Zanesville, Ohio to Stuebenville, Ohio

Here we are deep into the downhill slide out of summer and I've just completed my first "real" ride of the season. I've been in Puerto Rico working for most of the year and was unable (for reasons that should be obvious) to get much riding in. I've been home for a few weeks now and finally got to take a very satisfying road trip. I took my silver 97 Vmax. I bought it new and love to ride it on short jaunts and for profiling around town. It's a great bike that I've loved since I bought it new while working in New Mexico. It's not the most technologically advanced bike in the world but has a lot of character and aside from a rock hard seat has an extremely comfortable riding position (and it's a wicked fast accelerator). After riding around southeastern Ohio for most of my life, I figured I wouldn't be able to find a new interesting place to go. Fortunately my wife and I had just taken a drive a few days before that got me thinking about possibilities. With a quick check of my map of Ohio, I chose a route I hadn't traveled since before I was able to drive. It was my intention to ride to Steubenville, located on the Ohio River via Route 22. I hopped on State Route 40, the historic National Road to begin the journey.
22 and 40 run together through New Concord, John Glenn's birth place and part of the way into Cambridge. Route 22 is your typical southeastern Ohio road, which is to say it's well maintained, well engineered and well, scenic. I've mentioned it before but it bears repeating, no place is greener than Ohio in the summer. The roads are lined with Hemlock, Beech, Buckeye, Maple and Black Walnut trees among others. The woods of Ohio are as thick and lush as any on earth. My route cut through the bottom quarter of Salt Fork State Park. Ohio's largest state park. If you're very careful and quiet maybe you'll spot Bigfoot rummaging through the garbage cans.

After leaving the scenic lake area the road cuts through rolling hills and farm land as it skirts along the bottom of Amish country. Thankfully I didn't have to contend with any buggies, although there was a surprisingly high volume of semi-tractor trailer traffic for a windy two lane country road. I imagine it's due to 22 being a major artery for the smaller communities in this part of the state. The road is hilly with a lot of twisting sections, especially between the Peidmont Dam area and Cadiz. The ride is a breezy fast paced one but if you go anytime in the near future watch out for the severe grooves in the road around Cadiz. There is major road construction going on.
As I came down out of the hills (big hills, not quite mountains) I could sense the Ohio River in front of me. Much in the same way the Rockies have defined my wife, the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers have defined me. You can't really have grown up in this part of Ohio without feeling the influence of the currents. I've always been fascinated by rivers and will always take an opportunity to stop and stand by the shores of one. This was no exception. I parked the bike at the Ft Steuben historic site and walked out onto an old rusted steel framed bridge. It seemed pretty rickety and it had an open grating for the road. I fought back a rush of vertigo long enough to walk out to the middle and watch the water flow past beneath me.

Steubenville is a quaint town with a long history tied to the industrial age and everywhere you look are signs of it's former glory. Steel mills and factories on both sides of the river are still active but you come away with a sense that they are not what they used to be. I remember visiting Steubenville with Dad and Mom when I was little and after seeing it again 30 years later I told myself I wouldn't wait another thirty to come back and explore more. The way the city is built on the hills along the river has always fascinated me and on my first trip to San Francisco this is the town that came to my mind, even after all those years.

From Stuebenville I crossed the Ohio and headed down West Virginia State Route 2. It wound down along the Ohio through depressing and depressed industrial towns, alot like the Ohio side.

Once down into Wheeling it was back on I-70 for a high speed race for home. The weather had gone from skies threatening rain to sunny, dehydrating temps in a few hours. I hadn't noticed so gradual the change had been but I was worn out, I wanted to get home to dinner and the missus.

As always, my ride through Ohio had been a grand one. My home state never fails to satisfy and amaze.

Barber Motorsports Museum

It's been way too long since my last post. Unfortunately with the new marriage, work and winter setting in, I haven't had a lot of opportunity to ride. I've been working in Alabama since late October. As luck would have it I'm in Oxford which is just 50 or so miles from Barber Motorsports Museum and Track Complex so I took a drive that way today to satisfy my motorcycle cravings. I'm glad I did. Chances are if you ride a motorcycle you've heard of Barber Motorsport Museum. It's a beautiful facility with a world class track behind it. I've been to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame and it doesn't compare. AMA's building is nice and modern but the Barber building is gorgeous. Based around a central elevator you ride up to the fifth floor and begin an hours long journey down a gently sloping ramp that spirals back down to the ground level. The floors are divided into different eras and themes but there's a little bit of everything on each floor. The back wall is glass and looks out over the track. It was about 58 degrees today so there were only a few hardy riders on sport bikes doing laps. In the parking lot were about twenty young guys with the same number of little Honda Civic tuners waiting to take to the track. The place seems like the spot for motorsports fun.

