Parsons / Spruce Knob
Germany Valley
May 2008
First, a little
background. I was born and raised in
Clarksburg, WV. After graduating from Washington-Irving
High School in 1976, I attended WVU, where I earned Bachelor and Master Degrees
in Piano Performance. I taught for 2
years, then I enlisted in the Air Force and served as a pianist in the Air
Force Bands. I just retired and we moved
back to WV in May 2008. This fall, my
son Spencer is starting Engineering School at WVU.
It’s great to be back and
riding the mountains again. We have a
130-acre farm near Petersburg, WV that has been in the family for 5
generations, so I’m pretty familiar with the Elkins – Harmon – Seneca –
Franklin – Parsons - Germany Valley –
Cass – Webster Springs area. I’ve always
had street bikes until 2 years ago when I bought a V-Strom 1000. I love the bike, and have been starting to get
more comfortable on gravel backroads.
There’s plenty of those to explore in WV, so I bought a Delorme
Gazatteer map book and want to share my travels with all of you. Hopefully, you will see some interesting
places you want to explore too. Enjoy!
In May, I
rode out through Parsons, Seneca Rocks, Germany Valley and Spruce Knob
twice. The first ride was solo, and the
following weekend I led two young guys from work around the same route on their
sportbikes. We left Clarksburg, went out
Rt 57 to Philippi, then Rt 38 through Nestorville to St George. Turning south on Rt 72 took us through
Parsons, and continued on Rt 72 past Hendricks where the road narrows to 1 and
1/10 cars wide. We followed Rt 72 for
about 20 miles until it ends on Rt 32 and dropped down into Harmon. From there, it’s a fun ride up over the
Allegheny Mt to Seneca Rocks on Rt 33/55.
For the final leg, head south on 33/28 from Seneca Rocks to Judy Gap,
where you turn left up the mountain on Rt 33 to the overlook at Germany
Valley. Heading back toward Seneca, take
the side trip up CR 33-4 to Spruce Knob.
It’s a fun 275-300 mile day.
Ride 1 –
The first week: Solo Ride
I already
have several photos posted of this route on my “Retirement Rides”, so
I’m just
posting new photos.
Heading east out of Philippi
toward Nestorville, I always stop to say hi to these horses.
Parsons, WV – Armed Forces
Memorial. Very nice.
Rt 72 Between Parsons and
Canaan. Truly a “back road”.
Great curves, but narrow –
blind corners – and some fine gravel in many corners.
Be careful!
Rt 72 Heading East as you
approach Canaan Valley
After crossing the mountains
from Harmon to Seneca on Rt 33 (Great Riding!!), I turned south
at Seneca Rocks to Judy Gap,
then east again up over the mountain to the overlook of Germany Valley.
This is one of my favorite
scenic overlooks, and it’s a great ride to the top.
After coming back down from
Germany Valley, I headed north a few miles to the turnoff
for Spruce Knob, the highest
point in WV. The first 5 or 6 miles (CR
33-4) is paved, steep, and curvy.
Great riding!
Continuing up to Spruce
Knob, the road soon turns to gravel.
One of the scenic overlooks
on the road to Spruce Knob.
Same location as last photo,
but you can see the valley below a little better.
Almost there, the last leg
of the road up to Spruce Knob.
The V-Strom is lovin’ it!
The famous sign = Spruce
Knob, the highest point in WV – 4863 Feet
The observation tower at
Spruce Knob. Nice views from the top.
As I was leaving the parking
lot, I had to stop for this photo, because I have a photo of
my second bike (1980 Suzuki
GS-450E) at about the same location in 1981.
Coming back down from Spruce
Knob – now THESE are hairpins!
Who needs Deals Gap? Not me!
Another hairpin curve coming
down from Spruce Knob.
It was a great day’s
ride. Total mileage was about 275 with
all the side trips.
Hope you enjoyed it. I did, and I proved it by bringing 2 friends
back up here a week later.
Ride 2:
With Chris and Mark
Starting out Rt 72 from
Hendricks – nice waterfall along the roadside
One of many hairpins on Rt
72.
Fun, but watch for fine
gravel in the corners!!
More of Rt 72 between
Hendricks and Canaan Valley.
After coming out onto Rt 32
and heading south to Harmon, we passed these
abandoned gas pumps with a
bad omen for the future.
Soon, we were over the
mountains and heading up to Germany Valley.
Rt 33 over this mountain
(just east of Judy Gap) is a workout!
Destination – Germany Valley
This is one of my favorite
overlooks in WV
After Germany Valley, it was
back down to Judy Gap.
I usually ride alone, so I
don’t have many photos of myself riding.
Chris took this photo of me
coming through the twisties on CR 33-4 up to Spruce Knob.
The guys didn’t want to take
their sportbikes up the gravel road to the top.
Hope you enjoyed the
ride. We did!