The BritishV8 Pub

To the place I belong, WEST VIRGINIA......

Location: Lewisburg, West Virginia [www.lewisburg-wv.com]

Dates: Arrive Wednesday, June 7, thru Saturday, June 10 (check out Sunday June 11)

Host Hotel: Quality Inn, 540 North Jefferson Street, Lewisburg, WV 24901 (304)645-7722 [www.choicehotels.com]

BritishV8 Group Rate: $85/night, breakfast included. Be sure to book under our BritishV8 Group

Feel free to book the room a few nights before or after the meet and the Quality Inn has agreed to honor our special BritishV8 rate!

We are working on some fun drives, interesting and fun things to do and some more fun drives, tech sessions, and maybe some fun drives. More information to come!!!

Thanks Dan for the hard work, Will book room soon.

Sounds fantastic! Thank you Dan!! Really looking forward to it!

Just checked the map - almost 20 hours driving each way to get there. Still looking forward to it! Old stomping grounds :)!

There is a road... I've really been wanting to show you guys this one, I can't think of anyone who wouldn't absolutely love it.

US Rt. 60 used to be the main highway through the mountains. "Among the highest mountains in southern West Virginia, its mountain crossing was long the highest point on the historic Midland Trail (today's U.S. Route 60), one of the most important passages across the central Appalachian Mountains." [www.wvexp.com] Then the final stretch of I-64 was completed and the stretch of road between Lewisburg and Sam Black Church was completely cut off and almost totally isolated, relegated to local traffic only, which is to say the infrequent use of people in a completely rural farm setting. This is a major Federal Highway, 2 and 3 lanes wide with nice berms, guardrails, the whole works, and from that time forward, grass could be seen growing in the cracks of the road, traffic had become so light.

One of the big attractions is a stretch of 3 lane esses so tight that it's possible to bomb an almost perfect straight line right down the middle of them. But beware if doing this headed east and downhill! Gravel has been known to lie in the center lane at the last curve and has been known to take the uninitiated all the way to the guardrail across the opposite lane! You don't get no T-shirt for this one!

That's not to say this particular stretch is the best part of the drive, though it's got some good road and is undoubtedly the most deserted. From Sam Black Church westward traffic begins to pick up as Rt 60 heads towards I-19, Fayetteville, Gauley Mountain (a Must Drive for any W.Va.-ophile) and Charleston, while I-64 loops south to Beckley and The Turnpike.

There are many, many fun and scenic driving loops that can be routed around any destination. A typically West Virginian phrase is, "You can't get there from here." and you should let this be your mantra when driving here. It is a West Virginia state of mind. It's not so much the destination as the journey that is important.

With that thought in mind we are going to provide you with the opportunity to acquire a necessary piece of gear. For a paltry twenty bucks you can posses your very own West Virginia Atlas and Gazetteer from Delorme [shop.delorme.com] and I highly encourage you to purchase this atlas in preparation for your trip. You will be lost without it. Don't expect your GPS to get you out of this one. It might get you home, but it will never, ever find the route you will most enjoy in getting there. The atlas has those small but enticing one lane shortcut roads that form the backbone of every native's daily routes, and you owe it to yourself to explore them.

Now a word about W.Va. driving etiquette is in order, but as my schedule is busy today I must put that off for another time. I also want to tell you of a particular scenic peak that only a handful of people know about. Next time then.

Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/06/2016 01:10PM by BlownMGB-V8.

"You can't get there from here." ...unless you have a helicopter. ;)

It's OK, Artie has a GPS!!!

Quote:

It's OK, Artie has a GPS!!!

Is Umstead close to Lewisburg? 😊

Quote:

Artie has a GPS!!!

Barring that, jest bring up Google maps on yer I-phone. (assuming yer can get a signal out in the boonies)
Here's a twisty bit like Jim was talking about.....Midland Trail, WV.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2016 10:29AM by ex-tyke.

Quote:

Just checked the map - almost 20 hours driving each way to get there.

You are in for a haul, Rob. Hope you make it! Still you are a bit closer, than I was to Colorado Springs. That was by far my longest trip to a V8 Meet. I don't mind a good road trip, but it is nice to have a couple close to home :)

Jim Williams lives in Lewisburg. He has posted here before, but a search I did only found one thread he was on. [forum.britishv8.org]

We will be using him some as a resource.

