Let's talk about some recent outdoor adventures instead. On a recent weekend we decided to go check out Davis and Thomas, two tiny towns in the mountains of West Virginia.
Started with Davis, very tiny but with a picturesque lake and park right in the middle of town,
next to an abandoned motel that could have been part of a horror movie set and very close to a hippie store,
which advertised itself as a hippie store and which of course we checked out.
And that was about it for the sights to see in Davis, except for a store that sold a few pumpkins and apples and that had this dog in the living quarters behind the shop. After ascertaining from the proprietor that the dog was in fact alive, I was able to go back and pet him and admire his extraordinarily stiff paws.
Dogs are ridiculous.
On to Thomas, which had a few more shops but more along the lines of antiques, Christmas decorations, and kitschy clutter than my preferred sort of shops, which feature 13 varieties of all-natural lip balm and vegan jerky.
There actually was a store with vegan jerky, so it wasn't a total loss.
Off to the nearby George Washington National Forest to park the van
and camp.
Some cuddling with the dogs to try, and fail, to stay moderately warm through the night.
Love our camping trips but it might be time to move to motels for the season.
The next morning, it was a relief to get up to a sunny day and check out Blackwater Falls State Park, which is right in Davis' back yard.
Gorgeous waterfall and a boardwalk that allows an amazing view.
and a cool forest with big rocks and trees that found their way around them.
These trips are not always the most comfortable. But the chance to escape with my people and see something beautiful and new is worth it!