La Salle Explorers

[sardis]

Just spent memorial day weekend solo camping out of my truck, preparing for my month long cross country USA/Canada trip in July. Traveling by yourself is the best thing.

[hedge]

Concur..

[Jungle Rat]

Sardis got kicked out of the house again.

[Tree]

Pick up as many hitchhikers as you can, brah. Especially the bummy looking ones.

[sardis]

Sorry, Tree, you’re going to have to splurge on a bus ticket.

[Jungle Rat]

[innocentbystander]

Sorry, Tree, you’re going to have to splurge on a bus ticket.

A

[Jungle Rat]

I started jujitzu classes today but they kicked me out. Every time they choked me I came.

[hedge]

Sounds more like jewjizzo classes...

[eCat]

that was actually pretty good

[eCat]

back from a mini West Virginia vacation. This is my second time going in about a 6 month span.

I think I've seen all WV has to offer - or all I care to see anyways.

I've decided the best city there is Beckley - close to mountains, great hiking, and the city has a Sams Club, Rural King, Tractor Supply, Harbor Freight, a Cook Out, Five Guys and handful of Mexican places to eat. Looks like housing prices are well within reach at the moment too. Just big enough to have options, but small enough that you don't have to deal with any bullshit

hiked for 2 days, then went to Thurmond and Nuttallburg - abandoned coal cities/mines that peaked in the '20s. Both are sites within the park system there, and Thurmond is where they made a good portion of the movie Matewan.

Here is a surviving building in Thurmond. Its also a stop on Amtrak believe it or not, but other than a small platform, the entire place is a ghosttown



Here is the coal belt built by Henry Ford in Nuttallburg


On the way out we went to the actual Matewan. Not sure what I expected, the city itself is well off the beaten path - no major roads getting to it, although to get there I did travel on Robert C Byrd Freeway, Daniel Boone Highway and Jerry West Parkway - and I also drove thru Boone County, WV - home of Jessco White. So I think I hit all the major icons of WV while I was there.

Matewan was worth the drive in itself because 2 minutes after we get there, 2 women, maybe in their 30's were sitting in front of a store talking to a man, and this was the conversation

"The last time I saw Maddie, she was walking down the road, we stopped to help her and she tried to rob us, so we don't hang out with her anymore"

I don't know why but it was all I could do not to laugh walking by - as soon as we got out of earshot, my wife and I were busting up.

Later on I went back to her store and struck up a conversation with her. She wasn't too knowledgeable about the history of Matewan nor its sheriff, Sid Hatfield. But she could take your ear off about the Hatfield-McCoy Trails. I wanted to get a Sid "two guns" Hatfield shirt but none were to be had.

Instead I bought a Devil Anse shirt for her taking time to talk to us. I'm not sure she even knew who that was to be honest.

[hedge]

"Here is a surviving building in Thurmond. Its also a stop on Amtrak believe it or not, but other than a small platform, the entire place is a ghosttown"

Sounds like Cairo...

[eCat]

yea, not much difference I guess

[Jungle Rat]

I'm actually watching Dopesick this week. My friend from rehab was born in Bexley. He's a dentist now.

[sardis]

My son went to college a year in Buckley. The downtown is ok and you’re right, it’s affordable. I just got a depressing vibe there. People really looked rough with a hard life. I liked the smaller Fayetteville up rte 19 by the New River bridge. It has no Costco, though.

Thurmond was cool. I liked the cabins along the river just East of there.

[eCat]

My son went to college a year in Buckley. The downtown is ok and you’re right, it’s affordable. I just got a depressing vibe there. People really looked rough with a hard life. I liked the smaller Fayetteville up rte 19 by the New River bridge. It has no Costco, though.

Thurmond was cool. I liked the cabins along the river just East of there.

We actually stayed in Fayetteville, had a few meals there including my first time to eat at Tudors House of Biscuits

[hedge]

" I liked the smaller Fayetteville up rte 19 by the New River bridge. It has no Costco, though."

That's a nonstarter for eCat...

[Jungle Rat]

I wish your heart was a nonstarter.

[hedge]

Speaking of Costco...

[Jungle Rat]

Thankfully he looks close to death.