Happy Veterans Day to all those who have served. I am always a bit critical of the government having parades and celebrations for servicemen, when what they should be doing is keeping them out of harms way by avoid stupid wars and paying them a fair wage for their service, rather then offering them a party and commerations.

It looks like the latest forecast keeps downgrading the snow, rain, and the mercury for the Friday and Saturday keeps increasing. ⛅ In the valleys, at least over at Keyser, WV – the friendliest city in America – they’re saying sunshine and 50 degrees come Friday. Only a half inch of snow expected here up in Canaan Heights, mostly clouds and rain showers. ☔ And a high of 35 degrees – so your not going to get much snow accumulation then.  And it looks like it’s just pushing farther north. Worse comes to worse and I get snowed in I’ll have to extend my vacation. 🪏

Friday I will stay in camp and read – but I think stay in West Virigina. 🌨️ If it’s not too wet and cold, head out for a ride on my mountain bike along Canaan Loop Road, but other then that mostly hang out at camp, maybe have a fire. 🔥 Just that relaxed day I was talking about doing on Sugar Hill. Talking more about snow on Saturday, but I’ll be leaving then, and by the time I get in the valley, they’re talking about some clouds and sun and 48 degrees. ☀️ Fine weather for a the haul back to New York, maybe do the Somerset Viaduct then head north to Binghamton and Greene and overnight at Long Pond. Thursday I might even go down to Canaan Wildlife Refuge with binoculars and look at the birdies and plants, or maybe back to Davis if I don’t get that burrito 🌯 today. I also looking for a good peperoni roll 🍥, I was going to do that yesterday when I was in Elkins but it was getting dark and I wanted to get up to Bickle Knob Overlook before dark.

I tell you, that road up to Bickle Knob was a bit more hair raising drive then I’d want to do again. 😱 Not only was it unfamiliar and getting dark, it was incredibly narrow, with steep drop-offs and a steep grade heading up there, a thankless 3 1/2 miles grinding up there, and then heading back down with my SuperDuty locked in Granny Gear No. 1,  though the hill descent control made for an easy ride down without myself having to physically ride the brakes. 🛻 Truth is I am way to paranoid about brakes, I think it was from when I was much younger and I let the brakes grind so long and hard on my old Plymouth Sundance that one time the caliber or remaining thinned out pads broke off, and it was hard to stop the car. 🌟 And that time with Big Red when going down that hill on Lanesville Road in West Virigina when I was riding the brakes and they got hot and started to smell. I don’t have to drive down Bickle Knob in snow even if it does come, I’m not planning to go back there any time soon. WV 72, while curvey and narrow in parts, had some steep descents but far less crazy then I imagined. The passing of other vehicles was tight but not that bad. It was fun, worth the trip. ☺️

I also enjoyed riding up the Blackwater Canyon Railroad grade about 5 miles from the bottom, then riding a bit fo the Allegheny Highlands Trail into Parsons and poking around. Didn’t know a good place to get a pepperoni roll 🍥 though I was looking there. Time was tight after all that time I spent hiking deep into the Otter Creek Wilderness. Then I headed out along Corridor H to Elkins, what a nice drive, many trailheads I kind of wished I had stopped to check out. I don’t think I want to gout that far today though. I am thinking more just hikes around Davis, probably head back to Camp 73 Road, hike Bears Den and or Moon Rocks, and maybe some of the Allegheny Highlands Trail along Corridor H – it passes some interesting wetlands and other areas outside of coal fields, and I think I want to take a look. This morning I rode several miles along Canaan Loop Road to watch the sun rise, then came back, had some eggs and kind of relaxed morning. 🥚 Beautiful day, heading up to 60 degrees but wind is pickup up a bit, and won’t be long until darkness again. 🚴 Well I should get riding and hiking.