Getting to Ohio Valley : Jun 4 | Vintage Trials Jun 4-5 | Coming home from Ohio : Jun 5 |
I pull out of Cable's Campground, site of the Ohio Valley BSA Rally and head south on an Ohio County road that descends to the junction of US 22 and OH 7. You can see the US 22 bridge that crosses the Ohio river straight ahead.
The bridge to Weirton, which I've taken in the past, is closed.
This is the bridge to Weirton.
I pass by a town called Mingo Junction which I get off OH 7 to check out.
Further into the descent, the main street looks pretty tough.
As I wait for my light to turn green, I can't help but think this town has seen better days.
Yup, the main street looks pretty cavernous, empty and eerie.
Now this is a photo that smacks of industry. A slow moving train creeps in front a heavy industrial steel factory.
The road crests upwards so I park my industrial looking bike to get a closer look at this industry.
Wow, this photo pretty much says it all. NS-9325 and BNSF-5776 which I'm sure the railfans have well documented, sit in front of the factory that processes and recycles the raw materials, while turning the gears of commerce in this country. It's all blue-collar muscle and sweat, not the highly paid CEOs in air conditioned offices that make it happen.
Let's take a closer look at those locomotives and factory. This is the kind of manufacturing that built this country. Makes you go wow.
A little further down the road (Southbound, off of OH 7), past that large coal-fired generating station we saw on the way up, lies another steel mill, this one in Titonsville. I am just awed by the size of that structure.
Heading through the main part of town, I can't help notice a building that has collapsed (or torn down).
Following the road along the Ohio river, I park next to a dam, or is that dumpster?
At Martin's Ferry, which is at the junction of US 250 and OH 7, I notice this older Heil garbage truck.
This also smacks of blue collar work. Let's compact some garbage !
The front view shows the Heil body sits atop a nice Mack chassis.
A close-up side view, revealing the hydraulics of the truck, I can't help notice the rendition of Oscar the Grouch!
I'm pretty sure that monster is responsible for my fascination with garbage trucks! Next, we take a look at the other side of the truck.
And finally, I notice the ejection panel is pushed all the way to the back, against the compacting mechanism.
Continuing on, I pass by another bridge crossing over to West Virginia, around Bellaire.
This town also gives you a nice view of the Ohio Valley. Look at that industry, once again.
An impressive truss-bridge (for railway), also in Bellaire.
It's now time to cross over back into WV the same way I came.
I take a closer look at that clean coal plant that we saw earlier at this junction.
Finally back in WV, I stop to get a photo of a prison in Moundsville. Note the razor wire atop the fence.
Instead of County Rd 17 (Fork Ridge Rd), I take Big Grave Creek Rd (County Rd 54) which looks to follow a river.
I stop to check out a distribution facility for pipelines.
Now County Rd 54 climbs up the ridge through a series of tight switchbacks. Here's the beginning with some pretty impressive tall trees.
Pretty steep looking down.
This road arrives at the top of the ridge, meeting up with County Rd 21. Which resembles the countryside of Fork Ridge Rd.
Looking down into a pretty deep gully.
Now I come to a fork in the road where a small church sits up high.
I come across a house covered with vines.
Yup, it's covered pretty good with overgrowth.
Across the road sits a much nicer house atop the hill.
And across the road at this spot is a curious burro behind a fence.
Later, I come across a mine entrance. I'm not all that far from Cameron WV, now.
Probably, you've never seen a speed limit sign for 17 mph.
I continue on, expecting to descend onto the main street of Cameron, but for some reason the road keeps going on.
Here's the view of Cameron, looking north, from US 250.
I then find Pennsylvania Rd to my left, which is what I want, to continue my trip home into PA.
A short while later, I cross into PA, which is Greene County, township of Aleppo.
Along this road, which is Green Valley Rd, I stop to admire a horse.
This road leads me to New Freeport, which then connects with PA 18.
The old-style cast Pennsylvania sign says Waynesburg is 20 miles from here. But that's north, not the direction I'm heading.
So, PA 18 turns into WV 69 at the border and connects with US 250 at Hundred. It's all familiar territory now, and I simply elect to take the direct route home, pulling into my driveway around 8pm, with daylight to spare.
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