Couple snap shots from the ride I took today...

[Davetopay]

Got some work wrapped up early and headed up the road from Winchester VA through Paw Paw WV, and across the Potomac into MD to stick my nose into the Green Ridge State Forest.

I turn off the main road (rt51), and hoping to find something interesting to climb through....I see this.



A gravel road. I think to myself, "I locked the hubs for THIS?!?!" Little did I know....


...the "road" would deteriorate very quickly. Just past the above picture the 10% grade would steepen considerably and the road would become what amounts to a washed out stream bed of rocks ranging in size from piled up softballs, to basketballs, and 1-2 foot ledges. Not only 4wd time, but 4Lo time.


It's tough to get a feeling for the steepness of the grade here, but when you looked out the window to the side the trees appeared to be growing at a 30* angle. The above pic was taken while driving so it was taken in a smooth section of the trail.



As we climb to even higher elevations, the road becomes more exposed to the elements and erosion. It's tough to tell in my poor little Blackberry pics, but the ruts ahead are over a foot deep in some places....and they were the small ones. And yes, the road is still ascending at an absolutely silly rate. It has been doing so for 3 miles.


....Still climbing. Still in 4Lo and granny or "1st" depending upon what I need to climb over. This pics help you see the grade.



Almost to the top. That's right! There is MORE climbing, but the view down to the Potomac River is AWESOME. My beginning elevation was within a few dozen feet of the river. This overlook is about 5 miles along the upper trail from the southern entrance.



Same view, looking to the NE.



There's the "Bushouse"! Not sure what it is. 58-60-ish Ford?



Slanted rear mount dizzy, 2 bolt valve covers, tiny little 2bbl carb, no markings or stampings. The generator is an Autolite. It's not a 401/534 Super Duty. It COULD be a Ford Y block, but I might lay money on it being the Lincoln truck motor. Either way, this bus did service on some SERIOUS mountain roads with a single circuit hydraulic brake set up.

That's all I have this time. I had to give up on taking pics and concentrate on getting both the truck and myself back on one piece as things started to get a little hinky further along the trail. I want to try and get back up there on a weekend as the leaves begin to color and some wetter weather moves in.