I am hoping you folks can give me some advice. We are going to come up through West Virginia on our way home to Maryland from The Dragon. We plan on visiting the New River Gorge Bridge and doing some of the interesting looking roads around there. We have a couple of days to tour the scenery of West Virginia.

Any suggestions as to fun routes to get us north to Cumberland?

By the way, we are allowed in West Virginia because my daughter is a WVU graduate!

 

We're taking our first run as a group in the New River Gorge area this Sunday.

We're going to take WV Route 60 up to the Hawks Nest state park area... this
is just a few miles away from the Gorge itself. It's one of the better driving
roads in the state, especially if you like curves and hills <g>.

Someone referred me to this website earlier... it's primarily for Motorcycles,
but seems appropriate for MINI's as well.

http://www.motorcycleroads.us/wv.html

On our run we're also considering taking Route 16 up to Big Otter. This would give us
about an hour to drive as a group... not sure how it would fit in your plans though...

Oh.. one note. If you decide on a path that takes you thru the town of Summersville, WV,
be careful. This town is a notorious speed trap. May not be the way you go... but if so,
stay below the limit if possible.

Enjoy the state <g>... I'm sure others will chime in with more info for you,
and have fun on the Dragon. My plans are to try it next year....

 

Good advice about Summersville. Theyre known state-wide for their ridiculous speed traps. As for good roads...stick to the eastern part of the state as much as possible. Those are the most mountainous and curvy. The Southwestern region is the most populated and have the interstates running through, not really the best place to appreciate a MINI.

make sure u do stop and see the gorge. the roads around Snowshoe ski resort are pretty fun too. I'm sure BCski can fill you in more on those roads as that is where he is located.

 

I will pull out my atlas in the morning and take a look. I am on the East side and echo SnypR's comments.. The mountains seperating WV and VA are great. A top of my head though is to look at rolling past me at Snowshoe, run 66 east, 28 north past Seneca Rocks, 33 west to Elkins (also food options and good gas), then back onto 219 north to Oakland (that is an awsome road for minis).

Up in my are (snowshoe-elkins) I roll about 10-15 over on the valley floors and have not had any problems with speed...

 

Thanks for all your suggestions. We are really looking forward to our return from The Dragon.

Saw you were getting ready for your first run this weekend. Thought the run "guidelines" that DC Metro MINIS has come up with over the years might be helpful:

Event Participant Information

• The event organizer should arrive at the event at least 30 minutes before the first attendees are expected.
• Come with a full tank of gas.
• Arrive in time to attend the driver’s meeting – typically held 15 minutes before the first cars leave. Help the event organizers by being ready to leave at the start time.
• If the route sheet was posted in advance, print it, review it and bring a copy with you.
• Have snacks and water in the car
• Definitely bring basic car repair gear in case of a problem.
• Bring your FRS radio and be sure you are on the right channel (7 sub 21)
• Drive at the pace you are comfortable with. Accept that people drive at different speeds, both slower and faster. Allow for this. Do not tailgate or attempt to overtake other cars. Be courteous to fellow drivers. If you want to drive the route at a faster pace – move to the back of the group. Or, you can make plans to drive the route again at your own pace another day
• The lead MINI will establish the pace for the route. Keep the MINI behind you in view. Make sure you wait for the MINI behind you after a turn/junction/crossing or other route change. If the MINI behind you slows down, slow down to keep pace. If each car does this, the group will stay together.
• Use your turn signals to indicate upcoming turns for others in the group
• Turn your headlights on, but leave fog lights off unless driving in adverse conditions or at night. Rear fog lights on early model cars can easily be mistaken in spirited driving conditions for brake lights and could case an accident. The lower rear fog in 05 and later MINIs can be equally distracting to those behind you.
• Bring enough money to handle the posted fees, if any.
• Remember that no event will ever be perfect, and try to roll with the punches.

Last Thoughts

These events are social gatherings for people who love MINIs. They are meant to be a day of fun – not a competition or challenge. If you really want to test the performance of your MINI or your driving skills – attend a track day event or autocross school. Always remember you are at a group event and show respect and care to your fellow attendees.

Most important of all - Have Fun!

 

i am in for the sunday run

looks like it may be cold and rainy !!

 

I tried to stop in and see you at your workplace last week...
was going to check on the run with you then. Forgot to PM you about it.

I get wet for a living <g>... and I took the coldweather package when I
ordered my MINI... so I'll survive <g>.

 

If anyone is just out running around and wants to do some curves, try Rt. 34 from Red House (Putnam) to Kenna (Jackson). It really doesn't matter which direction, but it sure is a pretty drive with lots of "twisty" curves.