[mook1178]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

mook,

My first thought was also a chicken coop. But I had trouble reconciling the nice-looking windows with a chicken coop. I could imagine upscale chicken coops in New York, Massachusetts, or maybe California--but West Virginia?

Anyway, it's the best suggestion I've gotten so far!

Rick

I didn't think about the windows. Maybe it is old row housing? Did you go inside?

[Greyfox]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

Greyfox,

Super--glad you enjoyed it!

These trips always seem to turn up some interesting historical stories. This time, I couldn't decide which one I liked better: the broken wooden leg or the indentured servant who ran off with the master's daughter!

Rick

Of course the Master's Daughter.

BTW.... if you are looking for a bit of the Alps... Helveita, WV is where you need to go.

http://www.helvetiawv.com/

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by LemansE90335xi

I'll be sure to check out your website and your posts here on the forum.

I know what you mean about touring around in a comfortable and capable car. I rented a BMW 530d M Sport while vacationing in Europe in 2017. I started in Frankfurt, hopped on the autobahn to Munich to the BMW Welt. Next I went down to Venice to get another piece of art glass from Murano, then came across to visit the Ferrari Museum in Modena. The next stop was the Lamborghini Museum in Sant'Agata Bolognese. From there I headed for Lake Como and the Splugenpass into Switzerland. You know it's going to be a fun drive when the navi looks like this. (Sorry about the outrageous size of the photo, I don't know how to resize it.)
Of course no trip to Germany would be complete without stopping at the Nurburgring for a few laps in an e92 M3 now would it? I highly recommend it if you get the chance.

LemansE90335xi,

Wow, now that's a trip and a half!

I've been to some of those places (including one lap of the Nurburgring, which took quite a while in an Opel diesel with 4 people and their luggage). I would love to go back to Europe for more touring.

On that same trip, we were enjoying climbing the Alps to the Furka Pass, only to discover near the very top that there was a 15-foot-high wall of snow blocking the pass. We had been wondering why there were so few cars coming down the mountain. Getting to Interlaken, Switzerland required quite a detour from our planned route.

As my late friend Neil liked to say, "Adventures suck when you're having them." But they make for great memories and stories after the fact.

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by mook1178

I didn't think about the windows. Maybe it is old row housing? Did you go inside?

mook,

The door at the end was open, and I was tempted to go in and look around, but the building was very close to an old farmhouse that was still occupied. Consequently, I just took a photo from the roadside.

The height of the windows was roughly consistent with a double layer of chicken roosts, so that's probably what it was. Next time I'm in the vicinity, I'll case the joint and take a look!

Rick

[Buug959]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

LemansE90335xi,

Wow, now that's a trip and a half!

I've been to some of those places (including one lap of the Nurburgring, which took quite a while in an Opel diesel with 4 people and their luggage). I would love to go back to Europe for more touring.

On that same trip, we were enjoying climbing the Alps to the Furka Pass, only to discover near the very top that there was a 15-foot-high wall of snow blocking the pass. We had been wondering why there were so few cars coming down the mountain. Getting to Interlaken, Switzerland required quite a detour from our planned route.

As my late friend Neil liked to say, "Adventures suck when you're having them." But they make for great memories and stories after the fact.

Rick

We were travelling in August so there wasn't much chance of snow. We did, however, end up on an unplanned detour. We were leaving Berchtesgaden, Germany on our way to Venice and the navi directed us to what appeared to be a dead end road. It ended at a railroad station. There were a few cars waiting so my partner asked another driver where we might have gone wrong. He told her that the navi was right and that the road was "interrupted" by the mountains and we would be driving on to a rail car shortly and taken THROUGH the mountain to the road network on the other side. It turns out that we had somehow managed to set the navi to avoid toll roads and that's exactly what it did.

As an aside, my partner has started her own blog since... Covid. Here is a link to her story if you're interested. Please don't feel any obligation to check it out.

https://handbasketview.com/2020/08/2...d-automobiles/

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by Greyfox

Of course the Master's Daughter.

