West Virginia Road Trip: 1st Stop is Kentucky
LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN!
Our 2024 summer adventures started on May 23rd at 8:45 a.m. Travis and I are headed to West Virginia by way of Somerset, Kentucky. Travis planned day one yesterday and handed the rest of the trip off to me. I started working on the itinerary about 3 months ago…
MURALS AND BREAKFAST
I love looking at wall murals painted in small towns. We sure saw a lot of them today. The first was in Parsons, Tennessee. Breakfast was from Love’s right before we got on I-40. And of course, there was an accident being cleaned up right where we got on the interstate. We were praying no one was hurt. The condition of the road is so bad that signs have been put out warning people to watch out for the holes in the pavement.
BUC-EE’S …NOT!
I was SOOOOO close to a Buc-ee’s stop. It’s almost finished. I’ll keep looking for another.
SERENDIPITY AT THE ORANGE DOOR
We arrived in Somerset, Kentucky at 3:00 p.m. My bag of chips for breakfast was long gone and we were both starving. I found a local restaurant to try. “Serendipity at the Orange Door” just sounded like a cool place to eat. It did not disappoint. I tried the “Sunny Side Up” hamburger with homemade chips and Travis ate the special. It was “Garlic Butter Grilled Prime Rib-Grilled Cheese” with slider fries.
GRACIOUS TABLE …ITS A SMALL WORLD
After eating, I slipped next door to the recently opened “Gracious Table.” Travis got a sample of their coffee, and I tried the chocolate covered peanuts. As we looked around the store, we chatted with the owner. It is such a small world. Her husband had pastored the same church that my uncle had pastored in Lucedale, MS. I pulled up a FB photo of their family and she named all the people she knew. God’s little blessings can come in the strangest places and times!
FUN STOPS
A quick stop to look in the “Mole Hole & Tipsy Toad” gift shop and “The Tangerine Moose.” I took pictures but did not buy anything. Travis was so proud of me. You get to see so many interesting things when driving through small towns. They are all unique in their own little ways.
VETERANS MEMORIAL
Travis stopped so I could take pictures of what looked to be a newly completed Veterans Memorial surrounded by wall murals. I can an only imagine how crowded it will be on Memorial Day. I may have cried as I walked through.
ALWAYS A DG STOP
Travis had planned our day one destination. However, he did not book us a room ahead of time in case of any last-minute change in plans. I got online, got adventurous, and booked a night at Lake Cumberland Glamping (Glamorous Camping). YES, we went glamping. Pictures below.
We found a Dollar General in the middle of nowhere KY to buy a towel and wash cloth. Glamping doesn’t include those things…
RHODESTEAD JAVA CAFE IN BURNSIDE, KY
We fueled up as we headed into Burnside for the night. Burnside is where Boy Scouts was first started in 1908. Conveniently located right beside the gas station was the Rhodestead Java Café. Travis had a coffee and I had strawberry ice cream.
LAKE CUMBERLAND GLAMPING
We arrived at Lake Cumberland Glamping at 5:45 p.m. I thought we would be in a tent, but to Travis’s relief it was a metal building. I looked at all the tents and think those would have been just as cool to stay in. There was firewood, a fire pit, and even an inflatable hot tub, but the thunder deterred us. We did quickly walk the trail down to Lake Cumberland before the rain started in. The rain was so relaxing to hear on the roof as Travis did his workout and I worked on my Blog.
Travis darted through the rain to shower while I finished up on the computer. I am currently trying NOT to listen to the rain so I don’t have to run out to the bathroom myself. The bathrooms are very clean here and the water pressure was very strong. You just have to walk/run about 100 feet to get there.
GREAT DAY OF TRAVEL
Ended day one seeing a deer as I made a quick final trip to the bathroom. Planning to get into West Virginia tomorrow and can’t wait to share our adventures. Let’s call it a day!
