Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Off Again

Yesterday after an early morning trip to Roanoke to pass (yes, I did) the state insurance exam love of my life and I decided to go to Fries , (pronounced "freeze) a charming little town on the banks of the New River and collect some premium. The New River is the second oldest river in the world and one of the few that flow north. We crossed at the Fries Junction Bridge and entered the quaint little town. Now, there is not much left to support the town since the textile mills closed. It has a medium annual income much less than the national average.

The New River Gorge in West Virginia is known for white water rafting and the annual bridge jump. For some unknown reason otherwise sane people jump off this bridge using a variety of methods like bungies and parachutes to keep from crashing into the river some 900+ feet below. They've been doing this in October for the past 27 years and it is one of the premier extreme sports events in the world.

But what Fries has is more charm than any town it's size can imagine. Located on the bank of New River, the homes are small and closely spaced reminiscent of most resort villages. The main street is narrow, just wide enough to accommodate two lanes of traffic. The State Park follows the river through town. Wanda and I both thought this would be a great place for tourism to develop. The river, the park, and the secluded scenic quaintness of the town make for a wonderful escape. At this point reservations at the local Bed and Breakfast should be available.

Later today I must leave the beauty of our mountain for the congestion of Raleigh, North Carolina. So for two weeks I will be absent from several of my most favorite things, first and most important love of my life. Then there's our mountain which everyone says is one of the most beautiful areas around. And then there's all of you out there. I was going to put links to all my blog friends but there's too many so just take a sharp right and click on my blog roll. Some of you know each other and some you'll make new friends.

5 Comments:

Blogger John Cowart said...

Good news about your exam!

I live on the St Johns River, which also flows north.

8:23 AM  
Blogger Leslie Shelor said...

My grandmother lived in Beckley, near that bridge and we would go and watch the progress. Awesome sight. Fries is a lovely place and it's a beautiful drive over from here.

Have a safe trip and we'll miss ya!

9:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congrats to the exam and good luck with the stay away from Wanda :-)

We'll miss you too....

12:43 PM  
Blogger GUYK said...

All right! So now the fun starts at the sales school. Good luck and believe it or not sales skills can be taught--but some of us never learn. Have fun,

12:49 PM  
Blogger Cowtown Pattie said...

Two weeks?

If you must, you must...

Give 'em hell, BeanMan...

9:14 PM  

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