Whirlwind visit to West Virginia, USA for Graduation and some sightseeing

It is not everyday you get the opportunity to go and see a family member graduate high school - now this may not seem such a big thing to us Brits, but believe me in the US it is HUGE! And my sister's only child, Bob was graduating this year, so it was a massive deal! Now my sister doesn't really have any family over there to support this momentous occason, and none of the UK family seemed interested in going, so Fred & I decided back in January that we would go and suprise them and turn up for a whirlwind visit to West Virginia for a long weekend.

So flights booked, we hopped on a plane, well 2 actually, because of course when we booked the original flight we were still living down south and suddenly we are now living in Scotland! So off we go, several hours later (almost 24) we finally arrive at her door, walked into her house and suprised my nephew, he seemed a little unmoved by our sudden appearance in his house, but after the shock wore off, and a good nights sleep we were able to catch up on all the gossip.

Now I have watched a few televised US events over the years, the pomp and ceremony that are shown in movies, and they really do make such a big deal, and to be honest why not, they are, after all, celebrating the hard work and efforts of the students and they should be proud and honoured for what they have achieved. It was an amazing thing to watch, the atmosphere, the ceremony - and yes I cried a little with pride, when my nephew went up onto the stage. He has done remarkably well, managing to secure several scholorships that will help fund his first year at university and it was a joy to be able to be a part of this special day with him. To share in his glory and achievements for all the hard work he has put in these last few years.

But of course, no trip is complete without a few sightseeing moments and as this was Freds first visit to West Virginia, I just had to show him a few of the sights and this really is a very pretty state, with endless rolling mountains, valleys and countless trees. Our first trip took us on a very pretty circular drive with a lovely viewpoint overlooking Sandstone Falls, when we return and have a bit more time we will actually view these falls from the waters edge as they really are quite stunning, but today we looked from a very pretty viewpoint, which has picnic tables, toilets and plenty of parking for visitors to enjoy the vista. Sitting here watching the distance water, listening to the birds in the trees, the peace and tranquility it really is an idiylic spot, we even managed to find a few fungi to add to our photo album.

Sandstone Falls viewpoint

Woodland

Fungi Growing

The next day we went to visit a family friend, sat watching the array of birds in her garden,

even a few chipmunks that are causing her havoc on her birdfeeders and then stopped off at a lovely coffee shop on the way back. The Chocolate Moose coffee shop is a superb little artisan coffee house, with a lovely vibe and extensive menu - will suit any hardened coffee drinker!!

Pre-graduation evening was spent with the neighbours, chilling in the garden with a firepit going. I do love a nice firepit, watching the flames dance - unfortunately no s'mores were available as no-one had any marshamallows but it was a great evening, chilling, relaxing and just having fun.

Graduation day! And what better way to start it than to go on a sightseeing tour, this was a visit to the New River Gorge bridge. This is the third highest bridge in the US, and the longest single-span arch bridge in the western hemisphere. Built in 1977 it towers 876 feet above the new river and is over 3,000 feet long!! The views from it are amazing and the bridge itself is a marvel of engineering. At certain times of the year they even close the bridge to traffic and allow you to bungy jump off it - that is a definate NO from us!! The river itself is popular for white water rafting, kayaking and fishing and the scenic drive down to the river from the bridge is recommended if you are able, as it is not suitable for all vehicles!

Spanning The Gorge

New River Gorge Bridge

My Sister, Nephew and Brother-in-Law

Then it was time to celebrate and go watch Bob graduate, some 200 students took part in this ceremony, with an earlier event in the morning to accomodate all the students in the school.

It was an amazing atmosphere and fantastic ceremony to watch. The final cheer when they all threw their caps up in the air was really quite something to see and of course the ice cream celebration afterwards with friends and neighbours, was a great end to the fantastic day.

The following morning we ventured into yet another must-go-to coffee shop, this one is called Hilltop, and what makes this one different is that most of the staff are students from the high school, but the food and coffee here is AMAZING! They have won several awards and is clearly the place to go, being very popular with locals and having a lovely vibe. We can't wait to visit again when we are next in WV.

But then the trip was over, it really has been a fantastic weekend, never long enough and I can't wait to visit again and be able to explore even more of this wonderful state.

Thanks for reading

E x