Attn: "Tunnel of Death" Pied Piper Riders . . .

[KMG_365]

Could this be our tunnel??

 

"Weeble" sent me this link, but it looks WAAAAAAAAY too short (though Leslie tells me it wasn't really as long as I thought it was . . . . )

 

Maybe "Ken H." can look and see if my re-calculation of his waypoints/route could've taken us through this tunnel. I don't remember seeing the exit/keyhole of light so clearly when we entered, but perhaps it was the dark glasses and the bright light outside. Seriously, it seemed more like a mile long!

[Ken H.]

I forgot to get your track log from you, but if you can hook up with someone with a PC, upload it, then send me the file, I'll play with it a bit when I get a moment.

[dhanson]

One reason it seemed longer may be that (in my case anyway) since we could not see we crawled through in 1st gear, slipping and sliding. Being sweep I had no bike behind me to at least cast a little light, IT WAS DARK.

 

Plus I think I heard at least one "OH SH_T" on the radio!

[KMG_365]

I forgot to get your track log from you, but if you can hook up with someone with a PC, upload it, then send me the file, I'll play with it a bit when I get a moment.

I put on a few thousand miles since that tunnel--I doubt it is still there. I was hoping you could simulate the route we took by tweaking the routing preferences and recalculating like I did, then look for tunnels just in the few variations. On second thought, that sounds like a lot of work and a PITA--perhaps the one "weeble" linked to WAS the one and it only seemed interminably long!

[Mark Menard (Vita Rara)]

No, I don't think that is the one. If my recollection is correct we were in WV when we went through the tunnel of death.

 

Mark

[Foot]

Nada Tunnel

 

There is a picture of the Nada Tunnel on this web page. I don't think that was the tunnel because it is too symetrical. The tunnel of death was much taller than it was wide.

 

Alan

[Foot]

I think I found the tunnel of death!! I remember that we hit the tunnel after lunch in Lenore, WV. So I did a search on tunnels near Lenore, WV and found this: Tunnel of Death!

 

The turn off is on the left just like the tunnel we went through. Remember the car that chickened out there just in front of us.

 

Alan

[RFW]

Seriously, it seemed more like a mile long!

 

I just got back from a tour of Norway, and we must have driven through 30 tunnels. Several were as long as 17 KM long! Not straight either. They went uphill, and around bends etc. VERY impressive! They even have entire hydro power stations inside of mountains!

[Ken H.]

I think I found the tunnel of death!! I remember that we hit the tunnel after lunch in Lenore, WV. So I did a search on tunnels near Lenore, WV and found this: Tunnel of Death!

 

The turn off is on the left just like the tunnel we went through. Remember the car that chickened out there just in front of us.

 

Alan

Could be! The original route in yellow and a likely detour Jammie's group took through Lenore in purple:

 

[Tool]

"Tunnel of Death"???

 

 

I don't know, of course I wasn't there.

 

 

But I like this quote from Jamie's link:

 

 

"Construction began in December of 1910 on the narrow gauge railroad tunnel, which measured just 13-foot wide by 12-foot tall. Work was finished in September of 1911. The only fatality reported was when a construction worker attempted to thaw frozen dynamite by setting it near a fire."

 

 

"Hey, the dang die-no-myte is FROZE again! Here... hold my grog while I thaw it out..."

 

 

 

"POOF!"

[JustJean]

I was on the very back of the group, and I had the opportunity to look around before entering the tunnel. The road to the left of this tunnel makes it look the same but I could have swore there was a road across the top of the tunnel that was fenced off. Because I kept thinking why don't we go over instead of under! And this tunnel looks like it has lights in it. But the picture could Have been taken some time ago making the tunnel look different? Right as the tunnel ended we needed to turn to the right. It also seemed like the tunnel was close to the end of the trip because I remember my legs still being wobble when I stepped off the bike!

[dhanson]

Yeah, I think that is it also, and the map by Ken seems to back that up.

 

I learned a big lesson that day, LIFT your sunvisor before entering a tunnel, bout tore off my helmet trying to find the little lever to flip it up, talking BLIND here, pitch black!

[JustJean]

http://www.wvcoalfield.com/dingess.htm

 

Closer view and the description is right on.

[KTsRidin]

Dang, now I feel like I got to head back out there and give the "tunnel of death" a try... when you know what's coming it doesn't seem so scary. But, um, that's the point isn't it

 

I still marvel at how you guys can find the most obscure places and then information on the net to back it up. I'm starting to think you all lack real day jobs and create these elaborate webpages just to back up your crazy tales I totally love it

[weeble]

I think I found the tunnel of death!! I remember that we hit the tunnel after lunch in Lenore, WV. So I did a search on tunnels near Lenore, WV and found this: Tunnel of Death!

 

The turn off is on the left just like the tunnel we went through. Remember the car that chickened out there just in front of us.

 

Alan

Could be! The original route in yellow and a likely detour Jammie's group took through Lenore in purple:

 

 

The purple line wouldn't take you through the Dingess tunnel, but if you went through Lenore, Canterbury, Parsley, Dingess, and Shegon before hitting US 119, you *would* have gone through Dingess Tunnel.

 

http://www.feathermultimedia.com/West%20Virginia%20Tourism%20Gallery/pages/WVT0139.htm

 

Pictures 136 through 139 are of Dingess tunnel.

[daveinatlanta]

How did the other "Un" riders miss this challenge?

[KMG_365]

Nice sleuthing, everyone!!

 

It's nice to know I'm not insane! 900 feet . . . HAH!! It turns out it's 3400 feet long!

