Sorry. No Pictures.

I'm not coordinated enough to drive and operate a camera at the same time.

At any rate, I'm sitting in a nice soft chair at the Hampton Inn in Parkersburg, WV, and it's not moving!!

The first day was interesting. It started by making the Jeep happy. I turned right at Alcovy Street and pointed it to the mountains. Boy, did I point it at the mountains. I don't think there is 1/2 mile of straight road between Franklin, NC and where I am now.

When God made the earth, the part that he crumpled up and threw at the trash can had to be West Virginia. There's more up and down in this state than any I've seen east of the Mississippi River.

If there is a lesson to be learned from what I did today, it's that the beautiful things in life have to be paid for. Take the Great Smoky Mountain National Park for instance. It is probably the most beautiful piece of real estate in North Carolina and Tennessee. The payment comes from having to go through Cherokee and/or Gatlinburg to get to see it. West Virginia is a beautiful state, but the payment was a 5 mile long backup trying to get to the tunnel that got you out of Virginia. At least the griping truckers on the CB were amusing.

One other thing of note is that the road less traveled is only marginally less traveled. There are yahoos where ever you roam. Most of them seem to be more interested in sight-seeing than in driving.

For those who are interested, the most expensive gas I've seen so far was 4.099/gallon. Not much higher than in Monroe.

I'm well, and trust you all are also, and I will soon be ready to hit the road again after some well-earned rest.

More to come.

Take care.