Thanksgiving '24 Travelog #4
Martinsburg, WV - Sun, 24 Nov 2024, 5pmThis morning we got in the car at our hotel in Falls Church, VA and drove out to Martinsburg, West Virginia. Yes, it's a bit of a haul; about 63 miles by shortest route. While that would be a terrible commute it's fine for a day-trip. We made the drive out there in 90 minutes even ( Read more... )

West Virginia / North Carolina Travelog #n-1
CLT Airport - Sun, 24 Sep 2023. 2:30pm

Our 9 day trip for hiking in West Virginia and North Carolina is nearly complete. We're back at Charlotte Airport, awaiting our flight home to California.

"LOLWUT," you might be thinking. "Didn't you just arrive in North CarolinaIt's true my most recent blog was ( Read more... )

West Virginia Travelog #19
Saulsville, WV - Tue, 19 Sep 2023. 4pm

Tuesday afternoon it was time for our West Virginia swan song. By "swan song", of course, I mean our last act, not an actual song. If it were a literal song, though, it would be "Take Me Home, Country Roads". In West Virginia all songs are "Take Me Home, Country Roads"Our last ( Read more... )

West Virginia Travelog #18
Fayette, WV - Tue, 19 Sep 2023. 12pm

This morning we went to tour a bridge (previous blog) and, wouldn't you know it, we found waterfalls ( Read more... )

West Virginia Travelog #17
Fayette, WV - Tue, 19 Sep 2023. 11amWe've already driven over it 4 times this trip. It's easy not to give it a second thought. After all, one's interaction with it is over in about 43 seconds. But it's an engineering marvel that reduced a slow, 45 minute drive down a mountain, across a river, and up the other side, to ( Read more... )

West Virginia Travelog #16
Beckley, WV - Tue, 19 Sep 2023. 9am

We have an ambitious plan for today. It's out last day in West Virginia so we're looking to pack in everything else we wanted to do that we didn't do already.

...Wait, leaving West Virginia? you might ask. Wasn't the whole plan of this trip to visit West Virginia?It was, when we ( Read more... )

West Virginia Travelog #15
Beckley, WV - Mon, 18 Sep 2023. 10:30pm

It's late evening on Monday and we're back at our hotel in Beckley, WV, after a long day of driving and hike. We visited, like, six waterfalls and logged 386 miles in the car. By way of comparison that's more than the 324 we drove coming up here from Charlotte (and round-tripping ( Read more... )

West Virginia Travelog #14
Douglas, WV - Mon, 18 Sep 2023. 5:15pm

We drove a pretty long way out here to visit Blackwater Falls State Park. It's over 3 hours each way. Hiking Blackwater Falls and Elakala Falls was great. The hikes were beautiful but they were short. To justify that much driving we'd really want to make a day out of it. Fortunately ( Read more... )

West Virginia Travelog #13
Blackwater Falls State Park, WV - Mon, 18 Sep 2023. 3pm

At Blackwater Falls State Park today we did more than take selfies on the selfie swing. For sure we didn't drive 3.5 hours out from our hotel in Beckley just for that. No, we came out here for hiking. Specifically for waterfall hiking. And for that Blackwater Falls ( Read more... )

West Virginia Travelog #12
Blackwater Falls State Park, WV - Mon, 18 Sep 2023. 1pm

🎵 Almost heaven, West Virginia 🎵

Those are the opening lyrics of John Denver's classic song "Take Me Home, Country Roads". I thought about the lyrics and song as we were traveling to West Virginia a few days ago. It turns out I haven't been able to get them out of ( Read more... )