I told Becky that I wanted to visit Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke because I love the DIY television show called "Salvage Dawgs". That was the only reason we headed to Virginia. In chatting about what else we could do while there, we decided to take a little trip out to Booker T. Washington National Monument. Since we had seen his childhood home in Malden just a couple days earlier, it made sense to re-visit the Burroughs tobacco farm where he grew up in slavery before moving to Malden as a nine-year-old in 1865.
After Becky and I completed the Midland Trail, we didn't hit the road straightaway for home. Instead, we drove over several mountains to Salem, VA where we checked into a very nice LaQuinta Inn for the evening. I told Becky that I wanted to visit Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke because I love the DIY television show called "Salvage Dawgs". That was the only reason we headed to Virginia. In chatting about what else we could do while there, we decided to take a little trip out to Booker T. Washington National Monument. Since we had seen his childhood home in Malden just a couple days earlier, it made sense to re-visit the Burroughs tobacco farm where he grew up in slavery before moving to Malden as a nine-year-old in 1865. "There was a time in America when human beings were bought and sold. A written inventory cataloged the slaves on the Burroughs farm in Virginia in 1861, their monetary worth calculated according to the work they could do. On this list was a little boy, named simply 'Booker', valued at $400. Farmer James Burroughs never anticipated that one day his young slave would be remembered for his value in promoting education for all black Americans." First we watched a video about his life that contained quotes from his autobiography, Up From Slavery. Even though the visitor center, museum, and bookstore aren't very large, it contains a wealth of information about this special man. The self-guided tour took us past the pig pens, horse barn, chicken and duck lot, reconstructed slave cabin, smokehouse, and garden. The site is restored to its general appearance in the mid-19th century. The position of the house and slave cabins have been outlined with stone. Several of the trees on the property were growing there in the 1850s! There was always work to be done and young Booker was expected to so simple chores from the time he could walk. "I was not large enough to be of much service." he said in his autobiography, "still I was occupied most of the time in cleaning the yards, carrying water to the men in the fields, or going to the mill." Before leaving, we got our National Park trading cards and Passport stamp to complete our visit. We headed back to Roanoke to find Black Dog Salvage and I'll send you that Postcard tomorrow. Thanks for coming by today!!
Greetings on this beautiful Tuesday in Newton where we are drying out, getting back to normal, and having a visit from the Governor all in the same day! It's time to pick up where I left off on our Midland Trail adventure. If you remember, we spent a wonderful evening at Hawks Nest State Park one week ago and I promised you a Postcard dedicated solely to that. Hawks Nest State Park sits on the peak of Gauley Mountain in Ansted overlooking the New River Gorge. The cliffs at this point rise 585 feet above the New River, providing breathtaking views of the river and the wooded hillsides below. When we checked in with fingers crossed (because we didn't have a reservation) we were hoping for a room with a view. When the receptionist asked if we wanted a gorge view or a forest view, we both said "gorge!" Our room, number 321, was down the hall to the left and as soon as we walked in all we could do was smile. This was the kind of place we've dreaming about staying ever since our first experience with a state park lodge in Kentucky. The room itself was wonderful and the view was the icing on the cake We were both kinda pooped since we had left Barboursville before eight and made umpty-ump stops during the day. It was definitely nice to relax a bit. There are so many perks to staying in a state park lodge, but one we were really looking forward to was having a good supper there. We were not disappointed with the food, nor the view! There were so many delicious things to choose from, but we both ended up getting crab cakes. Also on the plate were hush puppies, steamed vegetables, and cole slaw. It definitely hit the spot and our waitress fixed us up with sheets of tin foil to wrap our leftovers in for Wednesday's anticipated picnic lunch. After supper we strolled around to take a look at everything. We found out the tram down to the river was closed every Wednesday for routine maintenance (rats!), the gift shop wouldn't reopen until 9 in the morning (that was OK), and there was a strong WiFi signal in the lobby (good for me!). We walked down the steps to the patio for a closer look at the gorge and way off in the distance, about six miles away, was the New River Gorge Bridge! I was able to balance my camera on the railing and zoom way in for a closer look. Wednesday morning we took our time getting up and ready because we wanted to see what was in the gift shop and like I mentioned, it didn't open until nine o'clock. We had a nice continental breakfast in the dining room and once again got to dine at one of the big windows. As we were sitting there, a movement on the ground caught my eye and we saw a deer come out of the forest and walk by. Then we watched a very long coal train amble by on the tracks below. The fog was taking its time leaving the hills in the distance. Just a few minutes later, the cars on the tram started to descend to the river for their inspection. Nice breakfast entertainment, don't you think?! Before leaving the park, we drove down the hill a ways to see the stone buildings that were erected by the CCC in the mid-30's. They housed a snack and souvenir shop, as well as a picnic shelter. The two-story round tower were the restrooms. There is no doubt in my mind that we will go back to Hawks Nest. We didn't have the opportunity to see the dam, ride the tram, or walk any of the trails to the overlooks. In fact, we've already decided to go back and do the entire Midland Trail from east to west next time and I cannot wait!!
