To heck with it, I'M GOING. RAWV, here we go.

AirbusFlieger

Well-Known Member
#1
A wild hair just wiggled in.... so I'm leaving in a little bit for my Ride Around West Virginia attempt.

I need an extra day off of work, request put in, but I'm starting out and if I have to come back in the middle of the RAWV so be it.

Zumo is loaded with 15 "Trips" consisting of the DBR cities so I could manipulate the routes to stay in WV as all GPS routing algorithms kept crossing rivers and avoiding smaller roads through mountains dipping into other states.

It was grunt work, but the Zumo is loaded, Spotwallas are created, and live tracking starts at 13:00 Eastern today until 23:59 Wednesday 23:59

Plan:
Anti-clockwise beginning at Harpers Ferry which is only :45 minutes west of my home.

Other than that.. I'm winging it. I have food/drinks onboard, a sleeping pad, cash, cards, phone, Spot X. Maybe I'll change my name to Barry Goldwater: Ready, FIRE, Aim. :D

Spot X:
https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/d621-e35395c-cfae/view?homeActive=1&showAll=1&allHistory=0&numDays=7

SW Tracker:
https://new.spotwalla.com/trip/e98e-238fc9c-5a8f/view?homeActive=1&showAll=1&allHistory=0&numDays=7
 

Avi Azrieli

Premier Member
#4
Out of curiosity, I did a quick & rough routing on Basecamp (Harpers Ferry start and finish, staying within WV borders) and got 1,296 miles and net moving time of 28 hours and 11 minutes (before adding time for stops and rest).
Good luck!!!
 

AirbusFlieger

Well-Known Member
#5
Slow going. Epic fog, visibility 25 at best, sometimes 15m from Ridgeley to Thomas and west of Thomas. Also roads are wet.

McD’s for eat.
Fog still a factor.

Stops too slow. Rain gear on and off, glasses and helmet fogging, visor fogging. All need constant wiping.
Will hit Chester, back south sleep a few in Wheeling
 
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AirbusFlieger

Well-Known Member
#6
Over 15 hours through rain and fog to go Harpers Ferry, Ridgeley, Thomas, Brandonville, Littleton, Chester, and stop in Wheeling….

This RAWV is a mother…
Goat roads, fog, mist, bad receipts in podunk places, and my slowness at stops. I’m spending a lot of time cleaning my glasses and visor. They get so fogged inside Freon me , and outside from tmfog and mist my speeds on these twisty roads are 35-45 instead of 55-60.

I’ll get some sleep, regroup see if it’s worth continuing.
 

Avi Azrieli

Premier Member
#9
Sorry to hear—it was a valiant attempt. This is a very difficult ride – – not enough time for these kind of roads, and some of the required towns don’t have a gas station or ATM for a receipt. Has anyone actually completed it successfully?
 

AirbusFlieger

Well-Known Member
#12
Back home and rested, fires put out at work and at home (for now)...

There were several factors that contributed to not completing in the time allotted. Some completely within my control, some outside of my control, and a little bit baked into the ride requirements. I'll address each.
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My control:

I decided to go anti-clockwise, which in the end, turned out to be the downfall to the ride attempt. The leg from Harpers Ferry/Ridgeley/Thomas too an enormous amount of time. By the time I made it up to the top of the state it took about 14 hours. Once again heavy fog and mist plagued my ride. The mist was so heavy for hours through very tight and twisty roads I could not see more than 10-20 feet. Second gear visibility.

My planning was better than half-baked, but not thorough enough. I did not have specific DBR location addresses, so my route planning was town center-to-center which in a few towns, had me go in only to back out the same way, or proceed through lights and traffic unnecessarily (Wheeling was the worst).

My start was late. Scrambling to complete bike prep and pack.

My sleep was reduced the night prior.

My stops are too lengthy.
--------------------
Outside of my control:

Roads: As many noted on the thread already, this is not an easy ride. It truly lives up to the Iron Butt moniker. The shape of the state is the biggest factor. Interstate sections are few.

Weather. The fog and mist was the thickest I have encountered. It was thicker than the leg between Independence VA and Bristol VA in the Ride Around Virginia I completed over Labor Day.

