I will start at the end of this story first. The plan had been to visit Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Unfortunately, we made it to Richmond, Virginia, when Lynn had a medical emergency (we spent 9+ hours in the ER at VCU) which forced us to cancel the remainder of the trip and return home.
We had spent the day in Richmond, Virginia, walking around the city specifically to visit the Edgar Allan Poe Museum. Once again, we had been there many years before but didn’t remember any of the details! On our “Trip South” in 1987 I wrote, “Went to see the Poe Museum with a collection of memorabilia, a slide presentation and a beautiful quaint garden in a terribly run-down neighborhood.” I’m happy to report that while not totally gentrified, the neighborhood has improved and the museum itself has expanded. They’ve done away with the slideshow and now have an audio tour and three separate buildings to visit. I was tickled that there were quite a few people visiting. (Only because I like to believe that there are at least a few people left in the world that appreciate “old” literature and still like to read books!) This time around, I paid attention, took in all the fun facts about Poe as a writer, and his bad luck with women. Case in point: the first woman he wanted to marry ended up marrying someone else. And the woman he eventually married (his 13-year-old cousin), ended up dying of tuberculosis in the Bronx when she was 24!
Back then, I didn’t realize he had never lived in the house in Richmond (which is described as the oldest residential building in that city.) Turns out a group of Poe “literary enthusiasts” wanted to make some sort of shrine to his work and thus, the museum was established. This these individuals did over 100 years ago!
Late Lunch – Barbecue!
Before we went to the museum, we stopped for a quick bite to eat. Some decent barbecue had been on my list of “musts.” I’m glad we were able to enjoy some really good pulled pork from Oak & Apple with a spicy jalapeño coleslaw on the side. I will mention that this will be the only food photograph I’m posting in this story. You will understand why if you read on.
In The Beginning, Lancaster
But let’s go back to the beginning of the trip. Wow, I had forgotten that just like our trip in 1987, we had started out in Lancaster, PA, too. This time around we were in Lancaster because we had a free hotel room. Two years prior we had made a reservation and only found out that we couldn’t stay there once we arrived because of some sort of “plumbing problem.” The hotel comped us a room somewhere else AND gave us a gift card to come back another time. I wasn’t about to pass up a free stay especially since we were heading in that direction anyway. We had spent the afternoon hiking the Lehigh Gorge trail earlier in the afternoon with the sound of the Lehigh River right next to the path. The water was high and loud with warning signs of “flash flooding” along the way but we kept walking.
We had dinner at the hotel and wine at the bar afterwards and it was just okay. (Hence, no pictures.) The one thing about the hotel I didn’t expect was while they have since abandoned turn-down service, they did manage to put a red rose and some chocolate on the hotel room’s door handle. I can’t even remember the last time we were given roses before “retiring” for the evening. (Actually, I can but it was in France.)
In the morning, after an especially inferior “continental” breakfast (especially since the hotel was quite “posh”), we got on the road and headed to Dunbar, PA, to see Kentuck Knob. Driving from Lancaster, one sees the southern part of Pennsylvania close to West Virginia. Suddenly, we were in the mountains and driving through tunnels that reminded me of northern Italy or Austria! The Blue Mountain tunnel was one of at least three we drove through that day.
We stopped for lunch in the town of Ohiopyle and ended up just grabbing a sandwich since the restaurant we thought we were going to decided they weren’t opening that day. (A common occurrence I’ve discovered during this pandemic.) We had a bit of time to kill before our tour so we walked around and looked at the river and the rapids.
Kentuck Knob
(And yes, that’s not a typo, that’s the name of the house.) Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright from 1953-1956 (when he was in his late 80’s and also working on the Guggenheim Museum in NYC, among other projects at the same time), this Usonian house was built for I.N. and Bernardine Hagan. They lived in the house for nearly 30 years until it was sold to “Lord Palumbo of England” who opened the house for tours in 1996.
We have seen many Wright houses over the years. This was a smaller and more modest house than many of his earlier works but the house is located high up on a hill with some gorgeous property and tons of “natural elements” (i.e., trees) to look at. This works perfectly with Wright’s philosophy of “designing in harmony with the environment” also commonly referred to as organic architecture.
We weren’t able to take any photographs of the inside, but here are some outside shots of this one-story gem.
The name “Kentuck Knob” has a bit of a story behind it which was revealed to us at the end of our visit by our tour guide. Apparently, a New York farmer in the late 1800’s was making his way to Kentucky in search of better farmland when he happened to stop in this part of Pennsylvania. This particular farmer decided that the land he saw there was just as good as any, so to the locals he became known as “Kentuck” (they conveniently dropped the “y”) since that had been his original destination. And the land he purchased? Well, the land was elevated and the hilly terrain was referred to as “knobs.” So the property became known as “Kentuck Knob.” Apparently, after the house was finished, Mrs. Hagan felt she needed a name for her house because the “Kaufmann” house, which was nearby, (also known as “Fallingwater” had one as well. After a research trip to the local historical society and library, she found out the fun facts listed above, and thus, the name of the house was born.
