Day 1 - Summer 2014 weekend in Laneville

As soon as I got home from work on Wednesday, July 16, I started grouting the tile in the girls’ bathroom upstairs.  The job went pretty quickly and I was able to get the tile grouted and rinsed several times.  I allowed it to dry then buffed it with a dry towel.  I was pleased with the way it looked.  After eating a bite, I left to meet Mary in Morgantown around 7 pm.  I knew she had a dinner meeting that would last until after nine pm so I didn’t want to get there too early and I was happy to have the time to work on the tile.  The drive up to Morgantown was uneventful other than spotting a bald eagle along I-79 in Braxton County.  I really had to do a double take to make sure of what I was seeing but it was a bald eagle without a doubt.  I met Mary and some of her tech pals in the lobby of the Waterfront Place a little after 10 pm.  They had eaten a good meal at Oliverio’s.  Since we both had a long day and were tired, we went sleep right away.

While Mary went to morning meetings at the conference, I walked around Morgantown.  I went to breakfast at Taziki’s in the Mountainlair (WVU student center).  I had a bacon, egg and cheese wrap which was very good.  The manager felt bad because it took longer than he hoped to make the wrap so he gave me the breakfast for free.  I promised to come back for lunch the next time I am in the area. 

By the time I got back to the hotel, Mary had finished up her morning meetings so we packed up and headed out.  I had called the three distilleries in the Morgantown/Fairmont area to set up tours.  The very pleasant contact at West Virginia Distilling Company in Morgantown told me that he would be happy to give us a tour but they do not distill in the hot summer months.  However, he said that if we return in fall or winter, he would be happy to show us around.  The lady at Forks of Cheat invited us to come any time as long as the weather permits a short walk from the visitor center to the distilling shed.  The lady at Heston Farms/Pinchgut Distillery invited us to come any time for a tour. 

We drove the short distance from the Waterfront place to the Forks of Cheat and browsed the visitor center until a guide and her daughter took us through the attractive gardens to the compact but efficient distillery.  The people at Forks of Cheat grow about 95% of the fruits that go into their wines and distilled spirits.  About the only fruit they use that isn’t grown on the property are the pomegranates.  Much of the property on which the grapes and other fruit are grown is reclaimed surface mine property.  In addition to a number of wines, Forks of Cheat makes apple Jack, rum, grappa and several fruit liqueurs.

We enjoyed a tasting back at the visitor center and tried several of the wines then tried some of the spirits.  Neither of us liked the grappa.  It is a neutral spirit made from grapes.  There was no discernable flavor just pure ethanol.  We bought a bottle of pear liqueur and blackberry liqueur to bring back.  Mary has had the pear before and really liked and we are sure than the blackberry will be good as well.

We drove from Morgantown to Fairmont in hopes of touring the Heston Winery that also houses the Pinchgut Distillery.  We were impressed with the development at the farm.  It is obvious that some serious money has been put into making the winery a destination.  There is a restaurant, gardens, picnic and play areas for families and children.  We liked a lot of the primitives and variety of plantings on the grounds.  We were very disappointed that we were unable to tour the distillery despite having called earlier to make certain that tours were available that day.  We were told that the person who leads the tours would be in meetings all day and that no tours would be taken.  Although we were disappointed, we sampled several of the wines and spirits.  

Mary liked the Siggy Riesling because it was not too sweet but still had the pleasant flavor of a Riesling wine.  We tried the corn moonshine and found it to be rather flat.  It didn’t have a lot of flavor other than the alcohol.  We also tried the buckwheat moonshine and, neither of us found it to be at all pleasant.  There was a very strong flavor that was like a raw rye whiskey in some ways.  It was very hot and had no finish beyond the alcohol burn.  Pinchgut makes an aged version of their buckwheat whiskey called Copperhead.  Since we didn’t like the unaged buckwheat whiskey, it shouldn’t be surprising that we didn’t care for the Copperhead aged buckwheat whiskey.  In contrast, we did like the Mason-Dixon Corn Whiskey, which is their 100% corn whiskey that has been barrel aged for four years.  It isn’t a Bourbon but is a good corn whiskey that is like an Irish whiskey in some ways.  We stayed away from the novelty spirits like the apple, ramp, peach and rhubarb flavored moonshines at the tasting.  We purchased the Mason-Dixon Corn Whiskey and the Siggy Riesling before continuing south on I-79 and on to Elkins.

We picked up some groceries and provisions at the Elkins Kroger then drove to the Elkins Rail Depot.  While we were there, the Tygart Flier returned to the depot after a day trip of sightseeing to the High Falls of the Cheat.  The train looks like a lot of fun, and we will make a point to book a ride on the train soon.  We picked up a number of brochures in the nice visitor center at the Elkins depot then drove the short distance to have dinner at the Venezuelan restaurant, El Gran Sabor.  

My friends, Harold and Carrie-Megan Blanco, told us that the food at El Gran Sabor was very good so we were anxious to try it.  We had an appetizer of tostones, which are fried plantains.  We both ordered combination plates that included one arepa and one empanada with Mary ordering the chicken and I got the pork.  We traded halves and liked everything.  We also had black beans and rice on the side which was very good.  The meals were large, and despite being very hungry when we arrived, neither of us could finish our meals.

The hour drive from Elkins to Laneville was nice, and the cool weather was welcome in mid July.  We got to the Minor Cabin well before dark so we could clean and straighten while there was light.  We also walked over to Red Creek and saw that not only was the water level low, but the split in the creek that came nearest the cabin had nearly no water with the main channel carrying all of the flow.  We walked along on stones in the creek and saw several small brook trout, noticeable by the distinctive white stripe along the pelvic and pectoral fins.

On the drive into Laneville, we noticed that the bridge near the cabin was badly damaged and that there was a sign posted warning that the bridge will not support heavy loads.  As dusk approached, a two of the full time Laneville residents came by for a visit.  We were impressed that they live in the remote community all year even though the area gets some exceptionally harsh winter weather.  To take care of the bridge and other common areas, they are trying to raise money from everyone who has property in the area.  The road and bridge are not on state property and are not maintained by the state.  A local resident has offered to do the repairs if he can get the materials paid.

After our visitors left, we did more cleaning.  No one has been at the cabin for a while and there was a lot of evidence of rodents.  In addition, there was a lot of general dust and dirt that had collected.  One of the neighbors had removed a branch that had fallen in front of the cabin, and there is a good bit of work that needs to be done to get the place in good order.  After cleaning and straightening, we read for a while then turned in.  It was so nice to be there were there was no television, no Internet, no cell signal or other distractions.  We could just enjoy being there.  The cool mountain air made for great sleeping and the warm sleeping bags felt pretty good.

View Larger Map