Lexington, KY to Beckley, WV – 3/4/2017
March 4, 2017 (Saturday)
The hotel (Days Inn) was pretty loud and both Michael and I didn’t get a really good night’s sleep. We were, however, grateful for the comfortable bed and hot shower. We got up and left the hotel at about 9 AM. The drive today was about 200 miles on a major highway (and toll road). The weather started out clear and pretty, then got grey, and eventually snowed near the West Virginia border.
The drive was lovely and Michael and I commented on how pretty we thought Kentucky was, and how surprised we were about that fact. We said we wanted to come back and explore further. So much history here. We also enjoyed seeing the many rock formations along the highway that had beautiful ice crystals hanging from them. So pretty! Looked like Christmas lights hanging off the rock.
We got into Charleston, West Virginia and found the Capitol parking β which in itself is quite the task as there is so much construction going on everywhere. We parked (parking meter) and walked to the War Memorial, which was such a nice tribute. I bet it’s stunning when the water is in the moat area.
After that we walked into the Capitol and through security. No tours today and the security guard told us everything unlocked was ours to explore. Fun! Β We walked and explored and went upstairs and walked and explored. Beautiful marble everywhere, a beautiful and huge βdisco ballβ hanging in the dome area, a few pictures β but NO PERSONALITY. We were surprised that there were no murals and nothing personal about the Capitol. They had no excuse because there was plenty of wall space for pictures, murals, statues, etc. Maybe they’re doing a remodel or something? Hope so because I know there’s a lot of history in West Virginia that can be on display in the Capitol.
We left the Capitol and walked over to the Archives, very close by. We walked inside and they were having some kind of poetry thing going on so we walked into the gift shop and then left. Was hoping to see more of the history of West Virginia and the Capitol.
When we got to the car we dug out some carrots and celery to eat for the drive to Beckley, West Virginia. We picked Beckley, West Virginia because it was about half-way between Charleston, West Virginia and Williamsburg, Virginia β our destination for two weeks starting on Sunday afternoon. When we booked it we remembered a couple that had stayed at our home for almost a week, and we thought they lived near Beckley. Michael happened to have a text from them and contacted them β Pam and Kevin. Yea β they lived in Beckley and Pam said she would be home but Kevin was going to be at his mother’s home a few hours away. Pam said she was available for a visit so we stopped by and got to catch up a little (as much as you can in an hour or so). So excited for them as they are going to England! How fun. They are going to cruise there, stay in AirBnB for awhile, and then fly home. So happy for them.
Gratefully it was a very short drive to our next home for the night.
Anyway, that was our day. We’re tired. Hope yours was great!