I walked in, paid my ten dollars and stepped in to Nirvana with a big dopey grin plastered to my face. Right inside the door was a Triumph Daytona 600 race bike and a Yamaha R6 from Michael Jordan's race team. We're off to a good start. Now the only problem is which way do I go? If I had been using my head I would have went straight to the elevator, gone to the top floor and walked down the spiraling ramp to each floor, it's a very neat design. Well in my state of excitement I just took a right and ended up in the Lotus race car section. Pretty and all but not what I was craving. Although there was a beautiful John Player Special. I remember having one in toy form as a child. It really was exciting to be that close to these pieces of history. You could see the worn leather seat in the cramped cockpit and imagine what it must have been like barreling down a straight close to 200mph.

I headed back toward the motorcycle section and was greeted by a Ducati 999R, nice shiny and red, sitting next to a Ducati race bike. Another visitor noticed me looking through the pictures I had taken and asked if I was picking the one I wanted. I laughed and replied that was easy, I wanted all of them.


The museum has an incredible mix of old and new, cruiser and sport bike and odd rarities. George Barber really should be commended. My personal favorites are sport bikes. I love the amazing technology that goes into them. For some reason however, old bikes are more fascinating to me. I've always loved history and I love the way motorcycles fit into history. It's the old yearning for a more simple life I guess.

I regret not grabbing a pen and pad to take notes, but I am proud of how my motorcycle knowledge has grown over the years. I recognized several bikes, especially the Britten V-1000. I even remembered the name.

I know I've been gushing and possibly getting carried away with the praise of this place but I haven't enjoyed myself quite this much for sometime. I must have spent three hours just looking. Truth is even though I got tired I found myself wishing I could rest for the evening and come back the next day. And I really wanted to watch the guys run the track and even watch the little Honda Civics do a few laps.

Bottom line is, if you like motorcycles and to a lesser degree auto racing, you'll love the museum.

Conway to Petit Jean State Park

Last Sunday I decided to take a ride after a way too long down time. Upon returning to Arkansas from my wedding in Ohio I've been absorbed in work and getting settled in to the married life. It hasn't been a difficult adjustment thanks to my wonderful bride. She understands my need to ride and always encourages me to get out. We have a lot of great opportunities to travel together on the weekends however and that tends to take up the motorcycle time. I had decided that it was time to get away on the Vmax.

I decided to keep it simple and thought I would ride to Petit Jean State Park about 30 or so miles west of Conway. I headed west on AR 60 and did a short stop at Toad Suck Park on the Arkansas River. I took a few pictures of the bike in front of the dam and continued on. I've travelled AR 60 several times and it never fails to please me. It's a relatively well maintained road with light traffic and eye pleasing farmland. It's sparsely populated which would normally be a blessing but this time my low fuel light came on about seven miles out. I had forgotten to get gas before leaving town. The Vmax isn't exactly stingey when it comes to gas consumption (especially the way I like to ride). In Houston I passed a gas station I thought was closed, which I later found out wasn't, and eventually made my way to Perryville just fine.

Perryville sits on the intersection of AR 60 and AR 9, another scenic route I've been up and down a few times. From Perryville you hop on 9 headed north toward Perry (not to be confused with Perryville) and travel 7 miles to Oppelo where it's a turn west again onto 154/247 toward Petit Jean State Park. The Park is a pretty park with some interesting history, good camping spots and scenic hiking trails. My destination today, however, was just to the top of the mountain and the scenic overlook. Lisa and I had taken this road just a few days back and I new it was going to be a steep twisty trip, I was looking forward to it.

The view from the overlook is magnificent. The Arkansas River runs along side the mountain and cuts through the lush green farmland for as far as you can see. The Park has seen fit to build an elevated walkway around the tip of the mountain but has left several access points for people to climb around on natural rock formations. On the day I was there it was a perfect, cool day and there were several site-seers out enjoying the last days of summer.

The ride was a good one that helped clear out the cobwebs and get me mentally fit for the coming work week. If you are from the Conway area and haven't explored Petit Jean I would recommend checking it out.

