West Virginia

[TomP40]

West Virginia is a great place to explore.
The people are friendly and helpful. All those banjo scenes do disrespect to that part of the country.
The interior eastern part of the state is taken up mostly by the Monongahela National Forest and is absolutely Wild And Wonderful.
Spruce Knob, the highest point in WV is a must see! Great vistas from all around.
Cass Scenic Railway has 1905ish steam locomotives that take you up the mountain in old period cars that lots of people go to. I was surprised to see the parking lot get full for the chance to see and ride the old trains. Look up Cass scenic Railway.

I just got back from an eight day maiden voyage in my "new" 1997 Lance Squire 3000sb and here are a few pictures.

Spruce Knob


Cass Railway

The old lumber mill that burned down. It was steam operated.

And another of a train.

[TomP40]

Care to share?

[wvabeer]

TomP40 wrote:
wvabeer,

That's where I always go, The Monongahela National Forest.
Williams river was an unknown trout fishing paradise until that flood in June.
The well known Cranberry River, Spruce Knob and others make it a true get away.

Tom

After years of going there and not being able to ride off road vehicles there. I found just north of there where you can lease a camp spot and get access to huge land to ride on and still have the beauty of the same area. Along the Gauley and Elk rivers.Webster Springs area.

[TomP40]

wvabeer,

That's where I always go, The Monongahela National Forest.
Williams river was an unknown trout fishing paradise until that flood in June.
The well known Cranberry River, Spruce Knob and others make it a true get away.

Tom

[wvabeer]

There are many places to camp. My favorite is the Monongahela national forest. If you get on the web site you can find hundreds of out of the way sites no nothing except forest. Or just explore.only part of it.

[wvabeer]

jimh425 wrote:

TomP40 wrote:
Jim,

Your out west, but where I grew up in the state of Maryland, we had many jokes about WV.
One of them was the famous chord of the banjo in deliverance.
Just saying?

Where I am at the moment is beside the point, but kids are wrong about a lot of things. Certainly wrong on this one. 🙂

In any case, West Virginia isn't South and wasn't even part of the South during the Civil War and actually formed because they didn't want to be. Maryland and Pennsylvania certainly had and has more in common with West Virginia than Northern Georgia.

Just sayin ... sorry, for hijack.

West Virginia was part of the south until we separated from Virginia in 1863. We had been wanting separation since around 1820 way before the war. Just saying. 😉

[Bubtoofat]

TomP40 wrote:
Bubtoofat

And a good dawg.

Ya, agreed. We have a cat but it just ain't the same.:B

[TomP40]

Bubtoofat

And a good dawg.

[TomP40]

Bubtoofat,

<>

Exactly!!

And the mountains are like straight up all around you.
I've been out west and they are awesome, but the hills of WV are on their own as the people are.
Just my humble opinion.

T

[Bubtoofat]

I have spent a lot of time in West Virginia. Lots of family in Oak Hill, Beckley, Fayetteville, Mullens, and Charleston. The mountains are as rugged as they get. Heck, most of my family has one leg shorter than the other, HA, just kidding. Backpacked many miles in the New River Gorge in my teen years. I truly have a soft spot in my heart for the state West Virginia and the people there are as friendly as they get. Love it there.

Mike

[Ranger_Tim]

Having moved from VA to ID I find the locals here have a serious lack of respect for the ruggedness of the Appalachians. For them the Rockies are mountains and the bumps back east are hills. I remember traveling through the Charleston area on I-64 and wondering whether it would ever end! There are a few grades there that come close to anything here in Idaho, and there is no contest when it comes to fall color. I think the biggest difference is that you have to work so hard in WV to find a clear viewpoint compared to the big sky out west. The altitude can make a difference for some folks too.

In VA's Blue Ridge the mountains rise up from less than 1000 feet off the piedmont to crest at 4-5000, a difference of at least 3000 feet. Most of the ranges here in Idaho rise from 5000-6000 feet and crest at 9000, so the difference is not as dramatic as one would think. Of course there are spots out west that are insane contrasts, like the La Sals and Henrys in Utah,the Sawtooths and Lemhis in Idaho, and the Tetons of Wyoming; they are a class to themselves.

[Oldtymeflyr]

We like those back country roads and the small towns. It goes without saying that we have beautiful mountains in Colorado, the mountains of West Virginia are just as beautiful. There are many great views in the eastern mountains.

Rick

[jimh406]

TomP40 wrote:
Jim,

Your out west, but where I grew up in the state of Maryland, we had many jokes about WV.
One of them was the famous chord of the banjo in deliverance.
Just saying?

Where I am at the moment is beside the point, but kids are wrong about a lot of things. Certainly wrong on this one. 🙂

In any case, West Virginia isn't South and wasn't even part of the South during the Civil War and actually formed because they didn't want to be. Maryland and Pennsylvania certainly had and has more in common with West Virginia than Northern Georgia.

Just sayin ... sorry, for hijack.

[TomP40]

Jim,

Your out west, but where I grew up in the state of Maryland, we had many jokes about WV.
One of them was the famous chord of the banjo in deliverance.
Just saying?

[jimh406]

Deliverance was set in Northern Georgia.