should be a great driving event

thank you Dan and Jim

Nice Photo Graham, obviously everyone can have hours of fun exploring the roads that way and I think it's a great idea. Harder to see the elevation changes, but often possible. I have not found my esses yet but will keep looking. It is 3 lane, so that's a clue. Headed east it begins with a tight left followed by a tight right hander coming around the peak of the hill and into the esses, and a tight right hander at the bottom. Let me know if anyone thinks they've found it. While you are about it, be sure to look at Rt 60 on the east side of Gauley mountain between Hawk's Nest and Gauley Bridge. It'd be a long drive from Lewisburg but some of you might want to make the trip just for the experience. It's not that common to find a 3 lane switchback road, and the WVBCC regularly schedules club drives on that stretch. Of course they are headquartered in Charleston so it's close, and it's not necessary to go that far out of your way to find a good drive, but if anyone wants to explore that far and would prefer an alternate route back I can help with that too, as there are good roads leading up into Fayetteville and Oak Hill with more southern routes back to Lewisburg. I have no doubt several of you will find roads and road combinations that Dan and I have never been on.

Now a word about etiquette is in order.

Drivers in W.Va. are typically polite and friendly. That may sometimes seem not to be the case but it will usually turn out to be a matter of misunderstood perceptions. The nature of the roads themselves have altered both driving habits and expectations so when you come into the state it is a good idea to try to conform to the local norms. You may sometimes find these a bit bizarre but be patient and understanding and you will discover why things are the way they are here. Let me start with one of the odder examples to help you get the idea. As we all know, unposted rural roads have a 55 mph speed limit and folks generally expect you to drive at or near the limit. (In W.Va. this generally means regardless of curves in the road.) In various locations W.Va. has one lane, two way paved roads with gravel berms, and because these roads typically involve travel outside the immediate neighborhood they are no exception. The difference lies in what happens when two cars meet on one of these roads. Most people would expect that both cars would slow while approaching each other, finally moving off the paved surface so each can travel a minimum of distance on the gravel before returning to the pavement and resuming speed. If you do this in W.Va. you are likely to have a very upset local on your hands and no idea why this maniac went clear off the road and blasted around you, scattering gravel into the treetops, AND YOU WILL BE AT FAULT! The accepted norm is for the two drivers to approach each other without slowing down! (we are talking about a combined closing speed of about 100 mph here) But you are most definitely NOT engaging in a game of "Chicken", nor do you want to give the least impression that this is the case. Well in advance of reaching the other car so that you have time to stabilize your car, you will move over so that your outside tires are riding in the gravel and continue past the other driver, who has done likewise, whereupon you will both regain the pavement and go on your way. This marks you as a driver who is savvy to local customs and competent to share the road with them. Now if the prospect of such a maneuver seems daunting, or you prize your paint, feel free to slow down. Just be sure to roll off the pavement early enough that you do not force the approaching driver to slow down as well.

You will find that the key element is usually to avoid inconveniencing the other driver in your vicinity, and this applies in most situations. On the Turnpike you move to the right when a car comes up behind you so he can go by, particularly if moving noticeably faster than you. You try not to be perceived as a "Flatland Tourister" if you can. Remember, West Virginians have been traveling these roads all of their lives and they are no less in a hurry than anyone anywhere else. When you slow down for a curve they tend to think you want to stop for some reason, because they see no other cause for your actions. Many of them actually speed up in the curves because there is less chance of having to deal with law enforcement. Even grannies will squeal the tires through the corners, and a hot shoe might have all four corners sliding. Oddly enough for many outsiders, this is fairly normal. Again, the basic rule of thumb is, try not to inconvenience the drivers around you. Although they are not trying to inconvenience you either you might not see it quite that way when a local comes roaring up on your bumper through the twisties and parks there. Try to see his perspective. He has to get somewhere and this is his road. He knows it well, and knows exactly where his next, slimmest opportunity is to pass. He may completely disregard the lines on the road in doing so and you should be aware of that. All he is looking for is enough room to get by you before he is in danger of a driver just like him coming around the next blind curve, and you are in a position to help him with that. So do NOT lay on the gas as you come out of the curve. Let him go. If he caught up with you he is driving faster than you are, so lay back or even slow down just long enough to let him clear your front bumper, and he'll be gone from your life. You might even move over a bit if it helps him get by.

