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West Virginia
The hillsides of West Virginia are covered by farmland. It really is very pretty Since I started moving northward I have run into more unsettled weather (rain!) However, the one morning it was clear and cool so I decided to make the drive into West Virginia. Casey has done a lot of white-water rafting in W. Virginia and both he and Beverley really enjoy it there. To get to West Virginia I had to climb over part of the Appalachian Mountains. What a beautiful drive. A LOT of trees though, and the road was very narrow and twisty. At one point I had planned to take the motor home into W. Virginia for a week but am glad I didn’t attempt it, it would’ve been very hard on the equipment. I will go back one day but not via this route!
West Virginia was a part of the State of Virginia until the Civil War when the western part of Virginia stayed loyal to the Union while the rest of Virginia became a Confederate stronghold. General Robert E. Lee tried to regain the western counties of Virginia for the Confederacy in 1862 but failed miserably and in 1863 the western counties of Virginia under Union control became the new state of West Virginia.
I left
Ike goes to WV
I don't have any proof that I was in West Virginia but Ike certainly went there Stony Creek Resort to go to Front Royal, Virginia. Legend has it that Front Royal got its name from the training of raw recruits for the local militia who were slow to learn military commands. A majestic oak tree stood in the center of the town and on one occasion the drill sergeant became so exasperated by the effort of his troops and their failure to follow his command that he hit upon a phrase all could understand and shouted “Front the Royal Oak.”
Front Royal is about 60 miles west of Washington, a city that has been on my bucket list for a long time. training of raw recruits for the local militia who were slow to learn military commands. A majestic oak tree stood in the center of the town and on one occasion the drill sergeant became so exasperated by the effort of his troops and their failure to follow his command that he hit upon a phrase all could understand and shouted “Front the Royal Oak.”
Front Royal is about 60 miles west of Washington, a city that has been on my bucket list for many years, so I made a plan and took
Blossoms
I don't know what tree this is but they were absolutely beautiful and only occurred at certain altitudes two trips there. I drove to the suburbs of Washington and dropped Ike in a doggie hotel for the day. My first visit was to George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon; a truly beautiful place. Unlike Jefferson; who died in debt, Washington ended his life as a rich man. He had been born into a wealthy family; his older siblings were sent back to England for their education: which he most likely would’ve done but his father died and his estate was split between his sons. George, being the youngest got the smallest farm and a few servants. He worked as a surveyor and obviously managed his farm well, and when his older brother died he rented Mount Vernon from his sister-in-law and when she died he inherited it. Nothing went to waste, he worked hard and he continued to acquire land, (8000 acres by the time he died.) He joined the Army (which was of course British) and fought against the French and Indians in the Seven Years War. Well decorated and respected after the war he resigned his commission and returned to Mount Vernon as Farmer Washington. That situation that was short lived because he was encouraged to enter
Church
In order to get into West Virginia I had to climb over a mountain range. It was quite foggy on the way up but I saw this little church and had to take a picture politics and became a member of the Virginia Legislature. When George III started taxing the American Colony, Washington was urged to return to the military and lead a force to gain independence for the colony. The French joined with the Americans and helped defeat Cornwallis at Yorktown and the Treaty of Paris providing independence for the United States was signed in September, 1783.
After the Revolutionary War, Washington again retired to Mount Vernon but was asked to serve as the first president of the new Untied States. He served two terms (which set the mold) and finally retired to Mount Vernon in 1797 when John Adams became President.
I took one day to catch up and then set out to go to Washington, DC. Ike got to go back for another play date at the doggie hotel and I took the train into Union Station in Washington, DC.
Once there I hopped onto an open-air double-decker bus. I knew what I wanted to see on my first visit as I think my pictures tell. Incidentally, the traffic in Washington is sooooo congested that when and if I go back I wouldn’t bother with the bus; I could’ve walked faster
than the bus moved. However, it was a very hot day and I was glad of a place to sit after walking from the Capital Building all the way down the Mall to the Lincoln Memorial.
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