Ready to explore the rest of the OBX. Took the free ferry to Okracoke Island, where Black Beard the famed pirate was killed. The ferry took about 40 minutes. Okracoke is a very narrow island literally a thin strip of sand in the middle of the ocean. From some points next to the one and…
The Outer Banks – Corolla to Cape Hatterass
Making my way towards the Outer Banks (OBX), first passing through to Roanoke Island. Signs on the highway became funny and beach-related: parasailing, water parks, best surf beaches. Many big yellow WINGS stores…I thought at first they had Buffalo Wings, but no, they are swimwear and beach wear stores. By mistake I made a left…
Lost World Caverns
I always wanted to go spelunking and Lost World Caverns was the perfect place. The caves are under a green pasture, you’d never thing what lies beneath the earth. I went in the cave through a long concrete tunnel, felt like descending into a mine. In the group were 5 software engineers form India, an…
Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs
Lewisburg is a charming, too quiet town in the woods of West Virginia. It has a Main Street with a couple of coffee shops, restaurants, the ubiquitous antique shops (what is with small towns and antique stores, I see them everywhere in small town America). I arrived pretty late, around 9pm, and of course there…
West Virginia Route 55
A scenic route that crosses Monongahela Forest and small scattered poor towns. I ended up driving three times on this route, an extremely curvy road going up and down mountains. It has many hairpin curves, making driving exciting and a bit crazy at night. Somehow I ended up with no gas, close to midnight, in the…
Thomas and Blackwater Falls
There was nothing else in the Blackwater Falls Park besides the 10 minute path that lead to the crowded balcony which overlooked the falls and a parking lot with a souvenir store and a bathroom. I decided to check out Elakala Falls, down the road from Blackwater Falls park, a few feet walk in the forest…
Scenic Route 150
One of the most scenic drives in West Virginia is Route 150, a 23 mile drive through Monongahela State Forest. Although short, it is worth going, the scenery is beautiful, it has a similar feeling to the Skyline in Virginia.
West Virginia
West Virginia is the northernmost of the southern states. The state is entirely situated in the Appalachian Mountains, which are supposed to have been the highest peaks on earth some 400 million years ago, higher than the Himalayas today. Mountain ridges for hiking and camping, rivers for kayaking, bathing and white water rafting, caves, forests…
Vintage Trains and Rocky Peaks
Another animal-planet morning. Hey, for a New Yorker who only sees invalid pigeons and subway rats watching chipmunks and a variety of colorful singing birds is very exciting. Driving on the way back to New York I finally spotted the vintage train I saw advertised in many of the brochures thrown around grungy delis and…
Chasing Cats and Waterfalls
New York City has been incredibly hot. And humid. We just emerged from a heat wave with temperatures over 100F. So what’s a New Yorker to do when the heat amplified by the concrete melts their soul? Head up north, in the mountains. Whether taking the I-87 or the Palisades Interstate (the latter being significantly…
Big Apple and around 