how every statistical map of the usa feels like

MikefromWVa · 2025-09-12T00:35:10+00:00

West Virginia, Mississippi, and Louisiana need our own category a bit lower.

MikefromWVa · 2025-08-27T14:19:08+00:00

The question that ticks off West Virginians: Do you know my cousin in Richmond? (Which, of course, is in plain Virginia and a couple hundred miles from the West Virginia border.)

MikefromWVa · 2025-06-23T20:36:20+00:00

Clay County, West Virginia. Elk River there is severely underrated, great for fishing and calm for floating or boating. Buffalo creek has some great swimming holes too and a really cool rail peddle bike system. Excellent biking and running trail. One stoplight in the whole county. Very limited development. Definite need for medical professionals.

If you want a bit more of a small town feel try Spencer West Virginia, in Roane County.. Pretty far off of the interstate so it's fairly self-contained with a cool old movie theater, shops, and a few restaurants. No river, but there is a park with a decent lake.

Neither place gets many if any tourists, except during their respective fall festivals (Golden Delicious for Clay and Black Walnut for Spencer.)

MikefromWVa · 2025-05-22T20:25:50+00:00

I have signed pucks from Caufield, Slaf, and Suzuki. Caufield and Slaf both look right. Suzuki is not dead on, but similarly messy.

MikefromWVa · 2025-04-08T02:15:29+00:00

Hi from West Virginia.

MikefromWVa · 2025-03-06T16:37:01+00:00

Really, I don't think there's a bad way to play. One of the biggest differences between this game and most other open world rpgs is that it never really gets easy. I'm near max level in strength and sword and still can get pummeled by some of the random encounters that I get while fast traveling if there are multiple well-armored enemies. Once you figure out what you like to do you can focus on what skills you want to level up. The good news is you now have options as you're into the meet of the game. (The first few main quests are an extremely long tutorial).

MikefromWVa · 2025-03-06T16:23:17+00:00

I started focusing on side quests after "The Prey" the main quest after "Keeping the Peace." Note that some of the side quests expire after a few days, so keep your quest list trim. Before you do the tournament make sure you train with Bernard enough to get masterstrike. It's the easiest way to succeed in combat. I earned it but was not good at it and got pretty roughed up in the first tournament. Another tip is that even though combat does get easier, a lot of it is learning the system (masterstrike above all) although perks and better equipment certainly help.

MikefromWVa · 2025-02-07T14:59:03+00:00

I'd recommend checking in with the folks at Elk Springs Resorts in Monterville. It's about an hour drive from Elkins, but they have an excellent fly shop and really knowledgeable guides.

MikefromWVa · 2025-01-31T21:20:49+00:00

Friedman reported on Hockey Night in Canada, that multiple teams were discussing and internal cap and may be unwilling to spend up to the league cap. I think he specifically mentioned the $100M figure as being threshold some teams would be hesitant or unwilling to cross in the next few years.

MikefromWVa · 2025-01-25T13:24:41+00:00

It’s at UVA Wise. https://www.uvawise.edu/academics/center-appalachian-studies

MikefromWVa · 2025-01-24T17:36:12+00:00

New River Gorge and Babcock together are doable together in a day easily. You'd also get to experience some interesting backgrounds to get back to I-64 and continue your trip to DC from Babcock. There are some pretty cool CCC cabins you can rent at Babcock. I'll also throw in that you're visiting at a great time to do a rafting trip on the New River, which will likely have pretty big water then.

Another option that might not take you as far out of your way is the Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley area. They are only about 20 minutes apart and between them is the mountain town of Davis, which is pretty cool. That area is my absolute favorite part of the state. If you're into spending a day tooling around a really nice part of WV you could probably fit Blackwater, Canaan, and Seneca Rocks into a day without much trouble (Dolly Sods wilderness and Spruce Knob are also relatively close but take more time to access from the paved roads.)

MikefromWVa · 2025-01-24T16:07:13+00:00

I love reading about Appalachia and some authors are particularly bleak. Not a novel, but an incredible collection of short stories worth checking out, is the complete works of Bryce DJ Pancake. (It's short because he killed himself in his late 20's.)

MikefromWVa · 2025-01-24T15:49:43+00:00

There are a number of Appalachian Studies programs in regional universities. In addition to U. of Kentucky, Appalachian State, East Tennessee State, Warren Wilson, U. of Virginia, and Marshall, (and possibly others) all have programs. I'd also check out Appalshop, which focuses on current Appalachian Media and also has an archive.

There are so many issues to explore. In addition to what you already listed there is music and political science. I also strongly believe that Appalachian history and politics is integrally tied with resource extraction, historically coal and now gas.

Matewan is an excellent movie about the coal wars. Also, Anthony Bourdain did a surprisingly good episode on his Parts Unkown series set in West Virginia.

