Friendly West Virginia

After crossing into West Virginia from Maryland, we pulled into a state welcome center. We were definitely getting ready for a "service stop", a stop for showers, laundry, and a good meal. We asked the welcome center staff if they knew of a state park, where we could go for a few hours, and they called Coopers Rock State Park three exits up from us.

A very kind ranger at Coopers Rock told him they didn't have a day fee, but we would be welcome to stop by for showers. So we did. (Another twisty narrow road, yikes!) We pulled into their empty host site for a couple of hours. We had lunch, we showered and did a load of laundry, before moving on. We really appreciated the kindness and friendliness we encountered, thank you!




Patrick, our kind ranger, recommended we drive an additional mile on this twisty road so we could get to an overlook. Sure, we are up for an adventure!




And wow, was that worth a stop!




From their website:

Coopers Rock State Forest gets its name from a legend about a fugitive who hid from the law near what is now the overlook. A cooper by trade, he resumed making barrels at his new mountain hideout, selling them to people in nearby communities. He lived and worked in the forest for many years.

During the Depression, between 1936 and 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built numerous structures in the forest, often using durable American chestnut wood from trees that succumbed to a blight that nearly wiped out the species. Eleven of these structures, including the rustic picnic shelters near the overlook, have been included on the National Register of Historic Places.




It was so steep! Very hard to see from photo.




Our little stop in West Virginia was a welcome respite in our travels. Thank you, West Virginia, for your hospitality!