Here's my trip writeup for the Hoot in the Holler 2007, otherwise known as the Chain Gang's West Virginia Jailbreak 2007. Thanks to KenWVHills for putting together a fantastic time once again!
The TripTotal Mileage: 1,654 mi + about 30 mi when the ABS sensor quit 'cause it was gummed up w/ WV mud.
Mileage Start:
Mileage Finish:
I took 2 days to make the trip to the jailbreak, and left on Thursday June 7. Here's Thursday's Route.
I had always wanted to ride NY 9W, which runs along the Pallisades Sill, so I rode out to Newburgh. I left at 8:40 AM, hoping to be behind traffic and luckily was. Even though it was 57 degrees when I left, I decided to wear my summer mesh riding gear, 'cause I knew it was going to get hot. By the time I got to Newburgh, NY (about 100 mi), I had to stop for breakfast, HOT coffee, and give myself time to warm up.
Breakfast at the Alexis Diner:
After Breakfast, I put on my rainjacket under my gear and hauled down 9W. It was a great ride. From there, I played around in Bear Mountain - Harriman State Park:
After that, I got a bit turned around and finally headed west on NY Rt 17A - a great twisty ride along the NY/NJ boarder. From there, I slabbed it out to Scranton, down to Wilkes Barre, then crossed the Susquehanna River onto PA Rte 522. The northern part of this route is tough to take - it's congested, lots of towns and lots of construction stops and traffic lights - now it's hot - low 90's and bright sun. I was riding for the first time with a camelback and it really saved the day. The southern part of Rt 522 was more pleasant and open. I made it down to Breezwood PA and stopped for the night in a hotel.
Friday, had me riding from Breezewood down the PA turnpike (my EZ Pass didn't work at the entrance - somewhat annoying) and then all the way down to Glen, WV near where the rally was.
Friday's Route Map:
There were severe thunderstorms lurking off to the west of me in Ohio, so I decided to make time and hauled on I-68 to I-79 through Morgantown all the way down to the jailbreak. The trip across the ridges on MD on I-68 brought the first big wind blasts of the pending storms - a couple of times the bike was snapped off line, but nothing that was concerning. I made it down to the jailbreak site around 1:30 or so, a former Union Carbide hunting/recreation lodge. To get there you have to cross the same stream 4 times. A new feat for me that turned out to be really fun and not difficult at all.
On my arrival, there was a small group of folks at the lodge as most were out riding. Toward the evening as the storms were supposed to be coming in and most riders were back we lined up the bikes for pictures at the lodge, only to have to pull them back off the edge of the berm as the winds kicked up. Luckily we missed all of the reported 80 MPH winds associated w/ the storm and only had an hour or two of rain.
Hangin' at the lodge Fri evening:
My tent at the back of the lodge:
Saturday brought the fun and reason WV is such a great place to ride. We split up with rideres going out on all paved rides, a mix of off-road and pavement, and then a few riders heading for the real gnarly off-road stuff that just makes me worry about breaking parts of the bike or me. I went with Ken and about 6 other riders on a mixed pavement/off-road ride. The first part was exactly what I wanted - fairly steep, rocky, muddy water crossings, and across countless (I have no idea where) old mining roads in various states of disrepair. It was great!
Here's me at one of the water crossings leaving the lodge (thanks Ken):
One more water crossing shot of me from our off-road section:
One of Saturday's highlights was LUNCH. At a really good Cajun place (go figure in WV!)
Greg, Ken & Co at lunch:
The paved riding highlight of the day was riding the absolutely sick twisties of WV Routes 60 and 16 heading to Hawks Nest overlooking the New River. Here's a shot of me coming round the bend just before the overlook (thanks Greg) I'm in the lead with Bruce following:
Pics from the Hawks Nest Overlook:
We also rode to the town of Thurmond, which is a ghost town, now adopted by the US Park Service.
The town used to be a railroad stop for the coal-fired cars, but once diesel came into play, the town basically folded up.
After that, Ken took us on another easier dirt road ride through the woods on the way to a spectacular bridge overlooking the New River (I think).
Stopped on the dirt road:
Saturday evening brought some beer drinkin', some music, lot's of conversation, talking with some old friends, making new friends, and just really enjoying being around this great assemblage of fun, regular folks who like to ride one of the best all-around motorcycles ever built.
Alas, it was time to leave on Sunday. With my goodbye's said, I rode off north, then east toward Seneca Rocks - the site of the 2005 WVJB.
Here's the route back on Sunday: 
Found some great twisty roads and wound up backtracking to Cumberland, MD. Here's a couple of shots of from the roadside on WV 33:
Here's a shot from WV Rt 29 on my backtrack to Cumberland - much nicer than I-81.
And Finally, my route back after camping at a KOA in Jonestown, PA.
And, here's my planned return route. I've included a trip to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and Museum in Pickering, OH. Plus, I've tried to avoid most major metro areas and get a nice fun ride along Route 6 in PA. Return route looks like 1,400 miles.
And, here's my planned return route. I've included a trip to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and Museum in Pickering, OH. Plus, I've tried to avoid most major metro areas and get a nice fun ride along Route 6 in PA. Return route looks like 1,400 miles.
