A journey has its just rewards, so long as a right-cool vessel
is involved.
(The delivery system, don’t you know.)
No, the above didn’t come from Sigmund Freud, or Peter Fonda, or that empowerment thing corporate made you go to last week.
It’s what husband and wife John and Janet Bevins were thinking as they steered their Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic into Mylan Park on Thursday afternoon.
The occasion was the kick-start of this year’s MountainFest motorcycle rally.
“You get this thing out on the highway and that’s it,” John Bevins said of the 238 miles they notched from the driveway of their house in suburban Columbus, Ohio, to the hilly environs of West Virginia and Morgantown.
“Like riding on air,” seconded Janet.
This is the 15th edition of the event that celebrates such four-stroke, air-cooled, V-twin, teardrop tank, open-road ecstasy.
MountainFest runs through Saturday and features concerts by festival legends Peter Frampton, Cheap Trick and the Charlie Daniels Band, among others.
Visit www.wvmountainfest.com for a complete lineup of events.
Besides the musicians, there are the vendors, detailers and artisans who make the bikes shine.
And the handlebar performers who defy all laws of physics related to two wheels on pavement — or, not on pavement, in the case of the Ives Brothers.
Kyle and Cody Ives, Georgia-based, stunt-riding siblings who grew up hearing stories from Evel Knievel himself (the daredevil and the boys’ dad were buddies), will slap around centrifugal force once again at MountainFest.
Their delivery system is a fan fave, the “Wall of Death,” which has them going sideways to the ground at the high rates of speed required to keep their wheels pasted to said wall.
“You do have to pay attention to what you’re doing,” said Kyle Ives, now 25, as he readied for Thursday’s show.
He and his brother take the MountainFest vibe for granted, however.
“We love coming here. It’s always a good time.”
Jamie Summerlin appreciates hearing that.
He’s the director of Major Events and Destinations at the Greater Morgantown Convention and Visitors Bureau, who also helps plan MountainFest.
“We want to make every MountainFest ‘the best ever,’ ” he said Thursday, as he patrolled the grounds.
“We’re excited. Peter Frampton is retiring from live performing and we’re part of the farewell tour. That’s an honor.”
The artist, who is still known for his 1970s “Frampton Comes Alive” concert album, performs at 8 p.m. today.
Rain won’t be an opening act as it has been in years past, AccuWeather says. The forecaster is calling for mostly sunny skies and temperatures
in the mid-80s today and Saturday.
“Mother Nature is smiling,” Summerlin said.
So was Pam Shields, even if she was doing what some would call stunt driving.
She was behind the wheel of a shuttle bus Thursday, delivering people to the epicenter of the action.
“We’re just taking it easy and sharing the road,” she said, as motorcyclists weaved in out of the park.
A MountainFest institution wasn’t there to share opening day, but the absence was a happy one.
Cliff Sutherland, an original founder of the rally who has served as its musical director for years, was awaiting the arrival of a grandchild Thursday.
Twitter @DominionPostWV
