Biking the New River

tonyturley

Legend
Location
Scott Depot, WV, USA
Name
Tony
I spent the morning yesterday riding the Southside Trail along WV's New River, between the tiny communities of Cunard and Thurmond. Communities throughout the NRG once bustled with activity during the height of the coal and railroad era; today, they either have crumbled in decay, or are host to tourists carrying cameras, or bikers, hikers, and rafters. Railroad depots have been turned into museums or visitor centers. Rail lines were abandoned or became bike paths.

In the case of the Southside Trail, only the northern 1/3 of the trail is very well maintained. That part is a true rail trail. Most of the rest has become narrow, rocky, tree roots jutting out, old railroad ties exposed. I rode the whole thing into Thurmond, then pedaled back to my car, a 15.7 mile out and back trip. I carried both the X30 and X-T1, but the X30 got most of the work. While the IQ isn't in the same league as the X-T1, I am finding the X30 gets the lion's share of use these days. There's just a lot to like about the camera. In my eyes, the X30 is a worthy Serious Compact.

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you are inspiring this old dog to find some new tricks......can't wait to see more
I'm an old dog myself, Luke. It's really easy to get into patterns of behavior (or ruts, as we call them). I've spent a fair bit of time over the past year or so finding new areas to explore . . . and not just geographical areas.

TT
 
Very cool! I've ridden along the New River down in the Roanoke/Blacksburg area, but that's all paved and easy. Never been into the wilder reaches of it. Serious bike too - I used to do a lot of mountain biking in the mid-late '90s but have never ridden one of those ultra-fat tire bikes. I remember when Surly first came out with the Pugsley - the first one - and I thought it was insane. Cool that they seem to be everywhere now...

-Ray
 
Very cool! I've ridden along the New River down in the Roanoke/Blacksburg area, but that's all paved and easy. Never been into the wilder reaches of it. Serious bike too - I used to do a lot of mountain biking in the mid-late '90s but have never ridden one of those ultra-fat tire bikes. I remember when Surly first came out with the Pugsley - the first one - and I thought it was insane. Cool that they seem to be everywhere now...

-Ray
Thanks Ray. I built mine from parts I cobbled together from various sources. It was a cool project, and very satisfying.

Waaaay cool! Did the phat bike live up to your expectations?

Speaking of old dogs and new tricks, I turned 70 this year and took up kayaking. I'm expecting deliver of a "rugged " camera shortly.

Cheers, Jock
Thanks Jock. The bike indeed has worked out great. I tried kayaking once, on a stretch of the Little River near Blacksburg, VA. It was a lot of fun. That rugged camera should serve you well out on the water
 
I've ridden one of the rails-to-trails routes in Oregon, and they are talking about a 20+ mile conversion here in the future. No cool buildings that I've heard of though, those make a great photo op! :)
 
My grandparents grew up in Leroy. I loved it, playing outdoors there in the 1950's. They had a crank phone, outhouse, and well water. Awesome coffee on a wood stove. What a life!
 
Before your maiden voyage, make sure you get a "floaty" wrist-strap for your camera. They're fine going underwater, but they sink like stones.
Yup. I dropped a Sony A7 in the river on my one kayaking trip. It was in a dry bag, but I had failed to seal the bag properly. Surprisingly, after a month in a sealed container of rice, the camera returned to full function.
 
Another nice bike trip along the New, following the same route as my OP in this thread. I finally visited Thurmond on a day when it wasn't hazy or completely overcast. All images with an X100S:

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