wv top ten

leaving WV: TU

leaving WV: fishing in Pocahontus (sp?) County

leaving WV: state politics

leaving WV: living historic district, walking Kanawha, going downtown, race on virginia, vandalia, bluegrass kitchen

leaving WV: Mtn Stage

leaving WV: story of Frank

leaving WV: bridge day

unpacking

The moving van showed up and unloaded 17,000 pounds of household goods. One of the movers was a college student and basketball player. He ran all day long with boxes, furniture and whatever. It was raining (of course) and the inside of the van got a little wet and slick. He would slide down the wood slats like he was skateboarding. The driver's only request is that he move most things only once. We had them move a TV but other than that our furniture measurements and diagram worked fine.

Several neighbors stopped by and welcomed us to the neighborhood. Very nice.

leaving WV: the Greenbrier

The Greenbrier is a resort in southeastern West Virginia. I stayed there as part of my interview process with the notion that it would be part of my job responsibilities. Indeed, the hospital association, physician society and state business chamber all had their annual meetings there. Meetings at the Greenbrier are a veritable Who's Who in the state. The grounds and hotel are impeccable. The amenities are enticing. The food is delicious. It was a treat to go there. I met a lot of people, learned about the state, represented my company and had fun in the process.
http://www.greenbrier.com/site/

odometer 2,590

Well, Mapquest was right: 2,590 miles later, I am in Eugene. Had a very nice ride from Bend. Bachelor and the Sisters were glistening with new snow. Hood was up north. Went past the Metolius River, Sutter Lake and hooked up with the McKenzie. The air was crisp and clean. Stopped for a very good latte.

Since we arrived in Oregon, things have felt very good. I realize I am comparing the landscape to Nebraska, Missouri and the like, but Oregon looks really good. The open range. The grand rivers. The colorful mixture of deciduous trees turning color against the green evergreen and blue sky. The conical mountain peaks.

Anyhow, we got the key from the realtor and went to our house. Everything is clean and very much in order.

leaving WV: golf

I really don't play golf. I have had and continue to have an interest in golf. It's just that it is an outdoor sport that takes all day and competes directly with fishing. In my position as President, I was invited to many Hospital Foundation golf fund raisers and, indeed, we held our own tournaments to cultivate broker relationships. So, I decided, I really needed to take up golf. I joined Edgewood Country Club, got some new clubs, booked lessons with the pro and started practicing regularly. Little by little, I started to develop a game. Usually in a tournament with "captain's choice" or "best ball" rules, I would contribute several strokes to the team. If handicaps were involved, I could make a large contribution because mine was so high. West Virginia has some wonderful golf courses, including the Pete Dye at Clarksburg which is part of the Nationwide Tour.

Edgewood also has a very traditional club with good dining in a comfortable atmosphere.
http://www.edgewoodcc.com/

odometer 2,461

I'm in Bend, Oregon. There were some heavy gusts of wind this morning that shook the car. Other than that, it was sunny and cool. After buzzing along on I-84 at a comfortable 75 mph, I turned off on highway 20 in southeastern Oregon. The two lane road was slow with a 55 mph speed limit and small towns with 25 mph sections. Tomorrow morning, I'll drive to my destination, Eugene. I'm staying in a hotel I have stayed at many times before and ate dinner in a restaurant I've eaten at before. So, I guess, it's some kind of homecoming.

leaving WV: my job

I moved to West Virginia for my job as President of a health plan. I enjoyed that work. I made a major contribution to the organization. I instilled the people with a sense of enthusiasm, pride and accomplishment. We significantly improved performance. The health plan business is a tough one. Employers want lower premiums; hospitals and physicians want increased compensation; members want more covered services and less out-of-pocket costs and the health plan is in the middle. I led in a complex environment and improved the organization's reputation in the process. Despite the complexity of the business roles, I met a lot of wonderful people in the process and enjoy my relationship with several hospital administrators.

leaving WV: photo essay

I created a photo essay of my West Virginia memories. See the tab, Photos or FlickrPhotos. It shows photos of my house, different fishing spots, music venues, political events and a nice sunset.

http://www.patrickdowd.com/photo/album/72157602766370074/West-Virginia.html

odometer 2,012

Spending tonight in Twin Falls, Idaho. This morning, there was frost on the car windshields. Drove across Wyoming. The Snowy Range had a light dusting of snow, glistening in the early morning light. Went past the Green River and memories of a fine fishing adventure. Had lunch in Ogden; it's pretty with snow covered mountains around it. So far, the trip has been smooth and uneventful. At worst, it's tiring and somewhat boring. I miss exercising, walking around and socializing with people. Basically, we drive, eat and sleep. I don't think I would like being a truck driver.

Tonight we are in a Holiday Inn Express, last night in a Comfort Inn. Another night in some other kind of Inn, maybe Quality. I think I prefer Holiday Inn Express, but I couldn't tell you why. They seem pretty much the same, especially the breakfasts.

odometer 1,547

Made it to Rawlins, Wyoming. It's raining and about 35 degrees. I'm back in altitude, 6,755 feet. Nebraska was Nebraska. There were some trees along the Platte. Overall, I was thankful for CDs and audio books. The day was warm and sunny until I hit Wyoming.

odometer 1,077

Over one thousand miles from Charleston, about 40% of the way there. I'm in Kearney, Nebraska, headquarters for Cabela's. Got stuck in Friday evening rush hour in St. Louis. Got stuck in Saturday morning football traffic this morning, the Missouri Tigers. I'm listening to an audio tape by Thomas Friedman entitled, "The World is Flat." By the look of things around here, he is correct.

