Post by billhammond on Oct 29, 2014 9:45:00 GMT -5
Hi, folks -- all is well, I had two spectacular days on the road Mon and Tue after my long and not very scenic first day. Taking the Ohio River Scenic Byway southeast from Cincinnati to Maysville, Ky., then hopping on Hwy. 9 en route to my overnight in Charleston, WV, per Millring's suggestion, was fabulous. Much of it was deserted two-lane, right along the river -- with steep, still-colorful bluffs on both sides, reminiscent of Hwy. 61 along the Mississippi in Minn./Wis. Only different. Gorgeous.
But yesterday, hoo boy, what an incredible bunch of roads and glorious, breathtaking views.
I-64 to Beckley from Charleston went deep into the mountains, far curvier than I expected, with huge elevation changes. Then I-77 from Beckley, WV to Wytheville, VA, was AMAZING. Scenes like this (not my photo):
Included were two tunnels, one of them easily over a mile long, seemed like, anyway. I also stopped in Galax, along the Crooked Road Music Trail, nosed around there a bit to get some exercise, and had great pulled pork and sides at Aunt Bea's BBQ.
Weather is perfect -- sunny, dry, not too hot. Reunion with Elderdottir was weepy wonderful, and we yakked up a storm before Hubby got home from work, and then I treated them to a terrific dinner at Fishbones, a funky little eatery just a block from their house in Greensboro.
Today, we made a shrimp/spinach/blackened green bean omelet out of leftovers from last night's dinner, and it was mighty tasty, if I do say so myself.
One thing that will stick in my mind about this trip is how often there were falling, swirling leaves, big maple ones for the most part, as I flew up and down these mountain interstates. I don't think I have ever encountered falling leaves while driving on freeways before. It was just a magical, almost otherworldly touch to add to an already enchanting experience.
Oh, and I was impressed with how people actually move into the right lane immediately after passing. Very few left-lane bandits -- of course, failing to move over can put a logging truck on your back bumper in a hurry. These roads suffer inattentive drivers very poorly.