Sunday, April 28–
We packed up and drove the short distance to Charleston.
The dome of the capitol is so tall, we could see it before we got off the freeway. In fact, the state capitol is the tallest building in West Virginia. It overlooks the banks of the Kanawha River.
We parked close to the water and headed inside. Well, we tried to. We walked half way around the building, trying five different entrances before finding a door that was open. The capitol is a massive structure with two long wings on the east and west side connecting the main building. It was easy to get lost inside.
The rotunda was under major construction on the inside and outside so we couldn’t see any of it. That was a bummer because the rotunda is usually the most beautiful part of the capitols. The House and Senate chambers were locked as well.
The outside walkway to visit the east wing.
View of the capitol from the east wing walkway.
And, because it was a Sunday, the information desk was closed so weren’t able to get our capitol stamp. But if you go across the lawn to the museum, they also have a stamp and a gift shop. Well, both were closed. There was a ballet practice going on inside the building so we watched them for awhile, instead.
We returned to our bike a bit sad because we couldn’t get our book stamped. Oh well, at least the capitol wasn’t closed.
RJ made a ramen on the sidewalk to hold us over till supper while I walked to the front of the building to take pictures.
And then off we went to Virginia. At a little gas station an hour or two in to our drive, we saw a cute little ice cream house across the road. Of course we had to try it. Afterwards, we wondered why we did that! It was drizzly and cold and now we were even colder!
I managed to snap a few pictures before it started sprinkling and I had to put the camera away.
We found a mug at a little gift shop on the way out of WV.
We stopped for supper at a Cracker Barrel at the border of Virginia. A nice hot latte helped me warm up.
After supper, we hopped back on the bike and continued to our airbnb in Arlington, Virginia. A couple hours later, around 10Pm, we arrived at our destination in downtown Arlington.
~em