In about 4 ½ miles the arboretum trial at Watoga makes a loop through ridgeline and creek gully vegetation and everything in between.  It is a great sampler of the range of plant life that covers these mountains.  However, today was probably not the best day to hike it.  There is a fair amount of up and down so we worked a little bit, the trail started out though dense rhododendron thicket, but the real factor today was the humidity.  Five minutes into the walk sweat is dripping from my hairline.  My glasses repeatedly fog.  My shirt sticks to me like a second skin.  I found it difficult to appreciate all that was beautiful around me when I was sure I was just going to melt.  The trail leveled out, the thicket opened up, and a bit of breeze began to move.  Ah, relief.

We started out at Stella’s, a farm to table restaurant in a beautiful historic home in Lewisburg.  Our table on the lawn overlooked the flower gardens.  Butternut ravioli with a butternut squash sauce scattered with glazed pecans and a bit of blue cheese crumble.  Odd, but the flavors were delicious together. Kent’s tenderloin was yummy and the grilled veggies that came with were wonderfully colorful as well as tasty.  Oh yes, we had dessert too…apple tart and a date cake thing with caramel sauce, both with ice cream of course.  Fortunately it is a bit of a stroll to the theater so we walked off our food coma.

Next, the musical Chicago produced by the Greenbrier Valley Theatre; The State Professional Theatre of WV.  The theatre seats maybe 200 and the performance was entirely without microphones.  A pit orchestra of 7 animated, versatile musicians brought the music to life.  The tunes stick in my head….Cell Block Tango, All that Jazz, Mr. Cellophane.  Great vocalists.  Fun cast interaction.  I think Velma was probably the most polished vocalist and dancer but Ms. Mary Sunshine (Kenny) stole the show with the obvious cross dressing and amazing falsetto.  One could argue that I probably am not the most qualified to judge “professional theatre” but; this was a really fun evening.

They are mechanical marvels.  It is cool that the mechanics are so out there to see.  Hissing, dripping and greasy; huge cylinders stroke, shafts turn, gears mesh and the mighty wheels turn.

They are a cacophony of sounds and smells.  The wha, wha, wha from the stack as the boiler begins to build steam.  The roar of smoke belching from the stack.  The ticking of cinders raining down on the car roof.  The hiss of escaping steam.  The haunting/romantic/wild call of the steam whistle signaling crossings, starts, stops and all manner of crew direction.  Ack, that ear splitting squeal of wheels against rail in tight turns.  The smell of sulfur laden coal smoke.  That gotta-be-there to know it smell of oil and grease atomized in the hissing steam condensate.  Weird but you can smell hot steel; at least you can when there are tons of it.  The sweet scent of honeysuckle and alders in bloom that wafts into the open car as we pass.

We headed home a bit smelly, our ears ringing a little, and grit in our hair.  Wow, it was a wonderful day.

Today was a beautiful day to climb Bald Knob on a Shay Steam Locomotive.

Cass Railroad Ole #5 made the trip today just as it has since 1905 except today the passengers were not wood ”hicks” or the logs they felled for lumber.  The climb to Bald Knob averages 6% but in a couple of places goes up to 9%.  It takes a special locomotive to handle the steep rail as today’s railroads run from 1-2% and never exceed 3%.

Glow of the firebox

The Shay locomotive is specially built for the challenge with short wheelbase and 12 geared wheels.  It’s not very fast, we averaged around 5mph.  On the ride up we spotted a couple of fawns blasting from their hiding places.  I am sure mom’s “stay right here” gave out when they heard the thundering roar of the locomotive under full pull.  The view from the top was marvelous; overlooking the Greenbrier and a couple of valleys beyond and into Virginia.  The mountains are recovering nicely from those heavy logging days.  Red Spruce are even returning…slowly.

There is no easy drive from Watoga State Park to Cass WV.  Samantha (our GPS) routed us across about 15 miles of “Back Mountain Road”.  The curly, switchback riddled red line on the display looked a bit to challenging for the departure-time-sensitive drive to Cass.  We opted for the somewhat straighter, somewhat wider, somewhat smoother rte 28 for our ride to Cass. Kent decided to brave “Back Mountain Road” for the return.   It is perfectly named.  It is about 1 ½ lanes wide in the best places with dozens of blind turns and plenty of wee bumps.  We had lots of time and traffic was light so it was a beautiful drive with very few white knuckle moments.  Thanks Samantha for putting it out there.

Downtown Lewisburg WV is filled with cute little shops offering up all manner of stuff.  I checked out clothing, décor items (yeah, I know), gourmet foods, jewelry and kitchen must haves.  Cafes and coffee shops are scattered among them.  Many of the business have found homes in historical buildings lining Washington and Court Street.  It is worth a stroll and at least a bit of window shopping.  Check out Carnegie Hall.  It is one of the few still standing and in use.  The auditorium was low light and hushed, just holding its breath waiting for the next performance.

We picked up a day pass and wandered in to check out The Greenbrier in White Sulfur Springs.   They must have an army of groundskeepers.  Flower gardens are gorgeous.  There are acres of lawn.  Five golf courses (they host the PGA Greenbrier Classic at the end of the month).  Croquet fields.  There is a Greek portico protecting the actual sulfur spring that got it all started in this spot.  The current spa still uses the spring water but is “a bit more luxurious”.

The main resort is a white behemoth perched in this sea of manicured green.  It is impressive.  There is an entire floor filled with shops showcasing custom jewelry, resort and evening attire, décor, fine art, golf whatevers, and anything else you might want.  There is a casino too.  We walked up the grand curved stairs from the entry lobby into what was my favorite space; a long row of lobbies each decorated in a different style.  Some cozy and comfy.   Some bright and sunny.  Some lush and elegant.  There is a spot for any mood.

One could wander the grounds for hours checking out museums, an artist colony, or taking carriage, horseback or segway rides.  They are in the process of building their very own chapel that is to be structural example of early 1900s construction techniques.  Many curved and pegged components are stacked around.  It would be marvelous to see it go up.   History buffs can take a Bunker tour.  One of the cold war Congress relocation centers is on this property.  If your credit card holds out you certainly won’t be bored.

The colorful explanation by a waitress who lost track of which table she was serving.  Father’s Day breakfast at Bob Evans.  Got to have that biscuit fix.