State 28 – West Virginia

3/14/2020

Its spring break and we’re ready to travel to new states. We have 8 states planned for this trip out east and south. No trip would be complete without some drama. We’re dealing with the COVID-19 virus and things are starting to shut down around us. No formal lock down requests were made that we were aware of. Our plan was to get in and out of each state fast with minimal contact with people.

We came in fast to West Virginia and of course it was night time. We needed a photo of the state sign and were not sure if we would cross paths with the state again. Hence the night shot. This sign was a bit closer to the road than we would have liked!

Behind us was a very large refinery with many lights on. There were several stacks flaring the gas from the refining process.

We did end up finding a daytime photo later in the trip. I like the color better, but just remembering how desperate we were for the first shot, I didn’t want to forget it.

Our plan was to ride a section of the Greenbrier River Trail. Its a 77 mile trail along the river that seemed to be peaceful. I looked at a map and picked the perfect location for us to ride. The plan was to drive out to Clover Lick, West Virginia and ride out to Sharp’s Tunnel, then come back to the car and move on.

Unfortunately for Corvin and myself, my planning didn’t turn out that good. First off, Clover Lick is not an easy town to get to. The last 30 is miles took about an hour. The road curves a ton. It is wide enough for about 1.5 cars with gravel on each side. When you do have to pass somebody. Both vehicles have a set of tires in the gravel and play the how far can I get to the side without going off the road game. Corvin was getting a bit motion sick from the turns and elevation changes.

When we did get to the town, I had us go the wrong direction on the trail. We eventually met a couple that was riding in the opposite direction on bikes. He explained to me that the tunnel was 5 miles one way from where we parked. At least the scenery next to the river was peaceful!

Very cool bridge.

Then Corvin wanted us to stand up on the ledge. I was freaked out and didn’t stay up there very long. Dang,I think I’m getting old!

This is what most of the trail looked like. Peaceful and would be amazing in the summer. Probably tons of places to stop and swim!

Corvin’s Journal Entry

Our Strava Entry.

Our map of completed states.

Stats:
Total Trip Miles:  159.61
Total Moving Time: 30h 39m
Total Elevation Gained: 4209 feet
Total Hogan UPD: 15
Total Corvin UPD: 9

Hogan Haake

2 thoughts on “State 28 – West Virginia

Comments are closed.