Tugboat and pleasure boat

A tugboat pushes coal barges as a speedboat zooms by on the Kanawha river, Charleston, WV.

WV, think Vermont, fewer yuppies

Hi -- Thanks for visiting my blog. Longest leg of the trip. Beautiful, though. The mtns of west Maryland were particularly striking w/ ridge after ridge of pine, ash, maple, locust and who knows how many other trees. Every hue of green set against the blue of the clear, clean sky. The colors of the distant mountains faded to misty purple. The air was cool most of the day, and I drove with the windows open. A real feast for the senses. I gave a "whoo-hoo" at the W. Virginia border b/c I was certain that I was in the Appalachian region, as the entire state lies w/in the region. Sang a lusty rendition of John Denver's tribute. Can you name that tune? Had a wicked headache much of the day, but once I settled into the B & B, I forced myself to explore Charleston. Went to an independent bookstore and picked up some regional work, as well as strolled through the adjacent art gallery, walked along the Kanawha river, and ate at a restaurant recommended by the B & B owner for its organic produce and free range meat from a local farm. The most delicious chicken and bacon. Oh, and the salad w/ strawberry vinaigrette was yummy, too. Charleston runs along the Kanawha, and though they label themselves a mid-sized city, it has more of a town vibe, a struggling, but cool, town vibe with art and coffee places, and lots of cultural events. The riverwalk is two-tiered, the top at street level being the domain of yuppy-type joggers and the lower, riverfront level the territory of sketchier characters. I figured this out as I walked along the riverbank. No worries, though, perfectly nice sketchy men. I took lots of photos, but have managed to misplace the memory card. (Don't fret, Hon.) I'm disappointed, but hope to find where it lies here in my room. My room is quite nice, tall bed w/ partial canopy, lots of rose patterns, and a clawfoot tub. Dinner, aspirin, and a bath later, the headache has faded to almost nil. Tomorrow I enter KY and officially begin my six weeks. I don't know what else to say, but that I'm amazed to be on this journey and incredibly grateful. Remember, "power, love, and self-discipline." No fear. Lots of thanks.

Oro rides shotgun

Anyway

Hi -- I want to close today's message with song lyrics that answer the "why bother?" question. Martina McBride. Anyway Lyrics

You can spend your whole life building
Something from nothin'
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

God is great
But sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

This world's gone crazy
It's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway

You can love someone with all your heart
For all the right reasons
In a moment they can choose to walk away
Love 'em anyway

God is great
But sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
Yea - I do it anyway

You can pour your soul out singing
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yea, sing it anyway
Yeah, yeah!

I sing
I dream
I love anyway

Rolling along

Hi -- Thanks for visiting my blog. Finished the first leg of my southwest journey. Tomorrow I enter the Appalachian region. Other than precipitation that ranged from misty to torrential, today's travel went smoothly. No major traffic. No rude drivers. Well, there was one fairly clueless driver with a "John 3:16" bumper sticker, but, hey, maybe s/he was deep in prayer. I-70 west of Baltimore runs through low, tree-covered hills, broken up by a few farms and tracts of mid- to upscale housing developments. The only excitement was a car fire on I-70. No one hurt, but flames shot up a good six feet, with lots of of thick smoke that blew right at golfers trying to putt on a course that abuts the highway. Found the hotel just fine. When I told desk clerk I was headed to Cracker Barrel for dinner, she proposed an alternative, a local place known for good fish. "Just past the Harley dealership." When I asked (with mild concern) if the place would be full of Harley riders, she thought I was looking to hook up! Well, I wasn't, and I didn't, but I did enjoy a terrific stuffed flounder. Check out May's on Rte 355 near Grove. Ask for Amanda who's a great server. She's the one with the spiky hair and multiple ear piercings. We shared an eye roll over the story: Federal court to decide if Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" was "indecent, or merely a fleeting and accidental glitch" (AP, reprinted, The Frederick News-Post). Clueless or otherwise, keep the faith --

Preparations

Hi -- Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm nearly packed and ready to hit the road for the 700 mile trip to Appalachia. My trusty 10-year-old Ford has fresh oil and other assorted liquids, two new tires, and the spit and polish of a car wash. (Actually, more like a spit and promise -- is there no car wash that does a thorough cleaning?) As for myself, I trimmed my shaggy hair this morning with the kitchen scissors , so I'm good to go. Good to go is, of course, just a saying, and though I'm almost packed, with Google maps and an atlas at the ready, I'm more than a little jittery. Another saying: getting there is half the fun. Cameron and I had a good laugh over that one. He said, if true, it means I'll either have an amazingly fun two days of travel or a really boring six weeks. I'll let you know. Oh, and for those who may be feeling a jitter or two, for whatever reason, remember: God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

The Appalachian region

Hi -- Thanks for visiting my blog. Can you name the states that the Appalachian region spans? I couldn't, and I wasn't clear about whether the region is defined by the geography of the mountain range or something more. I'm thinking, something more. As I discover a bit about what defines and characterizes Appalachia, I'll post it. As for the regional span, Appalachia "is a 200,000-square-mile region that follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi. It includes all of West Virginia and parts of 12 other states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia" (Appalachian Regional Commission, http://www.arc.gov/index.do?nodeId=2). The link includes a map.