WV Bikers - Road Trip BOTW

Now, if we've peaked your curiosity about what these three things might have in common, read on . . .

Saturday, August 28th, was one of those hot days of summer – sweltering heat, hazy skies and no breeze except what you made for yourself – a perfect day to ride.

We're the first to admit we don't do many 'scheduled events' throughout the year. Organized rides are great for some, but we always been known for doing things a little differently. And this trip was no exception.

Several years ago, while riding in 20-degree weather near Elkins, we met Big Randy Howard. Randy was a true biker in every sense of the word. I believe all who knew him mourned his passing this year, so when we saw his club, the Brothers of the Wheel, was hosting a party in Summersville, we headed in that direction. It was our way of paying our respects to a great biker and friend.

When we arrived, vendors were selling their wares and heat waves were settling over the big tents at the arena. I could feel the sweat pooling inside the back of my vest. It was time to find a breeze, so we rode towards Summersville Dam, figuring we'd return to the party when it got a little cooler.

Although I had passed Summersville Dam on numerous occasions, I never realized until today, that it was the first time the Army Corps of Engineers didn't go by their own rules. Seems, at that time anyway, they always named a dam after the closest town. The town they put underwater was called Gad. Apparently, the local residents were opposed to having a tourist attraction called Gad Dam in their midst, so they opted to call it Summersville Dam. So much for a little history.
The dam itself is the second largest earthen dam east of the Mississippi River. The part that most interested me were the big tunnels on the lower side where the water shot out to raise the level of the Gauley River. Since the Gauley River Fest is coming up, that should be a hoot to run in a kayak.

After cooling off a little, we rode onto Carnifex Ferry Battlefield, just a couple miles from the dam. It was another one of those places you read about in West Virginia History class, but never seem to visit. We walked a few trails through the woods and toured the Patterson House Museum. The museum had air-conditioning, so I admit the time I spent there was a great deal longer than I had anticipated. The house, itself, was caught in the crossfire, and the holes from the shot could still be seen in the walls.
We read how Gen. John Floyd, C.S.A., established Camp Gauley here with 2,000 troops to battle Gen. William Rosecrans, U.S.A., who had brought along 7,000 Yankees. Guess they figured they'd need that many to run off the locals . . . . .

Meanwhile, back at the BOTW Party, the parking lot was filling up as chapters from across the state joined together for a day of brotherhood. We only saw a couple folks we knew, including Rainmaker (our Marshall County WV Bikers Representative), who is a member of the Northern Panhandle Chapter BOTW.
We'd like to extend our thanks to the Brothers of the Wheel M/C for the invite to your gathering.