TYGART LAKE STATE PARK, W. V.

Instead of giving Clarksburg a second look, we decided to head for Grafton, W.Virginia which is the turnoff point to Tygart Lake State Park. At only 20 miles, it saves the longer drive into the Appalachian Mountains where stops are few and shoulders narrow.  I enjoyed seeing old barns and shooting them from the window,

They are kind of an endangered species.

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Road signs warned that the road was rough. And they were worse than this in many places.

No mention of an extremely narrow one-way to get to the park entrance. One car wasn’t quite close enough to the curb and it was almost a choice between, should we hit the car or ruin our mirror on the telephone pole? A three-inch clearance is scary, but we scooted by.

The road into Tygart Lake was rough as well.

And the distance was supposedly 3 miles off the highway. Well, if you count the first sign of human activity it might have been 3 miles.  Navigating hilly, hair-pin turns, with a few  peek-a-boo peeps of the lake and marina through the trees; at least two miles of cabins, then, finally, we find the camp ground. Three miles?  Nope!

The “good” spots, and  few of them, were taken. Not exactly level as you can see this guy has four boards under one wheel and he tried for five under the other.

This is hill country, nothing is level here.

This sign is sort of mystifying since all the garbage cans are open without covers? Raccoons can easily pull over a plastic can and check out our garbage. So far, we’ve seen a wild turkey, deer, ducks and a chipmunk.

It took an hour to get set-up for the night because the terrain is uneven, narrow, and difficult to maneuver with recent rains adding deep muddy ruts.  But, it is, in the end, wilderness, and beautiful and peaceful.

These older campgrounds were never built for such as we. We have no right to complain. Adversity is what makes you remember, and we won’t ever forget our trip to Tygart Lake. Kind of makes me remember how critical we, of Murphys, are of flatlanders moving to the mountains for the clean air, and rural atmosphere, who then complain about lack of shopping and narrow, unmaintained roads.  Same thing. We do have to keep things in perspective and remember you give up certain creature comforts when you are on the road. For me?  Gladly. It is a great lifestyle.

GRITTY THINGS LIKE VALVES

We were hoping for another gorgeous sunrise, but the clouds wouldn’t cooperate. We packed up to leave the park by 11:00 and repaired to a nearby concrete slab that was once a gas station. The buildings have been torn down. The purpose was to change the black water and grey water valves. Jim had noticed a small leak and wanted to fix it where it was convenient to do so. But, the valves wouldn’t budge. We decided this was a job for a professional

Everyday I sketch something and worked on this statue in the park. It was too far away to be a credible drawing, so I’ll sketch from this picture during repair time.

A return to Mexico at 9:00 for my dentist appointment.  Then rush to another location for a wash and wax of  the motor home and Bronco. We should be ready to hit the road for Organ Pipe National Monument and Painted Rock Petroglyphs. Stay tuned.

Speaking of tunes, yesterday, we heard the song “I’ve Been Everywhere.”  That is Jim’s song. When we meet someone new, they ask, “Where ya from?” Jim always smiles at that question. He has a Murphys mailing address, his cell phone is from Connecticut, his license and registration from Washington State.  He can sing, “I’ve been everywhere, man, I’ve been everywhere…”