So it turns out that the late John Denver really did know what he was singing about when he introduced us to country roads taking him home. West Virginia seemed to start working its magic as soon as we crossed its border. The Mountain State instilled in us a sense of calm as the road cut a path through the hills surrounding us and eventually led us across the Kanawha River into Charleston, capital of West Virginia.
A visit to the Capitol Market filled us with Harvest Festival fever. As well as the fantastic fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers on offer was the most amazing array of pumpkins and corn we have ever seen in all shapes, sizes and colours. Even more fascinating than the sight of all the pumpkins was the intense concentration that seems to go into selecting pumpkins to decorate front porches. Harried husbands were at the mercy of determined wives pointing at pumpkins for retrieval which were then subjected to close inspection before being either scornfully rejected or placed in the cart.
Housed in the century-old railway depot, the market has given the space a new lease of life with the outdoor farmers market and indoor specialty shops. We were struck by the enormous pride the local vendors have in selling the wide variety of West Virginia made goods and products.
After the decadent chicken and biscuits of Kentucky, we fell in love with the West Virginia cuisine that uses local seasonal produce.
Heading out of Charleston, we passed through patriotic towns with flags adorning the main street and homes decorated for Harvest Festival. The simple beauty of this state literally made us just slow down and appreciate how lucky we are to have the opportunity to have this adventure.
Then in stark contrast to all this home grown wholesomeness, we paid a visit to the infamous West Virginia Penitentiary. To our macabre delight, it was such a great visit. It was akin to visiting the set of Shawshank Redemption, Orange Is The New Black, Prison Break and The Green Mile all rolled into one. Operational from 1876 to 1995, the West Virginia Penitentiary is an enormous building that looms over you as you approach it and frankly would have scared the daylights out of anyone coming to visit the place in days gone by. Ninety four men in total were executed at the prison; by hanging until 1949 and then by Old Sparky, the electric chair, until 1965 when capital punishment in West Virginia was abolished. The penitentiary was eventually closed down in the face of a checkered history of riots, murders, escaped inmates, inhumane treatment and its tiny cells being deemed as cruel and unusual punishment.
And so with hearts full of harvest goodness and a slice of notorious history, we leave West Virginia behind and go to find Ohio.
P&S