West Virginia, Mountain mama, Take me home, Country roads…

Our latest trip was for another wedding, this time on the east coast.  The ceremony was on a Friday in Washington DC and the 2-day hootenanny (aka 2-day reception) was at a state park in West Virginia.  

I have been to DC a few times for fun – once when I was 13 and again in 2009.  On our last trip we didn’t have a lot of time to see the Smithsonian Museums.  So, after the ceremony Friday morning, we made our way to the American History Museum. I was dying to see Julia Child’s kitchen.  After our trip to France last year, my husband and I really got into cooking French cuisine, especially Julia Child’s recipes, so it was a great treat to actually see her kitchen and all of her gadgets.  She and I even have the same Kitchen Aid Mixer in cobalt blue. 

After the museum we hit the road to West Virginia and yes, John Denver’s song was going through my mind the entire trip, especially when we got lost on those country roads.  NOTE TO SELF: BUY A GPS FOR THE CAR.  Luckily we saw a house with the lights on and the old man who lives there was very helpful.

Yes, that’s right.  We really were in the middle of nowhere.  Cell phone coverage was zip, zero, zilch and it was very odd.  Although aside from getting lost, I really liked not being attached to my phone for a few days.  It was very freeing!

West Virginia is a beautiful state, especially in the fall with all of the changing leaves in their full glory.  We had fun hiking through the park and enjoying the crisp fall weather, which was just a memory in Chicago.  Our stay in West Virginia was brief, but hopefully we’ll make it back one day to drive those country roads.