Posts Tagged ‘west virginia tourism’

Day 3 West Virginia Cryptid & Paranormal Motorcycle Ride

Posted: July 26, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring, motorcycle tourism
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It was already a warm day when we pulled the motorcycle out of the garage at 7:30AM.  The weather forecast called for a heat advisory and temperatures reaching 98.  That is 98 Fahrenheit which would, for us, not include the extra degrees of pavement heat!  But we had more of West Virginia paranormal to explore!

Ohio River Scenic Byway

We were soon on the Ohio River Scenic Byway headed north to Moundsville, WV home of the Indian Burial Mound and the WV State Penitentiary.  The Ohio River Scenic Byway runs 452 miles alongside the Ohio side of the river. 

The road, for the entire distance we traveled, was in great shape.  As far as “river scenic” I would have to say NOPE!  The trees and brush have grown to the point that you only get a short glimpse of the river and that is mostly around the areas that have a bridge.

However, if you are like me and consider industrial views as scenic you are in for a treat.  This part of Ohio and West Virginia are heavily dotted with industry. Electrical plants with cooling towers rising, to what looks like a thousand feet. Miles of stainless-steel pipes and trestles moving “stuff” back and forth between the plants and the river.  It is quite spectacular.

West Virginia Penitentiary

Crossing the river back to West Virginia we were soon at our first destination, the WV Penitentiary.  From its start and up until it was closed this was always one of the most dangerous prisons in America. Until capital punishment was ended 94 men met their end at the end of a rope or in the electric chair. Many more died at the hands of fellow inmates.

Closed in 1995, it is now not only a tourist destination it is also a training center, and a film location.  Because of all the death and violence many people claim that the prison has a large and heavy paranormal presence.

The penitentiary has been on many paranormal TV shows as well as movies.  Movies were filmed here as far back as 1955 with stars like Robert Mitchem, Jimmy Stewart, Kurt Russel and others.  One of my favorite TV shows, Netflix’s Mindhunter also filmed in this prison.

Well, this day we did not see any ghosts, although I have not checked all the footage, but maybe if we do the overnight tour?

Indian Burial Mound

Directly across the street from the Penitentiary is the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex. It is the site of one of the most famous and the largest of the Adena Burial mounds.

Unfortunately, the complex was closed that day.  The mound has been here since about 250 BC, so I imagine that I have some time to stop by in the future!  It is quite a bit larger than one would imagine so I am looking forward to checking it out.

The Trip Home

Boy was it a hot day!  We rode for a bit and then stopped a Quaker Steak and Lube in Wheeling, WV.  As always, never had a bad meal at one of these restaurants.  Before we got back on the bike, we put our cool vests on.  These vests are the water evaporation type, you soak them then put them on. Today they lasted about 150 miles before they were dry!

Normally we would wet them down again but today we were only an hour or so away from home we just packed them away in the tour pak. 

This 3-day adventure was well worth the time and was an enjoyable ride!

Click Here for Day 1                                                Click here for Day 2

Ole Sparky
Ghost Hall

Day 2 West Virginia Cryptid & Paranormal Motorcycle Ride: Mothman We Are Coming

Posted: July 16, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring
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After a very busy 1st day on the motorcycle visiting a bunch of West Virginia paranormal sites, we were ready to mount up and head out on day 2.  The weather folks said this day was going to be hot a one, but we could take an early start as our first stop, “The Mystery Hole”, was not scheduled to open until 10AM.

Unfortunately, it turns out that the Mystery Hole has an issue with getting good help and was closed.  So, we rode on to our next stop, the Mothman Museum.

I have visited the Mystery Hole many times, as it is only a couple miles from my childhood home. However my wife never has and I wanted to share it with her.

A great bonus to trying to visit the Mystery Hole is it resides alongside one of the most fun roads in West Virginia, US 60 also called “The Talon”.  If you are ever in this area, you must ride this road.  While a couple miles shorter, it does rival the Tail of the Dragon for fun.

The Talon is a wonderful package of twisty roads and switchbacks all through forest and cliffside landscapes.  Low traffic levels allow you to ride at your pace and comfort but will challenge you if you want to step it up.

The downside of The Talon is that you can no longer see the New River Gorge and all its natural beauty. The state has allowed the undergrowth to get to a level where there are only a few small “blink and you will miss it spots” where the gorge is visible. Sad very sad, a great opportunity for increasing tourism missed again.

Stay Tuned for a video of the Talon/US 60.

Once we got to the bottom of the mountain, we rode alongside the Kanawha River to and through the state capital Charleston.  This day the morning sun was glistening off the gold gilded dome of the Capital Building making it pop like a gold jewel in a cityscape setting. Unfortunately, I forgot to turn the camera on.