Timing. Family and work commitments drove my timing.

Bad receipts. Lots of places had incomplete receipts for IBA DBR purposes. In two places I had to stop three times.
-------------------
Ride requirements:

Oddly there were towns on the DBR list that had no businesses and were actually deserted. There were towns immediately adjacent to "sister" towns with businesses where a DBR would be easy to obtain. In these places I took a photo with my iPhone and sent a Spot X "check in" so the specific place would show up on my Spotwalla as the Spotwalla marks in intervals and I did not want Spotwalla to miss the town.
--------------------

There you have it. This is a ride anyone should feel a great sense of satisfaction to get.

I would love to know how many have completed a Ride Around West Virginia, and I know I'm being biased here, should have a patch at the least. It's a pretty special in-state ride to do. It really is a cool "get" and a patch would look super-cool due to the shape of the state, if you get my drift.:cool:;):)


Here is the best example of a shut down town, that is immediately adjacent to a thriving town, Henderson WV. Coming into Henderson on 2 one rides through Point Pleasant WV, crosses over the Kanawha River and into Henderson on the other side. Point Pleasant is thriving, and Henderson has no open businesses. Just a few houses most boarded up. The only business in Henderson was a prostitute operating in front of a closed coffee shop.
Henderson WV.png
 
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Dave28117

Premier Member
#13
seems like someone built in some more-difficult locations just to "up" the challenge. It would definitely take some understanding of the state and stops. in this case, using spot and bubbler, I'd take a pic in Henderson and then DBR in Point Pleasant. it's an extra stop, but it would be a quick stop/pic at some point of interest. I found a similar situation planning my David Scott 1000 where one of the stops would be in David Ky, where there are no stores or gas stations. my plan is to get a photo in front of the local post office.
 

Russ Black

Premier Member
#14
The only business in Henderson was a prostitute operating in front of a closed coffee shop
Does she give DBR's? There shows to be two ATM's in that thriving Metropolis.

my plan is to get a photo in front of the local post office.
I've though of that myself. You'd need a camera other than your cellphone so you could have your cell phone displaying the date and time in the foreground and the part of the postoffice that shows the locaton and zipcode in the background. Sort of a pseudo DBR.
 

AirbusFlieger

Well-Known Member
#15
Does she give DBR's? There shows to be two ATM's in that thriving Metropolis.

I've though of that myself. You'd need a camera other than your cellphone so you could have your cell phone displaying the date and time in the foreground and the part of the postoffice that shows the locaton and zipcode in the background. Sort of a pseudo DBR.
She definitely thought I was cruising!! I turned left off of 2 right across the bridge into Henderson proper and started the hunt for a DBR.. instead, there she was in front of a boarded up old coffee shop. My first pass she looked at me like everyone looks at an LD rider, bit of curiosity and confusion.... but my second pass she smiled and waved, my third pass she shook her butt and danced! It was a hilarious moment as she knew I wasn't going to stop but was having a laugh. I wish like heck I had a video or pic of that.

Rest assured, the next one that does that, I'm getting a picture!

GoogleMaps is out of date for good old Henderson WV
 

AirbusFlieger

Well-Known Member
#16
seems like someone built in some more-difficult locations just to "up" the challenge. It would definitely take some understanding of the state and stops. in this case, using spot and bubbler, I'd take a pic in Henderson and then DBR in Point Pleasant. it's an extra stop, but it would be a quick stop/pic at some point of interest. I found a similar situation planning my David Scott 1000 where one of the stops would be in David Ky, where there are no stores or gas stations. my plan is to get a photo in front of the local post office.
IMG_2219.jpeg
 

Dave28117

Premier Member
#17
Does she give DBR's? There shows to be two ATM's in that thriving Metropolis.

I've though of that myself. You'd need a camera other than your cellphone so you could have your cell phone displaying the date and time in the foreground and the part of the postoffice that shows the locaton and zipcode in the background. Sort of a pseudo DBR.
I was told, "don't overthink it". given that I'm using Spotwalla, I just plan to embed those pictures in my route using bubbler along with receipt photos near the stopping point. If that doesn't work on my next SS1k ride, I'll revise the approach.