West Virginia

Making our way to the east in search of the Atlantic Ocean, seen last year in Massachusetts, we make an entrance to West Virginia. Scotty’s increasing desire to be at high altitudes will soon be accomplished once we hit The Appalachian Mountains; in fact, West Virginia is known as the “Mountain State”, famous for its rugged Appalachian beauty, rich coal mining history ( coal is seen in many parts of the state) and outdoor recreational activities such as rafting and hiking.

As soon as we hit the first Rest Area we are not dissapointed with the large variety of trees that surround the countryside.

This is WV capital… Charleston. With a population of roughly 50,000, its original capitol built in 1885 suffered a large fire in 1921. The location of the new capitol has moved 2 miles to the east of the original location. It is known now for the golden dome.

Relaxing by the Kanawha River.

There was one natural / man made attraction that we didn’t want to miss…. the New River Gorge Bridge. We had to drive 2 hours from the campground to admire this marvel of engineering.

Before 1977, date when the bridge was put in operation, the journey to cross the river was about 45 minutes through a narrow road. Once the bridge was open, it took a few seconds to reach the other end.

A few facts about this bridge:

• the steel used is known as Corten Steel, (generically known as weathering steel) a group of steel alloys that form a stable, protective, rust-like patina when exposed to the elements. Its unique finish eliminates the need for painting, offering both exceptional corrosion resistance and high tensile strength
• Each year on the third Sunday of October, there is a celebration for the anniversary of the completion of this bridge. Tens of thousands come to celebrate the festivities.

We decided that we should drive also the old road and cross the old bridge.

Old bridge

Once we were at the other end, it was time to visit a well recommended restaurant; best sandwiches in town: Secret Sandwich Society

All good until we tasted the horseradish sauce they put in them….. very strong!!!

Time to plant tree number 44 at the KOA campground

Weather has been nice so far but we are well aware of the trend upwards that we will feel in the coming weeks!!! Let alone humidity.