Take a Back Road: Morgantown – Washington – Wheeling

Part 4

Cameron takes the traveler by surprise. It is a much larger community than one may expect. It has the footprint and sprawl of a city three or four times its present size. This is due in part from the terrain, the city is tightly hemmed into several hollers of Appalachian hills and also as a relic to a time when Cameron was a greater city than it is now. Its well-preserved downtown, while largely vacant, is like traveling through time. Other civic efforts, like fixing up the old rail depot (despite the fact there are no longer any tracks) are promises that this is one town that will not lose its connection to history. It is also worth noting their public pool was a make-work project from the Great Depression, but it still welcomes the public each summer. It has a unique, beach-style design that is not particularly common.

From Cameron the trip through the hills continues. Approaching the town of Hundred, remnants of a railroad come closer and closer to the road. An old tunnel, with a portal reading “Soles,” peers over to U.S. Route 250. While sealed, the portal has survived the elements well. Things like this left behind make me crave to know more of the area history.

Hundred itself is a sleepy town that epitomizes Americana. A welcoming main street with rows of picture perfect white homes spurring off, coupled with poor cell phone service at best, and the chimes of the church bell carried on the cool air was an almost surreal experience. In Hundred we picked up the Hundred Cache on the East Wetzel Rail Trail, a trail whose length is only about 1.5 miles. It roughly travels from one end of town to the other. But it is a valiant effort based on the success of other rail trails in the state. Pleasantly, the trail follows the creek through town as it gurgles a pleasant song. It was only a short walk, but helped recharge our batteries as the pizza from Wheeling was wearing us out.

Just beyond Hundred we picked up WV Route 7, the final leg before returning home. Slaloming through natural gas pad sites we sought one final cache. Much of the day’s drive showcased the past, but the Bob Beach Bridge, while situated at the entrance to the Mason-Dixon Historical Park, is a view to the future. On a prior visit to this bridge I encountered a park volunteer who said that they had wanted an old-fashioned covered bridge. When the Department of Transportation refused, they countered with the offer for the bridge we see today. The Bob Beach Bridge is a fiber-reinforced, glue-laminated timber arch bridge with a fiber-reinforced polymer deck. Intending to showcase this unique structure our friend and frequent road trip partner, Brian, placed this geocache. With the hillside sparsely populated by briars this time of year we made the find quickly.

Despite an amazing day of adventure, we breathed a sigh of relief and finished the drive into Morgantown. Visions of future trips danced through our minds. I always think it is ideal when you’re eager to return somewhere.