Falling for Canaan Valley

     We were delighted to finally get the chance to take a short walk on the wharf near our Morgantown hotel.   The previous night's rain had left the temperature slightly cooler, and we had breakfast in the sister cafe to the one where we ate the previous day, so we already felt like Morgantown insiders.  We were especially pleased because we had a day of driving and exploring ahead. 

    Rather than head straight to Charleston, our base for the next three days, we took a detour into the Monongahela National Forest and the Canaan Valley. an area we all fell for immediately and could definitely see returning to for a longer stay.  Charming towns named Thomas, Davis, and Parsons offer shopping, dining and entertainment throughout this region tucked into the mountains, through one tree lined country road after another.  It's all just blissfully beautiful.  As we first entered Tucker County, Maddie spotted an appropriately tiny sign off the side of the road for the "smallest church in 48 states."  Though we had passed it, we had to find the first safe spot to turn around and go back to visit Our Lady of the Pines, as these are the bonus moments road trips provide.

    Since we were only there a day, we had to limit ourselves to one short hike - the Lindy Point Overlook - and a walk to an overview of the Blackwater Falls, but there are many gorgeous hikes in these mountains.  The Lindy Park trail provided the textbook opportunity for the kids to observe the compresssion (on the trail enclosed by trees) and then EXPANSION (once we arrived at the edge of the cliff to that outrageous view) that Wright had promised would never fail to deliver.   I would happily come back to just this area for a fall visit for several longer hikes through these gorgeous woods.

Compression

EXPANSION! :)

    In Davis, we shopped in some more cool (and clearly progressive!) shops, had a wonderful linner in Milo's, the restaurant in Bright Morning Inn, a historic inn first built in 1896!  One quick foray into a riverside park, and we were off to Charleston, where we would finally check in at 9:00 PM.  

    We were thrilled to notice windmills all around us and to learn that the Mountaineer Wind Energy Center in Thomas was one of the first in the state.  To see an area that had originally been born due to immigrants coming from all over to gain their livelihood, if not fortunes, through coal mining, it was beyond gratifying to see the state moving toward green energy in this way.

    Other than finding unexpected treasures such as the tiny church, one of my favorite parts of road trips is this sight (and sound!) in the back seat.

    Of course, it wouldn't be a Gallup vacation if we didn't have at least one hotel switch up.  The hotel Dana had booked in advance did not have the location we had hoped for, so we made a quick change to one less than a mile away but with a perfect location on the river and near downtown.  Today, we explore Charleston, from our now perfectly situated hotel.