Not really a ride report.... yet. But it will be. I'll take the camera and post some pictures.

I grew up listening to old timers (now I R 1) talk about driving from Ocean City, MD to Dayton, OH and westward on US Route 40. Aparently for a long time, it was the only game in town to go west, unless you took the south path and got on Route 66.

US Route 40 is hard to find. From Frederick MD east it is all but non-existant. It used to run right through city square of Hagerstown MD, and the signs are still maintained. In fact, heading west you can ride on something called 40, but it bears no resemblance to the original Route 40.

But once you get to Hancock MD heading west, you can get on quite a bit of original 40 going west, and let me tell you, THIS is a motorcycle road. Up into the mountain range it goes from Hancock, twisting and turning, and the only real problem is the road surface in places.

Nope, neither the Feds, nor the State, nor the County(s) seem to want to maintain old US 40.

US 70 has cut a path through the general area Route 40 covered. Route 40 went around peaks and followed the curvature of the mountain passes very closely. So in places it is on the "left" of US 70 (going west) and sometimes on the "right".

Not far east of Cumberland MD is one of the best motorcycle roads I have ever seen. It is labeled Scenic 40 and is all original road that never got covered up by US 70, because 70 just knocked mountains down and punched holes through them to keep its relative straightness and mostly gradual grades.

Scenic 40 has some down grade drops that are just plain breath taking. You come over the pass, the road cutting through forest (and nothing else) and as you drop to the other side of the pass, the grade down is so steep you feel like you are on a roller coaster. It just goes as straight as it can be, but undulating to follow the contour of the pass as it decends, and then at the bottom.... OMFG.... a corner with < < < < < signs all along the entrance. And they aren't kidding.

We, most of us, weren't alive, or were very young, when people adventured by driving US Routes 40 and 66. Heck, the gas stations along Route 40 are no longer visible, not even remnants of foundations. The forest has reclaimed the ground completely. And in places where access to MD 68 and US 70 are close by, housing developments have been built on top of where Route 40 ran, and now we have MD 144 and such.

So when I drive through Hagerstown and see the US 40 sign, or coming back from Cumberland and see the Scenic 40 signs, I realize how much I missed by not being alive when all that was there was US 40 going west through virgin forest, with a gas station every 25 or so miles. Makes me wish it was 1949, and I was riding an Indian Chief, heading out west.

Eisenhower gave us the great interstate network of roads, but in the process, we lost most of the truly FUN roads.

* Last updated by: privateer on 6/30/2011 @ 2:07 PM *

And the search goes on to find new and exciting roads to replace the ones lost.

* Last updated by: EZX on 6/30/2011 @ 3:55 PM *

Want to actually SEE where I ride? Go to google mapping, and put in MARYLAND.

Pan west to Cumberland. Pan back east until you are right over Green Ridge State Forest.

You will see that US 68 / State 40 passes through in an East-West orientation. Midway through the forest you will see where Old 40 crosses US 68 going North-South. To the north is the first part you want to look at.

Switch into Earth mode, and zoom in, and you will see the elevation changes, and the way the turns looks like in the surrounding forest.

Go back to Map mode, and go south of US 68, on Sugar Bottom Road, and 15 Mile Creek Road. Go into Earth view on these.

These are motorcycle roads. If you think motorcycle roads are something more than flat gentle curves. I do.

This is what I grew up riding in, the Appalachian Moutains. Even riding from West Point to Hagerstown on leave, I road through the Pocano Moutains and the Appalachians too. Its where I first saw Pegans for the first time.

The only drawback is some of the best of these roads are no longer properly paved.

So the N106 in southern France still holds the number 1 best ever motorcycle road status with me.

* Last updated by: privateer on 7/16/2011 @ 11:25 AM *

I've been researching the National Highway / Road. Back in the 19th century, they built the first part of then National Pike from Cumberland MD to Ohio, passing through PA.

Then they build a section from Frederick MD to Baltimore MD, and called it the Frederick-Baltimore Pike.

Next they added the section between Cumberland and Frederick, which went through the center of Hagerstown, MD. Signs are still there in places, registered as National Landmarks.

Eventually, the National Highway went all the way to San Francisco CA, so it spanned from the eastern shore just east of Baltimore to the west coast at San Francisco.

