Day 9: Hillboro, VA to Thomas, WV

It rained overnight so this morning was cool (finally!). I thought about wearing a long-sleeve shirt but then realized I didn’t pack any. I figured I wouldn’t need any in July . . . As it turns out it was pretty humid and overcast the entire day. The rain cleared off the majority of dirt and dead bugs from my car though there are some bug carcasses smeared across my front window that is going to take a miracle (or razor blade) to get off. Gas in Hillsboro, VA was the cheapest I have seen yet: $3.99/gallon for the premium. Wow!!

Today was all about the windy mountainous roads with beautiful views and scenaries. Absolutely beautiful and break-taking. I think the elevation maxed out at 3,000’(?). Once I got into West Virginia there were gorgeous wild flowers on all of the medians which were just lovely. In West Virginia I hit the first toll roads of the entire trip. Once was $1.25 and the second was $0.25. It’s been years since I’ve paid a toll – good practice for driving in New England, I suppose. Another first – cops in Virginia and West Virginia took monitoring speed and traffic very seriously and they were everywhere! My lead foot and I stayed close to the speed limit also for the drive, yet another first.

The vistas were so gorgeous that I really didn’t need to stop anywhere. There wasn’t a whole lot to pull over for. This is the first state outside of the Grand Canon where I’ve seen license places from all over the country, particularly a lot from Florida. One of the state highways I took led me straight through a lot of tiny depressed towns of West Virginia where the big draw in town was a Wal-mart Super Center. The rest stations that were open in West Virginia (most were closed for construction) had portable latrines so when I stopped at a gas station to use the facilities I was shocked when I almost literally ran into a woman with a full beard! Yes, I am sure that she was a woman. And yes, she had a full beard. Totally not kidding.

I stopped at the New River Gorge Overlook that was just beautiful. I know West Virginia gets a bad reputation for being backwards and incestuous but it is green and gorgeous! Check out that amazing bridge!

The state road that took me into Thomas, WV was kind of a wild ride – very narrow and very windy and twisty. My ex taught me how to drive on these roads so I did pretty well but I was rubber necking all over the place. The road passed through some really depressed and poor, yet beautiful areas. I noticed that quite a few of the homes were literally falling apart and had latrines out in front. This is a coal mining area and I’ve seen lots of billboards promoting the “clean burning” of coal . . .

I pulled into Thomas, West Virginia at about 2:30pm and found the second post office of my entire trip (don’t ask). As I was rushing to prepare something to mail I spied my friend and her husband strolling down the street. I sprinted across the street and we leaped in each others arms and embraced for like 10 minutes, both of us bawling. This really was a reunion for the ages! Jeni lived in my hometown from 3rd to 6th grade and we became fast friends. After Massachusetts, she and her family moved all over the country. I think I still have a bag of letter from all her various addresses at my parents house. Jeni and her husband Billy are musicians and are currently on the road promoting their new album. I’ve moved around quite a bit myself and the last time I saw Jeni was a couple of weeks before I left for Japan which was about 10 years ago. Too long! Jeni is one of the coolest and neatest and most amazing people I have ever met and I feel so proud and lucky to call her my friend. Seeing her again in Thomas, West Virginia has been such a soul feeder!

Jeni and Billy had to do a quick rehearsal so I made a quick trip to the Blackwater Falls State Park to see the amazing waterfall. See, I told you West Virginia is one of the most beautiful states we have!

When I got back I checked into my room. I am staying at a very funky little place. It’s a duplex house attached to the café/music venue where Jeni and Billy will play tonight. Bathroom, kitchen and living areas are all shared and each room is cute and clean. My room is called “June Apple.” I’m staying an extra day in Thomas so I can spend more time with Jeni and Billy and explore some of the gorgeous nature up here.

I got to sit in on Jeni and Billy’s rehearsal which was such a treat. They are so talented and so in love it’s really beautiful to watch them perform. Jeni made the banjo that they play and they told me all about their instruments and gave me background info on all of their songs. Jeni wrote all of the songs and they stem from Jeni’s family up on Jewel Ridge in south western Virginia, deep in the heart of coal mining country. Not an upbeat set of songs!

We ate dinner in the café and caught up more. I cannot even begin to describe how happy I am to see my old friend after so many years. It’s amazing to me how similar we still are after all those years. Jeni and Billy are “fans of life” meaning they find excitement and joy in everything they do which I find very inspiring.

Their performance was amazing! There were probably around 40 people who came which is amazing for being a Wednesday night in the middle of nowhere West Virginia! I particularly like a song called “Are you meant for me” which had no yet been recorded yet. As an encore Billy improvised some banjo and Jeni did some flat foot clogging (for which she recently came in second at a contest). They really connect with the crowd and after their performance half the crowd came up to talk to them.

We stayed up until after midnight talking and catching up. Those of you who know me know how difficult it is to stay up this late so you can imagine how much being here in West Virginia means to me and how happy I am to be able to spend time with my friends!!!

Total miles: 289.1