Nomad Life - Day 45

My day began at about 0630 (somehow, I'd gotten some sleep...) and I was able to get breakfast at the Ramada Inn in Wytheville about 30 minutes later.  During my meal, I kept trying to figure out how to juggle three different goals: attending Mass, getting in a walk/hike and making it to (at least) Eastern Kentucky by bed time.  It turned out to be very difficult to match all of these conflicting plans and, as a result, I decided to target the lodging element first.  Coordinating with friends I planned to see in the Louisville area, I worked out a schedule for the week that required a hotel for Sunday and Monday nights.  Armed with these details, I chose Frankfort (capital of the state) as my HQ and began researching hotels on Booking.com.  Surprisingly, I found a swanky boutique hotel called "The St. Clair" available for a relatively reasonable amount - the best rate was nonrefundable but I ended up choosing the location.  Next, I checked on Catholic Churches along my route and realized I was missing the 0900 service at the closest available parish and would have to wait until (at least) 1100 for another service within 100 miles.  Unsure of what to do, I ended up just packing up my car and starting my drive north on I-77.  The weather was spectacularly nice again (70s, sunny, very little wind) and the drive from Virginia into West Virginia went well.  I stopped in Princeton (WV) to check out a church and, while waiting for Mass to start, got gas at Sheetz (1010).  Checking the distance and ETA for Frankfort, I realized I couldn't get there any earlier than about 1730 with no stops.  This sealed the deal: if I wanted to get outdoor exercise, I needed to do it ASAP and then get back on the road towards my hotel.  Coincidentally, one of the elusive National Park units, Bluestone National Scenic River, was nearby.  While it doesn't have much in the way of official infrastructure, there are two West Virginia State Parks that can be used to access it.  I headed towards one of them, Pipestem Resort State Park, on WV-20.  When I arrived at the entrance (1040), I was surprised to find they weren't collecting fees!  I parked at the first roadside trailhead I found and took a hike (about one mile, round trip) on the Pipestem Knob Trail so I could climb the Bolar Observation Tower (3K feet elevation).  What a view!  I could see lots of rolling hills and a big valley below - very nice.  After returning to my car, I continued deeper into the park.  There were all kinds of recreational activities: archery, horseback riding, golf, disk golf, swimming, etc.  Without a map, I needed to use the road signage but it turned out to be very easy to find the Aerial Tramway I'd read about online.  By 1115, I was standing on the rim of a spectacular gorge - the Bluestone River wasn't actually visible from there and it was going to take a ride to the bottom of the gorge to access it.  Getting onboard the tram was free (they only charge for the return trip) and I learned that this was only the second weekend the (completely new) machinery had been in use.  Apparently, this was the 55th Anniversary of Pipestem Resort and the tram itself and everything was themed (with "55") accordingly.  I really enjoyed my ride into the gorge and especially liked that it crossed the Bluestone River before we reached the bottom.  When I got off the lift, started talking to an older couple who were in an adjacent car.  They told me they'd actually ridden the older version of the tram in 1970 (when it first opened) and had come back just to ride the updated equipment.  They were clearly prepared for a hike and they gave me some suggestions about walking along the western edge of the river (River Trail) - apparently, it is possible to walk from there to Bluestone State Park!  I thanked them for the suggestion and then explored the area near the Aerial Tramway.  The park had a hotel and (closed for now) restaurant, playgrounds and lots of fishing and zipline opportunities - it looked like a wonderful place to get away from everything.  During the next 90 minutes, I explored along the river and used my Merlin app (lots of interesting birds!).  Before I was done, I again encountered the new friends I'd made - they passed me on the River Trail with plans to stay out much longer.  In each direction of my (roughly) two mile hike, I encountered fearless deer who barely strayed from the trail when I passed.  There were also a LOT of leaves falling in the forest - Fall is almost here!  Back at the gift shop next to the tramway building, I bought a return ticket ($5.50) and rode back to the top of the gorge (arrived at 1300).  Noticing a nearby shop with $0.55 scoops for sale, I got myself some ice cream and did some people watching on the rim.  Like I'd noticed in Wytheville, the Southern accent was pronounced and there was a whole different (though once familiar, during my 20+ years living below the Mason-Dixon) attitude among my fellow humans.  Primarily, friendliness and respect was very evident.  After about 15 minutes in the sun, I headed back to my car and (reluctantly) departed the State Park through the "back gate".  On WV-20 again, I drove north to Hinton, with short stops at the lake where the Bluestone State Park and National Scenic River HQs were.  I took some photos but decided not to tarry - my Google Maps had already updated my arrival in Frankfort to 1845 and I didn't want to get into town too late.  Using a series of back roads, I made my way to I-64, passing through the southern end of the New River Gorge National Park.  