Traveling West Virginia: In the Mountains

This past weekend we were in the mountains. Where we live is really the foothills of the Allegheny range, and elevations, while steep, are not all that high. This trip took us to Randolph and Tucker counties, West Virginia, where some of our state's highest mountains are located.

The first day was a storytelling day at Elkins High School. I was there to present Appalachian stories and ballads to English and Creative Writing classes. We had a blast! The students were so receptive and willingly interacted with me, something that can be hard to find with this age group. We talked, I told, they told me stories, and they even joined in on the chorus of the last ballad. What fun! At the end the teacher asked those who wanted to take part to be in a photo with it. It was flattering to see how many of them crowded onto the stage, and some hurried so they could stand beside me. Talk about feeling at home! As I left the building a tall boy came up and gave me a high five, telling me how much he enjoyed the stories and songs. I left with a glow that could have melted snow.

That evening we tried out the Venezuelan restaurant in Elkins, El Gran Sabor. I was so surprised to hear that there was a Venezuelan restaurant in the state, especially in the small mountain town of Elkins! As some of you might remember, our daughter-in-law in Miami is Venezuelan and has prepared food from her country for us and also took us to a Venezuelan restaurant when we visited. So we were anxious to try out El Gran Sabor.

It was delicious. Funky, comfortable atmosphere, with a nice dining area in front and a bar with a large lounge in back, where they offer live music several times a week. I wanted music so we headed to the back. We had chachapas and arepas, with Latin rice and black beans and it was all delicious. The band was a loud rock threesome, not our usual style but we enjoyed it anyway.

We stayed overnight in town, and next morning at breakfast met two men whose stories are vastly different from each other. The first, who looked to be in his 50's, came stumbling in looking like he'd had one wild night. His hair was sticking up all over and uncombed, his pants falling down almost to his knees and his eyes were puffy--his whole face looked pretty tough, honestly. He sat at a table beside me and pulled out his wallet, and began counting his money. He had a LOT of money, mostly $100s. I laughed and asked, "Is it all there?"

"Nope," he said, "my girlfriend stole $300 from me last night."

"Ex-girlfriend, you mean?" I asked.

"Man," he said, "I don't know where my jacket it. Or where my truck is either. I'm from Akron, Ohio---gotta figure out how to find my truck..."

He got up and wandered out, hitching up his pants. I wondered if that $300 had gone up his nose or down his throat the night before. What a mess he was.

The second was a young man from Texas. He told us he was in town to repair some wind generators that had gone offline.

"Really?" I asked. "How do you get up there to them? They're awfully tall."

He explained that there was a ladder inside the tall pillars on which the generators are mounted. He went on to tell us all about his work, as we had many questions. I'd never met anyone who did that kind of work, so I was fascinated. He told us he'd been a police officer for five years, but burned out fast and went to a college in Texas where he got a two-year degree in wind energy technology. I did not know such a degree existed---there's a new career path for today's young people!

After we left the motel, we wandered downtown. I had hoped to see two museums--the railroad museum and the forestry museum. Sadly they were both closed. The volunteer at the visitors center was friendly and helpful though, and we enjoyed a long chat with him about Elkins history.

Near the depot was an old historic building that housed arts and crafts, antiques and a coffee shop. We browsed around, enjoying all the beautiful work. I bought a small blue glass Blenko tree to add to my collection.

The pottery was really stunning. I wish I had noted the artisan's name.

We stopped at a Dollar General for a few things, and in there I met a third man, who was buying several cans of sausage gravy. Who knew that you could get it in cans?? Not me. He was quite elderly and I took him to be in his 70's, but he said no, "I'm 88! And I work every day and never get sick!" He wasn't even wearing glasses. Amazing.

We left town to head up to Blackwater Falls then, as the weather was getting colder and snow was predicted. The rain was freezing on the trees as the road climbed.

We checked in and found that the park naturalist had booked us a cabin to share with my storytelling partner Judi and her husband Tom. This was one of the views on the way to our cabin.

The cabin itself had obviously had some updates recently. and was so cozy and nice.

This is the view out our windows.

And in the kitchen cabinets--Fiestaware! Made right here in WV by the Homer Laughlin China Company. That was pretty cool to see.

Larry and I wasted no time getting a fire going.

Tom and Judi soon arrived and we went to the Smokehouse Restaurant in the park lodge for dinner. They had a large buffet with many choices; the dining room is glassed in with lovely views over the Blackwater Canyon.