Tomorrow I'll be sharing our ride out to Booker T. Washington National Monument. Please join me then! I'll get back to my Midland Trail trip report tomorrow, because I need to tell you about Saturday here in Newton. About 6:30 Saturday morning I awoke to two claps of thunder that shook the windows in my house and caused me to sit straight up in bed. The pups dove for cover and I headed downstairs to the couch. My bed is right in front of a big double window and I just don't like being there during a storm. I checked the radar on my iPad and a huge blob of yellow and red was sitting right over Newton and my house. I expected it to move on eastward like our storms usually do, but it stalled. For the next six hours, I watched as it rained as heavy as I've ever seen it. I live on the corner at an intersection, one street over from the lowest point in town. So water, and lots of it, courses down my street and in this case, through my yard. It flows from my neighbor's yards, through my carport, down my driveway, and into the street. Normally it's no big deal, but Saturday morning, it rained for six straight hours. Yep, SIX hours. I went from window to window all morning watching the torrent. I saw my trashcan lids and trashcans float by. I saw my weed eater float by. I saw the lawnmower be lifted up and it floated too!! Railroad ties used in my landscaping were rolling out of place. The yard on the sidewalk side had turned into a lake and on the library side, was rising up over the AC units! About 9:30, the rain let up just enough for me to let the dogs out, but when Gracie went flying off the deck in her normal manner, she landed chest-deep in water and totally freaked out! I was able to collect the weed eater, stow the trashcans away that were lodged up against the Coffee Cup, and snap these photos before the next three hours of rain hit us.
My rain gauge only measures 5 inches, but reports are that we had upwards of 9-12 in nearby places. Lots of areas lost power, but luckily we didn't. About noon, the rain started to taper off, but by then, the damage was done. Bridges washed out, sink holes, trees down, roads caved in...it was a holy mess. Saturday night, both NBC and ABC news were reporting the damage and last night, CBS Evening News carried our story. Emergency crews will be hard at work for many weeks to come I'm afraid. I'll put a link here to the report if you'd like to see what was going on all around me. FLOODS as reported by CNN FLOODS as reported by CBS Thanks for your emails, calls, and Facebook messages, I really appreciate your concern and prayers. Hi folks! Thanks for coming back by on this Friday afternoon to hear all about our last thirty miles on the Midland Trail this past Wednesday afternoon. After our picnic stop and stretch break, we continued east through the Greenbrier valley where we traveled a section that I think was the most beautiful of our entire trip. As Becky was cruising along, I was hanging out the window snapping photos like I'm so fond of doing. The farms were huge and the views were outstanding due in part to the gorgeous cloud formations. We spotted a tremendous farm to our right and a brown historical marker at the same time that said Hern's Mill Covered Bridge. We both love covered bridges, so off we went down a one-lane road right through the middle of this huge farm! The covered bridge dates back to 1884 and that's all we know about it. What a little gem it was though. We were really looking forward to Lewisburg because of all we had read about it being one of National Geographic's Best Small Town Escapes, one of the National Trust's Dozen Distinctive Destinations, and Budget Travel Magazines' Coolest Small Town. That was our next stop and it didn't disappoint! Once the home to Greenbrier College, its flowered-lined sidewalks, friendly people, and fun shopping made for a great two-hour stop. Lewisburg has become a haven for "West Virginians by choice" and it has become a fascinating and unique little town located at mile marker 161. Our journey on the Midland Trail was winding down, as we had only ten more miles to travel. That last portion took us to White Sulphur Springs, home to the fabulous Greenbrier Resort. Since 1778 this world-famous, luxurious resort had been welcoming guests and golfers from all over the states, and world too. On site is a top-secret cold war-era Congressional bunker buried some 720 feet into the hillside. We would liked to have taken the tour of it, but we couldn't find a place to park that wasn't restricted. Becky parked illegally for a few minutes so I could hop out and snap a photo of this grand place that reminded us of the White House in DC. My sister Miriam and brother-in-law Roy make a yearly pilgrimage to this place, so when I saw the South Carolina cottages, I knew I wanted a photo of that too.
