Pipestem State Park

When I was younger, I thought nothing of hiking or walking 10 or 12 miles a day. There aren't many places in the this state that I haven't hiked, biked, or kayaked. A few weeks ago, Marilyn and I went to Pipestem State Park for the weekend to hike with the Kanawha Trail Club. I used to hike regularly with them but my back gives me a lot of trouble now and I can only hike a few miles without resting. It happens.....

Pipestem is a great place to enjoy the outdoors. The club stayed down in the valley near the Bluestone River. The only way to get there is the tramway. The view and the isolation is well worth the ride.
The hike at the bottom of the Gorge meanders along for miles and miles. It's pristine down here and you're likely to see just about anything in the wildlife category. One of the better hikes in this area demands that you cross the river on foot. I did it many years ago but the weather was way too cold to make an attempt this day.

Vintage Motorcycles

I saw a beautiful exhibit of vintage Motorcycles at the state capitol complex today.

I had only read about these machines before today and never expected to see any of them. Some of the were made in the beginning 1900’s. The early motorcycles used a leather belt to supply power to the real wheel and had a “pressurized fuel tank” (to help with the flow of gasoline) to the engine. As the bikes progressed towards the era of the second world war, they became as much of a work of art, as a form of cheap transportation. Thousands of them were used by the military in both the United States and England.

Looking at some of them today reminds me of my grandfather in the town of Rocky Mount North Carolina. My grandfather and grandmother were poor farmers. They lived in a little town called Battleboro on a farm on the outskirts of town.

I can still remember him vividly as he pushed his “whiz” motorbike down a dirt path, “popping” the clutch, and zooming off in a cloud of dust toward the little town to purchase a few groceries at the local store. He was strong as a mule, and at 78, could still get around very well. You need to be in “good shape” to run fast enough to start an engine this way.

To this day, I still buy cars with a standard transmission because its possible to start them with a short push if you have a manual clutch.

The exhibit will only be here for a few weeks. I heard someone mention that one of the bikes here is VERY rare. Doing a quick “google” search, I saw a similar bike, at auction, for around $40,000 but the price could still go much higher.

Of course, it’s impractical to spend any time “on the road” with most of these machines, but as a work of art, and a piece of history, they’re priceless.

I spent about an hour just viewing some of them from a mechanical standpoint.

I think often of riding a motorcycle down the “Blue Ridge Parkway” in the early autumn months. I recently read a book called “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”. It was a fascinating book and the authors description of riding in the open air was very stimulating.

I couldn’t help but notice the “suicide” shifters on many of these early bikes. It would indeed be a challenge to master one of these.

Who knows…maybe someday (in my mid 70’s) I will still be able run along side a motorbike, “pop” the clutch, and zoom off in a cloud of dust as my grandfather used to do at the farm in North Carolina.

But then again, it was finally his demise when a driver ran a stop sign and knocked him to the ground at a busy intersection. It wasn’t the VERY end, but several days later, a blood clot ended his life when he fell out of bed at the hospital.

He was tough old bird and I imagine he lived life to the fullest as he felt the wind blow around him and heard all the country sounds he moved simply down the highway.

I can’t help but to admire him.

A Quick Hike in the Woods

My son, Mike, and I made a "maintenance run" to his hidden cache in the forest a few weeks ago. It was a good way to spend a day outdoors in the woods (even with the high chance of a good rain). It's always good to spend a day like this....

After we checked the cache, we hiked to an old mine, and sat for awhile, listening to the sounds of the woods. Mike had his dog "Bud Bud" with him (leashed of course) and as we were sitting and listening, a hunter slipped out of the woods a few hundred yards below us.

We were in a state forest (hunting is legal this time of year) but in a busy area where hikers and mountain bikers are usually present at all times of the year.

We didn't need to watch him because of "Bud Bud". He's a determined dog and all we needed to do was watch his eyes and ears. He didn't miss a thing....

Conner's First Steps

My Grandson is walking now (some thought he never would)....

He also has a new puppy which takes a lot of attention! My daughter and I took a nice bike ride in the neighborhood (before the snow set in) a enjoyed the day at the Ice Cream Store.

The rest is history! He's walking everywhere now!

Merry Christmas from Katie

Presented by "Andrea Johnson".

Katies "teachers aide" at Montrose Elementary School, So Chas, WV

Halloween Pumpkins

My Daughter sent me pictures of the kids getting ready for Halloween!

I think they're just adorable and wanted to share them with all you folks!

The first thing to do is find a nice pumpkin and draw a picture on it.

Then you carve out the image to make it your "special pumpkin".

(This job is only for the big folks with some creativity)

Then you gather the management team to complete the assignment!

The pumpkins turn out like this:

You place them all on the porch banister.

(To share with all the "spooks and goblins")

And a few other creatures and characters!

A Special Hike Today

Marilyn and I have been married for exactly one year today, and we celebrated by hiking in the New River Gorge. Our first hike together was here, and we thought it appropriate to spend the day, here again, on our Anniversary.

It’s a beautiful place with lots of good memories for both of us.

The New River is one of oldest rivers in the world, and over millions of years; it’s carved an enormous Canyon along a 60 mile stretch in West Virginia. The best “white water rafting east of the Mississippi” is in this Gorge. Next weekend there will be hundreds of thousands of BASE jumpers leaping off the highest span arch bridge in America at Fayetteville.

As we were hiking along the edge of the Gorge we heard the sound of a coal train lumbering below us and rafters running some of the rapids. Driving over the span arch bridge, we could see my Geocaching site on the rocks a few miles upstream.

Driving back to Charleston, we had a wonderful dinner, at one of the better restaurants in town, and then attended a "string quartet concert ” held at a local church. The music and reception afterwards was a real listening joy. All the players tonight were members of the Charleston Symphony and outstanding musicians.

It doesn’t get any better than this….

Charleston is a great place to live, and within an hours drive of some of the greatest hiking anywhere in the world.

We both feel fortunate, to have found each other here, and able to enjoy this great state with all its varied attractions. We will be looking to many more years.