The American Civil War is the most transformational event in the country's history. Battlefields and historic sites decorate much of that US Southeast, some well preserved, others simply marked with a small monument, and others lost to obscurity. It is impossible to visit all of them. Last year, my father and I were blown away…
For most people from elsewhere, West Virginia is a bit of a blank spot. We know it exists, but we don't know what there is to do there. It's most famous export, coal, isn't exactly something that draws the tourists in droves. However, West Virginia is a wonderful place. It has some unique history, incredible…
It's a rainy day here in Charleston, West Virginia's capitol city and its largest. The gray skies and wet streets do nothing to lessen the glimmer of the golden dome of the state capitol building, and it shines, visible from all over the city. Across the plaza lies the West Virginia State Museum, containing in…
"Almost heaven, West Virginia. Blue Ridge Mountains. Shenandoah River. Life is old here, older than the trees. Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze." The song is beautiful, and one I can't stop singing as my father and I criss-cross this state. The mountains loom over us, wisps of clouds hovering around the tops,…
Tennessee Ernie Ford sang it in song. "You load sixteen tons, what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt. St. Peter don't you call me 'cause I can't go. I owe my soul to the company store." Beckley, West Virginia was a coal town, a company town, where miners worked to the…
I'm not leaving for a week, but timing of other posts mandates that this one go up a tad early. In any event, it is time for my annual driving trip with my father, and I am - as always - excited! This year we are headed to coal country to see the fall colors,…