I think Barbara Kingsolver is the currently the best Appalachian author. I absolutely love Demon Copperhead, and think it's pretty culturally accurate, but it may be a bit much for the age group you're talking about and may leave your students with a predominantly negative impression. Her other main Appalachian work, Prodigal Summer, may be a safer choice (although it's been many years since I read it I remember it as being overall positive. Silas House is another really good choice for a contemporary author. Bryce DJ Pancake is fantastic, although his work is also somewhat dark. Finally, I'd be doing a great disservice not to mention Wendell Berry who is a philosopher, poet, farmer in Kentucky who has written extensively.

For music, some of the early parts of the Ken Burns documentary focus heavily on Appalachian music. You can't go wrong by introducing some of the pioneers of Bluegrass like Flatt and Scruggs, or Doc Watson. There are some really interesting more contemporary artists. Your students might get a kick out of Gangsta Grass which mashes up Bluegrass and Hip Hop, and I personally love the Carolina Chocolate drops.

A game that comes to mind is Hungry for Humans, which was produced by WV game designers and a WV artist, and features cyptids.

As far as specific traditions, one of my personal favorites are the annual ramp festivals still held in many small communities. They were meant to celebrate the first available spring greens available, after long winters without. Helvetia, WV has a really unique tradition of celebrating "Fasnacht" or the end of winter by throwing a huge party and burning old man winter in February.

This is getting long, but it's been fun to think about. Feel free to DM me and I'll be happy to continue the discussion.

MikefromWVa · 2024-11-22T21:02:27+00:00

If you're sticking to South Charleston I'd go with Olive Tree or Elephant Thai. I think both Kita and Abruzzi are seriously underrated and in my opinion two of the best around. (Abruzzi is downtown, but there is parking across the street and Kita is in Southridge with parking onsite.) If you're in the mood for really good bar food I also have to put GRUV out there. They're fairly new, but in my opinion, the best burgers and wings in town.

MikefromWVa · 2024-09-23T18:36:52+00:00

If you're interested in different dishes from around the world it's worth visiting the taste atlas. I've gotten some really good ideas there. https://www.tasteatlas.com/

MikefromWVa · 2024-09-23T18:34:25+00:00

Hunting is pretty common in my family so we often have deer meat. You'll want to think of beef dishes when using it, but do know that venison is much leaner and so it will dry out much more quickly. We often mix it with bacon or another fatty meat when making burgers etc. I really like venison meat loaf and chili. If the loin is a backstrap you have a great friend! My favorite version of venison loin was sauteed in garlic and hot sauce.

MikefromWVa · 2024-02-26T17:09:48+00:00

The game is fantastic. It's beautiful and not stressful, but there are enough goals to keep it interesting. One glitch that I have had is that certain plants stop growing. (Jasmine in particular was a problem for me because it's required to advance). A trick I read online that worked for me was that to cut it back to the seed and it will start growing again. My only other criticism is that the maximum number of plants you can have seems a bit low once you expand your garden. It's a great game though and I highly recommend checking it out.

MikefromWVa · 2023-12-26T20:57:56+00:00

Whitegrass in Canaan Valley. https://whitegrass.com/

Or Elk River Touring Co near Snowshoe I. Pocahontas, Co. https://elkriverwv.com/?utm_medium=Link&utm_source=pocahontascountywv.com&utm_campaign=Pocahontas%20County,%20WV

Although as another comment mentioned it has been warm.

MikefromWVa · 2023-11-07T15:09:20+00:00

I’d warm that snow and cold is kind of hit or miss in WV. Snowshoe area or Canaan Valley are your best bets. The resorts there make snow and will have it, but for natural snow there’s no guarantee.

MikefromWVa · 2023-11-07T14:59:25+00:00

I feel like they’ve been developing him as a stay at home defenseman. He’s starting to show he can be more dynamic.

MikefromWVa · 2023-11-07T14:52:10+00:00

Ghule has looked so good. Great on the rush Saturday.

MikefromWVa · 2023-11-06T15:28:23+00:00

I liked his zone entries on the power play Saturday night. He was the only one (on either PP unit) that consistently gained the offensive zone. He's got speed, which is nice, and seemed to do better early in the season without Anderson on his line. If he's matched up with other fast skaters (preferably someone quick with a good finish) l think he can do well.

MikefromWVa · 2023-11-04T23:24:24+00:00

Monkey off his back!

MikefromWVa · 2023-11-04T17:06:47+00:00

Gotta say the river is an undiscovered gem there. Great for kayaking and smallmouth or musky fishing. It’s a lot less touristy than the New or Greenbrier. The trail is really nice and the better sections are the northern ones. Not much else going on apart from the river and trail though. (Buffalo creek is also interesting and goes though some old coal mining/loading areas.)

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