easy rider

This weekend, the hubs and I drove off for the mountains of southern West Virginia.  He's been itching to try out his new RZR on the Hatfield-McCoy trail system, and I've been itching to sleep in.  The hubs found the cutest cabin, only 2 miles from the trailhead.  It's really a trailer (it's on wheels), but the perfect size for two people.

The inside…  Wood, wood, and more wood.  I would say it was perfect, except that the mattress had a horrendous hole in the middle of it, and every night I managed to roll down into it, smashed into the hubs, and woke up with back pain.  And the heat didn't work.  And the water heater held enough water for a four-minute shower.  Other than that, awesome!

We got muddy.  MUDDY.  Everywhere.  Covered in dirt and mud and it took two washings for our jeans to come clean.

The town, Bramwell, WV, caters to the emerging ATV tourism, and is better off for it.  Bramwell used to be a coal baron mansion town, one of the first places Chanel No. 5 was introduced, the richest town in the United States at one point.  But out went the coal, so out went the money.  The Hatfield-McCoy Trail, and the ATV owners who frequent it, are keeping this small town in business.  Below is one of the coal mansions, currently for sale for only $259,000!  Don't you love the speed limit signs for ATVs?

A lavender mansion, also for sale.

Main Street, downtown Bramwell.  Bramwell is only 15 miles from Princeton, so we did go into Princeton for dinner every night.  But the Main Street has the most incredible old soda fountain and diner, and we made sure to get lunch there on Saturday.  Yummy peach ice cream and the best burgers this side of In 'N Out.

This old suspension bridge is right outside the trailhead.  It's in complete disrepair, as is the majority of the town of Bramwell.  

We made it out on the trails twice on Saturday, and were rewarded with beautiful sunny weather and warmer temperatures.  The trails weren't crowded, this close to winter.  Once I got used to the sheer drops on either side of the trails, I started to enjoy it!  My arms were sore the next day from holding onto the "oh shit" bar, but I was in surprisingly good shape, considering the twists and turns and bumpy trails we took.

Happy riding, ya'll!