Huntington, WV – When I first started this ride, West Virginia seemed like it would be the point in the trip when the end would start feeling real. As it turns out, not so far from the truth. However, for the first part of the day’s ride my focus was less on how far we’d come and more on the crazy amount of rain! It was coming down heavy and I was shivering with the best of them. Riding in the rain can actually be kind of fun… it adds a whole “epic” feeling to the day. Adding to the fun was the addition of some new games into the pace line rotation. For the first game, we each took turns sharing a fact we thought nobody in the pace line would know about us. Since we’ve been together 24/7 for over two months, this was harder than it sounds. I most certainly whipped out my two go-to random facts: a) that I was once offered the role of the male lead in a short film about puberty and b) that I was “slimed” by a traveling Nickelodeon show as a kid. The second game involved changing lyrics of well-known songs to relate to some of the more funny moments of the JOH. This was right up my alley, as my partner in lyrical creativity Kelly Nealon could likely attest.
Songs played a pretty central role in this ride, as the John Denver West Virginia ode “Country Roads” was bellowed out many times after crossing into the state. After arriving at a very nice hotel in Huntington, WV (sadly not NY, where my mom’s side of the family lived for many years), we had a friendship visit that evening. I primarily chatted with a married couple about the disability organization they represented, while trying not to fixate on a very up-close-and-personal camera man from a local news station.
Charleston, WV – Another city with an alter ego I’m more familiar with (the Mecca of Charleston, SC of course)! This ride was pretty casual, until a straight up beastly hill emerged just prior to arriving at our lunch friendship visit. It tends to happen, I guess. The FV took place at a children’s therapy center that offers services to families that typically cannot afford the necessary treatments for their son or daughter. There were plenty of cute kids around, including Aiden, who loved knocking down the water bottle towers I kept putting in front of him. Most of the kids had supportive families present (both siblings and parents), and it was really cool to observe these strong interactions and bonds. Strangely enough, what I’ll probably remember most from that visit is a hyper energized game of Hot Potato I somehow got involved in. After arriving at our community center lodging, I eagerly took a nap once I completed a critical thorough clean on my bike. I woke up for our activity for the night, a minor league baseball game sponsored by a local Pi Alpha, in a groggy funk. Luckily, the event surpassed my expectations and included an all-you-can-eat ballpark buffet, a peculiar Michael Jackson tribute and our group singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” on the jumbo screen.
Beckley, WV – This was one of the most perfect rides of the trip – somewhat challenging, with consistently beautiful scenery to take in (see picture). It probably goes without saying, but taking a moment to pause at a stream in the mountains is about as peaceful as it gets. I finally understood why the state’s motto is “Wild and Wonderful” and what exactly Mr. Denver was talking about in his famous song.
From nature to… NASCAR! Well, not exactly. That night we headed off to a local racetrack to check out the spectacle. At the risk of sounding condescending (which I don’t mean to!), it was exactly what you would expect. I was amped to get a chance to walk around the “pit” area and check out all the cars up close. Some of the most shabby-looking vehicles actually ended up tearing it up in the races. All things considered, spectator sports don’t get much more American (or “Am-urrr-ican” as we sometimes say) than this and it was a fitting capstone to our time in West Virginia!
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