Our performance went well, with a good audience. This time the presentation was Celtic stories and ballads, so all day I was doing a mental shifting of gears from the Appalachian material to the Celtic.It was good to revisit this material as it's been a couple months since we've had a performance for this particular set of material.

Next morning, the promised snow had arrived and was falling as we prepared to leave the cabin.

The vehicles were iced over and the men had a challenge getting them open!

Our little cabin, Number 13. It wasn't bad luck at all.

Tom cleaning their car as Judi makes her careful way to the door.

The restaurant was cozy and welcoming, the breakfast buffet was plentiful and delicious, and the waitress came by regularly to fill our coffee cups. Heaven.

The snow continued to fall so we waited a bit before leaving to let others track it in.

Not far out of Thomas, we met this sight:

I thought it was a wreck, but it turned out to be a flatbed tractor trailer that had run out of diesel fuel in the middle of the road. How in the world he let his tanks run dry I cannot imagine, but there he was, being re-fueled in the middle of the road. We waited, talking with the State Roads truck driver who was also stuck there. He was a nice guy--and took the photo for me.

Miraculously, the tractor trailer started after getting fuel--miraculous because often when a diesel runs out of gas it's the very devil to start.

All along the road were ice-coated, snowy trees, so pretty.

We followed the salt truck all the way to Parsons, and honked a goodbye and thank you to the driver.

Our van is all-wheel-drive, so it goes very well in bad weather; still it was nice to have the truck ahead of us preparing the road.

Once down off the mountain, the roads were fine, and we were home right when we had planned. Here the house was a little chilly, but we soon had it warmed up and spent the evening by the fireplace with our dogs, who were very glad to see us back. We had had a good time, but we were glad to be home too.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Traveling West Virginia: In the Eastern Mountains

We spent the past weekend in the mountains of Pocahontas county, West Virginia, where I was presenting a workshop on telling and writing ghost stories.

It is hard to put the beauty of this part of our state into words, so I am leaving it mostly to the photos to do the talking for me.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at our favorite roadside park just outside Richwood. We were surprised to find the park already closed for the season--couldn't drive in, and the restrooms were locked up, but we could still walk in and use the picnic tables. Some of the trees were showing color; this year fall has been a big disappointment so far, with leaves still green in many areas, or just turning brown and dropping.

On the road to our b&b for the night, we spotted the lovely waterfalls below, and the old truck hiding in the woods.

One doesn't expect to see longhorn cattle here! There were others in this field, one a massive brute, but camera shy.

In Hillsboro, WV. I think this might have once been a bank? Banks in older times often had corner entrances like this. In case of robbery, they had a quick view of the streets. It also allowed them to see who was coming easily.

This gorgeous building is for sale for a mere $67,500. I'm almost tempted!

My workshop was at the Pearl S. Buck Homeplace, and it went very well. I heard stories from the participants, and we talked and talked about stories and folklore, and then they began the process of writing their stories. No photos--I was so busy and absorbed that I didn't think to take any!

That evening in Hillsboro at the Pretty Penny Cafe (a restored general store now operating as a restaurant, the incredible musician Rachel Petty was performing. We had planned to go home after my workshop, but friends convinced us to stay for Rachel's concert. I am so glad we did! She plays fiddle, guitar, banjo, and who knows what else, also sings beautifully. She is based in D.C. now, but is from Fairmont, WV.

Three other inducements to stay: first and best, time with friends we don't get to see often enough. One offered a bed in her home and the opportunity to see her night-blooming cereus open. Who can resist that! So time to talk, sing, and enjoy being together, and the opening of this exquisite flower on top of all that? It was fascinating--sometimes you could actually see the petals move, other times we'd turn around to see it had unfolded more while we weren't looking.

Another reason to stay: the weather. Very high winds, cold and snow were in the forecast for the mountains, and we didn't feel like fighting all that to get home. So we stayed put, snug and warm for the evening. In the morning, it had indeed snowed a little, and the roads were icy in places. We started across the Highland Scenic Highway, but decided to take the safer route as this one is very curvy and gets more ice and snow than the main routes in the valleys below.

Back off the mountain and on US Route 219, we were out of winter and back into fall.

And then, home. Today, I leave again, this time for Mannington in the northern part of the state, for more ghost stories. We are planning to take a route we haven't traveled before, so I'll have my camera ready!


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Singing, Telling and Gathering in the Mountains

 The weather was perfect. The place was exactly right. The people were fine. The singing was superb. In other words, the weekend was about as excellent as I could have possibly imagined it to be.

