Lots of excitement Friday. Within an hour driving out of West Virginia, we rescued a dog, averted disaster by preventing the van from breaking down, visited an incredible waterfall, and careened down some more scary steep hills.
Chapter 1, Blackwater Falls:
Not as large as Niagra, the Blackwater Falls in West Virginia just outside of the town of Thomas Gorgeous, natural water falls nestled within the forested mountains of West Virginia. The sloping stairs which have been rebuilt since their initial construction in 1962 offer scenically distant and stunningly close vantage points to gaze at the natural beauty of this fall. Even in the rain which began to drench us as we took videos and pictures, the Blackwater Falls were a welcome respite from the road.
Chapter 2, 'Gus the Cocker Spaniel':
Still leaving West Virginia, we stopped in at a gas station when Eric notices a small dog running around in the middle of the two lane highway. Having the big heart that he does, he runs into the street to retrieve the soaking wet, dirty blond cocker spaniel, walking it by its collar to the gas station. The name on the tag says 'Gus', but the phone number leads to a voice mail. We face a dilemma. What happens if we can't get a hold of the owner? Do we leave the dog by gas station? Do we take the dog with us? We wait as Eric towels off the dog with his Drake shirt, asking customers coming in an out if they know the dog's owner before a middle aged townie stops by to assist Eric. She calls the phone number again and reaches the owner who thankfully retrieves Gus within a matter of minutes. Dog rescued, owner happy, Eric's conscious clear, band Karma positive.
Chapter 3,'The Smoking Van':
Still making our way out of the God-forsaken, hilly wilderness that is West Virginia, Nic and Eric notice that there is smoke wafting from under the hood of the van. We pull over on a gravel shoulder pitched at a slightly smaller angle than the hills we were driving on to examine our situation. No warning lights have come on to indicate an issue. Coolant is full, oil is slightly low but not drastically, and there are no other obvious signs of engine malfunction. After letting the engine rest for a few minutes, we coast down the rest of the mountain before stopping at a gas station to top off the oil. Extra oil appears to temporarily fix the problem, but the van is still making unnatural and strained noises.
Chapter 4, 'Redemption at the Bullfrog Brewery':
We arrive early to The Bullfrog Brewery in Williamsport, Pennsylvania in a tired vehicle. The brewery has a cozy, family dining atmosphere with hard wood floors, a polished, wooden bar, and shiny brewing tanks all around. After a delicious complimentary dinner (Cesar Salad for me, enormous burgers for Eric and Nic) with a tasty, smoky porter to drink, we set up in front of the brewing tanks where there used to be a dinner table just moments before.
We have an incredible night, again feeding off the energy of a very responsive audience. We sell over $100 in merchandise which on top of our generous guarantee, more than makes up for West Virginia and are allowed to sleep on the floor of the banquet room above the main bar.
We closed up the night with two pitchers of beer from the bar and a full growler. The super friendly staff hang out with us until the early morning when we finally resign to our sleeping bags. Something tells me we'll be back to Williamsport in the near future.
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| An awesome mural on the wall outside the Bullfrog Brewery. Local legendaries of Williamsport. |