Not that much later we were getting off the motorcycle across the street from Mothman HQ.  There was a large crowd at the museum.  By large I mean there were at least 20 people in the gift shop and about that many in the museum proper.  There were another 10-12 more hovering, in the afternoon heat, around the Mothman statue waiting their turn for photos.

By now it was early afternoon, and the weather folks were right it was HOT.  We made the decision to make a direct ride to our new, unfinished but finished enough, Ohio home. We were off the road early and with a shower and air conditioning.

mothman cryptid
The Men in Black are aways watching the Mothman!

Click here for Day One of the West Virginia Cryptid and Paranormal Ride! 

West Virginia Cryptid & Paranormal Motorcycle Ride Day 1

Posted: July 9, 2024 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle Rides, motorcycle touring
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WV cryptids and paranormal motorcycle

Over the holiday weekend Debbie and I decided to create a motorcycle ride out of something that is a bit unique to West Virginia, Cryptid and Paranormal activity.

Cryptid – Noun – An animal whose existence or survival is disputed or unsubstantiated, such as the Yeti.

On Day 1 we pull out of the house at 7AM only to return a few minutes later to grab something we forgot!  LOL, I hope we are not the only ones that do this as often as not.  After that we were soon on US Route 50 climbing up the mountains into West Virginia.

Stay tuned for some short videos on the “Twisties of Route 50”.

THE GRAFTON MONSTER: By mid-morning we are riding into the town of Grafton, WV.  We planned to visit the Grafton Monster Museum, but it is closed for renovations.  We also missed, by two days, the Grafton Monster Festival.  Disappointed we remount and headed out to the next stop Phillipi, WV.

THE PHILIPPI MUMMIES: Turns out there are more than just mummies in Philippi. Located in the towns visitors center we discovered that “Lurch” from the TV show “The Adams Family” is from Philippi.  So, a two for one Lurch and the Mummies. They even have had a “Lurch Fest” in 2023, is it an annual event?

As for the mummies, there are really mummies in Philippi.  These two mummies have traveled the world and are now resting in the visitor’s center.

When in Philippi make sure you take a ride over the longest covered bridge in WV. It is also the only covered bridge on a US Highway, US Route 250.

Expect a video and short post on the bridge.

TRANS-ALLEGHENY LUNATIC ASYLUM: Located in the town of Westen, WV the asylum is one of the most haunted locations in America.  They offer both history tours and ghost tours.  If you are of a particular strength, you can even have overnight stays. 

While we did not see any ghosts during our visit so many people belive that they have that it has been featured on many paranormal documentaries. If you are traveling on Interstate 79 through WV it should be on your itinerary.

FLATWOODS MONSTER: Located in the town of Sutton, WV the Flatwoods Monster Museum documents the local history of monsters.  First spotted in 1952 and dubbed the “Green Monster” this cryptid is fully part of the community.  The town has even erected a “Home of the Green Monster” sign. 

We met Adam Smith, who runs the museum, and discussed a bit about the monster and how it is part of the video game Fallout 76, along with other West Virginia cryptids.

Let him know you are a Fallout fan you might get a surprise… while supplies last!

BIG FOOT MUSEUM: Located just a couple blocks from the Flatwoods Monster Museum, Big Foot is afoot.  The Big Foot Museum holds a lot of background information on the Big Foot phenomenon along with several casts of “actual” big footprints. The museum also holds a large volume of books in its library collection.

At this point we needed to decide where we were going to ride to spend the night. The decision was between my mom’s and our new home in Ohio.  It did not take long to decide when we looked at the weather radar, mom’s it was. 

BTW we did get wet, again!

Click here for day 2

5 Motorcycle Things from the Inter-Webs

Posted: July 9, 2018 in Motorcycle, Motorcycle advocacy, Motorcycle news, motorcycle touring
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While I don’t think West Virginia does enough to promote motorcycle tourism things are getting better! Four eastern West Virginia counties have joined forces to create a new push called RIDE THE HIGH FIVE. I have not traveled each of the roads listed but I have been on few plus many others in the area (check out our ROUTE 39 ride from last year). The RIDE THE HIGH FIVE web site include GPS routes and a lot of additional information, check it out.

A while back I wrote a post on the “Decline of the motorcycle”. BUT here is a article that talks about the “Most popular motorcycles among MILLENNIALS!” I have to say I was on a little surprised.

Some of the funniest motorcycle commercials!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds9PCfVqBMY

 

Watch how not to catch a runaway motorcycle!

How about a 360 degree view of a record setting speed run up Pikes Peak on a KTM 790 Duke motorcycle!