BTW.... if you are looking for a bit of the Alps... Helveita, WV is where you need to go.

http://www.helvetiawv.com/

Greyfox,

I've heard of Helvetia and have even been near there on a couple of occasions—but I've never actually visited the town. Helvetia is now on my future To Do list!

The town's activities sound like fun. However, I will pass on their Ramp Dinner. I've heard about West Virginia ramps, also known as Allium tricoccum, and I've even seen them being cooked—and I want no part of them. The annual ramp festival in Huntington, WV is not called "Stink Fest" without reason!

Rick

PS—Here's a Fun Fact: Chicago is named from the Native American word for ramps, which used to grow abundantly in the area. (Honest!)

[Greyfox]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

Greyfox,

I've heard of Helvetia and have even been near there on a couple of occasions—but I've never actually visited the town. Helvetia is now on my future To Do list!

The town's activities sound like fun. However, I will pass on their Ramp Dinner. I've heard about West Virginia ramps, also known as Allium tricoccum, and I've even seen them being cooked—and I want no part of them. The annual ramp festival in Huntington, WV is not called "Stink Fest" without reason!

Rick

PS—Here's a Fun Fact: Chicago is named from the Native American word for ramps, which used to grow abundantly in the area. (Honest!)

They aren't as bad a chitlins.

[Romo]

Just awesome as ever !!

The story about the Dutch settlers, I really enjoyed that !

Being from the Netherlands myself.

I love these stories, I love the scenery, I love the American country site!

[adc]

As usual, a nicely weaved tapestry of words and images. Thank you very much.

What is more, these stories are from practically our backyard, and so I am now inspired to elope from my work-at-home prison and stretch the legs of the M3 into West Virginia.

[-EndOfAnEra-]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

[FONT="Times New Roman"][SIZE="4"]
Back at the beginning of March 2020, it was becoming apparent that the new coronavirus would cause major disruptions in the U.S., both socially and economically. Here in Maryland, we were told early on to “shelter in place” and avoid contact with other people. As a good citizen, I immediately decided to spend a day “sheltering in a moving place,” namely my 2013 BMW 335i convertible. I packed up a day’s worth of sandwiches and sodas, topped off my tank with gas from the lawnmower can, and headed for the wilds of West Virginia.

Rick F., thanks once again for a rousing tale of mystery, wonder and adventure, exactly what I needed in this troubling time. I deeply appreciate all the work you put into documenting these trips, they are always a highlight for my wife and I to dive into! Would love to know how many miles you've put on that beautiful E93!

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by LemansE90335xi

We were travelling in August so there wasn't much chance of snow. We did, however, end up on an unplanned detour. We were leaving Berchtesgaden, Germany on our way to Venice and the navi directed us to what appeared to be a dead end road. It ended at a railroad station. There were a few cars waiting so my partner asked another driver where we might have gone wrong. He told her that the navi was right and that the road was "interrupted" by the mountains and we would be driving on to a rail car shortly and taken THROUGH the mountain to the road network on the other side. It turns out that we had somehow managed to set the navi to avoid toll roads and that's exactly what it did.

As an aside, my partner has started her own blog since... Covid. Here is a link to her story if you're interested. Please don't feel any obligation to check it out.

https://handbasketview.com/2020/08/2...d-automobiles/

Ron,

Donna's write-up of your adventure was great! That would be quite a surprise, arriving at the end of the road would no clear indication of why the road ended or what you were supposed to do. I've encountered the same thing with a ferry where I expected a bridge, but there the explanation was pretty obvious.

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by Romo

Just awesome as ever !!

The story about the Dutch settlers, I really enjoyed that !

Being from the Netherlands myself.

I love these stories, I love the scenery, I love the American country site!

Romo,

Super--I'm really glad you enjoyed the trip report!

Early on, there were Dutch trading posts and settlements all over what is now the eastern United States. As it happens, the Dutch settlers weren't as good at holding onto their settlements as they were at creating them. Most were taken over by the British. But many of the family names live on, including "Van Meteren," which has generally been anglicized to Van Meter or Van Metre.

I always like to learn the stories about the places I visit. So much history everywhere!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by adc

As usual, a nicely weaved tapestry of words and images. Thank you very much.