That's not to say that you can flaunt the traffic laws. State troopers tend to be thin on the ground, polite, very professional when you meet them, and overall a credit to the state. They can be lenient if they desire. City cops can be outright jerks if you catch them on a bad day and for some of them that is every day. Best to just avoid them. Town cops are a mix. Speed traps do exist and are usually the province of the small town cop so they will be found coming into a town. Since their job is to raise revenue, your best bet is to slow down coming into small towns without exception, because if you do get stopped you will pay a fine. Not much different than anywhere else you go. To my knowledge there are no stoplight cameras. Corner speed postings are advisory only and are routinely ignored by everyone, as are speed limits where the road is curvy. The lane markings are law of course and are taken reasonably seriously by law enforcement but routinely ignored by a fairly large percentage of the drivers. More than anything else, do what you can to make life easy on the more aggressive drivers. Don't challenge them, and don't give them reasons to do stupid things. Because they are more than capable of doing just that and you don't want to be around if they do. I would say, even if it takes moving over on the berm to do it, there are times to just let them go, since the last thing you need is for someone to decide they don't like you personally. So have fun, but stay out of trouble. I don't think there is much else you need to know, the biggest complaint of the locals would be "rolling roadblocks, so don't be one. If you just do that you should be fine. You are free to drive aggressively within reasonable limits, and sometimes unreasonable ones. But when you do, just be mindful that gun ownership is considered a God given right here and though most people don't keep them in their cars, some do. Not to scare anyone but you do need to be informed.

Jim

Brushy Ridge Rd (12/1) looks like fun to me, but is it a paved road?

Not sure which one that is Carl, there are several. But the ones I looked at appear to be the 2 way, 1 lane roads I mentioned earlier and probably real light local traffic. On Google, if you see clear tire marks, the edge is sorta undefined (particularly at intersections), and the tracks follow the line through the corners you are looking at gravel. If the tire marks are dim and the edges are clear, it's going to be paved. If there is a center line it is 2 lane. It appears Google enhances the road with a highlighted shadow so you'll have to discount that, and depending on the time of year that they used photos from you often won't even be able to see the road for the trees. That is where the Atlas comes in handy. Now looking up Brushy Ridge, it looks like there are 7 of them, all on different map grids. Looking at the one near Alta the legend says, "Other road or trail", below "street or road". Kind of ambiguous, but by now most of the roads in the state that actually go somewhere other than a dead end at least have some blacktop, so that helps some I think.

Any road called something like "Brushy Ridge" is probably going to be interesting, and you're well off the beaten path with that one. My best guess is that it is going to be a real tight and twisty one lane paved road running up and down the side of the ridge, condition unknown. I'm using a well known tight and twisty section of Howell's Mill Rd near Barboursville as a reference here, that short section compares favorably with most of the Dragon and Google shows a clear lane stripe down the middle. Also an excellent reference, Rt 61 south of Montgomery between Robson and Page. A great road over Deepwater Mountain and into Fayetteville. Great curves, fantastic elevation changes, good solid 2 lane with clear markings inside and out. Some traffic, also some usable passing spots, legal or otherwise. This is the kind of road you should be looking for. There are plenty in between. Don't get too caught up on seeing lots of curves. Google shading removes a lot of that and it doesn't show the elevation changes. HTH

Jim

Have blocked the time on my work calendar. Looking forward to it!

just from memory fro 5-7nyearsago, a road frown near Marlington going NNE with good elevation changes made 50 miles just wide enough for tow cars to pass but only by each putting 1/2 their ca on the gravel should, in other words pavement wa 8-10 ft wide__________________ up to the top secret dish eavesdropping operation. 'll think of it , cut an old man a little slack., which I could find it again.

seemed like it was


`50 + or _ miles one pave lane with gravel shoulders to use if another vehicle is encountered,

I recall no other car or trucks but I did have to use all my MGB braking power when I came around a blind twisty doing 60-75 mph and 50 or 100 sheep were in the road. I stopped in time and the shepherds were friendly, the sheep were indecisive about their destination and required encouragement by stick and dogs.
after a shout chat the crossing complete and I resumed my 25-30 miles of deserted road to my self. I was mostly on a ridge top with a few decendes to a creek the altitude gain on this very narrow lane. reminded me of driving in rural essex around stow market.
miles and mies of mostly deserted tiny roads, tons of fun



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/2016 06:37PM by lawnvett.

Wow, that will be a 36 to 38 hour drive for us both ways, longer if towing. May need to take a couple of weeks off work or more :)

I hope everyone can make it. We have some fun ideas kicking around. Here is something to keep in mind though, looking at maps on the internet or in the really cool atlas Jim linked. We have just suffered the worst flood, some say in 1000 years in Greenbrier County. Lewisburg is the county seat and was not hit much by the flood, but a lot of the roads have suffered damage including washed away parts and bridges. Still yet there will be no shortage of twisties to play on. My nephew works for DOT and he said it is unbelievable the devastation. Most of it should be fixed by next June though.
Jim Williams lives there and is scouting routes.
WV is a scenic state, Lewisburg is a cool little town. It's gonna be fun.

Jean made our hotel reservations yeterday (I think).

Kelly Stevenson may be working on a "West Virginia Warm-Up" similar to what we did for Palestine in 2012 (Shreveport. LA) and Omaha (2013) (St.Joseph, MO)