@calfoxwc said:

      ah... you should camp along the way ! My Dad's home place is just below the Skyline Drive - they all grew up on 400 acres. From my aunt's trailer, you can see a car driving the drive at night once in a while. You could get off the drive, and camp at the Cranberry River campground, assuming it's still there, and see the beautiful Cranberry Glades, a famous bog boardwalk. and Beartown, a ways down the road, is a hillside collection of giant boulders - another boardwalk. It's close to Marlington.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g59290-d106793-Reviews-Cranberry_Glades-Marlinton_West_Virginia.html

any civil war site is a special place - Droop Mtn  is beautiful. Pocahontas County. If you go to Beartown, after seeing the Cranberry River sites... you will be driving past my aunt's house trailer, just past my other uncle's house, just below that Skyline Drive.

   New River Gorge - the first thing you come to, through Charleston, on rt 64? after about 45 min.. is Gauley Bridge. This is where the little GauleyRiver and the Little Kenoi? sp? come together to make the New River, and just after that, you start to climb Fayette Mtn..

We used to vacation there when I was kid. One time, my cousin and I, and a couple of friends of his from there, went up river, past the hydroelectric plant, and it was hot summer, and walked up all the giant flat rocks, past giant boulders, sometimes swimming through deep beautiful pools. We were way up river, standing on a giant low, flat boulder... when I felt a bit of a breeze on a hot day. I said, "something's wrong....". They look at me, and said "What..?" I'm like "something's wrong... I just felt a breeze or something..."

we start looking around, and the breeze got noticed by them. We got spooked, and started heading back to our boat, which was tied up to a smaller rock in the middle of the river, about a half mile upriver of the Gauley Bridge hydro plant. So, we were moving fast, and the wisp of breeze turned into a steady stronger breeze, We're running across boulders, diving and swimming through the open water areas between rocks. We're still a ways from the fishing boat, and the breeze turns into a freaking strong wind. One of them yells "THE RIVER IS COMING UP, THEY MUST HAVE OPENED THE LOCKS AT SUMMERSVILLE!".

Summersville is a beautiful big lake. They open the dams when a distant storm runs water through the creeks and river.THAT is when they white water raft down the not much water Gauley river, which is small, and the Little Kenoi, which is not small. The water was really coming up, our fishing boat was nearly pulling the rope up off the small rock, we jump in, take off, hit a rock underwater, bent his prop, flew past the hydro plant, where some employees up on a walkway at the hydro plant were frantically telling us toget off the river. well, freaking "duh", dammit. We sped down river, and got to safety. So, don't do that. ever.

I had not visited this site since my trip until now, but I did  a lot of what you suggested Cal. Did the Cranberry Glades....very wet that day.  I was on that boardwalk in your picture. Did Droop Mtn Battlefield, Beartown.  I had not seen these before.  Did New River Gorge.  Did not get up to Gauley River...but I have been to both of these before.

We have taken the Cass Railroad train, it goes up the mountain, an actual coal steam engine..get to the top, no big deal, but the ride up is fun. When my Dad was a kid, he and his brothers would get all their chores done on the farm, and go hiking over the mountain, and they would camp overnight along the Greenbriar River and catch rainbow trout. The Cranberry was gorgeous, don't know how the fishing is anymore, haven't been there for several years.

   Seems all too often, some scumbucket tosses a bit of garbage someplace, just when you start to feel like you are in a beautiful place. Too bad. Hope you don't run into that.

But, I will be seeing a number of the things you reference, for sure.  Beartown and Droop Mt. parks. I may try to get to Cranberry Glade. New River Gorge. If I have time I may pop up to the Gauley River. 

A few other spots I do plan to hit in WVa include:  Gaudineer Rec. Area.  Greenbriar Trail, Snowshoe Mt., Cass Railroad town (but I will not likely take the train), may pop by the National Radio Astronomy Center, but not sure it will be open, BabSock State Park,  Big Sewell, Lewisburg. 

@the-gipper said:

      ah... you should camp along the way ! My Dad's home place is just below the Skyline Drive - they all grew up on 400 acres. From my aunt's trailer, you can see a car driving the drive at night once in a while. You could get off the drive, and camp at the Cranberry River campground, assuming it's still there, and see the beautiful Cranberry Glades, a famous bog boardwalk. and Beartown, a ways down the road, is a hillside collection of giant boulders - another boardwalk. It's close to Marlington.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g59290-d106793-Reviews-Cranberry_Glades-Marlinton_West_Virginia.html

any civil war site is a special place - Droop Mtn  is beautiful. Pocahontas County. If you go to Beartown, after seeing the Cranberry River sites... you will be driving past my aunt's house trailer, just past my other uncle's house, just below that Skyline Drive.

   New River Gorge - the first thing you come to, through Charleston, on rt 64? after about 45 min.. is Gauley Bridge. This is where the little GauleyRiver and the Little Kenoi? sp? come together to make the New River, and just after that, you start to climb Fayette Mtn..

