Charleston, WV

I had last night off so I got a mom and pop motel room on the Kawhana river in Charleston, WV. I wanted a river-side view but that cost more and my rules state I can spend no more than $40 a night n a room. It would have been nice if Mr. Patel had given me a riverside room since it was Monday night and the place was deserted. Instead of getting this

I got

I had dinner and drinks at the Riverside Anchor Bar and Restaurant next door. This was exactly what I was looking for when I decided to take this roadtrip. The food was good and the drinks were cheap. One of the ladies working there started sneaking shots. I hung out with Evelyn the bartender
We took turns playing the juke box. She told me some of the girls that work here have habits but I'm thinking proper dental hygeine wasn't one of them. She showed me her "skinny" pictures- pics of her in her underwear taken who knows how many years ago.
And old cat that lives in the hotel I'm at named Luther came in, ate dinner and left. Evelyn went outside to have a smoke and said, "Make sure Luther dont steal tequila. I know he left but if he
sees me smoking he'll sneak in and swipe some." So, I sat at the bar and guarded the well tequila from a Luther raid which never materialized.
The Luther-free bar;
I went and made friends at local hillbilly bar called Halfway Home. If youve ever seen the news coverage of the wives of trapped West Virginia cola miners you'll notice they are all morbidly obese women, (perhaps the miners choose to trap themselves?). The gals in this bar were no different. I heard one of the babes refer to a nearby town as "Niggerville". I decided it was time to go outside to the fenced-in yard.
They had a campfire going outside. I started chatting with Billy and Dudley. Billy used to live in a van in the bar's parking lot. In a nearby shed they had an old hi-fi record player from the 70's on paint cans playing John Denver's West Virginia, Mountain Mama. Billy's daughter bought it, and a ton of records, for $20. I can't imagine a better night on this road-trip.
Billy and me;

Billy's new record player;

I owe Dudley a drink, (sorry Dudley, I forgot to buy you one. I am mailing money and a note to the bar today. You'll have a drink on my by Friday. I'm not kidding)
I woke up the next morning to see tugboats pushing barges up the river in the pouring rain.


Next stop; Winston-Salem, NC.