Day 7: To Petersburg, West Virginia - Steel City to Cow Town 2014 - CycleBlaze

September 15, 2014

Day 7: To Petersburg, West Virginia

Now I start a new phase of the tour. I traveled southeast for the first 5 days of the tour, but now I will turn right and go southwest along the Allegheny mountains. Back on roads, but most are low-traffic roads to nowhere.

Dense fog and 50F when I left the motel at 8:20. Over the hill, then a long downhill to Cumberland. The sun was starting to shine when I got into town. I took a short detour to see downtown in the morning sunshine.

Morning view of Baltimore Street in Cumberland, Maryland.
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Then across the Potomac river to West Virginia. West Virginia is the first of 5 "new" states that I will visit during this tour. My 3rd state on this tour, and 40th state since 1988.

State #3 on this tour.
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First I pedaled WV highway 28 to Fort Ashby. Then highway 46 southwest for 12 miles to Knobley road. Traffic was moderate on both highways, not much shoulder. Then a left turn onto Knobley road. Finally a low traffic country road. For 40 miles!

Callahan creek, tributary of the Potomac river.
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I took a nice rest on this old bridge, then made a wrong turn while leaving.
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Some buildings are rustic.
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The area is remote, but still relatively populated. Several houses per mile. Most of the houses are very old.

Others are grand and historic.
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Allegheny mountain valleys remind me of Oregon's Coast Range, except that these trees are all deciduous.
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The area has occasional abandoned structures as well. Most buildings appear to be built in the 19th century.

Old school house.
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Today had a lot of climbing. Frequent climbs of 200-300 feet between valleys. And I'm steadily gaining elevation.

Looking back to get a decent sun angle.
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The sky stayed cloudy for most of the afternoon. About 3 PM it became partly cloudy and the temperature warmed up to 73F.

The road would be even hillier if not for frequent limestone cuts.
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Abandoned farm house.
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Small country churches are seldom made of brick.
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The hills get gradually higher but the last 10 miles to Petersburg is steady downhill.

Allegheny mountain farm valley near Petersburg, West Virginia
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Traffic was noticeably heavier for the last 15 miles as I approached Petersburg during rush hour.

I got a $42 room at the only motel in Petersburg. A 1929 brick building with tiny rooms with tile floors. Everything smells like pine sol. It does have a TV and A/C.

Today was a long day. Many hours pedaling, not very many hours resting. The scenery is great but the terrain is challenging. 8% and 10% grades are common, but today the steep grades weren't especially long.

Distance: 75.2 mi. (120 km)
Climbing: 3707 ft. (1123 m)
Average Speed: 10.3 mph (16.5 km/h)

Today's ride: 75 miles (121 km)
Total: 308 miles (496 km)

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