Switchback Mountain

It was overcast this morning when we left the hotel.  Our route today would be entirely on RT 50, which would take us over a number of moutain ranges.  We trusted the GPS to get us out of Winchester and on to RT 50.  I'm sure it new what it was doing but we felt as though we were on a tour of the homes of the Rich & Famous as we drove through the upper scaled neighborhood of Winchester.

Once under way, the traffic was very light and we were not holding up things on the road.  Mike had made a request to stop at an auto parts store to get another bottle of sealer for the engine, just in case.  We found one not too far down the road and Mike got his gasket repair in a bottle.

The scenery along the route was very nice, which included farms, mountains and valleys.  We were cruising along enjoying the sights.  I looked ahead and notice a mountain range in front of us, and I mentioned that unless there was a tunnel through the mountain it looked like we had to go over it.  For trhe most part that wasn't a problem, EXCEPT for our first monster hill.  Way worse than the one we experienced yesterday.  This one was 5 miles long and was a 9% incline, with many switchback turns.  Needless to say this was done mostly in second gear.  I tried 2nd overdrive, but that was still too much and had to revert back to regular 2nd.  Well, by the time we got to the scenic overlook at the summit, we had to take time to give the A's a break.  The only one who had an issue was Mike.  The coupe was hot and he lost the top of his recovery tank which let water splash out on to the hood while climbing the mountain.  We let the A's cool off, although Mike was a little too quick to pop the radiator cap and it gave a burp of hot water.  Ouch!

I should mention that the view of the various mountain ranges from the overlook was very picturesque.  I was also surprised to see a huge snowblower here, I guess this area gets some good snowfall.

The other side of the mountain was equally "interesting" with its 9% down grade, its many turns and other side of the guard rail; it was a long way down.  But, the Model A were up to the task and performed flawlessly on the rest of the mountain roads.

After a lunch stop in Grafton, WV we visited the church where Anna Jervis started the first Mothers day in 1908.  The chuch was very modest on the outside, but the stained glass windows looked beautiful from the inside.  Opposite the church was an empty B&O railroad station, long since closed.  But it was clear that this was once a jumping place to be.

We got back on the highway and headed for Marietta, OH where we would spend the night.  We switched off RT 50 to take a less traveled road across the Ohio River and then followed RT 7 along the river to Marietta. 

It was a 230 mile drive today AND we reached an altitude of over 2700 ft crossing over the mountains. 



Doug doing some maintenance



Andy's Tudor at a roadside stop