I'll take the weekend off, but please drop in on Monday to hear about Black Dog Salvage, our side trip to Booker T. Washington National Memorial, and an in depth Postcard about Hawk's Nest State Park. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!
Yesterday, Wednesday morning, we had a leisurely start to our day because we wanted to visit the gift shop at Hawk's Nest and it didn't open until 9:00. We slept a little later than we normally do when out traveling and enjoyed the complimentary breakfast before packing the car. Hawk's Nest State Park and Lodge is such a nice place that I want to devote an entire Postcard to it and that's why I haven't shown you any photos from there. I'll share that in a few days with you if you don't mind.
While there we saw two historic houses: the Page-Vawter House, built in 1891 by a coal baron and the Contentment House, built in 1830 which was the antebellum home of Ansted's first mayor. From mile maker 104 in Ansted, we continued our journey east along toward the crossroads of Rt. 60 and 19. U.S. 19 leads to the New River Gorge Bridge and the surrounding recreational areas. Because Becky and I have both been there, we didn't take a detour. We did opt to go off the trail and visit Babcock State Park and in particular, the frequently photographed Glade Creek Grist Mill. From milepost 120 to 131, we climbed up and over Sewell Mountain. That mountain is the highest point on the Midland Trail and separates the recreation areas of Fayette County and the farms and pasturelands in eastern Greenbrier County. Take a look at what our brochure had to say about those 11 miles! Now take a gander at our GPS!!
After our special impromptu tour, we were back on the road again. I made a comment that I wished there were roadside picnic areas so we could stop for lunch. In fact, we hadn't seen one single wayside stop on the entire trail. As we crested a hill, we had an OMG moment. Sitting on the right side of the road was a big picnic area!! Out came leftover crab cakes and hush puppies from Tuesday night's supper and along with an ice cold Fresca and some chips, we were in heaven! On that happy note, I'll end today's Postcard and sign off for the evening. Check back with me tomorrow to see how the rest of our Wednesday went. Ta-ta!!
Greetings from Salem, VA. That's right, Virginia. Becky and I wrapped up our sojourn on the Midland Trail this afternoon, consulted a map while sitting outside an antique shop in White Sulphur Springs, and made the decision to head to Roanoke. I've also decided to finish yesterday's Postcard instead of making you wait until next week to hear about our Tuesday afternoon. If you remember from yesterday, we were getting pretty frustrated with the difficulty we were experiencing locating some of the Trail's features. Our stop in South Charleston hit at high noon and that meant we needed to take a break and grab a bite to eat. Becky told me it was National Hot Dog Day and that we needed to get a dog for lunch. So we did! The AC was out at the Happy Days Cafe, forcing us to eat outside. But we had a nice breeze and enjoyed watching all the folks go by. Good choice because it was an excellent dog!! After lunch we walked up the steps to the Adena Indian Mound which was located just a couple of blocks away. This mound dates to 500 BC and is one of 50+ burial mounds in the area. From the top of the mound, we had a grand view looking south on D Street. Every time we are headed north on I-77, we see the golden dome of this 1932 Italian Renaissance building, so it was a treat to see it up close. We scored a parking place at the Capitol Complex and were able to see the Capitol as well as the Executive Mansion while there. While in Malden, we saw several historical homes and the African Zion Baptist Church, West Virginia's oldest African-American Baptist church, where Washington taught Sunday School. After leaving Malden, we passed miles and miles of mountains of coal. We saw coal on barges floating down the Kanawha, coal on train cars, coal on trucks!! We passed through Quincy, Cedar Grove, and Glascow, all located in the Kanawha Valley. Along the way we visited the Old Stone House (1810), the Tompkin's House (1844), and Virginia's Chapel (1853). And then the landscape changed! At mile marker 92 we started seeing waterfalls, steep sandstone outcroppings, and the road became quite curvy. Milepost 93, at Kanawha Falls Park, provided a nice stretch break to take a look at the headwaters cascading over the rocks and the Glen Ferris Inn in the background. We briefly considered stopping overnight at the historic Glen Ferris Inn, but after looking around inside, smelling the mustiness, and finding out we would have to share a queen-sized bed, we kept on truckin'! The little town of Gauley Bridge provided some great scenery and just a few miles further was the impressive Cathedral Falls at mile marker 97. So that catches you up on our second day of travel on West Virginia's Midland Trail. Now you can see why we were two pooped travelers!!
