2002 West Virginia State HOG Rally Snowshoe, August 7-10 loading pictures - please be patient (click on the picture to see larger size)

We left home at 8:00am on Wednesday and rode 360 back road miles to the rally. Here we stopped for a brief rest at a Visitor's Center in Princeton, WV.

The rally was held at the Snowshoe Resort that is on top of the mountain at an elevation of 4848 feet. We stayed in the Spruce Lodge where the closing ceremonies and concert (The Great Train Robbery) were held on the slopes just behind. Ring side seats! :) On Thursday while we waited for Sue and Terry to arrive, I tried the Balloon Slingshot challenge. Put one balloon out of two in the bucket and win a thousand bucks. No one was successful during the whole weekend.

Since Sue and Terry had not made it by noon, we decided to go for a ride. Of course we included the Highland Scenic Highway in our route. Here we stopped for a photo of the Snowshoe Village atop one of the distance mountain ridges. I'm pointing toward it but it is difficult to see in the photo.

When we returned from our ride, Sue and Terry were there. So we all made a toddy and walked around looking at the bikes. Sue really liked this V-rod.

Later that evening we went up to the Village square to see the motorcloths fashion show and listen to the evening entertainment. And, as luck would have it, we ran into an old high school friend, Glen Jarvis, whom I hadn't seen in years. He came just for the day but stayed a couple of nights. We really had a great time!

On Friday, we did some shopping at the HOG vendors and the off-site vendors then took a little ride over to Cass Railroad and Greenbank. Glen rode on to Marlinton. Mary and I went back to Snowshoe. Later, we rode to Marlinton for the bike parade and the city's Bike Night. I'll bet that little town had as many bikes there that night as they have residents.

In Marlinton, we staked out our spot right at the beginning of main street. And just as we were parking, Glen pulled in. Chance encounter again?....

The bikes rode in a police escorted parade 22 miles from Snowshoe to Marlinton where the city was sponsoring a Bike Night with a band, street dancing, and bike show.

The city had closed off the downtown area for the parade and bike parking. Mary and I stopped by city hall.

Some of the many different bikes that we saw at the rally.

On Saturday we attended the field events, Mary's favorite part of a HOG rally. They had the Slow Race, the Winnie Bite, and the Road Kill Clean-up events among others.

Since Saturday was our "on-site-day" we just partied and hung out. Sue tried the Balloon Slingshot (no luck), and Terry and I convinced Mary and Sue to ride the chair lift with us. Mary is afraid of heights so that was a big surprise. I think she really enjoyed the ride though.

Then Saturday evening was the Bar-B-Q dinner, closing ceremonies, and the concert. It was another great WV Rally. Sunday, we were packed and ready to start the adventure home. Once again the WV HOG volunteers have planned and executed a very good state rally. Everything was just as advertised and went off without a hitch. Congratulations to all of the volunteers and thanks for a great time!