The Mountain State

I've been through West Virginia four times in the last 19 years. I've slept in West Virginia twice...once many years ago in Beckley on the way home from Myrtle Beach. It was a little traumatic being in Beckley as our car "died" as we rolled down a hill. Thankfully we had just started a CAA membership and all was taken care of. We had a lovely ride in a tow truck with a "good ole' boy" who was quite friendly and offered me a recipe for squirrel stew. You don't encounter that every day when you live in the big city! It was an experience I will never forget!! This time it was in Parkersburg, on the way to Myrtle Beach the first night of our trip. The motel wasn't much of a much (The Red Carpet Inn if you please...though I was hard pressed to find a red carpet!)...didn't see the complimentary continental breakfast they advertised in the CAA Tour Book (though I did smell some heavy curry coming from the motel office...), and the hair dryer they claimed to have had been ripped from the wall. I did admire the fake flowers in the vase on the night stand though. A homey little touch. You do indeed get what you pay for. But it was a place to rest our heads and that's all we needed.




We stopped for breakfast the next morning just outside of town at Mickey D's ...son was eager for his steak and egg bagel (which is no longer offered in Canada) and I was salivating for a biscuit. I love my biscuits and that's something else we can't get at Mickey D's in Canada. Come to think of it, I don't know where you'd go in Canada to get a biscuit. It is a very American "delicacy". I'll be talking about biscuits again I'm sure!



When I think of West Virginia, I think of coal mining and mountains, train travel and old time living.



I am completely taken with the friendliness of the West Virginians. At a stop for a bathroom break and breakfast (10 minutes before breakfast stopped being served!), we were in the McDonald's in Princeton, just north of Bluefield at the bottom of W.Va and the top of Virginia on our way home (please note lest you think we have one track minds, McDonald's was not our only choice of place to eat...but it's great for breakfast and a pit stop no matter where you are!). The customer ahead of us had just ordered and stepped aside and as we walked up the young woman behind the counter said to us in her delightfully sweet accent, "can ya'll believe thet man is from all the way up to Canada???" and we laughed and said "yes, can you believe we're from all the way up to there too?" and she burst out laughing. Then said in true surprise "well heavens sake, what are ya'll doin' in West Virginia???" She was just such a delight and chatted away to us about life while they gathered our food. We smiled all through breakfast about nothing really, just enjoying being happy, enjoying the food and how something as simple as a conversation with a stranger can make the day start so beautifully.



The scenery in West Virgina is beautiful with much to enjoy as you wind your way through the state. Mountains indeed. And valleys. And blue skies. And rivers. And bridges. Big cities like Charleston and Morgantown. And little towns along the way like Liberty and Goldtown, Prosperity and Flatwoods.



It's no wonder they sing about country roads, taking them home....it is almost heaven...