Act Two, Day One - Bobby Womack

Tygart Lake Stae Park, West By God Virginia

September 25, 2020

It took me three days (five) to pack my truck just right. A few things came out at the last minute (including my table top Weber grill) but feeling good that I have what I need -- including my Amex card. 🤣. I'm still not good with change and faced my inertia when it came time to leave. I'm better than I was but I still have something to work on.

Today's drive took me roughly six hours - photo stops and a good number of delays for construction of Route 50. I picked up Route 50 in Winchester - having taken Route 7 to get there from Purcellville. My plan is to take Route 50 all the way to Colorado.

Let's go to the photos:

Lucian asked that I take a "first day of school" photo. I’m getting pretty good at using the timer on my iPhone. 🤙

I did not have to go far to see my first cool sign. Just outside of Purcellville. I guess I could have edited this photo and made it lighter. Sorry.

Drove through Winchester, Virginia. Reminded me a bit of Lynchburg. Nice historic downtown with some nice looking houses that probably date from the 1910s and 1920s. I'm a sucker for signs like this one.

Winchester reminded me of my son's all-star baseball teams when he was 10 and 11. Winchester had a heck of team with one boy who was a standout. Could pitch well and hit great. At that time I thought we'd hear about him when he was in high school and college. Alas, lots of kids peak at baseball before their teens. Surprising because it takes a lot of talent to be good at baseball. But kids who keep growing at 13-15 and look like men at that age tend to be the ones who went on to college.

Somebody want to explain to me when the "e" got added to Clark in Clark County.

US Route 50 West. My home for the next few days.

My Grandmother Fox always served apple butter with meals, at least that's my memory. Not a fan of the dark brown goo.

Out of Virginia and into our western neighbor. Route 50 changes from four lanes to two in West Virginia. There are some sections in the mountains where there are three lanes.

My memory of driving through West Virginia last year was how much poverty I saw. Not so on Route 50. I saw lots of Trump signs (no Biden signs). It was really quite a pretty drive as the road went up and down and curves everywhere. Lots of hollows. No sign of coal - although I did see what I think was the mine-mouth Mt. Storm coal-fired power plant. Several ridges had wind turbines on them - if I had to guess I would say they were the 2+ MW size.

A reminder of my last round of golf. (Who names a town after the word you cannot say on a golf course?)

The silly names continue.

Courthouse in Romney, WV.

Made my first stop in a Dollar General in six months. Family pack of Ritz and a large bottle of water for $5. Sweet. I wore a mask - no one else did.

Yikes, I forgot that I would go into Maryland today! First visit on my walkabout. I wasn't there long.

One of a half a dozen stops for one lane open. Gave this fellow a bottle of Gatorade. He didn't know what to think.

Highest point on Maryland's road system. I'm considering this my initial attempt at acclimating to higher altitudes. Haha.

Lucian Walter Preston Fox.

Back into West Virginia.

You can see that the leaves are starting to turn. And the road turns, too.

Not just good junk - damn good junk.

I'm wondering in there is a Galsville. Somehow I think not. But winner, winner, chicken dinner!

This store has EVERYTHING! (Sorry I should have played with the lighting - too lazy today.)

Amazing how many 9 degree grades there were on the drive. No 10 degrees, no 8 degrees - just 9 degrees.

I'm guessing the Corps of Engineers built this dam to create Tygart Lake. It is located outside of Grafton, West Virginia. Again, sorry about the lighting.

Home for the night. Campground is sold out tonight. Where will I stay tomorrow night? I'm hoping at least 350 miles from here. No reservations yet for tomorrow night which is probably a mistake. I was too lazy to figure out where 350 miles from here on Route 50 is. But I remind myself that is one of the reasons I am on this walkabout - to embrace the unknown. Not too often do I get a frigid hug in return. 🤣🥶

Why "Bobby Womack" you might ask? While I am not looking for a love, I am searching everywhere.😎. Another one of my favorite thousand songs.

It is good to be back on the Road. Turkey slices, romaine lettuce and Gatorade Zero for dinner - the diet starts again!

Haven't slept in the truck in six months. Tonight I will. Thanks, Tim, for building the platform for me!!

Five stars for this state park. Cathedral State Park which was 30 miles or so east of here is apparently better (for hiking) but this place has all I need. Including WIFI!