West Virginia
I have never been to West Virginia but I expected more nature than civilization and it didn’t disappoint. After the Smithsonian I headed to Harpers Ferry, WV to visit a historic candy store. And the town but as the worst diabetic you can imagine, candy was certainly a high point. There is no parking in the historic town so I ended up a mile down the street. Walking into town was fun… all downhill. The walk back to the car was less than fun, over half a mile uphill in pretty uncomfortable temperatures.
Given the location you can imagine how much history can be found throughout the town’s years. Situated against the Potomac River it has great reviews from the river banks and the footbridge that accompanies the rail road track bridge.
Despite the heat, I walked to the other side and back and was rewarded by a lot of stickers as well as many love locks. Since reading about them many years ago I will go out of my way to take pictures of them when I encounter them. Just a couple months ago I found three large metal installations full of locks in Saint Martin. I thought I had posted pictures of that but apparently not.
Additional pictures:
The day, mostly driving, ended in a not-so-fun flat tire. Due to ongoing shoulder problems requiring massage therapy I was worried if I could change it. After waiting on hold for roadside assistance for over half an hour without talking to a human I decided to give it a shot. Thanks to the outstanding work by Charlene at Body Work Concepts I was able to change the tire without feeling pain or re-injuring myself. Small life victories.
Kentucky
Another state I have never been to despite being raised in the South, where nature dominated WV it gave way to more art and civilization in KY. I visited several local artisan stores that had some quality goods and headed on to the Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Due to the flat tire the prior night needing to be replaced, I was behind schedule and missed the chance for a full tour. However, I was fortunate enough to get to do the “tasting tour” with no one else so I had a chance to ask as many questions as I wanted.
I chose that distillery because they produce Blade & Bow which is my go-to bourbon. In Denver we have CowParade art in the form of large painted cows along 16th Street Mall. Kentucky has their version in the form of horses. I wasn’t able to get pictures of all of them but I did get a few:
At one artisan co-op area I ran into a fun “Weirdmageddon” box similar to the Little Free Libraries. Rather than trading books this one encouraged you to add your art to the “Ghoulllery”:
More pictures from Kentucky:
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