Start: Morgantown, West Virginia
End: Morgantown, West Virginia
States: West Virginia, Pennsylvania (again)
Luckily day two allowed for a measure of leisure time, after the white knuckle ride of the day before. Somehow I convinced Alyssa to venture back across the state line to visit Fallingwater, the most famous of Frank Llyod Wright's creations. Though not an architect (please I barely passed geometry) I have longed for years to see it, and honestly when am I ever going to be on the West Virginia-Western Pennsylvania line again? Getting there is not for the faint of heart, especially if your GPS takes you down Middle Ridge Road, a 2 1/2 mile dirt road/death trap. Suffice it to say we barely escaped with our lives (have you ever tried stopping a car loaded with as many possessions as ours?) The trip, however harrowing was worth it. Fallingwater is everything a historic place should be, well run and seamlessly organized. The tour guides are well informed without being dull, they are thoughtful and endlessly efficient, the timing is spot on and you're still given the freedom to explore rather than simply being herded. It also is unbelievably beautiful, and even for those who have never contemplated architecture, it holds a very special charm and peace.
Also, though it is only day two it was also the first wonderfully unexpected surprise. America, if you didn't already know this, is full of surprises. Along the twisting country roads to Falllingwater we passed a rusted old railroad bridge over a river. I told Alyssa(photographer and navigator) it would be an interesting photo opportunity on the way back, so we stopped because there was a small lot to park in and that gem of road travel, a public restroom. As I wandered towards the ladies room/Mecca (she had waited in the car, affectionately dubbed Valhalla) I was astonished to see a majestically cascading waterfall and some serious white water rapids. Didn't see that coming. Once I convinced her I wasn't hallucinating we spent some time exploring the mighty Ohiopyle Falls, which were needless to say both exciting and refreshing. I, of course behaved foolishly (ie trying to go swimming fully clothed, believe me you would have to) but escaped unscathed. Or so I thought. As Alyssa took over the wheel, and I the camera, I brought my arm down to take a picture and was met with stabbing pain. Unsure exactly what was happening I suddenly realized my sweater was buzzing. That's right, only I could trap a bee under my sweater in my armpit and not know it. We removed the offending animal with a quick swerve to the side of the road. Now I have never been stung by a bee before, luckily I am not allergic because we were in fact in the middle of nowhere, and I would have been dead long before an Epi-Pen found me.
One important fact readers should know about this roadtrip is that we are lucky enough to have many friends and relatives across America willing to let us couch surf. Hence why we ended up in Morgantown, WV. A college town (okay perhaps college city would be a more appropriate term) it is simultaneously a quaint downtown and blossoming suburban sprawl, fueled by the 30, 000 West Virginia University students who descend annually. On football game days the population swells to the largest in the state. There is a blanket of royal blue and gold as far as the eye can see. All who enter here are encouraged to "Be a Mountaineer".
Alyssa has a friend from college going to graduate school in Morgantown who was kind enough to offer up her couch and give us a tour of town, complete with the giant clamshell of the basketball arena, the Oliverio's empire (which if you are from WV you know is extensive, stores, restaurants, Senators), and gelato downtown. As a pair from a very small state it was an eye opener, not to say that New Englanders aren't serious about their sports but this was on a whole different level of school spirit. That said, I don't think it would be a bad place to hang around in the long run.