Day-18 .. Virginia - West Virginia - Kentucky

Back on the road again, this time pointing West and heading home.   Oh dark thirty start to allow time for some whimsical route selections and course corrections.   It was a beautiful drive cutting through the Appalachian and Allegheny Mountain chains.

You know you're in the South when you see these grocery stores :

After a good start on I-64, I made a lucky choice in heading off on US Route 60 in West Virginia between Sam Black Church and Charleston.

This, I discovered by signs, is also known as The Midland Trail.   This trail is believed to have been originally carved into the mountains by buffalo and native peoples.   In 1790 George Washington ordered the trail cleared.   The trail came to be traveled by stage coaches and soldiers in the Civil War.

After very windy mountain roads, reminding me of the drive from Corvallis to Newport (in Oregon) on Hwy.20, I came to a 30-mile stretch that was breathtaking.

Here's the section on a map, between Lookout and Gauley Bridge :

Here's some interesting signs about the area :

A fun drive today!   Beautiful country.   On to Decatur, Illinois, to visit with Charlotte and Tom, Marty's parents.   Lincoln country.

start odometer  :  110535
4/24 odometer  :  111002

day miles  :    467
trip miles  :  4093