Papa's Birthday Excursion

On Saturday papa turned 64 and for his birthday he wanted to travel to West Virginia.
At 5:45 he got up and helped with the pancake breakfast for EFY which he has been doing all summer. Emilie got the keys all squared away for people coming on Monday for August term and then we left heading west.
Dad wanted to take his time and explore so we drove into Clifton Forge and Covington Virginia to look around. In Covington we were able to buy fresh fruits and vegetables at a road side stand so we loaded up on corn, peaches, tomatoes, watermelon and cantaloupe. We had brought a picnic lunch so we asked the locals where there was good picnic area. They directed us to Humpback Bridge where we had a chance to eat our lunch and enjoy the beauty. Tommy was not happy to not get to go in the water but it was a fun spot with a neat old bridge to see.

We got back on the road and headed to the Homestead which is a large famous old resort in the mountains. It was a beautiful drive and on the way back we took a detour to Lake Moomaw. Logan and Pappa got out of the car to go down to look at the lake while Emilie and I stayed in the car with Tommy, who promptly woke up. As we were getting out of the car it started to rain and by the time the guys got back to the car it was pouring.
As we traveled down the mountain we were in what could only be described as torrential rain!
By the time we got back to the main road, the rain had stopped and the roads were dry. Amazing!
We then moved on to visit the Greenbriar resort where we drove around the luxorious resort. Underneath one wing of the hotel is a bunker that was designed to hold the entire US Congress in case of an emergency. A journalist exposed it in 1992 so they had to abandon it and so it is now open for tours. Since it cost $30 a piece and none under 10 are allowed in. We decided to skip it this time!
We next went furthere on into West Virginia! Our destination was Lewisburg and we found it to be a charming little town. We got out and walked around and visited an old cemetery where Tommy could run.We walked the main street and ate in an Irish Pub where we had Bangers and Mash, Irish Stew and Corned Beef Hash. There was a wonderful Banjo/Fiddle player that we all enjoyed.
We ended the day with the ride home with a lightening show all across the sky! It was a wonderful day and a great way for Pappa to start his 65th year!