Almost Heaven

Editor’s Note:
In honor of West Virginia Day – 3-22-2020 – I am reposting this piece from October 2012. There are two new photos, and the web links have been updated. Enjoy!

Almost Heaven, West Virginia

Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River….

During my recent trip to West Virginia, I frequently heard John Denver’s voice in my head, singing the opening lines to “Take Me Home, Country Road.”

Early October was a beautiful time to visit the Mountain State. The rolling hills near Wheeling were covered with trees dressed in a variety of autumn colors.

The wooded areas hummed with insects; occasionally birds called out – when they weren’t busily eating!

Although we encountered a few sprinkles during the week, for the most part the temperature was in the mid 70s — t-shirt weather. (When I left Sacramento, the temperatures were in the upper 90s, so this coolness was heavenly!)

A few travel details:

Carrieanna and I traveled separately to Pittsburgh, PA, where we connected at the airport and drove the 55 miles to Wheeling.

I left early Saturday morning and after a brief layover in Washington DC (Dulles), I continued to Pittsburgh. I had made arrangements to rent a car from Hertz, and received excellent service and helpful directions from Penny at the rental counter.

I did a little shopping – foodstuffs and sundries – while waiting for Carrieanna’s flight to arrive from San Jose, CA by way of Minneapolis/St. Paul.

She flew via Delta Airlines; they charged her $20 per checked bag, and apparently manhandled her foldable wheelchair; a wheel fell off during our stay in Wheeling. (Thank goodness for Andy at Wheelcraft Bicycles, who quickly and carefully repaired it.)

However, she arrived safely and told me that the people at the airports had been very helpful to her. She also noted that being among the last to board was very helpful to her, as it meant less actual sitting on the plane.

Leaving Pittsburgh International Airport a little after 11:00 p.m., we drove to Oglebay Resort and Conference Center in Wheeling, where we had a room at the Wilson Lodge. Although we arrived well after midnight, the staff was very pleasant and helpful in getting all our bags to our “handicap accessible” room.

(Because we didn’t get to bed until nearly 1:00 a.m., and because travel greatly fatigues Carrieanna due to her MS, we were eager to sleep late on Sunday. However, the room was not soundproof, two wedding receptions had been held at Wilson Lodge the night before, and the guests seemed inclined to let their doors slam shut. Our first night was not restful. Fortunately that was the only really noisy night.)

While Carrieanna slept on Sunday, I explored Wheeling a little …

… and did some walking around the grounds of Oglebay.

I could probably write a separate post about Oglebay and the grounds, the shops, the walking trail, the Environmental Center, and all of the amenities we enjoyed during our stay.

Instead, I’ll be fairly succinct:

The lodge was beautiful, the staff was always very helpful, and the food was good.

The walking path was wide and well-paved, periodically sloped (offering a reasonable workout if walking briskly) but nearly always accessible.

(We saw many, many deer on the Oglebay property.)

We loved the Schrader Environmental Education Center, with its observation deck …

… and butterfly garden.

We loved browsing at the Carriage House Glass Shop — although we neglected to go downstairs to the Glass Museum; next time! — and the Gourmet Shop.

We had traveled to Wheeling for three reasons:

First, to spend some time with Carrieanna’s Aunt Becky and Uncle Ted;

(We had a delicious lunch at Figaretti’s Restaurant; family owned since 1948)

Second, to see the undeveloped property Ted and his late brother, Richard, (Carrieanna’s father) owned in Taylor County (near Valley Falls State Park);

(Ted at the Taylor County Property)

(View from the neighbors’ deck, overlooking Valley Falls State Park)

And, finally, to visit the home and neighborhood where Richard (and Ted, and their sister, Mimi) had grown up.

(Cobblestones made it difficult for Carrieanna to roll down Birch Avenue)

(The Hess family home on Birch Avenue, Wheeling, West Virginia.)

Our visit included dinner at Ye Olde Alpha …

“ … a landmark restaurant and watering hole of Wheeling, West Virginia. We pride ourselves on our dead animals, cold beer, and classic American food served in a casual family setting.”

(We found handicap parking and the access ramp on the side)

We also thoroughly enjoyed our two-hour tour  (including shopping) of Cabela’s in the Highland.

(Although the sign says the ramp is not accessible, Carrieanna had no problem rolling down it.)

We could not have asked for more beautiful weather on the day we visited the Taylor County Property, although the recent rain had muddied the dirt road, making it inaccessible for a wheelchair.

We also enjoyed visiting Valley Falls State Park in nearby Fairmont, West Virginia. There was an accessible path, which allowed Carrieanna to get close enough for a good view of the falls.

And then we were off to Fairmont to connect with some family members and enjoy dinner at Muriale’s Restaurant on our last night in West Virginia.

As we packed and prepared for our flights back to California, Carrieanna and I discussed some of the accessibility challenges we had noticed during our trip. For instance:

• In some public restrooms (i.e., at the airport), the hand towel dispenser was placed so far from the sink that Carrieanna had to wheel herself (with wet and no-longer-clean hands) to get a paper towel.

• On two different occasions we encountered vehicles parked directly in front of curb cuts, making them inaccessible for a wheelchair.

On a positive note, Carrieanna had much more legroom on her flights with United Airlines, and there was no extra cost for her two pieces of checked luggage.

She was also extremely impressed with the assistance she received and the kindness extended by the United flight attendants and ground crew – especially as they delivered and made ready her foldable wheelchair when she deplaned in San Jose.

United Airlines will be our first choice in airlines for future flights.

In spite of the few challenges, our trip to West Virginia was truly “Almost Heaven” and we look forward to future visits to the Mountain State!