West Virginia, Destination Beautiful

     

       West Virginia : Wild and Wonderful! greets you as soon as you cross that state line. Rolling mountains, winding roads and cascading rivers that flow into waterfalls or streams. You can almost hear the banjo's and fiddles play if you squint your eyes just right. Now, I know what you're thinking, mountains, dirt roads, rivers, banjos...we're in bat country, let's get out! Upon a closer inspection one will find that West Virginia has a plethora of hidden treasures that the friendly locals are more than willing to share if given the opportunity.

         Big city living getting mundane? Why not head down to Bulltown camping grounds right up past Flatwoods is a great place to start! An hour and a half outside of the heart of West Virginia, a little historical campground that stretches for a few miles. New to camping? Pull in the grounds in your camper or motor home. Anxious to try tent camping? You can also set up a tent in the lots. After you check in and set things up venture down to the beach only a couple miles down the road, or visit the hiking trails they have, or set up a chair by the river and go fishing!

Cass Scenic Railroad

The Peanut Shoppe, Capitol Street, Charleston WV

Capitol Building, Charleston WV

         Looking for a local retreat in the "big city" for a change of pace? Charleston, the state's capitol, has plenty of options to offer. If you're into history, take a tour of the cultural center and the state's capitol to get a sense of what our history is about. For instance, being the only sovereign state in the U.S.A. to be born from another and be completely separate from the state of Virginia! After you finish learning some history, then swing down Capitol Street for some local tastes such as The Peanut Shoppe for peanuts, candies and other old fashioned delights. As your snacking you'll be able to stop by and window shop in the local jewelry shop of Delfines Jewelry (actually where my own wedding set came from!) and get exceptional customer service and prices! Walk over a street or two to Quarrier and book an appointment at Uncork & Create for later that evening to relax and create your own work of art. Head back for more relaxation at Visions Day Spa and then after you have worked up an appetite then head on over to Adelphia's Sports Bar & Grille or Pies & Pints for some local gourmet cuisine!

                                                          Captiol Market, Charleston WV


As much flack as West Virginia gets, this small insight can show you the possibilities just in a small portion in Charleston alone, as well as surround attractions near and far to Charleston to the panhandles From the Casino in Cross Lanes, to Hawks Nest State Park in Anstead, from Cass Scenic Railroad to legendary Morgantown (Let's go....Mountaineers!!). It really is a wild and wonderful place to live being the best of both worlds.



             -Lucy

West Virginia Resilience

Recently a chemical spill in a local river took out the water supply for over 300,000 people. I have learned several things during this event, which has so far lasted a week (and counting). First and foremost, West Virginia is a great state to live in. Neighbors are still neighbors and the amount of support given to each other before outside help arrived was amazing. I was also impressed with the creativity of folks in the no water zone. This picture shows the area effected by the tainted water. In this picture, the zones in blue had been ok'd to start flushing their lines. As you can see, I was (not so) patiently waiting.

I have one of these and highly recommend keeping one on hand as I am sure they sold out quick! It typically is used for camping and sits in the sun until it warms up. Water can be heated on the stove and put in the shower bag. They run about $10 bucks and can be bought at Walmart.

A guy I work with told me that he went and bought one of these for an emergency shower. It cost him about $9 bucks.

My favorite has been a home made shower I saw that was made by Boone County resident Alan Wilson. This is just great!

Like I said, West Virginians have shown some real ingenuity. But the main purpose of this story is this... the water crisis has opened my eyes to a very important fact. WE ARE UNPREPARED. I am definitely not a doomsday prepper, but there is a wide range between prepper and totally unprepared for anything. I want to fall somewhere in the middle.



I was talking to my buddy Lucy about all of this. Lucy and I share coupons, deals, recipes, crafts, camping ideas, crazy stories among a plethora of thoughts that come into the minds of Appalachian women. During the discussion, the idea of this blog was born. Lucy and I agree that we are always learning. Sometimes the hard way, but the journey is all the fun! Please join us while we share what we have learned (or wish we had learned) along the way.