We used to vacation there when I was kid. One time, my cousin and I, and a couple of friends of his from there, went up river, past the hydroelectric plant, and it was hot summer, and walked up all the giant flat rocks, past giant boulders, sometimes swimming through deep beautiful pools. We were way up river, standing on a giant low, flat boulder... when I felt a bit of a breeze on a hot day. I said, "something's wrong....". They look at me, and said "What..?" I'm like "something's wrong... I just felt a breeze or something..."

we start looking around, and the breeze got noticed by them. We got spooked, and started heading back to our boat, which was tied up to a smaller rock in the middle of the river, about a half mile upriver of the Gauley Bridge hydro plant. So, we were moving fast, and the wisp of breeze turned into a steady stronger breeze, We're running across boulders, diving and swimming through the open water areas between rocks. We're still a ways from the fishing boat, and the breeze turns into a freaking strong wind. One of them yells "THE RIVER IS COMING UP, THEY MUST HAVE OPENED THE LOCKS AT SUMMERSVILLE!".

Summersville is a beautiful big lake. They open the dams when a distant storm runs water through the creeks and river.THAT is when they white water raft down the not much water Gauley river, which is small, and the Little Kenoi, which is not small. The water was really coming up, our fishing boat was nearly pulling the rope up off the small rock, we jump in, take off, hit a rock underwater, bent his prop, flew past the hydro plant, where some employees up on a walkway at the hydro plant were frantically telling us toget off the river. well, freaking "duh", dammit. We sped down river, and got to safety. So, don't do that. ever.

@texasag1969 said:

We flew over that area on our way to visit by rental car Mass., Vermont, N.H. and Maine about this time of year and the colors of the leaf change down below were spectacular all the way from Tenn. to Boston and especially right over the Blue Ridge area.. I think you're going to have a great trip there Gip. Enjoy!

I have been to some sections of the Blue Ridge.  Here I intend to see parts I have not been to,   And while I have been to Shenandoah, it has been over 17 years. 

It could actually get crowded....and that is why I am doing this mid week.  Biggest concern is hotel rates.....they tend to want to gouge during peak times like this.

@the-gipper said:

We flew over that area on our way to visit by rental car Mass., Vermont, N.H. and Maine about this time of year and the colors of the leaf change down below were spectacular all the way from Tenn. to Boston and especially right over the Blue Ridge area.. I think you're going to have a great trip there Gip. Enjoy!

@bob806 said:

I don't visit this forum very often. You'll have fun for sure.

We have something similar lined up, bringing our RV down to Houston.

Oct 6 leave Cleveland, drive about 11 hours or so to Parkers Crossing in Tennessee for a night stopover. Arrive at Daisy State Park  in Arkansas the following day, stay through Monday night. Playing some golf in Glenwood, Arkansas. 

Drive to Galveston Island State Park Tues morning, stay 2 nights there. Leave up to Katy, Tx and park the RV there through Sunday night. My son and his family are about 20 miles east of Katy, and we'll  visit with them plenty and head to the Brown's game vs Texans. We hope to meet up with fellow fans at the game.

When we leave Katy Monday morning, we'll head to Guadalupe River State Park and spend 3 nights there. Head into San Antonio to visit and float on the river in the park as well.

Leave there for Lake Wister State Park in Oklahoma on Friday, spend the weekend there.  The Poteau Ballon Festival and Robbers Cave Festival are in the area. It's beautiful around there, the Ozarks are cool.

Leave there Monday morning the 23rd, and wind our way back to Cleveland.  We love our fall trips, fortunate to be able to get a long vacation that time of year. 

Happy Trails to you.  Maybe we will see you at one of the get togethers. 

We have something similar lined up, bringing our RV down to Houston.

Oct 6 leave Cleveland, drive about 11 hours or so to Parkers Crossing in Tennessee for a night stopover. Arrive at Daisy State Park  in Arkansas the following day, stay through Monday night. Playing some golf in Glenwood, Arkansas. 

Drive to Galveston Island State Park Tues morning, stay 2 nights there. Leave up to Katy, Tx and park the RV there through Sunday night. My son and his family are about 20 miles east of Katy, and we'll  visit with them plenty and head to the Brown's game vs Texans. We hope to meet up with fellow fans at the game.

When we leave Katy Monday morning, we'll head to Guadalupe River State Park and spend 3 nights there. Head into San Antonio to visit and float on the river in the park as well.

Leave there for Lake Wister State Park in Oklahoma on Friday, spend the weekend there.  The Poteau Ballon Festival and Robbers Cave Festival are in the area. It's beautiful around there, the Ozarks are cool.

Leave there Monday morning the 23rd, and wind our way back to Cleveland.  We love our fall trips, fortunate to be able to get a long vacation that time of year. 

65 is not 45 or 25, take up a nice less taxing hobby like following the BROWNS.

I already have 2 nights booked in New Orleans on the Monday and Tuesday, then 2 more in Lafayette area, then the 3 in Houston. After Houston I would then still go up to NE TX, but then pop over to Shreveport LA, then come back to New Orleans through Baton Rouge. Basically I would be crisscrossing the state of Louisiana.

That would reduce my driving to about a third of what I originally planned...reducing it from like 3000 to 1000 miles. 10 years ago I coulda/woulda done it no problem...but not now I don't think.