From the WV Mountains to the Blue Grass of KY
Thursday, 11/2/06
Fayetteville, WV to Sadieville, KY
I awoke to a parking lot full of pickups, men in camouflage "apparel" and an oozing sky. It had rained all night (how? You might ask, did I know that? Well Gabby needed to go out in the middle of the night).
When I looked out the window I thought I saw a fog as thick as a San Francisco morning, but when I put a finger on the window, I discovered it was only condensation on the and that the sky was still drizzling.
With a free breakfast offered, I thought I best not pass it up, so decided to investigate. Emm, not bad, fruit salad (yes from a jar), oatmeal, warm hard boiled eggs, bagels, dry cereal, the usual. What was unusual in my book we the friendliness of the patrons; a group of 6, my guess would be all in their 70's. They all said good morning in turn as the women talked about why they were there, who they were visiting and how the parking lot sure filled up the previous night. They were obviously having a good time. The last of the group to arrive talked about the cute dog outside – of course I had to speak up and own the cute dog. She recognized Gabby as a Ausie – I smiled.
My first stop was the visitors' center for the New River Gorge Bridge. Amazing how it spans the gorge at the tops of the mountains. It is tall. And for the statisticians in the reading audience: its 360 feet taller than the Washington Monument. And for the visuals: That equals one Washington Monument, plus 2 Statue of Liberty stacked on top of each other, plus 20 more feet…..got it? TALL and very impressive.
After consulting the map, the most scenic way looked like taking state route 60 North, along the river to Charleston. What a gem of a road. No big bridges to span between hill and dale. The road wound up and down 8% grade hills with 20MPH turns –going was slow and very enjoyable. We pulled off several times to just look at the gorge, the river, and the beauty of the morning. At one point fog was rising between the ridges with the sun pouring through – pure inspiration!
There were tourist spots along the road, but it looked like the tourists took their trade to resorts along the newer, faster roads many years prior and all that was left was the impression that in its day, these resorts were a big draw.
I passed what we used to call a "Company Town". Lumber mill, with cookie cutter houses all lined up and looking very alike. The milled "owned" the town and most likely the inhabitants too.
Charleston is nestled along the banks of the river and fills the valley between the mountains. The centerpiece of the city shins brightly; the state capital, encrusted in gold leaf (that's what it looked like), reminded me of the temples in Thailand where you could purchase a tiny bit of gold leaf to place on the Buddha image. It was a clear sunny day and the state capitol was the brightest thing around.
Leaving Charleston I saw lots of industry – all along the river, and I questioned discharge into the river….I thought the exit for Nitro was a strange name for a town, and then when I passed the exit and saw 3 huge nuclear power silos, it seemed even stranger!
The hills of WV gave way to rolling mounds of KY. The autumn leaves of gold and auburn were striking against the brilliant green grassy fields. I lifted my sunglasses to check for true color – yes, it really is that green. The best of the day was on scenic Byway State 460, which served as a beltway around Lexington. Narrow 2-lane road, miles of stone fences, equestrian centers, white fences, horses, some mansions and others where the fence was more impressive than the house. I was reminded how enjoying such a moment of beauty produces such calm and peace in my heart.
I pulled into Sadieville, a town of about 300, just before sunset. Claude and Sandy have a great home with lots of land including a stream. Gabby and I stretched our legs, ran around and enjoyed the beauty of KY. Thanks so much to Claude and Sandy for your great hospitality. It was a wonderful evening – just hanging out and catching up (Claude retired from Peace Corps about 2 years ago).
