Day 1: December 15, 2018 Baby It's Wet Outside Comment via blog

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This was my view for much of the day. There were a few periods when nothing was falling from the sky, and there was even one brief glimpse of sunlight, but mostly it just alternated between light and semi-heavy rain.

I know I've driven by this place a few times but guess I always had some other destination in mind. It's likely that I even saw it where it sat previously, and by previously I mean 1940 to 2000. Think I didn't feel stupid when I finally stopped in and read the history? It was raining lightly when I arrived and snapped an external shot with my phone. I'll get some pictures with the camera when I leave, I told myself. When I left, it was raining much harder and I basically dashed to the car. In between I grabbed phone pictures of some stools and a proper diner breakfast. I'll be back.

I was mentally aware that I'd driven this section of US-60 before but it took me awhile to actually recognize it. That didn't happen until I stopped at Kanawha Falls which is shown in the third picture. I think the season and the rain had something to do with that in addition to my bad memory. The waterfall in the second picture is the first of two I passed before reaching the big falls and I suspect they didn't even exist or were just a trickle when I passed through here in June of 2017. A fisherman I spoke with at Kanawha Falls told me the water there had risen significantly overnight. As I snapped the picture of Glen Ferris Inn, I realized I'd missed an opportunity to stay there. Shortly beyond, I stopped at a Cathedral Falls somewhat invigorated from my visit last year.

The Midland Trail is well signed and quite curvy in this area. The sign pictured is directly across from Cathedral Falls. I was really happy that the rain had let up at this point. Not only did it allow me to get some photographs, I don't think I'd have enjoyed those wiggly bits very much in some of the heavier rain I'd experienced earlier. Possibly an even better sign of the season than the high water and lack of green leaves is the closed Mystery Hole.

Here's a modern "sidewalk highway" where cars approaching each other are obligated to drop one wheel off the pavement in order to have enough room to pass. I did that about three times in the approximately one mile I was on this road. The fact that I'm on this road at all is an indication of how little planning went into today's drive. I'd basically jumped into the car and told Garmin to take me to Kitty Hawk by the fastest route. I failed to follow directions a couple of times including something around Charleston that put me east of the Kanawha River on US-60 instead of west of the river on I-64. And that's how the one-lane Hopewell Road became part of the fastest way to Roanoke which I'd picked as a potential overnight after that more or less happy goof at Charleston.

One of the reasons I called my goof a happy one is that it brought me to the New River Gorge Bridge for the first time in many years. The bridge has become such a significant part of West Virginia that it was chosen to represent the state on it commemorative quarter. I opted to head straight to the overlook and hit the visitors center on my return. That turned out to be a good move as it started raining again on the walk back and I just walked directly to the car. Never did get inside that building. The last picture was taken while crossing the bridge which looks pretty much like any other bridge from the top.

As much as I enjoyed it, all that two -- and less -- lane driving did adversely affect travel time. Even Roanoke turned out to be to be unreachable before dark. I pulled into a cluster of motels at Princeton and, with the help of Tripadvisor, found a nice room at the independently owned Turnpike Motel.

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