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SPRING 2018 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 03
Above : The Old Clark Inn is located in Marlinton , West Virginia . Left : Some of West Virginia ' s billiard-table smooth asphalt .
My destination for the next couple of days was Marlinton , West Virginia , in the heart of Pocahontas County . Marlinton sits in a valley next to the Greenbrier River , and the community serves as an important entrance to the Greenbrier River Trail . What was once the right of way for the old Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad is now an 80-mile-long hiking and bicycle trail along the scenic river .
I was staying at the Old Clark Inn , motorcycle-friendly lodging just beyond downtown . Nelson and Andrea , my hosts , made sure I had everything I might need for an enjoyable stay , including a road tip that turned out to be a highlight of my visit . When I told him I intended to ride the Highland Scenic Byway , Nelson told me about a littleused back road called Williams River Road .
“ When you come to Fenwick , go north on Route 20 to Cowen . When you cross the bridge , Williams River Road will be on your right .”
And what a road it turned out to be . Just recently paved , the road hugged the Williams River for miles through the Monongahela National Forest . It had no markings , no centerline , and calling it a lane and a half wide would be generous . When the road finally broke away from the river to twist , turn and climb up the ridge toward U . S . 219 and Marlinton , it was like my own private track .