Zanesville, Ohio to McConnelsville, Ohio

I had the great pleasure to be home for most of July for my wedding. The first two weeks were hectic with future in-laws, parties and a wedding to plan. The days were packed with activity but fun and rewarding. I was glad they were over though. Once the small honeymoon was over my dear new bride was generous enough to insist I go for a ride. I think the screen door was slamming before she got the entire sentence out. Before you know it I was headed down State Route 146 from my hometown of Zanesville south towards Chandlersville. I had planned on taking a circular route down to Cumberland and across SR 83 and 78 to McConnelsville on the Muskingum River. I've always loved that area since I was a boy camping with my parents at the Ohio Power Company campgrounds. There are large coal deposits all over the region and when I was young the area was nothing but a huge strip mining complex. I remember it as a mostly ugly, bleak landscape. The creeks used to run bright orange with the nasty leftovers of the mining operations. Somewhere in the early eighties that all changed and American Electric & Power was forced to do land reclamation. It's been a miraculous make over, with rolling green hills and small lakes scattered everywhere. The area is home to the largest wildlife conservation park in North America, the Wilds. I've never been but will definitely make it there someday soon. I'm not sure if this was planned or just a happy by-product of the engineered landscape but the roads are exceptional, well maintained and nicely curved.

When I got to Chandlersville I decided to take a small road which was actually the northern part of 284, I just picked it up sooner than planned, which turned out to be a good move. The road wound out of the small, sleepy town of Chandlersville up into the hills of south eastern Ohio. My wife, being from Colorado, routinely mocks the hills as too low. They may not be 13,000 feet but the views are still impressive. Traffic was light and the roads were smooth as a billiard table, all in all a blast.

About mid-way through the ride (close to the junction of SR 284 and 78) is the Miner's Memorial. On display is the bucket to Big Muskie, the only remaining part of the world's largest dragline. It was the largest movable landgoing structure with only sea vessels larger. The bucket is HUGE.

78 runs into McConnelsville, a quaint rivertown on the Muskingum River. I stopped to take a few pictures and headed north for the twenty mile trip to Zanesville. Route 60 follows the river and seems to have only gotten nicer over the years. The trees are larger and everything is cleaner than I remember from my youth. The one drawback is that it's a fairly busy two lane with few passing opportunities. I got stuck behind an eighteen wheeler with missing mud flaps and was pelted with rocks for a few miles.

I really gained a healthy appreciation for my own backyard. I hadn't really paid much attention until spending time riding in Arkansas. As many great places as there are to ride in Arkansas it's still over run with litter whenever you get close to people. You can still find the occasional front yard dump in Ohio but they seem to be fewer and in most cases even the poorest looking trailer is neat and tidy with a little flower bed. It seems Ohio has cleaned up considerably since I was a child and it really is a state I'm proud to call home.

Miles - 82

Conway, Arkansas to Arkansas Post National Memorial

I hadn't really planned on riding this past weekend. I was kind of bored and unenthusiastic and had some things to do. So of course what do I do? Hop on the bike and ride 260 miles in 97 degree heat and 90 percent humidity to Arkansas Post National Memorial. Yahoooo!

The first part of the ride (the stretch from Conway to Pine Bluff) was fairly boring. I was headed toward the southeast corner of the state. Arkansas is a wonderful mix of six distinct regions. From the Ozarks to the Delta this state is like three or four states packed in to one. I was headed toward the Delta section. It's a long, flat stretch of farmland from Conway to Gould, Arkansas. The roads are straight for miles and population is sparse. It's a little desolate and in the wrong frame of mind can be a little depressing. Once I started getting into the Delta area I was reminded of my trip to Clarksdale. It's an economically depressed area but there's something authentic about it and like I mentioned in the post of the trip to Clarksdale, I've never been to a place that seemed so right for the music it inspired. This is really blues country.

When I got to Gould I headed northwest on Arkansas 212. It's an interesting road that runs along the top of a levy. It overlooks the backwaters of the Arkansas. This was one twisty road. When the traffic sign says fifteen mph around a corner, the sign ain't lying.

After hitting AR 165 it's a short jaunt across the Arkansas River and to the road into the park. The park itself is relatively small with a rich history. Starting out in 1686 as a French trading post it passed hands through the Spanish and on to the US. It was the first capital of the Arkansas Territory. There's not much left of the town but if you're in the area it's a beautiful park and well worth the trip.

After walking around in the humidity and heat I was feeling a little thirsty. I made a stop at a gas station for a Gatorade where I got into a conversation with a young boy on a West Coast Chopper bicycle. He was waiting for the pool to open. A little curious, I asked if it was the town's public pool. He replied that it was "a private pool that cost $20.00 a year to join, but they don't allow black people in because they trash it." Needless to say I was shocked and disappointed that this kind of thing still goes on. It was an ugly slap to the face and it was a pleasure to get going again.

Still thirsty and now hungry on top of that, I stopped at a Chili's in Pine Bluff. After about fifteen strawberry lemonades and a steak tougher than my riding boots, I was full if not satisfied and back on the road.

As always it was a good ride. It was nice to head to another part of the state I really haven't explored much.



Miles - 260