I'm really glad you decided to stop by this evening to pick up your Postcard and I hope you enjoyed the travelogue. See ya tomorrow!! Lordy, Lordy, we are two tired travelers this evening! We are holed up and in heaven here at Hawk's Nest State Park Lodge high in the mountains overlooking the Gauley River. What a nice place we chose for our Tuesday lodging. We were out the door this morning before eight and didn't check into our room until after five and we were in and out of the car all day long. I took almost 200 photos and we saw so much that it is impossible to chronicle it all for you this evening. So what I'll do is take you up to lunch and finish this Postcard when I get back home. Milton, home of world-famous Blenko Glass, dates back to 1876 and was our next stop of the early morning. I've never bought any blown glass, but I enjoy watching the process. The Visitor Center had a huge amount of pieces on display and for sale. We were able to go into an observation area to watch the craftsmen at work.
Continuing east towards Charleston, I grabbed a caramel latte at Java Joe's before we arrived at St. Albans. Once again we found a run-down town with just a few interesting sites. We paused at the C&O Depot, strolled around Roadside City Park along the river, and saw Morgan's Plantation Kitchen. We struggled most of the day trying to locate all these Midland Trail sites. Our brochure contained zero physical addresses so we weren't able to plug anything into the GPS. When we would type in a location to do a search, we came up empty over and over. I have to admit that by lunchtime we were pretty frustrated.
When in South Charleston, we sought out the Mound and Midland Trail Interpretive Center for some help. When we commented about the lack of helpful signage, we found out that the commission that oversees the trail is defunct. Hmmmm...that explained a lot!! At that point, we took a much needed break for lunch and at this point, I need to close out this Postcard. I'll get back to the rest of the day's adventure next week one day. Thanks so much for traveling along with us today and I'll chat with you tomorrow evening. My, my, my what a day we have had in West Virginia on the Midland Trail! To have traveled a mere 18 miles and spent only six hours, we packed a lot into our day. We got to Kenova, WV at 11:00 and immediately drove to Mile Marker 0 to make our journey on Highway 60 official. If at all possible, I'm going to try to get photos of "welcome to" signs and mile markers at major places. We never could find the beginning marker, nor mile 1 though. I'll also try to snap some pictures of the state's iron historical markers.
For lunch we went to Griffith & Feils Drug Store . . . what a treat! We sat at the lunch counter of this faithfully-restored 1929-era soda fountain with its copper ceiling, antique fixtures, bubble-light juke box, oak floors, and 1880's stained glass bar. Three of the nicest young folks worked there and they are all rising freshmen at Marshall University. Beck ordered a fried bologna sandwich (The Appalachian) and I went with my old standby BLT. We both ordered Diet Cokes and watched as they made it the old fashioned way with syrup and carbonated seltzer water. When we asked for a refill, they started all over with a new cup. It was so cool to watch! They even gave us free postcards before leaving. Back out on Highway 60, we started making our way east. We didn't get very far because we saw a funky ice cream place called Austin's Home Made Ice Cream and did one of many, many u-turns to go back to it. As we scanned down through their long list of flavors, we both said in unison, "CINNAMON!" And that's what we ordered.
