Day Two, My Trip Across the Mountains

For years now, I have traveled across the Allegheny Mountains to visit my parents. Whether it was flying in from the Gulf Coast and then crossing the hills or traveling from our home in Maryland, we've had a long, focused drive to get there. There was beautiful scenery and interesting things to see and do along the way, but because spending time with my parents was always more important than taking time out to see the sights we pressed forward without much stopping. But this year is different. With no more on our agenda than a family reunion on Saturday, Ward and I are going to traverse the state and see some of those things we have wanted to see for years now. And maybe find somethings to see that we didn't know about.

Day Two:
Family, Friends, and Findings

Today was the event that was the impetus for our vacation: my family reunion. It was held at this little hilltop church.  Our reunion originally started when I was a little girl and my father and his siblings and families would gather at my grandparent's farm to celebrate my grandmother's birthday.  It has changed a lot over the years as the family has changed. The reunion was bittersweet today since this was the first year without any from my father's generation. The last sibling passed away a few months ago.

But a good time was still had by all as we caught up with each other, laughed at family stories, and of course, enjoyed great food.

After the reunion, we crossed the Ohio River to visit a high school friend, Julie, in Marietta, Ohio.

We took her somethings from my mother that Julie might use 

for creations she makes from old objects. Above is a lamp she made. 

See if  you can identify where the different parts came from.

After visiting Julie, we had a little time so we decided to explore Marietta and took a walk on the River Trail. Marietta is a town of about 14,000 that is located at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers. The trail follows the Muskingum River and the garden club had several nice plantings along the way.

Also, along the trail, we saw several historical markers and displays such as the pilot house from the Tell City steamboat. If you want to know more about it, you can read below.

Then we walked around the historic district downtown and saw
interesting architecture including the county courthouse you see here.

Until next time...

Let the Adventure Begin, Day One, September 27, 2019

or My Trip Across the Mountains

For years now, I have traveled across the Allegheny Mountains to visit my parents. Whether it was flying in from the Gulf Coast and then crossing the hills or traveling from our home in Maryland, we've had a long, focused drive to get there. There was beautiful scenery and interesting things to see and do along the way, but because spending time with my parents was always more important than taking time out to see the sights we pressed forward without much stopping. But this year is different. With no more on our agenda than a family reunion on Saturday, Ward and I are going to traverse the state and see some of those things we have wanted to see for years now. And maybe find somethings to see that we didn't know about.


Day One, Friday, September 27, 2019

The first part of our trip was the same as always as we traversed Maryland on our way to West Virginia. We were armed with a full tank of gas, snacks, and sandwiches for lunch, so we wouldn't have to stop along the way if we didn't want to. However, I ate my sandwich before we even made it 10 miles from home.  What can I say? The excitement of the trip made me hungry. :)

Here are a few things we saw.

We entered West Virginia about half way through our five hour trip. Soon after this, we stopped at a welcome center to pick up brochures on some of the areas we plan to visit.

Next stop was Morgantown, West Virginia, to see the statue of Don Knotts. Don grew up in Morgantown and went to West Virginia University, which is also my alma mater. Since we visited the statue of Andy Griffith in North Carolina, I wanted to see this one too. In case you haven't guessed, I am a big fan of the Andy Griffith show.

The destination for the beginning of the trip was Parkersburg, WV. I have a lot of family history here and it is the location of my family reunion tomorrow.

One of the things I've always wanted to see is Blennerhasset Island--an island in the middle of the Ohio River near Parkersburg. To get to the island we took a 20 minute ride on a stern wheeler boat.

The captain let me "steer" the boat along the way.

In the late 1700's, the Blennerhasset family immigrated from Ireland and built a mansion on the island. The mansion was visited by many influential people including Aaron Burr.  Burr and Harman Blennerhasset, and others were allegedly plotting to set up an empire in the southwest. Thomas Jefferson accused Burr of treason and then the accused were on the run. After capture, trial and acquittal, Blennerhasset never returned to the island and the house burned down in 1811. In the 1980's using archaeological digs and detailed records from the time, the mansion was reconstructed and the area made into a state park.

That evening we had dinner with friends. There was a lot of talk and laughter as only old friends can do.

Until next time...