Category: Travel

Broad category for all of my travels.

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Summer 2017 Vacation – July 20 – Day 1

We are off on our journey west!

We don’t have much of a plan other than to drive across the United States without, as much as possible, getting on an major Interstate highway. Our destination is Ruidoso, New Mexico for a Westerman family reunion. This reunion has been in the planning stages for many months, if not a full year.

Our route today took us from home to Lewisburg, Ky. We initially traveled on a route well traveled for us to Front Royal, VA then on 55 to Strasburg, VA where we picked up 48 into the interior of West Virginia not far west of Strasburg.

Route 48 is a southern parallel road to the famous route 50 with the difference being it’s a divided highway through the picturesque mountains littered with wind farm after wind farm. It’s an “easier” drive than route 50 since it is more “meander” and less “switch back”.

Route 48 turns into route 219 at Thomas, WV. Thomas is a place I want to revisit when I have more time. I love the old down feel of this Appalachian area. Thomas is adjacent to the Monongahela National Forest public land area, close to the Canaan Valley State Park and resort where I’ve stayed and also close to Seneca Rocks, WV. All of these places I have ridden my motorcycle on numerous occasions as well as flown a plane in and around many times. It’s such a nice part of the country where, it seems to me, people don’t want to travel. The lightly traveled part of this country makes it appealing to me.

We picked up I-79 near Stonewall Jackson Lake, another place I want to visit. There are not many lakes near where I live. Rivers, yes. Lakes, no. There were lots of people in the area that appeared to be readying to spend a weekend at the lake. Or maybe that’s just the way they dress on any given day.

We picked up I-64 in the city of Charleston, WV and headed on west towards Lexington, KY. It was the only way to get to where we wanted to be. I spent time learning more about Python programming from a set of online courses I’m taking while Gloria worked on her computer when she wasn’t doing this:

Gloria sleeping. Body in overload from poison ivy.

It turned out she did a lot of sleeping. Unfortunately she picked up some poison ivy near home and I’m sure it’s draining her. She has to be uncomfortable and is just not showing it. It’s just aweful to be so allergic to this plant that grows everywhere you look near our home.

What neither of us knew is that it was about to get worse.

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Quick trip to Shepherdstown, WV

At the end of the day yesterday we decided to go to Shepherdstown. We enjoy going the “back way” through the woods, near the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers and on into this quaint college town. Until recently we went mostly there on a motorcycle. Since it was so late in the day we decided to take my car.

Gloria at the “China Kitchen”

We went there to eat at a Thai place that was closed so our second choice wat the “China Kitchen”. It’s a dumpy little place that is a stand-by restaurant for us. Tonight the food was actually pretty good. But the decor has a lot to be desired. That’s OK, we have no problem with dumpy places as long as the service is good. We were served by an elderly gentleman that was quite attentive. We enjoy each other’s company so most of the “noise” around us blends in after a few moments.

Folklore says there are ghosts in this little town. When we went back to our car there was a woman in period clothing talking about the history of the town. I couldn’t hear what she was saying in front of this church but there was an interested crowd in tow.

Shepherdstown was very busy during the civil war. There was a hospital there that tended to the wounded soldiers and others who were fallouts of that conflict. The folklore says the spirits of so many lost during that time are still trying to find their way. I think most of them ended up in the coffee shop we go to from time to time.

We took the road less traveled back home. It was very dark and I got lost a time or two because we took the road backward from what we normally do. As we were coming back through Harpers Ferry I got to see a train slowly traverse the tracks, through a tunnel on it’s way to DC with coal. Normally I’d have video of that. But I forgot to push the record button. 🙂

There is lots to do around Shepherdstown if you are ever in the area. Every time I go back I see something new. There are lots of little shops and tons of history to see there.