The West Virginia Traveler

I still have a good many articles to write on here about trips I've already done and I also have several more trips planned. Later this year I'll be heading to more local parts of West Virginia as well as traveling the Midwestern and Southern parts of the country. Caving was a new experience for me on the last trip to the Sinks of Gandy and I'm already working on plans to explore two or three local cave systems with a couple being in Tucker County and another being in Randolph County the first of which will take place later this week. After doing the Durbin Rocket I now have plans of either later this year or next spring doing both Elkins and Cass scenic train rides as well. I took a ton of photos during all my adventures and if you'd like to see them feel free to check out our Facebook page by following the link in the menu to the left. The trip I'm most excited about is the one coming up that will see me in Dodge City KS, Galveston TX, New Orleans LA, Bi

The Durbin Rocket arriving at the Durbin Depot. The other day I had a chance to take my son to ride the Durbin Rocket in Durbin WV and being as I have a fondness for steam-powered locomotives I wanted to pass that love of old locomotives onto him. The Durbin Greenbrier Valley Railroad operates the Durbin Depot as well as the Elkins Depot and Cass Depot offering Steam locomotive rides from both Durbin & Cass and diesel locomotive rides from the Elkins Depot. The Durbin Rocket is an old logging engine hooked to a variety of cars offering riders the ability to freely roam and enjoy the open air flat car, passenger cars, bunks in the caboose, or ride on the back of the caboose to watch the tracks flow by beneath you. The entire atmosphere is laid back and inviting with engineers and staff members that are happy to take the time to talk, answer questions, give advice, or invite you onto the engine to see first hand the controls which made the ride that much more enjoyable. T

Tucked away in a farmers field among the many back roads of Randolph County The Sinks of Gandy can be found. The Sinks of Gandy is a small cave system cut into the soft sedimentary rock by the steady flow of water over the years. Yesterday I had the chance to visit and explore this cave and see for myself just what the fuss is about. The entrance is hidden from view and hard to find if you don't know where it's located and the interior is full of fallen chunks of stone that have let go of the ceiling at one point or another and now rest in the creek as a maze of obstacles. One thing I quickly realized is just how on edge you can get when you're walking under mammoth sized boulders with visible cracks that are fighting an ongoing and ultimately futile battle to stay put. Unlike other caves I've been in you won't find many stalactites in this cave as it's constantly flooding, eroding, and collapsing in on itself and making the journey from one end to

This past Tuesday me and my wife decided to take in our first rock concert. I purchased two VIP tickets to a Dorothy show at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland OH and booked us a hotel room a short drive away at the Days Inn in Willoughby. With our VIP tickets came a learning curve they included a meet and greet, two song sound check, early access, and a photo op with lead singer Dorothy Martin. Would Dorothy be a normal everyday person or a rock diva who insisted on not being touched and a photo op from several feet away? These were thoughts bouncing around in my head as we waited for admittance into the venue in front of the building in a line of around twenty or so other VIP ticket holders, I wasn't alone in these thoughts as others in line were asking me the same questions having never done a meet and greet before as well. Let me take you back to the beginning. We arrived at Willoughby a few hours ahead of schedule and decided to grab lunch at Red Lobster in Mentor OH

Moonshining has always been an illegal part of the backwoods culture and heritage. Historically it was an occupation of secrecy carried out by those who were brave or desperate enough to risk a lengthy jail sentence for putting food on the table, today moonshining has become mainstream enough to have its own television series. Despite the legality of making moonshine those who choose to take on the risk will always find a willing audience eagerly awaiting the next delivery. With the risks involved many shiners are choosing to turn their backwoods brew into legal ventures. As someone born and raised in the backwoods of West Virginia I'm familiar with moonshine as I've tasted several of _______'s products over the years and most of these legal ventures fall flat on their faces when it comes to being true authentic backwoods style shine. I happened to be driving by a few years ago in Myrtle Beach SC when Palmetto Moonshine opened their retail store and being a good ol

Earlier this year I had a chance to relive a bit of my youth while taking my children to enjoy the rides at Kennywood . I'd visited Kennywood a few times as a teenager and enjoyed the thrill of the original Steel Phantom and the heart-stopping adrenaline rush of the since-removed Pitt Fall. As I waited in line for The Phantoms Revenge I had that same anxious feeling of excitement I had so many years ago when I stood in line on the same platform waiting to board its predecessor. The only difference this time was my age was more than double what it was back then and my weight had long since multiplied as well. Upon boarding the ride I found that even with my larger size the restraints were snug and comfortable despite the sudden feeling of "What am I doing?" when the train lurched forward to begin its climb. In my youth, a roller coaster was an exciting idea flying around at 80+MPH on a couple of small ribbons of steel was dangerous and awe-inspiring. At my current

I went out of state for this one as you can tell I do quite a bit of traveling be it for business or vacation I always manage to have a good time and find something to do while I'm there. This photo was taken at Patriots Point in Charleston South Carolina aboard the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier and shows me and my dad in front of the ships bell. Patriots Point features the USS Yorktown, USS Clamagore, and USS Laffey as popular attractions along with it's Vietnam experience camp that allows you to see what a U.S. military camp looked like during Vietnam complete with sound effects, smoke, vehicles, and other exhibits to bring it to life. The Yorktown is an Essex class aircraft carrier with several aircraft present on board, the Medal of Honor museum, space capsules, a theater, a restaurant, and tons of small passageways to climb through while exploring the ship. When you make your way onto the flight deck you get the added bonus of an exquisite view of the bridge spann