(I posted this over in the SE section, but thought there might be readers/riders from other areas planning trips to WV) I have started a new website dedicated to those riders wishing to explore West Virginia. I frequently see requests on forums for information about visiting and riding around the state, asking for information about what roads to ride, what places to visit, and (of course) interesting places to get good food. With the help of fellow riders, my goal is to make this a Must-Stop online for those riders. Although I am a musician, not an English or Journalism teacher, I will try to keep the writing standards "above average". The site will be divided into 3 main sections: Street Ride Reports, Back-Roads Ride Reports, and Food/Destinations/Lodging. The Street section will cover main highways and county roads - basically any 2- or 4-lane paved road with a painted center line. The Back-Roads section will cover the narrow paved back-roads as well as graded, govt-maintained gravel roads such as Dolly Sods and the Laurel Fork area. We will not cover trails (such as Hatfield & McCoy or private-access roads) on this site. Guest contributors are welcome to submit Ride Reports, Photos, and/or Food/Lodging Reports for consideration. Please keep it clean. I will monitor the site as closely as possible to ensure all content is "G" rated. Your help will be appreciated. The site is still under construction and has some empty spots and links that I am working on. My goal is to go back through my ride photos from the past few years and write some reports while the snow is flying this winter. And, I'm inviting readers to submit articles so that it is a well-rounded site. By springtime, I'm hoping to have a good selection of reports. Please stop by and visit: www.ridingwv.com Thanks! <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
was on there last night,,6 are coming your way april 15,16,17,then 2 are going over the the blue ridge trail in VA for some fire road riding
Living twenty miles from the border I'm there all the time. Great riding. I'm most interested in motel listings. Since I ride solo most of the time cheap motels are needed. Is there a way to format the site so I don't have to slide the mouse all the time just to read something?
I'm assuming the web page is too wide for your screen and one side is cut off?? If so, the only thing I can think of is we may have different screen settings (right click on the desktop and look under Properties/ Settings/ Screen Resolution). I have an old monitor (not an LCD flat-screen), and it's set on 1024X768. Other than that, I'm afraid it would take someone with more smarts than me (pretty easy to find one of those) that may have an answer. Or... it would be a great excuse to buy that new wide-screen monitor you've always wanted. Please let me know if any of you have an answer to this one. Thanks for the comment - hope you liked the site otherwise. Please feel free to submit any photos and/or reviews of any places you stay. I know the lodging page is pretty empty at this point.
Have you ridden US52 from Huntington to Bluefield? It's really strange there...I have stories How come the locals in Bluefield told me i was nuts to be riding "up ther"
Updated 4 July 2011 New Ride Reports - See Street Rides / Backroads Pages (Eastern Panhandle & Blackwater Falls rides) Events Calendar - New July events Photos Page - New photos www.RidingWV.com SUBMIT YOUR WV PHOTOS AND/OR RIDE REPORTS FOR POSTING CONSIDERATION Hope you find something interesting.
Just added to the Riding West Virginia site: www.RidingWV.com Rt 33 eastbound from I-79 to the VA state line. CLICK HERE Almost 100 photos. Hope you enjoy it. As always - looking for readers' submissions to add to the site. PM me for more info. Thanks! .
Hey pnoman! I have just found your thread on ADV you are doing for West Virginia Ride Planning. I have tried to access your website but, it keeps coming up something about " this domain name has just been registered". I have clicked on your link several times but, that is all that shows up. Am I doing something wrong?? I have some vacation time coming up this next month and West Virginia sounds good.
Sorry - I currently have 2 separate accounts with 1and1.com and I am in the process of consolidating both the RidingWV site and my personal site into one account for simplified billing. They said it may take 24-48 hours to switch the RidingWV site into the other account. I just started the process at noon today (Tuesday). I'm keeping a close watch on it to make sure it does switch over soon - hopefully before the weekend. Please check back in a day or two. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Site is back online. www.RidingWV.com There are a few small bugs (links) I'm working on, but it's 99% there. Enjoy!
Douglas Graham submitted several very nice (professional) photos from around West Virginia. Check them out on the Photos Page. www.RidingWV.com Thanks, Doug!
Now that I am bikeless, I have some time to work on the RidingWV website. www.RidingWV.com I just posted a very revised layout that is (hopefully) easier to navigate and easier to find what you want quickly. Still checking for bugs (bad links, etc) so let me know if you find something. NEW: For Sale Page if you are an individual (not a dealer!!) selling a bike/gear and you live in WV or adjacent state (sorry, not enough room or time to handle a nationwide page). Email me the info using the link on the site. WANTED: Please send your photos along with a short description/story. I will do proofreading. WHAT'S NEEDED? Photos and short (or long) stories reviewing rides, restaurants/diners, campgrounds, attractions, etc. I'm hoping to add a lot of reader-written articles this year. Start small with a photo and restaurant review, and go from there. THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT! Hope you enjoy the site.