 

 

 

And here's another review of this tunnel I found on another website:

 

 

I live up in the northern panhandle of WV and have ridden every one of those roads except the dirt up Spruce Mountain. Yep, the whole state is fun to ride !!! TWISTIES everywhere !!!!!

 

If you ride along Rt.52 in southern WV and you are daring / want an experience you'll remember / and like off-the-beaten-path-backroads, try this! : Rt. 52 to Rt.65 to Lenore,WV [we had lunch at Cheech's Cafe in Lenore] ....turn rt.at the general store/gas station and go to/thru Laurel Creek WMA...then left thru the Dingess Tunnel !! This is an old railroad tunnel cut right thru the earth and rock, one lane wide, dripping water, bumpy, dirt thrown over the railroad tracks years ago, and is over 1/2 mile long !!! Pitch black dark ! You flash your headlight before going thru so you don't do a head-on with traffic coming the other way---your alternate taking turns in opposite directions. The "light at the end of the tunnel" is about this size of a dime held at arm's length. It's a long way ! Actually kinda scary.... You need to get your eyes adjusted to the darkness....my first time I rode thru I couldn't see a thing ! Then I learned the 2nd time (a year later) to close one eye before entering, then open that eye while closing the other for the first couple hundred feet. It worked! And of course, lift open your tinted faceshield !

 

Then you continue along a beat-up old road and over some narrow RR bridges with wood planks and end up going thru a beautiful, nicely paved section of Cabwaylingo State Forest. This will end at Rt.152, left/south back to Rt.52...OR right/north up to Wayne and Huntington.

 

This backroad loop can be taken on any bike (I did it on an FZ-1) but would be best suited for BMW GS's or Dual-sport's or other "adventure bikes". It's a hell of an experience riding thru that old tunnel !!!!!!

 

WEST VIRGINIA -- WILD AND WONDERFUL ON A BIKE !!!!

 

 

 

Link

 

See?? We're NOT just making this up, Kirsten!

 

[Ken H.]

How did the other "Un" riders miss this challenge?

There was two groups (or was it three?) on that segment. One led by me, one by Jamie. Apparently Jamie found the magic of the "Recalculate" feature on his GPS and it took his group off the original planned route.

[ElevenFifty]

WOW - only 407 NIIICE miles from Atlanta ... Haven't been to a 'Tunnel of Death' since the Tulsa County Fair of '76

 

Could you start calling it the 'Tunnel of LUV' ... that way I might could get my fair lady to do a fall weekend ride and have the experience!

[JustJean]

Well now I guess it could be called the tunnel of love, I sure was hugging my driver a lot closer during the ordeal.

[KMG_365]

How did the other "Un" riders miss this challenge?

Apparently Jamie found the magic of the "Recalculate" feature on his GPS and it took his group off the original planned route.

This was no tunnel of LUV, the pictures don't do it justice. I think I'd drive around WV just to avoid it, let alone drive TO WV just to go through it.

Well now I guess it could be called the tunnel of love, I sure was hugging my driver a lot closer during the ordeal.

 

Gee . . . SORRY GUYS!!

 

It's a good thing Leslie was on the back guiding me through the tunnel like a seeing-eye dog while I'm out there tapping my white cane along the gutter!

 

The pics look to be taken with a flash so you can see the detail on the inside of the tunnel. There were not only no lights, but there was water running down the dark stone walls and the description of the light at the end of the tunnel being about the size of a dime at arm's length was exactly as I recalled it! I thought: "Oh $#!T! There are no lights or windows/vents in this tunnel I can't see a thing! I flipped up my visor--no difference! My 50W amber motolights mounted down low are angled up a bit but I couldn't see a trace of them on the black asphalt. I flipped on my highbeam--it was sucked in to the black hole with no light bouncing back off the wet, dark stone or road. Foglights--nothing! Aaaaahhhhhh!!

 

That TINY little keyhole of light was too far away to key in on (though the tunnel was straight as an arrow) and it just never seemed to get any closer--it was surreal--like a scene from some haunted fun house or something! My dark sunglasses were prescription (I'm near-sighted) and my glasses with the clear lenses were in the tank bag. I think we hit the tunnel at about 50mph and there was no place to stop the group! Fortunately, Leslie had snapped up her tinted visor (her far-sightedness complementing my near-sightedness) and verbally guided me down the middle of the path over the Autocom!

 

It was indeed a RUSH . . . sorry you all missed it!

 

[Ken H.]

Okay it gets creepier... "Tunnel of Death" has dual meaning as it turns out!

 

Tunnel Cemetery is located over the Dingess tunnel where six Dingesses a buried. The most recent 1977. You've maybe been over someone's grave before, but now some of you can say you've been under one and lived to tell about it!

[KTsRidin]

Okay, I was seriously contemplating when I could get down thereto experience this for myself, but after your latest post Ken, that's just WAY creepy

 

I'll probably still go, but I won't be stopping to check out any odd sounds.... even if they are coming from the bike.

[Ken H.]

Okay this is my best guess:

 

[dhanson]

I remember one more thing, being sweep and on radio, after we cleared or just, Jamie almost begging asks, "did everyone make it out okay"?

 

I go, "well, sorta". I didn't have the composure to tell him although we were all out fine, I may have suffered psychological damage.

 

Also the first 4 bikes went straight, and should have turned right at first turn, Jamie called the mistake, so Allen (also on radio) and I turned and waited. I remember watching them squeak out a slow tight U-turn and come back, I was thinking we just survived a hell of a tunnel only to dump on a real tight turn around. Good riding guys!

[KMG_365]

So any of you "Pied Pu$$y" riders up for a detour through WV on the way to NH??