On the Road- Day One

First Day on the Road was just a test day for the pups.

We just drove about 5 hours to Huntington W. Va with frequent stops...about every 1.5 hours.

From Roanoke, we drove through Hokie Country. I've never spent a lot of time there and never thought much about it...BUT just on the other side are these beautiful horse farms on rolling hills. Gorgeous countryside! The route takes you over parts of the New River as well.

Then we climbed into the mountains of West Virginia...parts of it are like the awful jokes that you hear & parts are just beautiful.

We crossed the New River & there was this huge power plant on the river. It was a vintage 50s or 60s building & it was really stunning just coming around the bend. Not that I any advocate at all of huge plants on rivers, but I saw some amazing ones- architecturally speaking. There was a Dupont plant on the Skitts creek, I believe, just outside of Charleston and it took up a 1/2 mile of creek front. It was so sculptural though that it was just a spectacular site! Growing up in rural Virginia on a farm, I didn't see many industrial areas & I must admit that I'm sorta fascinated by it.

There were many naturally beautiful sites, too near the ski resorts. Loads of steep hill climbs there. And a really weird observation...every Oklahoma vehicle was a Lexus SUV and I saw a lot of them. So Kerry, what's up with that? Are there special discounts on Lexus in your home state? If so, I need to let my dad know. He's sorry that he let his sedan go and would like another one.

Right outside of Charleston, just before the gold dome comes into view, are beautiful homes on the river...looks like Beaufort, SC, but don't look right as it's a rather scruffy area. This is generally what I found the views like in West VA- beautiful & scruffy.

Anyway, the dogs rode well in the car. They hated the hotel though..too many unfamiliar noises. Louisa hide under the desk at one point. It wasn't loud or anything, just different!