Virginia for a Henderson

Friday June 13, 2008, George and I loaded another E150 van for another road trip. We headed south towards Huddleston, VA, to pick up a Henderson motorcycle for Tom Brim, George’s boss.
We stopped around midnight in Beckley, WV to stay at a Holiday Inn that didn’t accept cash for a room and had no cash on site. We stayed on my card and spent a nice night in a large accessible room.
Gone by six-forty five, we took US 64 into Virginia and then some back roads to reach VA 43. What a road, it looked like someone spilled their guts and some one else made a road following them. It was a fun road but in a E150, my butt was puckered to the seat. I wished I was on my old CBR929RR and kickin’ Riche Law’s ass through the curves.
We met up with Bill Saunders at his backwoods hideaway and picked up the Henderson which was in pieces ready for assembly. Before loading the van we were treated to strong coffee with Chickaree in it, ginger muffins and home made apple butter and fruit. After loading the van and ogling the many other vintage bikes in the garage, including Indian Big Chiefs and vintage BMWs, we set off towards West Virginia.
We took a different route out, seeing some different scenery and not keeping the seat puckered up the backside. George was gentler on the drive out with the loaded bike.
After a quick stop in Covington, VA at a motorcycle junkyard, we landed at Tom and Kathy Law’s house in Oak Hill, West Virginia in time for supper. Tom took George for a ride in the Cateram Super Seven sports car, an overgrown go-kart on steroids, before we headed out for wings and beer at a small gas station. It seemed odd but this is West Virginia and they had the Buffalo Wild Wings symbol on the door.
Back at the house we played cut throat pool and partners eight ball before heading to bed. We didn’t want to leave the peacefulness of Tom’s house in the morning and we were greeted with a breakfast of eggs, fresh biscuits, home made blackberry jam, bacon and cooked apples. With full bellies, we watched the end of the LeMans 24 hour race and then packed ourselves back in the van.
Up route 19 to Summersville and Sarge’s dive shop to check out the dive conditions and accommodations. We wanted to dive but George wanted to get home and we pressed on winding across the mountains on Route 60 along the Kanawa river and into Charleston before getting on the highway and cruising home.