Miles 450 (8634)
Two Lanes 113 (6252) 72%
Top Down 236 (7251) 84%
We started the day at Fallingwater. Fallingwater was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright during depression and built in 1935 for the Kaufman family of Pittsburgh. The home instantly became acclaimed for its architecture. Built over a small waterfall, the open space design, and the use of concrete, steel, sandstone and glass, along with the cantilever design, were previously unknown. The design incorporates the surrounding natural area into the home, with rocks protruding through walls as the home was designed to incorporate them, rather than eliminate them. The home is just as beautiful and relevant today as then.
Due to low labor costs during the depression, the total cost was $135,000, of which Wright was paid $ 8,000.
Down the road a few miles is Fort Necessity. Built by the young officer George Washington in 1754, the battle here that year began the series of changes for North America that led to the defeat of the French by the British, then the defeat of the British by the Revolutionaries, then the subjugation of the native peoples. Here is a brief synopsis of the chain of events:
1) Prior to 1754, all lands drained by the Mississippi River system (including the Missouri and Ohio Rivers) belonged to France. All lands east were British, and the lands north were contested by the French and British.
2) Washington’s small army of 300 crossed the Cumberland Gap in 1754, into French land. There they engaged French troops (England and France were NOT at war). The French commander was killed. The French retaliated, defeated Washington, killing or wounding 1/3 of his soldiers and burning the fort.
3) Washington’s attack strained the already tense relationships around the globe between France and England, the two most powerful nations.
4) Soon, in 1756, war broke out between the two nations, in North America, in Europe, and in India. Many say it was the first true world war.
5) England won decisively, and took French Canada and India.
6) The war almost bankrupt England. To pay for the war, it raised taxes, particularly on the colonies. But the colonies had no vote in Parliament. “Taxation without Representation”. The Boston Tea Party. Lexington and Concord. It all followed.
7) And the US was born.
That trail that Washington followed through the Appalachians was the connection between the Potomac and Ohio River systems. It was the best path to the “West”. Later in 1806 the US Congress voted to spend $ 30,000 for first federally funded road. It was called The National Road. This 137 mile road from Cumberland to Wheeling did in fact open the West.
O.K. On to West Virginia. What can I say? We headed for a lunch spot called “Oliveria’s Cash and Carry” that we read about in Road Food. After a little difficulty with the GPS finding it, we turned the corner and there it was one block away. But in the intervening block, in the middle of the street, were about ten white folk screaming at each other in two obvious camps. Their ages ranged from 12 to about 50. One woman (we’ll call her a Hatfield), about 35 years old and maybe 5’8” tall, was making fists and positioning her feet like a boxer, egging one of the younger McCoys to fight. An older man was trying to shoo a younger one away (probably his son).
Well we decided not to eat there. We turned around in the middle of the block and got the hell out of Clarksburg, WV,
We drove west on US 50 (2639 miles down this road is Sacramento). We needed gas so we stopped at Salem, WV. After refueling I asked the way back to westbound 50. “Well, you can go to the left and go through town and in four miles it goes back to 50. Or you can go right, get on 50 going east, then immediately make a U-turn into a bus lot and go west. That’s what we do.”
And one more. US 50 is a 4 lane divided highway. The speed limit is 65 mph. Twice we passed signs that stated that we were approaching a School Zone and to slow to 40 if kids were there. Sure enough, both times, across the highway, was a school. The kids had to cross a 4 lane divided highway with a speed limit of 65 to get to and from school!
You don’t have to be smart to survive to adulthood in West Virginia, just quick.
And it shows, except then they loose their speed as they age.
Yep, everything you heard about West Virginia is true.
Not all experiences were like this though. We traveled to Fenton’s Art Glass in Williamstown, WV. Fenton’s has been making marvelous glass: vases, cups, etc since 1880. Linda wanted to see their museum pieces, but that closed at 4 pm. But, the sign on that door said “Museum Opened Upon Request. Please Inquire in Gift Shop.” So I did. I used whatever charm I had, told them how far we had driven, and smiled, and it worked. Christine Fenton, a fourth generation Fenton, opened the museum and stood there patiently while we looked for about 20 minutes.
Then off to our friend Brigitte’s whom we have known her for over 30 years. Brigitte was a high school exchange student from Germany who went to the high school where my dad taught. She returned to Germany to complete college and thn came back to Ohio to get her Masters in English. She now teaches English at Pikeville College in Pikeville, Kentucky. We will R&R with her tomorrow and then head west on Saturday.
One of three long tunnels on I-76 through the Alleghenys.
Coal burning is the major cause of the pollution in the east.
Visibility is commonly low with smoggy vistas.
Flowers along the way
Fallingwater
One of Washington's soldiers at Fort Necessity. 1754.
And Sacramento.
The kids need to cross a 65 mph divided highway to get to school. The quick survive and reproduce. The smart do so only if they are quick. This explains alot about the natural selection of the West Virginia gene pool. "Smart is not a selective trait."
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