CHARLESTON, STATE CAPITAL OF WEST VIRGINIA

On our last day in West Virginia, we had just enough time to stop at the state capitol building in Charleston before catching our flight home. I hadn't really expected anything too fabulous from the capitol. After all, West Virginia is the 38th most populous state in the country with the 39th largest economy. By way of contrast, California's economy is almost THIRTY TIMES larger than West Virginia's.

I should have known better since all of my other assumptions about West Virginia had been shot down over the past few days. I quickly saw that the California state capitol building can't hold a candle to West Virginia's.

The capitol was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by Cass Gilbert, who also designed the capitol buildings for Minnesota and Arkansas, the United States Supreme Court Building, and the Woolworth Building in New York City, among others. It is a stately, royal structure crowned with a dome of polished gold:

Yes, I fell in love at first sight:

WEST VIRGINIA: HARPERS FERRY

Harpers Ferry (officially written without an apostrophe in "Harpers") is a small, historic town located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers:

ALMOST HEAVEN, WEST VIRGINIA

When my husband proposed an October trip to West Virginia, I was skeptical. I had a hard time (okay, impossible time) coming up with any of the state's main attractions. All I could think of was John Denver's song "Country Roads." Bob assured me that we would have plenty to do, and that we could drift over into neighboring states along the way. At the very least, we should catch the tail end of the autumn colors. I was pretty sure his ulterior motive was the fact that he hadn't yet checked the West Virginia box on his "States I Have Visited" list, but with a sigh I consented to his plan.

I should know by now not to doubt Bob's travel ideas. Whenever he plans a trip, it's full of fun surprises. This trip turned out to be a blast.

We flew in to Charleston Airport, spent the night in a hotel about an hour north of the city, and set off early the next morning for our first destination: Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia.

Charleston and Spruce Knob are circled, with a badly made *0
marking the approximate location of Blackwater Falls