Charleston, West Virgina

Our next State Capital visit was to Charleston, West Virginia, on July 14, 2011.  Dubbed as West Virginia’s most recognizable and notable building, the state capitol stands tall fronting the Kanawha River. It is located right along US Route 60, an east-west national highway that stretches 2,670 miles from Virginia to Arizona. The magnificent 293- foot gold dome which tops the structure is five feet higher than the dome of the U.S. Capitol. The entire dome is gilded in 23 ½ karat gold leaf applied to the copper and lead roof in tiny 3 3/8 inch squares.  The garden was quite beautiful this time of year, and we spent a lot of time walking outside taking pictures of the landscape. As luck would have it, there was a quilt display in progress across the street at the State Museum, and we spent some time there enjoying the beautiful works of art.

Charleston, South Carolina

Our original plan was to spend just two or three days in Charleston, South Carolina, on our way to Columbia, the capitol. But Lake Aire RV Park seemed like a peaceful haven after a rather intense bout of traveling, so we extended our stay to one week. Still not enough time, it never is, but it was a much needed respite, with a few down days interspersed amongst the touring.

While in Charleston we visited Fort Sumter, the historic location of the first shot of the Civil War; Fort Moultrie, first built of palmetto logs, which inspired the flag and nickname (Palmetto State) of South Carolina; Patriots Point Naval Museum, which included the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown and the submarine, USS Clamagore; a walking tour of downtown Charleston; and a picnic at the beach.

 So much of the history of the South is about the Civil War, and this year (2011) and month (April) marking the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the war, it seems there was some reminder of this everywhere we went. War is not my favorite subject; I much prefer peace. However, I do realize the Civil War was pivotal in shaping US history, and I have to accept this aspect of our country's development. Still, I much prefer memorials to peace than to war.