The Trip South

Isaac and I left home mid-morning on Wednesday.  We were due in Tybee Island, GA mid-afternoon Thursday.  My plan was to enjoy a leisurely drive south, stopping somewhere to do a little hiking on the way.

Late in the afternoon, we got off the interstate and found our way to Kanawha state forest in West Virginia.  It was cool, but not cold, and the mountains were absolutely beautiful.  We hiked a couple miles alongside a babbling brook.

Isaac was a bit distracted by wanting to go sniff and pee on all the things.

After our hike, I decided not to get back on the interstate but to travel through West Virginia on country roads instead.  I don't really like traveling on the interstate in general, plus if I stayed on the interstate I was going to be getting on a toll road and I really dislike toll roads, plus it was about rush hour and I was guessing traffic would be a lot worse on the interstate.

Turns out I made a great decision.  It took longer to get through West Virginia, but there was no traffic and it was absolutely gorgeous.  I was driving through the mountains on winding roads as dusk fell and it was a little big foggy and the view around each curve was prettier than the last.

It occurred to me that it might have been wise to time things better so I would be through the winding mountain roads before total darkness fell, but as it turned out, it was nice that I wasn't.  The driving was a big challenging, I had to really concentrate on the road, but it was beautiful. 

At one point I was coming over the crest of a small mountain and I happened to glance up at the sky and I was startled to see how many stars were visible and how big and bright they looked.  The stars looked huge.  I guess it's a cliche, but seriously, they looked like large diamonds scattered over black velvet.  It was literally breathtaking. 

There was a place I could pull over on the side of the road, so I did, so that I could turn off my headlights and safely stare up at the sky.  It may have been the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.  I could pick out a bunch of constellations, something I am usually unable to do.

Finally I got back on the road and I made it through West Virginia and got back on the interstate.  I stopped in Virginia, planning to sleep there at a rest area in the van but I couldn't fall asleep.  So I just drove some more.  I drove through Virginia and a little ways into North Carolina and then I finally got tired so I stopped again.  That time I slept well.

In the morning, we continued south and I started shedding layers of clothing as it got warmer.  I loved the warm weather!

We stopped for a walk at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, which looked like a tropical forest.

Isaac got to pee on a lot of palm trees, which he enjoyed.