April 2018: The Daniel Boone Motorcycle Club takes a tour of Appalachia.
In late April of 2018, the DBMC took a 1,500 mile, five-state tour of the Appalachian region, covering historic battlegrounds, river towns along the Ohio, coal country, and the lush farmland of western Virginia. Along the way we descended deep into a subterranean cavern, ate some scary food but also great fare, rode wonderful roads, and had our eyes opened to some forlorn corners of the America.
Heading west from Monkton, MD, we criss-crossed the Potomac, spent time taking in history at the Antietam Battlefield, and enjoyed a nice lunch in the Shepherdstown – home of Shepherd University – before stopping for the night in Kingswood, WV. Kingswood doesn’t have much to offer. McDonalds may be the safest place to eat. The hotel smelled of spoiled milk and there were certainly ghosts in the attic and bedbugs in the sheets.
The next day provided some terrific riding. after crossing over the Ohio River in Morgantown, WV (home of Don Knotts), we rambled up into the hills of southeastern Ohio where the roads wind across hilltops and weave through farms and small hamlets. The river town of Marietta, Ohio was our destination that night. We bunked in at the Lafayette Hotel, a remnant of the days when the river was a a vital organ of national trade.
The following day had us diving south deep into the heart of coal country. It’s hard to describe some of the poverty we witnessed. There were large towns that were once major economic engines, but now home to abandoned and decaying structures that were once active department stores and hotels. America has left this corner of the country to rot.
A night in Eckman at the Elkhorn Hotel was one to remember. Our room’s window was about 100 feet from the railroad tracks where coal trains rumbled through at all hours of the day and night. Eckman was another example of negligent governance – billions of dollars worth of coal extracted from the surrounding mines every year (most headed to China), but not a dollar left in the local economy for education, healthcare or to foster local business.
The fourth day was a much cheerier. We tackled the legendary Back of the Dragon, which runs from Tazewell to Marion VA. Less famous than the Tail of the Dragon or the Snake, it is nonetheless an amazing ride. Meandering through the southwest corner of Virginia, nipping into Tennessee, and after a frightening detour over a moss-covered mountain track in the rain (did I mention that my tires were shot?), we ended the night in another college town – Wise, VA.
Day five took us into a secret garden – of the geological variety. Burkes Garden is actually a giant (~10 miles across) limestone sinkhole, surrounded on all sides by Garden Mountain, which rises to more than 4,000 feet. The floor of the ‘garden’ is rich farmland, mostly worked by Amish families.
Back up through Virginia, a tuck into West Virginia to pass through White Sulfer Springs, and bedded down in the charming town of Warm Springs VA – home of the Jefferson Baths, an historic hot springs that is currently closed because of the unsafe condition of the buildings. The Inn at Gristmill Square is a secret treasure. Charming rooms and a wonderful restaurant with a well-stocked wine cellar, a just reward after a long 270-mile day in the saddle.
On the final day, we rode though some spectacular Virginia farm country, stopped in Winchester to visit my nephew Willie, before slabbing it back to Monkton.
All in all, it was an eye-opening trip that exposed us to the hardships of the coal life, but also to some beautiful sections of America that shaped the history of nation.
