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Friends: Old and New

Thursday was certainly a day to remember -- as we gathered the riding gear for yet another trip, little did I know what was in store for the next 19 hours.

We traveled Rt. 33/119 to Weston, then caught I-79 to Morgantown. Usually, we travel the backroads, but John opted instead to see how the engine performed on one of his recent creations. I freely admit I stopped looking when the speedometer went past 95. I was kinda wondering how I was going to write about a Road Trip when everything we passed was just a blur. Thankfully, the engine performed as expected, and there was no need to repeat the 'speed thing' again.......well, at least with me on the bike anyway.

At Morgantown, we took Route 7 through Saberton to Tyrone-Avery Road. From there, it was the back way to Cheat Lake. As you can tell by the photos, we crossed a long cheese-grater bridge which carried us over the Cheat.

A noteworthy fact: The Cheat River is the largest undammed river system east of the Mississippi, and the Cheat River Canyon is 9 miles long.

Riding I-68, we took the Bruceton Mills exit for a ride to Albright. It was hard to imagine that this town was one of several literally wiped out in the flood of 1985. The annual Cheat River Festival will be held May 4th in Albright. The scenery in this area is certainly something to behold, so you may want to check it out.

Now for the "Old Friends" part of the story -- In 1978, John started a 20-year career as a raft guide. He began on the Cheat River, then relocated to the Upper Gauley and New Rivers. While working on the Cheat, he guided with a friend named River Roy. After hearing numerous stories, it was a great pleasure to finally meet Roy face-to-face. It was a wonderful visit, and as I explored Roy's place, I found an abundance of motorcycle memorabilia. If you've been following the "Out of the Weeds" articles, you can imagine my delight when I spotted this old Triumph sitting in his yard.

After reminiscing along the Cheat, we rode to Kingwood, which is home of the famed Buckwheat Festival. This year's event will be held Sept. 26-29.

We traveled Rt. 7 from Kingwood, which took us past Greer Limestone, which is the state's largest limestone mine. Watch for the cold spot -- you'll see what I mean when you ride past it!

Back to Morgantown, we again rode I-79 and opted for a stop in Clarksburg. It was Bike Night at the Ritzy Lunch, and we had been invited by one of our readers (Sinbad) to attend.

Ritzy Lunch is located at 456 West Pike Street, and entire block was taken by motorcycles of every size and description. Held every Thursday evening, Bike Night is a true sight to behold -- hundreds of people and nearly as many motorcycles -- a must-see for anyone riding in the area.

And the New Friends? Well, meet John Selario. He and his wife Patti own Ritzy Lunch and play host for each week's Bike Night.

The Ritzy Lunch was founded in 1933 by John's father, Joe Selario. It was during a time when a hot dog cost 7¢, a hamburger was a dime, and draft beer was a nickel.

Joe worked as general manager of the Coca-Cola bottling plant as shown in this photo which proudly graces the wall at Ritzy Lunch.

Joe is shown here in a 1953 photo with Anheiser-Busch Clydesdales. The horses were boarded in Clarksburg, and raised on the Nathan Goff estate.

Extremely proud of his heritage, John is quick to share the stories with his many customers. Just two years ago, John opted for something a little out of the ordinary, and decided to host a weekly Bike Night. The idea was apparently a good one judging from the crowd!

More New Friends? You bet. From the Ritzy Lunch, we were invited to The New Loop by owner Tim Lucent. It was surely a unique place. As we looked around the crowd, we felt "at home." This was one of the first places we'd been to where I'd wager that every biker present knew what the tools in his tool bag were for. Just call us Old School, but it was refreshing to be with folks we could relate to. And by the way, The New Loop holds Bike Night every Friday (complete with free food).

After leaving Clarksburg, we stopped to see Bruce and Kathy (also New Friends) at their bar called The Stumble Inn at Lost Creek. For all the old-timers, the bar is located just before the old (and now defunct) Hole in the Wall.

Thank goodness for the all-night gas station and doughnut shop in Weston where we stopped for body and scooter fuel. Thank goodness also for our chaps (hey, it was getting kinda cold!) Heading on down Rt. 33/119 in the middle of farm country, we spotted some round hay bales where we stopped for the night (or so we thought). After getting slightly comfortable, the muscles were just starting to loosen........then off in the distance we see lightning. Lots of it. We slowly turned to each other.......do we wait out the storm or try to beat it home? Friday's forecast called for rain so we slowly walked back to the bike, not nearly as energetic as we were 18 hours before, and rode over an hour to reach home.

I felt a little bit like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz........there's no place like home.......there's no place like home.........there's no place like home...........there's no place like home.........

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