Taking a Break in West Virginia

We zoom through our high tech lives keeping in touch minute by minute. Our phones do everything from letting us call China to allowing us the watch a movie while we walk down the street. Our computers give us terabytes of information to absorb and process so we can keep ahead of the curve. Our televisions give us a gazillion channels so we can learn how to flip a house or make a strawberry tart. We are so wired that we panic if the power goes out in our house. Wouldn't it be nice to take a break from the totally plugged in life and take a rest on the porch? This is what West Virginia offers.

About five hours from Washington, DC you will find a town called Philippi, West Virginia. This is a place where your phone network can disappear, where cable doesn't reach and the satellite TV goes out now and then. In this place there is no wide spread availability to use high speed Internet, you can find a place if you look hard enough or you can use dial up if you are desperate but I would recommend that you unplug and enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the people.

From the Capital Beltway take interstate 270 to its connection with interstate 70. Take interstate 70 west until it merges with interstate 68 west. Take 68 until it merges to interstate 79 in West Virginia. Get off interstate 79 on US 250 and follow it as it winds its way through the mountains to Philippi.

Philippi is a classic American small town nestled in the mountains between Clarksburg and Fairmont. So what am I supposed to do in this unplugged place? Well how about walking through the town of Philippi. The main street is not very long so there isn't any danger of being worn out from the journey. It will be like walking back in time as you see little stores and buildings that date back over a hundred years. You will also find this little town holds some history that your children can learn first hand. Instead of seeing pictures they can reach out a touch the places and things that make this town special. Philippi was established February 14, 1844; it was a Valentine's gift to America.

On US 250 at the town of Philippi you will find a covered bridge. This is the only remaining covered bridge on a federal highway. The bridge was built in 1852 by an architect named Lemuel Chenoweth. It was built as a link on the turnpike between Beverly and Fairmount. It is still in operation and it is a kick walking across the bridge and into the town.

In 1861 the town became a true part of American history. When Ft. Sumter was fired on in April 1861 Union General George B. McClellan had his headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. At this time West Virginia was still part of the state of Virginia. McClellan's first task in the war was to protect the Baltimore and Ohio railroad from destruction at the hands of the confederates in Virginia. He started his campaign moving through Virginia and found Confederate Col. George A. Porterfield in the town of Philippi gathering recruits. There in Philippi on June 3, 1861, was the first land engagement between the Union and the Confederacy. To make it more interesting the first shot fired in all of the land battles of the American Civil War was fired by Mrs. Thomas Humphreys. Her son had left to warn the Confederates of the Union approach but he was captured just outside their home. Mrs. Humpherys fired her pistol at the Union troops doing no harm but starting the fighting that would continue for four years. Come and feel how much better history is when you see it with your own eyes.

After visiting Philippi it will be time for a ride into the mountains. There are more places to see than I could mention. The Blackwater Falls area has a beautiful lodge with trails down to the falls. The area is also famous for white water excitement at Blackwater Outdoor Adventures. We didn't have time for rafting but we did drive up to the mountain top on route 219. Our first stop was Fred Long Centennial Park. It is a small picnic area with grills and picnic tables available. It features some beautiful mountain vistas and an up close a personal look at a windmill farm. From there we continued through the towns of Thomas and Davis. We stopped in Thomas to browse in an antique shop. The shop had a wide variety of treasures from old pictures to old instruments of many kinds. It even had an old spinning wheel for sale. If you are into antique hunting, this is the area for you.

We continued on to Blackwater State Park and to Blackwater Falls on the Cheat River. We stopped for lunch in the lodge and I had some of the best potato soup that I've had in years. Then it was on to the trail that led to the falls. The trail contained boardwalks constructed on the steep slopes. The boardwalks contained a total of 214 steps that led down to the falls. Along the way there was amazing scenery at the scenic overlooks set up at Lindy Point and Pendleton Point. The falls itself was very pretty. The water of the Cheat River drops 57 feet over the falls and it makes its way into the canyon below.

This is just a small taste of the natural wonder that waits just a few hours from the bustling east coast of the United States. Leave your laptop home. Expect disruption in your phone service and find out what the word "relax" really means.