West Virginia: beautiful state

In a recent episode of FX's 30 Days, Morgan Spurlock returned to his home state, West Virginia, to work in a coal mine.

The show gave the impression that the state is all about coal.

Well, at first glance, that's pretty accurate.

We passed numerous coal refineries and pro-coal billboards today as we wound through the Kanawha River valley on the way to Charleston.

Most of the state itself, though, looks much like the picture to the left (not mine, unfortunately). It is in the heart of the Appalachian mountains, a very old range that is mostly tree-covered -- not many bare peaks, in other words. It makes for a very relaxing experience.

(Note: West Virginia tourism did not pay for any of the above.)

A wacky day on the road

Every bus today was late. Nothing out of the ordinary in these parts, as Greyhound Canada is much more reliable than its southern parent company that rolls along most Interstate routes.

Some highlights from today, a monstrously long day that started in D.C. and ended in Columbus:

• In D.C.'s waiting room, I talked to a gentleman named Mel. He likes Barack Obama and prefers him to John McCain, but is rooting for McCain, anyway. Why? If Obama wins, Mel says, he will be assassinated. The civil-rights movement will thus be set back a generation.

• Mel also believes that the Monica Lewinsky affair was a set up; that Bill Clinton plotted to kill former commerce secretary Rob Brown; and that the Pentagon strike on 9/11 was not carried out by Islamic terrorists, but "someone else" who actually received training in landing.

• The gentleman in front of me leaving D.C., a clean-cut chap on the way to Richmond, Virginia, proceeded to shield his eyes from light by, I kid you not, wearing underwear on his head.

• Someone behind me sort of mumbled his way through the trip, doubting the existence of New Jersey and requesting corroboration from his seatmate.

• From rural West Virginia until Columbus, I sat across from a drunk Texan who was drunk presumably because he attended two funerals this week in different parts of the country, and is on his way to see his sister who is (hopefully) recovering from triple-bypass surgery.

• A crying baby ruined the trip by crying, in my estimation, 60 per cent of the time. Moral of the story: Always bring some form of nourishment for an infant.

Eighteen hours through the Appalachians

Not everything always goes according to plan. Case in point: Columbus, Ohio was not part of the plan for Thirty Days. But the way Greyhound travels the land isn't always the most convenient.

As the map illustrates, West Virginia and Kentucky border each other. But in order to get from Charleston to Lexington, you have to transfer (twice!) in Ohio: Columbus and Cincinnati.

Even though the trip cuts through part of Kentucky no more than two hours from Lexington.

All of this made today a little longer, and it's the reason I decided to spend the night in Columbus.