UPDATED: I just added Ride Route #1, a suggested loop around the Seneca Rocks, Spruce Knob, Germany Valley, Franklin, and Smoke Hole area of West Virginia. http://www.ridingwv.com/FolderStreetReports/Ride1.htm In case you missed the earlier notice, I updated the layout of the site to make it more user-friendly. ALSO - I added a "For Sale" page if you have a bike or gear for sale in WV or nearby in a surrounding state. The site has been averaging 1,000 - 1,500 hits per month, so you will have folks looking at it. AND - I am also looking for photos and ride reports to post so readers from other states/countries can plan their next ride to WV. Click on the "Contact" page at www.RidingWV.com THANKS! .
UPDATED - New Riding Route Page with maps and printable guides. I started with 2 loops from Beckley WV for a fellow ADV'er who asked for routes from that area. I will be adding more, now that I getting more familiar with the GMAP-Pedometer site. http://www.ridingwv.com/RidingRoutes.htm .
Good on ya for putting this together. I'm in Morgantown and I'll try to put something together for north central wv. Please figure out a way to make the page view-able without scrolling from left to right. Super annoying.
Thanks. I'd be glad to add links to other routes. As far as the width, I noticed originally it was very wide even on my home monitor, so I went back and re-sized each (most?) of the pages to either 14" or 15" width. It may still be a problem with smaller laptops, netbooks, and smaller monitors, but at this point I don't know how to make it a universal size. I create the pages on Microsoft Word, within a table where I set the width. Then, after I get the basic information started, I save it as a web page and continue building it from there. I know there are several programs out there for web design, but I don't have the finances or the time to learn yet another program at this time. I'd be glad for any info that would help within the confines of Word, if you happen to be a computer guru. Thanks.
ADDED: Petersburg Loop #1 - [FONT="]A[/FONT][FONT="] 173-Mile loop north, west, and south of Petersburg. Greenland Gap a scenic ride through a narrow pass in the ridge, through farmland and alongside a creek, on a narrow but freshly paved road. Then climb Rt 42 from Scherr up to Mt Storm on one of the best mountain rides in WV. In Davis, stop at Blackwater Falls, one of WVs most recognized landmarks. Enjoy the twisty road from Davis to Parsons, where you take narrow (paved) Rt 72 through the remote back-county for about 20 miles. Stop at Seneca Rocks and climb to the top for a great view. This is another of WVs most recognized landmarks. Then, head south about 10 miles and climb the narrow, twisty (paved) road up to the summit of Spruce Knob, the highest point in WV. Descend to Judy Gap and ride the twisty Rt 33 up the mountain to the Germany Valley Overlook, one of the best views in the state. Then, explore the famous Smoke Hole Road before returning to Petersburg. [/FONT] [FONT="]There is a printable, mile-by-mile guide to show the highlights and major intersections. I hope that proves to be a useful feature, since it takes quite a while to type out. http://www.ridingwv.com/RidingRoutes.htm Click on Petersburg Loop #1 ** NOTE: the map takes a minute to load - be patient** More to follow. [/FONT]
2013 Updates: 1) The "Events" Page is now updated for June 2013. This is the 150th Birthday (Sesquicentennial) of West Virginia's statehood, so there are many festivals and celebrations this month. I tried to pick some that I thought would be interesting to most people. Check them out! 2) I would like to see 2013 be the year this website takes off with more photos and ride reports submitted by readers. You can read how to submit material on the "Contact" Page, or just PM me here at ADV. I will be glad to proofread and edit, so don't worry if you're not the best writer. (Neither am I!) ALSO: IF YOUR GROUP HAS AN EVENT/RIDE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I WILL BE GLAD TO INCLUDE IT IN THE "EVENTS" PAGE. ** The site is now averaging between 2,500 - 3,000 visits per month! If you want your group or event to be seen, this is the place. 3) Please pass the word on this website. It is a non-profit work of love of mine. I only have ads for 2 or 3 businesses, and I do not charge any of them. I do have expenses for the web host costs, so if you find the site helpful, a donation would be appreciated. I can send you my PayPal info if you're interested. Thanks! 4) There is now a "For Sale" Page for those living in WV or surrounding states. See the "Contact" Page for more information. Thanks!
As 2013 comes to a close, I would like to thank all of the readers who have visited the www.RidingWV.com website. It is averaging between 2,500-3,000 hits per month. I have received many good comments. I would also like to hear constructive suggestions on how to improve the site. Now that many of us are "snowed in" and riding less, I would like to invite you to submit photos and/or Ride Reports for posting. I will gladly do any editing. Just PM me for details on how to send me your material. I would like this to be a platform for all readers to submit photos and Ride Reports so there are a variety of viewpoints. Here's wishing everyone a safe Holiday season and a Happy New Year!
