The Morgantowner: June 2021

Sadder but wiser after last month, I set out for Kentucky, Tuesday June eighth and came back on Thursday the tenth. I left Tuesday after lunch, because I had to wait for the plumber to fix a clogged toilet and Joe had a funeral in the afternoon. It's 291 miles from Morgantown to Flemingsburg, almost my limit of 300 miles. I drove to the motel from the usual chain, in Morehead, a bigger town with a university, and a little closer to home. It's not a bad drive, all interstate, and I arrived about five, checked in and napped. The motel is one exit past the center of Morehead, and there isn't much at the exit. I drove back into town for dinner, and found a steak and beer place that was open to diners. Many places were not. I'm one of those "fully vaccinated" people who has permission from the Centers For Disease Control not to wear a mask. No one in this restaurant wore one. I ordered chicken teriyaki, probably wrong for the place, but I rarely eat beef and chicken and rice is my go-to. The "teriyaki sauce" was more like maple syrup. I came back to the room, plotted my route for Wednesday, and went to sleep by ten. It was light until after nine. All of Kentucky should technically be on Central time, but the eastern part of the state is on Eastern.

It's 51 miles along Route 32 between Flemingsburg, the county seat of Fleming County and Sandy Hook, the county seat of Elliott County. Fleming was this month's scheduled county; Elliott should have been last July, but one couldn't get out. Morehead is between them on Route 32.

I headed out after breakfast to Fleming County, known for its three covered bridges. There are only just over 14,000 people in the county; about 2600 in Flemingsburg. I located all of the bridges, in rolling countryside, with a few mountains, and lots of cows. I visited Elizaville, a rural crossroads that looks almost totally abandoned. The town of Flemingsburg looks like it could be further east. It's old and pretty. There isn't much going on. The court house is from the 1950s, but in a "colonial" style. It rained most of the day. I looked around the town and found some historic sites. There was almost nothing open in town. I got back in the car and looked for historic places in the county to the north and west of town. It took me some time, what with missed turns, vague directions and a likely desire of people who live in historic homes from the 1790s to make sure people don't find their house. It took more time than I had allotted. I think I found some of the houses on roads where one could not pull off to take a picture, or down a long driveway. Route 32 bypasses Flemingsburg, and there are some fast food places along the bypass. I thought I would stop at McDonald's, but it was drive-thru only, and I needed a bathroom, so I ended up at the convenience store/ Subway across the street. I had stopped at a Subway on my last trip, but I couldn't bring myself to order anything. I used to eat there all the time, but it looked unappetizing. This time I was okay with it, and I got a chicken sandwich with mustard and tomatoes. Usually I get spinach with it, but I didn't see any. There was no iced tea, so I tried Diet Coke, but that was running clear, so I ended up with Coke Zero, which I think is not as good. I told the clerk after lunch, and he offered me a bottle of Diet Coke. I declined it, although I appreciated the gesture. Having to drink Coke Zero instead of Diet Coke is very low on the scale of human suffering.

It was already close to two P.M., and I had only that day to explore. I was exhausted from being out so long and walking around in the rain. I went back to the motel and slept from 3-4.

Elliott County has about 7,800 people, so about half as many as Fleming County; Sandy Hook, the county seat, has fewer than 700 people. I headed back out on I-64 to KY 32, then south following Google's directions to Sandy Hook. I thought the directions were wrong because I was on a one-lane, twisty road with 10 mph curves and stone cliffs over the road. It was enchanting and different from the terrain in Fleming County, just mountains, and rock outcroppings, no rolling hills or cows. Just as I thought this was another wrong turn, I saw a stop sign and I was in the middle of Sandy Hook, Kentucky. I parked on the main street, and walked two blocks in either direction. That's about all there is to the town. The sidewalks have steps because the street is so steep. It's a pretty town, nothing particularly historic about it, but there's a park and a school and some social service agencies. Wikipedia says it was once the most Democratic county in Kentucky, but in the 2020 election, it went 75% for the incumbent. I didn't see anyone to ask "why?" I thought I would get dinner at a pizza place, but a sign on the door said "Carry-out only" and it appeared to be closed. There was also a McDonald's, but I didn't want to eat there. I snapped a few pictures and headed back to Morehead.

For the third time that day, I missed a turn and ended up in Grayson, Carter County, which I visited in 2017. I was way east of where I intended to be. I did see a park with a lake, the same one I saw from the other side when I visited Carter County.

I found a fast-food Italian restaurant in Morehead, and stopped there. Cars were lined up at the drive-through, but it was open for indoor eating. I had a salad and a gigantic bowl of spaghetti with marinara sauce. There were tables outside, it had stopped raining and the chairs were dry, so I ate outside. It turned out to be a pretty night. I stopped at the convenience store/ gas station next to the motel on the way back, and got an ice cream sandwich made with two chocolate chip cookies, probably as many calories as the bowl of pasta, but you know, I was on vacation.

I left fairly early Thursday, and although I thought about an alternate route home, there wasn't anything that wouldn't add at least two hours to my trip. I had lunch at the Chinese buffet at Flatwoods, near the middle of West Virginia, only there was no buffet, and I was home by three.

Ringo's Mill covered bridge, South of Flemingsburg

Hillsboro-Grange City Covered Bridge, south of Flemingsburg

Goddard Covered Bridge, restored and in use, Goddard

Elizaville Presbyterian Church, 1861, doesn't appear to be in use

Fleming County Courthouse, 1950s

Flemingsburg Historic District The building on the right
was a dry goods store owned by a Mr. Fried, an immigrant from Lithuania
in the late 1800s. The store closed in the 1970s.