farms still run by families -- strip mines and logging files.... The total for the day was 304 miles -- enough for one tired soldier.
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Comments
Good morning Jim you look good.What time did you leave and arrive?Are you recording on your blog the mileage of each day as a graph.How much was the hotel? What time did you manage to leave Tuesday? Abrazo MyD
Keep it up Jim. You looked good at the start, let's see how you look when you finish. Harry
If you're reading this, Beth, Happy Birthday!!
Well, Jim since today's your LAST day on the road, I was inspired to go back and begin at the beginning. It's cool to see how long you anticipated the journey, and how hard it was to believe that you'd actually get going! I wonder how differently you'll prepare for the return from Alaska, now that you've completed the way out?