Day 2: Athens, OH to Romney, WV
May 28, 2024
365 Miles
A really nice day of riding. The night before I had stayed in Athens, OH - a quaint college town on the river. Even though many parts of the west are much older than the east (e.g., Santa Fe, NM), it has a lot more old school character than out west.
I quickly entered West Virginia, again headed east. Team Strange required that I get more than one city in multiple states to maintain flexibility since I wouldn’t be out that way again. In many cases, I wasn’t sure what the future held or what states I would go to. So getting multiple gave me options, and that was important down the road. After a quick stop in Ellenboro, WV USPS, I had coffee at the local McDonalds, and some locals gave me recommendations for what to see in the area. While I knew that I couldn’t and wouldn’t, I was patient as they explained it to me. Nice folks.
My family (mother’s side) is from the mountains of West Virginia. This places feels strangely like coming home. The weirdest feeling.
From there, Anmoore, WV. As I approached the USPS, my front tire dove, sending me straight off the side of the bike. When I sold the bike, it still had the leather residue on the F900 from getting thrown off. Just as I ended my roll, the Anmoore Police Chief decided to pay me a visit. We had a great conversation. He talked about his son, and his experience on the force.
From there, Inwood, WV, where I could not gain access to the USPS sign to take a photo - strangest USPS setup I have ever seen (before or since). I went it, explained my situation, and they were excited to help! Very friendly folks that invited me to hang out that evening. Given we were headed to Romney for the official start of the trip, I declined.
