Marlinton,WV-Blacksburg, VA 10/7 119 driving miles; 9.4 walking miles

If you ever get the chance, wander the back roads of West Virginia in early October. Time it so the leaves haven't been beaten off the trees because if you do (Even if you don't own a BMW roadster) you'll be treated to a winding wonderland, a raucous ribbon, a paved paragon matching any rollercoaster ride anywhere, and you don't even have to hang upside down, but you will be drooling. You'll twist through yellow forests, roll over lavishly lush pastures, and swiftly sweep downward beside deep hollows. You see craggy rocks and humped mountains so thick you'll be glad to be alive in the bright light of a fall day. We were the lucky fall travellers today, but anyone can do it-just back out of your driveway and punch a destination into your GPS. Highlights of the day included a natural wonder captured by man's ingenuity at Bear Town (See photos), and  a human wonder (Robert Head), owner of a book store for thirty-eight years in the vibrant little town (4,000) of Lewisburg, WV. We also toured another college campus: Virginia Tech.  (We've now toured Harvard, Boston University, Gettysburg College, Washington and Lee, Virginia Military Institute, and Virginia Tech).  I missed an opportunity to take a picture of a group of you VT students who were standing on the parade grounds asking people to write a definition of Jesus. I was having so much fun jibber-jabbering with them that I didn't get a group photo. Sorry to have missed that. But I can tell you, no one gave two old fat butts a second look as we walked around campus. I looked though, and I saw young people who feel safe, secure, hopeful, and engaged. We did stop Joe, a senior from DC because he had a Gonzaga shirt on. It turns out it was his high school. Who knew there was more than one Gonzaga? In short, we were blessed with another chunk of the good fortune which means as always that life is good, especially today.

Thin gruel for breakfast.

Marlinton, since the railroad left in 1978, isn't even a "jerk water" town anymore.

Beartown has this intricate boardwalk built among, through, and over these massive Appalachian boulders.

 Hey, Yogi! Are you asleep?

We drove through this stuff all day long.

And we saw quite a bit of this stuff. (It was too dangerous for me to drive and snap panoramic photos, but believe me, the vistas are amazing.

Robert Head, "best" human is a book store owner, a poet, a scholar, and likely much more. He was playing his piano when we walked into his store.

Thin gruel for lunch.

Virginia Tech campus.

Selfie of the day: Go Hokies!

Joe, not really a Zag fan, but a "best" human nonetheless.

I was so impressed, I had to donate a building.