Time for another spring Ohio Valley BSA Club Vintage / Trials event at Cable's Campground about 10 miles north of Steubenville Ohio. Last time I covered this event was two years ago.

Did my usual departure around 7:30am. I always like to take a slightly different way there and back to this event as there are so many interesting sideroads on this 100 mile trip. I took US 250 to WV 218 which is a nice twisty road until you reach PA at the Mason Dixon Line. It's a straightforward ride to Waynesburg where I get PA 18, and then I reach PA 231 where the fun begins.

I plan to follow PA 231 to its end. This is a great road, lots of hairpin turns rated at 15 - 20 mph. I come across the bizarre bridge, not sure what it is for.

Certainly doesn't look like for ordinary vehicular traffic. I wonder if it's for a pipeline or something.

I stop at an intersection with an interesting destination sign.

PA sure has some oddly named towns, the most famous one being Intercourse. This one is pretty neat: Good Intent.

Next I stop where PA 231, 221 and 331 kind of all come together and admire the shadow my bike makes.

At this spot stands a majestic tree.

A short while later, I reach PA 844 and head west. This will take me across the W.Va panhandle, where I decend down via WV 27 to the Ohio Valley. I'm now on WV 2, heading north. After I get past Follansbee, I cross over the metal-grid bridge to Steubenville. A short while later I'm at the Cable's Campground.

I get there around 10:30, my usual arrival time, so I park the bike and I have some time before I'm called as Checker for the Trials that begin at 1pm. I take the time to admire the vintage bikes some people have brought.

Here's a custom ISDT (International Six Day Trial, a World Renowned Enduro event) BMW.

Note the appropriate personalized Historical license plate

This bike has the usual clocks used for enduro event. A trip meter (that cues you to various turns on the course), a stopwatch (since you have to arrive at stations along the course at set times) and finally the bike's standard odometer/speedometer.

This guy is trying to get his newly acquired 1940 Indian started. He was eventually successful, though it makes me appreciate the electric start on modern bikes.

A Triumph rat bike of sort, note the coffee can used as a headlight nacelle.

A KTM (that would do well in the Reliability Run the OVBSA puts on Saturday morning - I never get there early enough to observe this) facing the new Triumph XC 800 Tiger (though this one outfitted with street tires)

Now it's time to check the trials. I'm assigned to Station #9 (we do odd numbers today, tomorrow is even).

One of my first observations is that guy with the dog, who showed up last year. That little guy is just waiting to hop on!

And sure enough he did.

Craig, on a modern 250 Scorpa, heading out on the '2' (second hardest) line.

The '2' (and '1') lines start with a rather steep drop, where it's easy to lock the rear wheel.

Yet Craig manages to finish this relatively easy line for '2' riders without much problem (getting a 'clean')

John (a '1' line rider) on a Honda, and Kerry (doing the '3' line) await their turn. John kind of sets the standard for the '1' line on Vintage and Kerry has the only BSA in all the bikes I observed.

Here is Kerry at the opposite end of the course.

Well, the Trials are all over, I tear down the station and soon get ready for the dinner ride.

The dinner ride is always a favorite of mine, because each year we take a different route to a different restaurant. We don't go as far as we normally do, settling on Zalenki's family restaurant in Wintersville. (10 miles later and we are there). We're a pretty small group, only about 6 to 8 of us. Usually the crowd is much larger.

Steve arrives there on his BSA Victor.

We get back to the campsite before dark. I set my tent up not in the usual spot. Less people decided to camp overnight (a lot of the trials riders seemed to come just for the day). I end up pitching my tent near the back entrance, behind the hotdog trailer and next to Tomcat (of New Lexington OH).

I get a good night's sleep and it turns out it didn't rain. Since it looks like it might rain (called for in the forecast) I decided to pack up my tent before we get on the breakfast ride, just in case.

We line up and get going pretty early, around 8am. Again it is a pretty small crowd.

We settle on Cheryl's Diner, also in Wintersville. Normally we'd go further, but I need to be back for Trials checking by around 10am.

Sure enough, as soon as I get back, the riders' meeting is underway.

Today there is less of a crowd and we are doing the even numbered stations. I am assigned to Station #14 which looks straight forward.

The '2' line is tricky only because of the rather tight turns. So, if you have practiced your figure 8's and balance, it would be easy.

The '1' line features a log at the end, which this rider is nicely cleaning (it wasn't too difficult for their skill level). The young '2' rider above admitted he could easily do that log.

We're done around 2pm, so it's time to hand out the awards. Bud always does a great job with that. Note the Raffle bike alongside : a nicely restored BSA Victor.

There are Youth Trials for the Kids so they get their fair share of trophies.

Now it's time to leave. I'm all packed up and ready to go. Here I am, parked in front of Jim Cable's famous Travel Trailer (that ain't going nowhere!). I don't know Jim well enough to get a bed to crash inside, LOL, so I always bring my own tent.

From another vantage point, we see the back of the famous OVBSA Grandstand.

I get back on the road. I stop in Steubenville to photograph the stately courthouse (Jefferson County Seat).

Next I get on that steel grate bridge that will take me across the Ohio River and back to WV.

Heading south on WV 2 along the river, I soon reach that steel plant in Follansbee. I've passed (and smelled!) it numerous times but I never thought to get good photos.
My black MZ looks pretty neat against that heavy industrial backdrop.

I could stare in fascination at all those pipes and stacks for quite some time.

I turn around to get another shot.

And yet another. Wow, lots of smoke coming from this operation. It's obviously been here a while.

I take Alt WV 27 from WV 2 which is a more interesting ride than WV 27. Soon after crossing the Panhandle and into PA, I make a turn at Eldersville that will take me Avelia. It doesn't go quite according to plan as I meet a fork in the road. I reach Avelia but not sure which way to turn on PA 50 to meet PA 221, my intended route back to Waynesburg. I go east on PA 50 when I should have gone west and end up meeting PA 18. This takes me through Washington. At the gas station, I meet some of the trials riders who are on their way home. PA 18 will take me to Waynesburg easily enough.

From Washington I continue on PA 18, and then get on PA 221. Wow is this a twisty road, really meant for my MZ Baghira and exactly why I ride it. After hotdogging it a bit, I soon reach US 19 and now I'm on familiar ground as this will take me south to Waynesburg.

I stop this time to photograph the court house (Greene County Seat).

Waynesburg has a main street typical of older PA towns. A stately bank building, followed by various row buildings. The traffic is very light on Sunday.

Down the street is an impressive hotel. This is one of the few photos without my motorcycle because I was too lazy to move it to get the requisite shot. Anyway, that hotel suggests this was once a realy happening place.

Continuing south on US 19, I spot a familiar Mail Pouch Barn. These barns are a fixture of countryside Americana and in fact a whole website covers them in detail. The company is based in Wheeling WV and had, at its peak, over 20,000 barns painted. I don't chew tobacco so I don't know if they still make Mail Pouch but it's certain their barns live on.

Of course I have to notice the color of the barn matches that of my bike.

Just before reaching Mt. Morris, I spot a truck yard, all registered in Texas. It would seem to me these are here for natural gas extraction which is a huge economical influx to the region. Anyway, it looks like these trucks mean business.

Next we have the welcome sign to Mt. Morris, one of the classic keystone cast iron signs which are always nice to see.

Mt. Morris just north of the PA/WV border, so continuing south on US 19 I'm soon back in my home state. I continue on a familiar route south until I finally reach my driveway, and ready to back my bike into the garage.