West Virginia!
And then we drove to Morgantown, West Virginia. We like to visit places we’ve never been to. We were disappointed in the town but loved the newly renovated Hotel Morgan. The design team managed to retain most of the original details of the hotel and play up some that made the hotel chic and nostalgic. A back wall at the check-in desk where old school tassel key chains were still hanging? Charming. (We had plastic cards you swipe to open the room door.) Funky furniture, floor tile and cool graphics throughout? Clever. A retro-looking mini-fridge in your room? Beyond cute.
After another uninspiring breakfast at this hotel, too (which I was surprised about given their high marks for design and service), we drove through West Virginia. I have two things to say: Wow and Wow. It was hilly, scenic and there were many places to pull over on the particular four-lane highway we were on to take photos and say “ooh and ahh.” I know you can’t “eat” a view but look at this! It’s gorgeous!
Down to Virginia
Finally, after a quick lunch stop (the third day in a row we had chicken sandwiches), we stopped at Natural Bridge. We had been to Natural Bridge before – or at least since there is already a magnet on our fridge from this attraction, I have to assume the magnet didn’t appear on its own. I vaguely remember seeing it with at least one child or even two. Maybe even pushing a stroller? In any case, the “bridge” and the surrounding rock formations were impressive, the sky was almost a funky turquoise blue, and this time around we walked the pathway all the way to the end of the park and were rewarded with the view of a small waterfall.
On To Roanoke
The “historic” Hotel Roanoke looks like a big Tudor castle in some parts. I loved reading about the history of this hotel which was built in 1882 by the Norfolk and Western Railroad to bring visitors to experience the Blue Ridge Mountain air. It has survived a fire and multiple renovations and it was “deeded” in 1989 by the railroad to Virginia Tech. It is now owned by Hilton and I think the chain did a decent job of keeping the spirit of this hotel alive. (They were also one of the few hotels I’ve seen this summer that seemed to have adequate staff. I also sincerely hope they were paying people well!)
Then, Dinner
We walked across the pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks right across from the hotel and suddenly were in “downtown.” There were shops, restaurants, bars, and lots of people walking around given it was a Friday night. I had picked one particular establishment (billing itself as specializing in both steak and seafood) because I erred on the side of caution thinking our very large hotel couldn’t possible turn out a good meal. (I was wrong; the breakfast we had the following morning was the best meal we had on the trip.)
We had oysters that were decent but our server (who informed us it was his FIRST HOUR on the job) was barely breathing he was so nervous serving us that I didn’t dare ask him where the oysters were from or how they were plated. Then we had a crab cake that was described as their “house special” but it was so mediocre and tasteless I was afraid the rest of the meal would be dismal. It wasn’t. The huge hunk of swordfish that came out was grilled perfectly but served with the usual suspects – zucchini with roasted tomatoes and rice that was pretending to be risotto. We had cocktails, a bottle of wine and skipped dessert. Ultimately, everything was just okay.
The Upshot
Was I disappointed with the food on this trip? More than a little. My biggest problem is that sometimes I only go out to eat because I get tired of cooking at home. This is probably stupid on my part because nine times out of 10, I know that I can cook a better meal than what most restaurants will put before me. I’m not a picky eater and I have no allergies (really a dream client for any chef) but there are certain “standards” I do have. I want to see not only beautifully composed plates coming out of a kitchen but also food that excites me! I want to see a chef who has imagination. I don’t need to see magic every single time, but I want taste. I don’t want to eat a meal where every single plate I’ve ordered has been over-salted. I also don’t want to see the same menu everywhere I go over and over again. It’s just mind-numbing. In fairness, there were no upscale restaurants to visit on this trip. Nor we were close to any major cities where often there are so many good restaurants to choose from that sometimes it’s hard to pick just one or two if you are simply traveling through.
The next morning, we left to drive to Richmond, and well, you already know the end of the story.
We hadn’t driven south in quite a while and even with the long stretches, we saw some beautiful mountains and landscapes, did a moderate amount of hiking (and over six miles in Richmond before Lynn got ill). Most importantly, we did a lot of laughing on this trip and always enjoy each other’s company.
Originally, we thought if the doctor(s) gave him an “all-clear,” we would resume at least a portion of the trip we had to cancel nearly a month ago. And because we absolutely love to “road trip” together, we decided that we’d add on a couple more destinations, too. Unfortunately, there was another trip to the ER less than two weeks after we got home as well as some outpatient surgery. For now our road trip has been postponed indefinitely. Lynn is okay and slowly healing. But I’m looking forward to getting on the road again when it finally does happen!
Until our next “Let’s Go” adventure.
If you’ve missed reading my new book: Get In the Car: A Food and Travel Memoir it’s available on Amazon.
