West Virginia - Wild & Wonderful

So I thought I'd do something a little different for my next few blog entries.

Lately, I've been going thru a lot of old pictures and trying to categorize them electronically. I've ran across a lot of pictures of places that I don't really even remember going to and some that have a lot of memories. Thought I'd post a picture or two of some places and share a few stories or facts about those places.

So let's start with ......... WEST VIRGINIA!!!



Can you believe this beautiful sight is in West Virginia? Well it is!! It is Babcock State Park and it is a very beautiful and peaceful place. You know, West Virginia isn't at all like what I thought it would be. Growing up, we've all heard stories about how the people in West Virginia are or all that is in the state is coal mines. Now granted there are a lot of coal mines, but there are a lot of amazing places in the state and I've only been to a few locations. I was very surprised with West Virginia and really fell in love with the state. It's such a peaceful place and very, very quiet.

Babcock State Park is pretty much isolated and very quiet. You can sit on the rocks and actually listen to nature rather than horns honking and all the local excitement down in Beckley. If you can, you definitely need to visit Babcock State Park & the Glades Grist Mill.



Talking about isolated, that is exactly how I felt when we visited Thurmond, WV. We were told by a former resident that back in the day, it was a thriving community of several thousand residents. Now there are less than 20. This was the true epitome of an epic ghost-town. My Dad LOVED it here; I was almost freaked out by it ... walking past empty store front windows and even an abandoned Amtrak station, it was a bit unnerving. There is literally only one way in and one way out and that runs right beside the train trellis. But if you want to see a deserted town, forget paying admission to go to Ghost Town, go to Thurmond - it's free!



The main reason for our stop in West Virginia was to see the New River Gorge Bridge. This is the world's longest steel bridge. It's so high off the ground, it is rumored that the Washington Monument could be placed underneath it. I was able to drive across it but that didn't show it's true power. You can climb down several grand staircases and get a lot of upclose views. Maybe it's just my weird sense in liking architecture but this bridge blew me away.

Don't let the stories you hear about West Virginia distract you from going. I would love to go visit there again. Just be prepared to either book a hotel well in advance or else you'll be like us and driving over to Virginia to find a place to stay (my only complaint!)

West Virginia ... Wild and Wonderful ... that's enough!