Country Roads, West Virginia…

I had some trouble getting into the United States last week.  One of the (many) problems I had was that I didn’t know the name of the city my accommodation was in.  I had the name of the inn, the state and the website, but the immigration officer at Dullas Airport wanted to know the city. I told him it wasn’t in a city: it was in the countryside. “The whole state is countryside!” he retorted.

Turns out, he was pretty right on that score. We are sitting at the north end of the Shenandoah Valley, near Charles Town. This small city, which is still home to the Charles Town Races, was named for George Washington’s youngest brother who built a substantial home there and laid out the town itself in 1780. And there are plenty of other small, historic towns near by. But mostly, there is a lot of countryside!

George Washington owned the land the Inn is situated on; but then, it seems he (or his family) owned much of the state! This really is rural USA at its best: we have a horse farm next door, and the surrounding ‘suburbs’ comprise long, immaculate driveways leading to massive two-story gabled houses sitting on five acres of perfectly manicured lawns dotted with stately old trees.  I really need to get out and explore further afield, but in spite of overcast and wet weather, just rambling locally with John Denver’s songs in my head has been a joy.

Today I’m off to visit Harper’s Ferry. Wishing you Happy Rambles!