What is more, these stories are from practically our backyard, and so I am now inspired to elope from my work-at-home prison and stretch the legs of the M3 into West Virginia.

adc,

You're quite welcome--I'm glad you enjoyed the post!

And definitely head that M3 toward West Virginia at the first opportunity. Regardless of where you go, there will be something interesting there, and you'll return with a fresh sense of adventure and relief from being cooped up at home.

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by -EndOfAnEra-

Rick F., thanks once again for a rousing tale of mystery, wonder and adventure, exactly what I needed in this troubling time. I deeply appreciate all the work you put into documenting these trips, they are always a highlight for my wife and I to dive into! Would love to know how many miles you've put on that beautiful E93!

-EndOfAnEra-,

Glad you enjoyed the article!

It was huge fun to make the trip, and it was exciting to visit both the places I planned to go and the places that just turned up. As for the research, documentation, and report writing, that's just all part of the fun.

While researching where I'd been on this trip, I realized that I'd misidentified one of the mansions I was looking for, so I drove to WV a second time to find the right one. And later, I learned of another site that I wanted to see, and I went back a third time to find it.

Fortunately, this part of West Virginia is only about 135 miles from where I live, so it was easy to go back. One can never have to much of "mystery, wonder and adventure"!

Rick

PS: At the time I made the original trip, my 335i had just over 60,000 miles on it. I bought it new in March of 2014. It was "the last of the E93's," with almost every option BMW offered and good ol' hydraulic power steering with excellent road feel.

[Lady Jane]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

I'm really glad you enjoyed the trip report!

Rick

I have read many of your travelogues and always find them fascinating and educational. Worthy of the Smithsonian Channel.

[mckman]

Thanks for the fun tour of the backroads of WV, I always enjoy reading your travel stories. Your writing style and research really bring history alive.

Glad to see you and your 335i are still running great.

[Gray_Panther]

Yes! Another adventure post by Rick F.!

Love the shots and the stories, especially about the woman about to be burned and she sang to the Lord and He guided the men to save her and the others!

[09Monaco335i]

Thanks Rick! I always enjoy reading about your travels. Would love if you can make a road trip sometime to Western PA around the Pittsburgh area and post some stories. The hills in Western PA make for some fun driving in a 335i!

[BruceOmega]

Another great travelogue. Have enjoyed them all, please keep them coming! FWIW regarding

At Last, a Collectible Barn Find (and a Hidden Mansion)

Immediately past Glebe, the river valley narrows dramatically, with Mill Creek Mountain on the west and Sawmill Mountain on the east crowding the banks of the South Branch. The resulting 6-mile chasm is called “The Trough” and is a favorite of canoeists (including my dad, back in the day). (Photo courtesy of the West Virginia Regional History Center.)

We’ve taken the Potomac Eagle excursion train through The Trough, and yes we saw Eagles

www.potomaceagle.com

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by Lady Jane

I have read many of your travelogues and always find them fascinating and educational. Worthy of the Smithsonian Channel.

Lady Jane,

Thanks much!

Whenever I'm not on one of these road trips, I'm thinking about where to go on the next one. And whenever I am on a trip, I'm thinking of how to write it up.

It's an enjoyable cycle!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by mckman

Thanks for the fun tour of the backroads of WV, I always enjoy reading your travel stories. Your writing style and research really bring history alive.

Glad to see you and your 335i are still running great.

mckman,

Thanks!

Some roads are so fantastic that I just have to drive them and ignore all the history and scenery that goes flying by. But far more often, I'll spot something out of the corner of my eye, stop, turn around, and go back to find it. Nine times out of ten it was worth the stop.

It's a wonder that my original brake pads lasted 60,000 miles (and had another 10,000 left when I replaced them)!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

Yes! Another adventure post by Rick F.!

Love the shots and the stories, especially about the woman about to be burned and she sang to the Lord and He guided the men to save her and the others!

Gray_Panther,

Yes! I just can't help myself!

The stories often end up being the most fascinating parts of these road trips. The scenery is generally great, and the places are generally very interesting--but then you learn about who lived there, what they did, etc., and almost always there's something really intriguing.

Rick