We left early Friday afternoon after I finally finished up and e-filed our taxes. I was determined to not come back to that task waiting for me! We packed quickly and headed once more across West Virginia, our destination this time the gorgeous and homey Brazen Head Irish Pub and Inn in the mountains of Randolph county. Of course, I could not make the trip without stopping at a junk shop along the way, and so this rode with us into the mountains:

I wasn't sure what to expect of this trip. I had heard from a friend that a group of folksingers from the Washington DC area gathered each spring at the inn to sing for a whole weekend. I thought it sounded like heaven, but each year it seemed we had a conflict and could not attend. This year, however, the stars combined to make it possible and I grabbed the opportunity even though it meant yet another long trip this week. Our friend Jeff met us when we arrived and we quickly met several other attendees. Then we settled in for an evening of music.

And such music it was! Songs from the Civil War, silly children's songs, plaintive love ballads, country songs, parodies, and more. Everyone sang, and everyone sang along with everyone else. This group could pick up a melody and chorus faster than ice melting in boiling water! I loved every minute. I had to laugh when someone sang the country song "Crystal Chandelier"--little did they know there was an actual chandelier right outside in the parking lot! I gave up and went to bed around 1:00 am, and regretted it as soon as I was under the covers because I could hear the most amazing yodeling downstairs. Too tired to dress again and go back down, I laid there and listened, and finally drifted off.

Morning brought more singing for me, and ramp digging for Larry.You might remember my discussion of ramps in these posts.

Larry is like a kid at Christmas when ramp season arrives, and can't wait to get into the woods to find them. He returned with a huge bag full, which he shared with anyone brave enough to take them. We still brought back plenty for our own use.

I heard stories, too--the story of a mother who witnessed her son being taken to jail during the Occupy movement, the story of a tragic death, stories of World War II from a Jewish man who had been a child in London at the time of the war, stories behind songs and about singers. I believe that in order to be a good storyteller, I must first be a good listener, and I will remember the faces and the voices telling me stories I will not forget.

That evening was, guess what? More singing! I heard so many songs that I have never heard before, sung by  people who all shared a love for the old songs. I was invited to tell a ghost story, so I  told the story of Eaton's tunnel and then the one about Ikie's tomb. I went to bed filled with music and voices.

We woke this morning to a heavy frost coating the ground and the smell of sausage, coffee and blueberry pancakes wafting up from the kitchen. Will Fanning was the chef for the weekend--he is also the owner of the Brazen Head  and along with his wife Jill ensured we had everything we needed for a comfortable stay, and kept things running smoothly for us all weekend.

Our return trip included two more pleasures: the first was a visit I have been wanting to make for two years. We had stopped once at a fascinating country store called Sharp's Country Store, not far from the inn. During that visit the owner, Tom Shipley, told us some of his family's story, and also told me a strange tale about the death of a young woman in the family. The story remained with me, and I wanted to go back and hear more. Larry stopped the day before to see if Tom would have time for a visit, and was assured that we'd be more than welcome. So we once again stopped to see Tom, and he told me the story with more detail about the people involved that included a lot of his family history.

The tale also included a gravestone, and Tom asked, "Would you like to see it?" You know I did! So we all hopped into my little Buick and headed up a steep mountain road to the cemetery, which was located on the very top of the mountain.

We learned that his family owns about 1400 acres there, land that has been passed down from generation to generation. Tom is working hard to preserve that family history and the heritage he values.

When we came down from the mountain I realized what a gift I had been given--not just the story, but Tom's willingness to share his family with us. Such generosity is rare, and I treasure it.

I jotted notes quickly in my journal as we continued our way home across WV 150, otherwise known as the Scenic Highway. Remains of winter's snow still filled the ditches along the road that travels through the high country and offers breathtaking views of the valleys below.

When we eventually reached the highway, it was not long before we also reached one of my favorite places, a small picnic ground in this national forest area along the banks of the Cherry River. We had the place to ourselves; the park service had not yet officially opened it and the debris of winter's fallen limbs and trees still littered the place, but that was no problem for us.

We made quick sandwiches at a table beside the river, and speculated about the large cave-like opening in the hillside on the opposite side of the river. Was it a bear's den? I do believe it was, but did not take the footbridge across for a closer look!

And then, finally, we were home once again, greeted by happy pets, nodding flowers and the comfort of familiar things. We have rested this evening, but tomorrow we will begin getting ready for our visitors who will arrive on Friday, for next weekend's performance at the Parkersburg Celtic Festival with my friend, storyteller Lorna Czarnota, and for the house concert for her that we are giving here next Sunday. Life is never dull, and I am glad of it.

Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.