More cars and trucks traveled the National Highway from coast to coast than traveled Route 66, which was a small road compared to the National Highway.

Of course, today, where I can get on original road surface with landmark status and original signs, it seems awfully small too, compared even to city main streets.

I'm going to put together a journey from Cumberland to Baltimore's Inner Harbor for seafood with my mc next riding season. We'll ride up to Cumberland on 68, which overlays a good bit of old 40 anyway, then get onto Alt 40 and Scenic Alt 40 variously all the way to Baltimore.

I can't wait to see their reaction to the fantastic blind turn drop that makes Laguna Seca's Corkscrew look like childs play that runs through the forest just east of Cumberland.

I just don't know what I'll be riding.

I had this strange urge to find an old H2 Mach IV triple (2-stroke) and restore it, but put real disc brakes on it, and real forks and shocks, and gusset the frame and swingarm. It would be a real trip then.

Went to Cumberland MD today on business. On the way back I decided to drive another section of the old National Road (US 40).

Got into a beautiful section of it, almost unbroken except for a transition onto MD 144 for a while (MD put 144 right on top of old 40 in places), roughly from Hancock MD to Clear Spring MD.

Of course, from Clear Spring heading East, through Hagerstown, on to Frederick MD, US 40 is still its same old self, just repaved many times. Many of the original signs are maintained as historic relics.

This section, MD has apparently decided it is going to save old US 40 in MD. They have just within the last month completely repaved (asphalt) US (Scenic) 40. Originally 40 was concrete, but I'd rather have the road in asphalt than not have it at all.

Great curves, up and around mountains, in one place making a beautiful switchback that would be challenging above 20 mph.

I think I'm going to start marking a roadmap up, showing all the US 40 / MD 144 segments. I know they link seamlessly from Oakland (West of Cumberland) to Hagerstown, but have never driven / ridden the whole thing, so I want to see it on the map for sure.

Might turn it into a Saturday after-meeting ride for the mc.

Got the green light from both COG and my mc to turn this into a 2- or 3-day ride.

I can use COG's clout to reserve a block of rooms at the motels we will be staying at, and get a good discount to boot.

Going to drive it in my car, starting this coming weekend. I'll just mount my Zumo 665 in the car (it comes with car cradle etc.) and let it log my drive. I can turn that into a route later by downloading it into MapSource and converting it to a route (.gpx).

That way, I can can produce the "rally" documents with firsthand knowledge of the time to travel each segment, and the location of gas and food stops, etc.

Its going from Hagerstown, MD over to the State mountain park over east near Thurmont, down along the west side of the park, until it runs into old US 40, then west on old 40, all the way to Cumberland, for lunch at the Crabby Pig (great joint!) then on all the way to Wheeling WV. All on old 40.

I'm going to have to divide the ride into two groups. The Concours bikes and a couple from my mc who will ride the mountain parts fairly fast, and the cruisers and hogs and such who will fall quite far behind. Guess I'll just designate a co-ride captain who has a GPS, and they can follow along and we will have a place to meet up from time to time.

That means I can give the fast kids a few extra loops in the mountains, to chew up time. So they get to have more fun. Heh.

Any member of this forum who is interested in joined in, that would be great. I'll post the docs here when I have them ready, for download or whatever.

Here is version 2 of the route based on the above, plus takes us down to 250 and 39 (arguably the best motorcycle road in America) and then out of the Alleghany mountains down VA 211 to Sperryvile (where all the bikers congregate after running 211) and home on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

EDIT: will be a new link soon, COG changed the web server software and a bunch of files vanished. Will reload and repost.

Now you have the route exchange format version, which is portable among many gps units.

* Last updated by: privateer on 4/19/2012 @ 8:52 AM *

You need to add Blood Mountain, Ga. to your bucket list, and if you haven't Rte 16 from Marion, Va. to Tazewell, Va.

Been all over the Blood Mountain GA region on a Z1R and an H2 back when I was stationed at Ft. Benning, GA in the early 70s.

Wasn't sure about Rte 16, so I checked some of my ride routes from COG events and sure enough, there it is. WV 39 is a lot like that, but about 3 times as long. Heh.

