Today our adventure begins! We got up at 6am and did a few last house prep chores before heading out. Last night we did a final weigh in of the cargo to make sure the hitch weight was optimal. It came in at 57 pounds after some shifting of bags, which is close to the target weight for the hitch (12% of the total trailer weight).
We left at 7:40am and headed out on 15 North into Maryland to 70W. Once we got on 68W the traffic cleared dramatically. Soon we were in the mountains and the temperature improved. Temps dropped to 77 degrees as we rode through elevation, getting to 2800 feet at Savage Mountain.
Michele had fun looking for interesting truck cargo, there were a lot of trucks on the road. We saw many pre-made swimming pools going in the opposite direction, and these items.
Our first stop was 170 miles in at the Bruceton Mills exit around 10am for a fuel stop. We've stopped here a few times before on trips and it's pretty remote. We noticed a bigger fuel stop location at Exit 7 just 16 miles further west for next time!
Before lunch the high temp was 86 degrees. We headed towards Morgantown, then took 79 South.
Lunch was in Clarksburg at 11:30am for about 45 mins. We sat outside to be safer, and it was pleasant in the shade. A guy in a pickup asked if we came through the mountains.
A lady working at the lunch place next door asked us about the trailer, if it's difficult to ride with it. Rob said he can feel it when braking, but otherwise it just follows along. She has a Harley Sportster.
Temps picked up after lunch, about 90 degrees on the highway. Fortunately we didn't have any traffic to slow or stop us on the highway. Traffic was light and we rode through the mountains nearly the entire day. We picked up interstate 77/64 just outside of Charleston. Rob said it's an easy route since we've done it so many times.
We arrived at our Sleep Inn hotel in Cross Lanes, WV at 2:15pm, about an hour earlier than planned since we didn't stop after lunch. We stayed here on the last day of our April Texas trip and liked it, clean and quiet. Our room was ready early so we relaxed in the air conditioning until dinner. We watched parts of two movies, Salt and Volcano (the latter was ridiculous), then ordered take out from Cracker Barrel next door.
We rode 358 miles today and made really good time. While on the road the Budweiser Clydesdale Farm both emailed and texted to welcome us for our tour on Thursday in Missouri. We're excited!
Rob says we may be "playing hide and go seek" with thunderstorms as we approach Evansville, Indiana tomorrow. Temperatures might be slightly better tomorrow.
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