Because we are driving two cars, we can't switch drivers. 500 miles per day is a lot. The directions say, get on I-80 and go 828 miles. I won't have to make any turns tomorrow.

leaving West Virginia

With considerable sadness, I leave West Virginia. The best part of the state is the people. I have met some wonderful people here: honest, engaging, intelligent, and committed. People full of heart and integrity. The culture and history are unique and interesting: hard work, tough times, and a sense of togetherness in the midst of geographic isolation. When I think of West Virginia, I hear the fiddle playing in the hollow. I see the people coming together to enjoy each other's company.

The second best part is the hills, the mountains of West Virginia. They are abundant and they are beautiful. Pocahontas County and the Monongahela National Forest are magnificent. The Elk, Cranberry and Williams Rivers are full of trout and the pristine scenery is gorgeous.

In the end, I feel like I, too, have abandoned

odometer 53: homeless

The house is sold; the cash is in the checking account. The house is now empty (and clean). The supersize Allied van wasn't quite full. The crew was very professional, friendly, energetic and got the job done; they closed the doors about 6:30 p.m. We drove 53 miles to Ashland, just over the Ohio River in Kentucky. We have no home, but I don't feel homeless. The movers thought we would weigh in at over 15,000 pounds, maybe as high as 18.

move route: 2,576

Basically, we take I-64 west to Kansas City, work our way north and hook up with I-80 around Lincoln, go on through Wyoming and then Salt Lake City. Go north for aways on I-84, wander through southeastern Oregon toward Bend...and then we are there. About 2,576 miles and 38.5 hours of drive time.

sad

I feel sad.
Possessions out of place.
Relationships disrupted.
A gray sky and a chilly morn'.

The Fall is a time of new growth dying,
the sunset of the summer.
My house, that was my home, is torn apart.
Things are missing.
I live out of a suitcase, my toilitries in a bag on the vanity.
The surround sound, once 7.1 is now 3.1.
The cans of food are gone, ravioli, chicken noodle soup, all.
My office, now full of furniture and boxes, has no room for me.
Children grown, friends left behind.
Memories fading, the past crowding the present.

Tomorrow, the movers come.
Today, the last day in this house, in this town.
Yes, it's still the States.
No matter where I go, I am still here.
Yes, I know, once I'm on the interstate,
everything will be behind me, and
my eyes will look ahead, constantly.
I will speedily go West into future time zones to
catch up with new memories.

But, today, now,
I feel  sad.

Eugene local fishing water

One of the attractions of Eugene, Oregon, is the fishing. The new house isn't on the river, but there is plenty of local water. Here are some fishing spots and distances from home.

The McKenzie River, famous for McKenize driftboats:
--at the lower end of the McKenzie
    at Walterville, 20 miles, 30 minutes
    at Coburg, 14 miles, 20 minutes
--farther upstream to Rainbow 55 miles, 1 hour, upper fishing area

The Willamette River, joins the Columbia River at Portland
--in town, 4 miles, 12 minutes
--upper Willamette at Westfir below the dam, 40 miles, 50 minutes

Fern Ridge Reservoir, at Veneta, 17 miles, 31 minutes

Ocean at Florence, mouth of Siuslaw River, 64 miles, 1.5 hours

Umpqua River at Winchester, 65 miles, 1 hr 7 minutes

Rogue River at Grants Pass, 137 miles, 2 hrs 16 minutes

Deschutes River at Bend, 133 miles, 2 hrs 32 minutes

Most of the rivers have resident trout as well as seasonal runs of steelhead and salmon. The problem will be to decide which direction to go and what species to pursue.

4Sale

George returned to pick up the metal cabinet. The owners of the house had left it in the basement when we bought the house. Then he started to look at my speakers, my old surround sound system: there were five speakers, a center, two rear and two front. The day before, we had talked fishing. Now, he presented some flies he had tied for me: big nymphs with black chenille and orange undersides. I started to explain how the amplifier worked and how to hook up all those speakers so they worked.

Then Sharp showed up. George had already pulled up to the garage. Sharp parked his big 4x4 truck in the driveway. He had his football-playing son with him. Three other ladies were buying glassware, jewelry and knick knacks. George decided to buy all the surround sound speaks, the amplifier AND the big Merlin, floor-standing speakers. I told him he would really be thumping with the 125 watts per channel Pioneer. He pulled his "mad money"from his wallet.

We went down to the basement. The dryer was still going. The washer had leaked water all over the floor where I had disconnected the hoses. "Sorry, I wanted to get one more load of wash done before I let these go." "That's good advertising. Now I know they work," said Sharp. His son started moving the washer while I took the laundry out of the dryer. George couldn't leave anyway because Sharp had blocked him in the driveway, so he also came down to help. As we pushed and tugged the washer and dryer from the basement to the truck bed, we talked about Las Vegas and Buicks.

It was a good old-fashioned garage sale. We kept lowering our prices until virtually everything found a home. I found this process very satisfying. I did not want to part with many of these items and considered them valuable. Now, I knew the people that were taking my household goods and personal effects. I felt satisfied because they were happy to have them, they were new and different for them and would make their lives a little more comfortable. I was surprised how easy the process was and how fun it was to meet all these people.