We shopped at Old Town Antiques where I scored a raffiaware beverage pitcher and Becky found a Dale Jarrett 88 racing flag. At Hattie & Nan's we picked up a nice autographed book called Midland Trail Scrapbook featuring vintage photos and linen postcards. In Huntington, we stopped by the Visitor Center which is in the former B&O Railway Station. Becky obliged me with a Route 60 snapshot. We loaded up on brochures and maps before stopping outside to check out the #10 Steam Locomotive. Across the street we made a quick drive-thru of Harris Riverfront Park. With threatening clouds, we scooted on down the road to stop at Marshall University. We pulled into the parking lot and the skies opened up! Forced to sit in the car for almost 20 minutes, we pulled out the iPad to see the radar . . . YIKES!! If you enlarge the picture, you'll be able to see the little blue dot where we were. Taking advantage of a brief break in the downpour, we hopped out and ran into the student center. I really wanted to see the Marshall Memorial for the 1970 plane crash that killed the Thundering Herd football team and staff. I bought a big ole 3X Marshall Athletics t-shirt in the bookstore to sleep in. While waiting on the light to change to get back on the Trail, we immediately noticed that the road had lots of standing water. What we didn't know was that in the hour that we sat in the car and were in the student center, 1.5 inches of rain had fallen! The farther we traveled, the slower traffic became and it finally stopped us dead in our tracks. We thought that there might have been an accident because of the weather and seeing a news crew cameraman walking up the sidewalk with a tripod over his shoulder. Four lanes of traffic were funneling down to one lane which happened to be the one we were in. Finally we saw two tractor trailers stopped in the lanes to our left and right and we were forced to weave in between them and then through the parking lot of a car dealership! Here's why . . . Never in my life have I ever seen this much standing water in a road, except on TV. Our detour took us on back streets and finally down an alleyway before we could get back on the main road!! Thanks for stopping by this evening to pick up your Postcard and always remember . . . turn around, don't drown!!
Becky and I both subscribe to a magazine called American Roads. It's a wonderful publication for anyone who has wanderlust and loves to hit the road in search of adventure! In an issue last year, we read about the Midland Trail in West Virginia and both commented that it would make for a fun trip. Taking less than five hours to get to its origin in Kenova on the Ohio state line and spanning 180 miles east to White Sulphur Springs, it would be the perfect Monday through Friday trip for us. For over a year, the Midland Trail has come up in our travel discussions. Well, early tomorrow morning, Becky will be picking me up and we're heading to West Virginia! Once again I'll have the map on my lap, notes within reach, and the GPS on the dash as I navigate and Becky drives. The Midland Trail is the national east-west automobile route constructed in the 1930s, designated as U.S. 60 and crossing the center of America from the Chesapeake Bay to the Pacific Ocean. In West Virginia, the Midland Trail was the first state-maintained highway. In 1988, the section from White Sulphur Springs to the state capitol was designated as West Virginia’s first state scenic highway. In 2000 the eastern portion of West Virginia’s Midland Trail was designated a national scenic byway, and the state designation as a scenic byway was extended from the state capitol to the Kentucky border at Kenova.
That gives you a bit of history about our route on this road not yet traveled. I invite you to join us each evening this week to pick up your Midland Trail Postcard and hop in the backseat with us. See you tomorrow evening!
Before you get all worried over today's Postcard title, let me assure you that all is well. It's a fact that there's a very serious disorder out there and there's no cure for it, but there's no reason for you to be concerned. Many of us suffer from it. That is, many of us who own T@Bs or T@DAs or R-Pods are afflicted. I've come to realize that it really has a name . . . Tinkeritis. It's true. I swear it is and I have proof! I found it here . . . I know you think I'm making this all up, but that big thick, green medical dictionary is sitting on a shelf in my library! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * tinkeritis (tink-er-i-tus) n. A disorder characterized by the recurrent obsessions or compulsions that require a person to adapt, meddle, adjust or accessorize something all for the sake of improving, updating, and making life easier in their camper. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I have to confess that this disorder runs in my family and was first diagnosed in my Cousin Rob. Tinkeritis has manifested itself over and over through his years of trailer ownership. Let me give you a few examples. Somewhere along the way, Rob decided he needed new curtains, a lamppost to display flags and signs, a place to put travel decals and stickers, an announcement of his blog, super-cool outdoor lighting, plexiglass inside the screen door in order to leave the door open when the heat or AC is on, and a crafty trashcan. There's more, lots more, that involves electronics, storage, and artsy-fartsy stuff! Tinkeritis is genetic and because Rob and I are first cousins, it runs in my blood too! You can pray for us if you want to, but I don't think it will help much. We both belong to Tinkers Anonymous, but cannot concentrate on getting through the steps because our mind is always spinning just thinking of the next mod!
I hope y'all have a great weekend. Hang in there Rob, I know that the weekends are the worst for our shared disorder . . . |
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