October 12 - 22, 2008
11 days $1,339.00
Imagine yourself in the hills – maybe even back in a holler of the beautiful Appalachians of West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. Add to that the vibrant colors of all the hardwood trees in autumn. We’ve also included a good splash of their culture. We’ll enjoy a storyteller, some mountain music, a coalmine, a train ride, Appalachian crafts and much more for a true flavor of the culture of the Appalachians. Many extras.
Day 1: Today as we start our trip to the Appalachians, we enjoy getting acquainted with our traveling friends, or reacquainted with former passengers. Relax as we make our way across KS and MO and east of St. Louis for our first night out.
Day 2: It’s another day of driving east as we start seeing some hardwoods with the fall brilliance on the hillside. We’ll overnight in Marietta, Ohio, just across the Ohio River, from West Virginia. It’s a bustling riverboat port from its earliest history. They have been welcoming tourists for more than 215 years now and still do it with great pride.
Day 3: Nostalgia and heritage are the heart of our trip to Marietta, the first permanent settlement in the Northwest Territory. Our activities include a city tour of this, Ohio’s oldest city. We’ll also witness the drama of molten glass being handcrafted into sparkling world-famous Fenton Art Glass. We’ll visit the Historical State Park of Blennerhassett Island. Blennerhassett Island is located in the Ohio River near Parkersburg, WV. The only way to experience the enchantment of the island is via a sternwheeler ride just as they did in a bygone era. We’ll also tour the Nation’s largest doll factory. We’ll discover not just how the Lee Middleton dolls are made, but how they are made to look and feel so real. This evening we are in for a real treat, as we have a local resident coming in to do an hour of Appalachian Folk Music and story telling.
Day 4: Today we get even deeper into the hills of West Virginia where in Pocahontas County we’ll visit the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope. Scientists from around the world study here. Excitement builds as we are on to the lumber company town of Cass. At the Cass R.R. we will see how, invented to do the impossible, the Shay logging locomotive was designed to climb the steepest grades, swing around hairpin curves, and negotiate frail temporary tracks, while hauling incredibly heavy loads from woods to mill. Our two hour ride is right in the middle of the brilliant fall colors. Night is in the small town of Marlinton in the mountains of West Virginia.
Day 5: This morning, our drive will be through the scenic brightly colored hills, with a stop at Cranberry Glades where we will do a morning stroll along the boardwalk, viewing plants in this interesting bog more commonly seen in Canada and the north country. Then it’s on to Hawks Nest State Park in Ansted, WV. Here in the hills, right along the river is the State Park Lodge, long known for its panoramic views. This is where we will overnight. This afternoon, we’ll take the exciting tram ride to 446 feet below, for the exhilarating jet boat ride on the New River for a spectacular view of the New River Gorge Bridge, the world’s longest single arch, span bridge. Get your toes ready for tappin’ as we invite a local couple in for some energizing Appalachian entertainment. She plays the fiddle and he the guitar and banjo. They also sing old time Appalachian songs.
Day 6: As we leave Hawks Nest State Park, we will be joined by a local step-on-guide who will be with us most of the day showing us points of local Appalachian interest, including the Babcock Grist Mill, a living monument to when grinding grain by a rushing stream was a way of life and the groaning mill wheel was music to the miller’s ear. Then it’s on to Historic Fayetteville, situated in the mountains of picturesque southern WV with an old fashioned brand of small town friendliness. We’ll take another look at the New River, down 876 ft from the New River Gorge Bridge, and many other interesting local treasures. By late evening, we will be in Beckley, WV, known for the abundance of coal mining. This evening we will enjoy a local storyteller recounting her memories of the Coal Camp.
Day 7: Today we make a short drive east to the White Sulphur Springs area. A secret Eisenhowerera underground bunker, designed to house members of Congress and their staffs during and after any nuclear attack is open to tours. From the decontamination chamber to the power plant we can view how our country would have survived in the event of a nuclear disaster. The bunker is located at the Greenbrier Resort. This award winning resort is a National Historic landmark with exquisite interior architecture and impeccable sculpted landscape. An unbelievable place you will have to see to believe! Back to Beckley for the night.
Day 8: Our day starts with a ride on a “man trip” with a retired coal miner at Coal Exhibition Mine, with authentic views of low seam coal mining from its earliest manual stages to modern mechanized operation. Then on to “Tamarack”. It’s an experience of “WV made” gifts and products, food, and craft demonstrations. This afternoon’s ride will again be through the scenic and colorful hills of West Virginia and Virginia, through coal country and the vibrant colors as we make our way to the Breaks Interstate Park for our nights lodging, administered by the states of VA and KY. You may want to enjoy one of the many trails in the State Park, from a 15 min. walk to an hour hike through nature’s beauty.
Day 9: As we make our way deep into the hills of Eastern Kentucky, today we will experience the real back country and roads that lead into the far hollers. We’ll travel through a small village where the company store still stands and the miner’s cabins look like they could be used to this day. Our night will be in Lexington, KY.
Day 10: This morning it’s north and west as we arrive mid-morning in French Lick, Indiana. At the turn of the century, French Lick and West Baden Springs attracted upper-crust health seekers and well-heeled high rollers from throughout the nation. We will tour the magnificent West Baden Springs Hotel, described as the crème de la crème. Our last night out on this tour is just west of St. Louis.
Day 11: Today it’s homeward bound, with wonderful memories of the Appalachian colors and culture.