Va. has a pretty good section of 39 from WV to Lexington, Va.

* Last updated by: EZX on 2/12/2012 @ 2:04 PM *

I don't think the old road are gone, they just aren't used anymore . I live 100 yards off Rt.40 just west of Columbus Ohio . The thought of doing Rt. 40 on a long ride is so inviting . To get from point A to point B , I sometimes use it instead of Rt.70 . Rt 30 in Pa. is another one .

* Last updated by: ohiomailman on 2/12/2012 @ 4:52 PM *

A lot of old 40 is around, I agree. In Maryland, MD DOT is maintaining a couple beautiful sections in the mountains in western Maryland.

But a lot of old, great, roads ARE gone. Try to get on Route 66.

I'm talking about the longer roads, the ones built to move people and supplies/food back in the early 1900s.

And a lot of what you call "old 40" is not old 40, it is new 40, where they tore up the old roadbed and put down modern road in its place, or just off to the left or right.

Head out to the west from where you are, and there is almost no true old 40 left. Sure you can find preserved sections, some of the states are doing a better job of saving the old roads than others.

But its ok if you want to say they aren't disappearing. Lets revisit the question in 20 years and see whats left.

As an example, look at old 40 in google mapping in Maryland, PA, Ohio, and west of there.

Know how you can tell what is really old 40? It a) never cuts through a mountain, but rather goes around them, or up and down via switchbacks, b) always seeks low ground at every opportunity (so they didn't have to haul heavy equipment up mountain sides), c) passes through towns, not past/around them.

I know exactly where you are talking about... the summit above Uniontown. I live aboot 20 miles away. The ascent from
the Uniontown side has a nasty habit of overheating H-D engines in the summertime. Tee-hee!

You should come have lunch with us on Saturday, May 12th at the Crabby Pig in Cumberland. I think I will be there about 11am, or so.

Afterward, I'm leading a ride over old 40 towards Hagerstown, with a dip south just outside Hagerstown, ending up at the AC&T Exxon on Dual Highway, near Twigg Cycles.

Audioboyz and i are already making plans to come down. Just hope the weather is good.

There are someplaces in Ohio where old 40 is gone.I live about 10 miles from 40.Actually the dealer where I bought my Ninja at is on 40.Yeah Hagrid and I are planning the trip.I used to live close to his house.Looking forward to meeting him.We still have to go for a ride when the rain quits.Still haven't tried my Concours seat out.
Craig

You are going to like the seat, they are pretty cushy. Heh.

Look for this bike parked in a handicap spot if there is one.....

About to start getting ready. Looks like warmer gear on the way up to Cumberland, and less in the afternoon. Going to be sunny and clear and potentially very warm in late afternoon.

audio, glad you and yours are planning on coming down. This is a COG event, but we never restrict events to just COG folks, anyone who rides is welcome as long as they pay (when required, not today) just like members do.

I doubt you will be challenged by the riding portion but its more about the social part today.

Well, my 3-day ride was a great success. We rode almost to Washington PA then down west of Morgantown WV and down to Elkins WV for the first night. Attended the American Mountain Theater.

Saturday morning we got going at 8am and made it to Durbin WV in time to ride the Durbin Rocket which is an old steam train used once by the logging industry and possibly the coal industry. After the train ride we rode country roads in the mountains for an hour to Brandywine, and had a late lunch at Fat Boy's Pork Palace. Then rode a while to New Market / Luray VA for Saturday night.

Sunday we rode 211 out to Sperryville, down a bit, then road Skyline Drive north to 340 and then home.

Remind me to never go on Skyline Drive again, it costs $10 and then you can only go 35 mph and even if you want to risk a national park size ticket for speeding, the cages and double yellow lines won't let you speed anyway.

But at least I've been on it once now.

I was on old 40 from Washngton,Pa to the top of the Summit.Then kept going to Farmngton Pa to the Lone Star restaurant.Best Pies around.I got a steak omlet OMG.For $6.50 I was stuffed.No room for pie and three blondes serving me.A trucker was in there saying I better not leave you in there.One of them said we don't bite oh were lyng then started laughing.I said thats ok.
Craig

Was yours Mahogoney? Oak? Teak?