The (Hot) Banks of the O-hi-O

Today we left at a leisurely 9:00 (bums) or so from Johnstown, PA after a continental breakfast fitting the place we stayed (you get what you pay for). We ran without the GPS the first part of the day since we knew where we were going Rt 271 to 711 to 381 ending up in West Virginia. The accents started getting a tiny bit more southern as we went south through southwestern PA. Nothing spectacular but more of the sort of bedroom/rural feel found maybe a bit beyond commuting distance. As we pulled into West Virginia we stopped at the first little store (really little) and had a nice chat with the older woman who ran the place. Not much in the store but a couple coolers. She and her sister ran the store her father (now 89) bought in 1946 after the war. The town used to make a wood stove of some kind ( according to a sign outside town) and the women told us they had an iron works way back when. There are about 100 residents in town and she could see the beginning and end of town from her store. She said this coal country and there used to be a couple "strip jobs" nearby, by which we assume she meant strip mines. Now everything is underground. Very pleasant woman.

We went west to Morgantown where the University of West Virginia is. The school is sort of the whole town, and it must be out for the summer 'cause it was pretty sleepy. We kept saying this was just like back home as far the road and greenery, but as we went west, the hills got bigger and bigger and it felt like riding through Smugglers Notch back home. Dave's GPS recorded altitude and we climbed a lot of big hills today as we looked back at the GPS log.

Did I say it was hot today? Wow, Daves bike (the Millenium Falcon) showed highs up to 97 today and it was humid as well. We kept stopping for water and did a good job hydration wise unlike yesterday. We stopped for lunch in a small town (wide spot) somewhere and watched some guys with one-lung engines across the road showing left over parade goers how the engines work. We must have just missed the parade. Must have been a small one.

So this route 7 looked like a major road on the map but it was really narrow and really twisty with frequent "15 mph" signs (and they meant it), a little gravel in the corners, a couple good sized rocks and deer in the road. The homes along this road are tucked away down in hollows and we had no idea where the kids go to school or where anyone works. The woman we got lunch from (gas station place said she had 5 brothers and 4 sisters (and 1 bathroom).

The country side is beautiful but you can see a lot of hardship over the years at these tiny hill farms. We assume there is a lot of folks working for the coal company given the signs and road names. I am not sure I would want to wander down the "grey roads" after seeing how small and remote Rt 7 was.

So hot and fast across West Virginia until we ran into the Ohio River at New Martinsville. There was no bridge there so we headed south, crossed the river at Saint Mary into Ohio, and then south to Marietta. There is a really big coal fired electric plant across the river in West Virginia with coal barges feeding it. Also saw what looked like some kind of plastic or chemical plant also fed from docks on the river.

Anyway, we were once again beat from the heat and twisty roads, do some laundry and off to bed.