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.
The park is located just west of the tiny town of Ansted, WV and actually had a lot for us to stop and see. I captured a couple photos of the now-closed Midland Trail Dairy King and the forlorn Midland Trail Motel. We parked downtown in front of a very nice VFW War Memorial that contained the names of every soldier from Ansted dating back to the Spanish-American War. In my research on our trip, I found out that Ansted has a very small company there called Blue Smoke that makes award-winning salsa. Yep, salsa in the mountains of West Virginia... crazy ain't it?! They have only four employees, but I gotta tell you, they make some killer salsa, especially the peach version. There were autographed photos of food personalities that have visited and raved about their products. Of course I bought a jar of the peach salsa and also a bag of guacamole chips. YUM!! |
We did opt to go off the trail and visit Babcock State Park and in particular, the frequently photographed Glade Creek Grist Mill.
Take a look at what our brochure had to say about those 11 miles!
Greenbrier County would be the last county we would pass through on our trip and it was a beauty! Scenic views, pastureland and farms, wetlands, meadows, and rivers. We stopped in the small town of Rainelle at mile marker 132 and pulled into a McDonald's for a pitstop for both of us and a coffee for me. Across the street we spotted the United Methodist Church and decided to take a look at the cast iron historical marker outside. After reading the information, we knew we had to see the inside if at all possible. Since there was a lone car parked in the lot, we took a chance and walked in. We were greeted by a sweet lady who gave us a tour and proudly told us the story of her church. The chestnut boards and paneling were stunning! |
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!