We took a day and drove the Subaru from Marlinton to the little town of Anawalt, WV. My departed stepmother, and my sister Felicia, are from there. My sister told me a little about the place before I left on the trip. It is in south WV, west of Bluefield, in what was big coal country. The coal days have declined, and the region is very poor now.
Sign welcoming us to Anawalt
I was not prepared for what I saw here, the is Appalachian rural poverty at it's peak. The town is full of boarded up businesses, and the houses with people living there are in very poor condition.
Near the middle of Anawalt.
I did not want to take too many pictures, or embarrass the folks here. This is where they choose to live, it is Almost Heaven as far as the country goes, there is absolute freedom, but no jobs. No industry, and very little coal now. Nothing to do, my sister asked if I saw all the children there, she said now you know what people do! I did see some nice gardens, and there is a little fishing lake outside town that is nice. Coming back from the lake, I had to stop to let some goats cross the road:
Yes, goats!
For a few days, I debated if I should tell my sister I went there, but I can't keep a secret (even though I used to hold a Top Secret Special Intellegence clearance). I also went down the road to Jenkinjones, a similar town, and then we drove around some coal roads until we got good and lost. We explored around the area a little, looked at a couple Wildlife Management Areas I thought about camping at earlier, and I'm glad I didn't. I was distressed to see the McDowell County Career Center grown over with what looked like several years' worth of weeds.
A few days later, we went to the Greenbriar Hotel where the super rich from the east coast come to play golf or whatever they do. I saw money dripping off the trees, and left without taking pictures or taking any kind of tour. I had wanted to see where the Cold War government shelter was, but I just had to get away from all the stuffiness.
So, we saw the poorest and the richest in the space of a few days. But I also saw a few very old men, who would be proud to call themselves hillbillies, who had a modest home, nice garden, maybe a little farm, an older car, and very contented attitudes. They had everything they really wanted, and had enjoyed long lives in the place they choose to call "Almost Heaven". And I thought about how I had to go back to Dayton to chase the dollar for four more years (or chase health care), and how the folks at the Greenbriar mostly worry about protecting what they have or getting more, money, things, and power.
I am coming closer to understanding what I read recently, that the richest ones are those who have the fewest wants. And I think my plan to retire at 55 and travel in the motorhome looks better and better. I've not been a very materialistic person, I think I value freedom and adventure more than things. As long as my needs are met, and I have the wherewithal to travel with the RV, I think I will come close to what I saw inside those old country gentlemen.
Emo, Ellen, and I did hike my favorite local park today, Possum Creek Metropark. I forgot my camera, but I'll get some pictures soon. The wildflowers were in bloom in the prarie, and we bumped into some other recovering alcoholics and addicts who were having a cookout. Then we took our friend Kathleen to lunch to celebrate her 32nd year sobriety anniversary. Yea, I'm rich in many ways.
Enough philosophy, next time I promise pictures from the beautiful West Virginia outdoors.
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