Roving Reports by Doug P: 2017-26 Lewisburg West Virginia (continued)

A winding road inside of the WV State Fairgrounds

Hurricane Irma has gone through the state as you know, if you've watched any TV. Our little Rv community, Shelter Cove in St Cloud Fl, has fared quite well. The lake filled to overflowing and a few streets were flooded. A large live oak tree fell down in the front of the park, which will make the front entrance rather bare as two healthy pine trees were removed last winter and have yet to be replaced with anything. Leaving large islands between the pavement empty and barren.

Picture taken by a resident in Shelter Cove,

showing the canal overflowing

boat ramp on left is completely flooded
onto Pine Island Drive, one of my RV lots
is on this road

The entire state had major damage, especially the Florida Keys. It will take many years to recover.

Water heater has an aluminum tank

which can corrode,mine had two pinhole leaks

I really was debating whether I would have anything to write about this week. I've extended my stay for another week mainly due to Rv repairs that will be completed later this week. The fairgrounds where I'm staying were very kind to give me a discount, knowing that I am from Florida.

The water heater was replaced a few days later, we are now waiting on the shipment of the new Awning which will delay my exit until next Wednesday. Fortunately, the Fairgrounds has once again given me a discount for the four additional days.

Chris installing the new water heater

My two Rv lots which are currently being rented out, were vacated during the hurricane and sustained no damage. Both aluminum sheds are still standing and the palms trees weathered the 65-85 mile an hour winds. Both tenants are waiting for the electric to be turned back on before returning to the park.

Back here in West Virginia, I've been under the weather for a few days with a bad back. Muscle tension causing much pain, but it has finally subsided. So yesterday, I took a drive over to Lost World Caverns. It's only a few miles outside of Lewisburg, down a narrow winding country road, past farms cut out of the hillsides, rolling hills and valleys. A few grand homes sit behind fences and then I turn off onto a dirt road, feeling more and more like I'm entering a lost world. At the end of the dirt road, I arrive at Lost World Caverns. Two horses stand next to the fence watching as I drive into the parking area. Two black lamas are in a small fenced off area next to the building complex.

entrance to Lost World Caverns

A large water wheel turns next to one of the buildings near the entrance. It serves no purpose except as a decorative water feature. A friendly greeting as I'm one of the first guests of the day. I pay my $11.45 entrance fee and start down the long concrete tunnel. It's a self guided tour of the caverns, which I've never experienced before. The lighting in this cavern remains on throughout the half mile length. Spotlights glare out pointing in every which way to highlight the walls and stalagmites and stalactites. It's silent, except for the occasional sound of dripping water. Wooden steps lead up and down and around the various gray rock formations. These formations are not colorful and the lighting doesn't help the stark look of the place.

poor lighting, first cave I've gone into where it
was a self guided tour which made it quite interesting

Still it has a unique feeling being on a self guided tour. The silence, time to look and reflect while experiencing an underground cave. No tour guides giving each formation a cute name and then turning all the lights off to give one that “special” experience of total darkness. Eventually other tourists arrive and the dynamics of the experience change a bit.

raw formations

millions of years of water formed this

cool

much like entering an old mining operation

West Virginia is covered with thousands of natural caves. One in this area is 50 miles long. While in the town of Lewisburg, which is pretty much built on the side of a hill, I was talking to one of the shop owners about not having to worry about flooding in this town. She told me not so. Just a year or so ago, with heavy rains in the area, the caverns under the city filled to overflowing and flooded her store with a couple of inches of water before exiting the front door. The floor did seem a bit off level as I walked around the shop.