This park, which my kids and I loved to visit when they were younger, was upgraded to NP status during the last few years and the signage showed the local pride.  Before I was done on the "Blue Highways" for the day, I got to see people paddling duckies (see AUG 2007 and AUG 2016) in the New River - what fun!  Once on the Interstate, I made my way west at good speeds until I reached Beckley.  Due to my map settings (no toll roads), I got to take three different detours on VERY rural country roads.  Despite the slower speeds, though, I saw some of the same cars each time I got back on the highway and I soon learned (when I was approaching Charleston) that traffic kept getting snarled up whenever the road got too narrow or curvy.  As a result, my ETA for Frankford didn't change very much, despite my exit and reentry to avoid the tolls.  In any case, I reached the Kanawha River and the speeds picked up tremendously after I-64 split off from I-77.  Things looked good for me as I approached the Kentucky border and I thought it would be smooth sailing to my hotel.  However, the St. Clair then started emailing me about special check-in and identity verification requirements.  This required me to stop (to complete the online forms and make some phone calls) - I felt like I was applying to rent an apartment!  During the time when I was stopped, I got dinner at McDonalds in Huntington (WV).  Finally feeling ready to continue my drive, I got back on the Interstate, crossed the Big Sandy River and entered the Blue Grass State.  From there, my drive felt so much easier - the roads were wide (even with construction), the speeds were higher (70 mph) and the countryside was beautiful.  I wasn't able to make up any time (and had lost some with the stop for food) but still managed to exit I-64 at Midway by about 1900.  The farmland, pretty fences, rolling hills and ubiquitous horses brought back happy memories - once, long ago, I'd traveled through Kentucky more regularly and always loved the countryside.  Using US-62, US-421 and US-60, I made my way into Downtown Frankfurt (arrived at 1920).  Locating the parking garage (on Catfish Alley), my Subaru and Thule cartop carrier passed the first test of my Nomad Life when I was able to cross under the 6' 9" barrier - this was a relief because I'd measured the height before (as 6' 8") but was never certain.  I was then able to park in one of the reserved spots for the St. Clair and, after repacking bags to make sure I brought "appropriate attire" for the accommodations, walked across the street to enter my hotel.  The instructions, like the "application process" for gaining a reservation, were extensive - fortunately, all the automated processes and entry codes worked exactly as it should and I soon found myself entering my Queen Studio/Loft.  It appeared that the building was quite old - it had exposed brickwork and old wooden planking on the floors that decried industrial or commercial use.  The interior renovations were spectacular - all I can say is WOW!!!  In many years of traveling, I've rarely ended up in the kind of place that makes me afraid to touch anything (for fear of damaging).  I got my computers set up, took photos to share with my daughters and then got changed so I could walk around in the neighborhood.  Before I was able to leave my room, though, the all-knowing staff (tipped off by my use of the codes, I guess), had invited me to visit the Bourbon bar downstairs: Howser Tavern.  They gave me a secret code word to use with the staff that was supposed to give me access to a special speakeasy on premises - I tried the code and was informed that there wasn't enough bar staff to allow it to open except for special occasions.  The bartender lady (Cheri) was very apologetic and actually let me look inside (sort of a mini tour).  Everything was even fancier than the hotel and I learned that politicians, lawyers, doctors, etc. use the place as a quiet rest stop - and to store their expensive bottles of Kentucky Bourbon!  So that's how the "other half" live...  Returning to Howser's, I ordered a genuine Kentucky Old Fashioned ("Barrel & Bourbon", with cherry and chocolate added).  The only other bar patrons were three friends from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who were in town for a week long Bourbon Trail excursion.  They'd already had two days to try three or four distilleries but weren't even close to being finished.  It was fun to talk to them about their plans and they were interested in why I'd be in Frankfort if it wasn't for the bourbon (haha).  I also learned that the St. Clair had only opened as a hotel during the previous year or two - a lucky break for me to find it before everyone else did... Before closing time (2100), I ordered a drink called the "Sweet Mollie" (made it Maker's Mark and other tasty ingredients) in honor of my daughter.  Afterwards, I still wasn't ready to be finished with my day so spent about 45 minutes walking in the neighborhood.  I checked out the St. Clair Street Bridge (closed for demolition, which was unfortunate because I heard it was called the "Singing Bridge"), the Frankfort Boat Club, some old churches, the Old State Capitol (Broadway Street) and the general layout of "my" part of the Downtown.  Once I was satisfied that I had a good sense of what there was nearby, I returned to my room at the St. Clair (2200).  Unlike other evenings recently, I was ready for sleep by 2230 and didn't prolong things with late-night reading or games.  Instead, I drifted easily off to sleep in my wonderful hotel room.  What a busy day!