Charleston... no, the other Charleston

The Pie and I went to Charleston (WV not SC) again.  We like it there.  Salt of the earth people and a historic city that hasn't been dismantled in the name of progress.  On the drive up, the exodus from the area was obvious based on the traffic headed towards us coming down 77 South.  The flooding had impacted a decent area in and around where we were headed.  So yeth, it was odd to be heading towards the bad thing.

Checked in the hotel and checked out the riverside venue across the street where the free concerts go down every Friday night this time of year.

That's the stage down there... underwater... as well as the first how many ever rows of amphitheater seating.  We had already been warned about this possibility.  Fortunately, the resourceful people of Charleston had already planned to move everything... to a location right outside our hotel's front door.  Nice of them.

We went out to Black Sheep Burrito and Brews before the concert started.  We like this place too.  Good beers, incredible food, the strange absence of a shitter in the men's room.

I digress.

We ended up missing the opening band Soul Slaw, but got to the concert just in time to see Dangermuffin start up.  Oddly enough, a band from Charleston, SC playing in Charleston, WV.

People-watching at its best.  Aside from the overwhelming amounts of Mich Ultra and Bud Light, we're much more comfortable here then we ever were at a Summer Pops in the Park here in Charlotte.

Wine and cheese and Polo shirts and wine and classical music and wine... all with a nice view of the South Park Mall. Not Dillen territory.

I can't imagine this free concert taking place anywhere else (in the way that it happens... which is beyond explanation).   Maybe 200-300 people total.  BYOB.  Every walk of life.   The people on the "dance floor" (Kanawha Blvd)... melting pot ingredients.  It's always a sight to see...

despite all the Mich Ultra.  Seriously.  I've never seen so much of it being consumed in one place ever.  What's the draw?

We stuck around till the very end.  When the band left the stage, the house music?

The people of Charleston seem to take hardship in stride and their Led Zeppelin chased with more Mich Ultra.

Up in the morning and groggy, The Pie and I made our way to breakfast (not brekkie) within walking distance...

walking distance.  All good things in downtown Charleston are walking distance.  It's one of the most walkable cities I've ever been to.  What can I say?  The Pie and I walk a lot on vacation.

Packed up and headed to the Kanawha State Forest.  The Pie to trail run and pool hang, me to make great mountain bike ride.

You have to go through Trump Town to get into the forest

I guess the locals are big fans of walls, Brexit, and whatever shit Trump said he's for today.

Get there and find out the pool's closed.  For all of 2016.  Oh well.  Shorten the ride plan just a bit.

Ballard Trail.  I think I've ridden it every time I've ever been here since 2002.  Five times?  Anyways, the big rocks are cool, and I love riding down towards the shooting range at the bottom.  Pretty sure I heard some automatic weapon fire or at least someone there had the fastest trigger finger ever.  I felt safer nonetheless.  'Meh-rica.

I had time for a few of my other favorites and some that I skipped the last time I was out here. Despite the recent deluge, the trails were primo.  Didn't really need the bike wash, but it's right there.

The Pie and I wondered if the magic would still be there, and we both agreed that it was.  Being Northeast Ohioans, it's sorta like visiting the Cleveland of the Upper South with a side trip to Pisgah just twenty minutes away.

No beaches like the other Charleston, but the only thing I like to do at the ocean is drink beer and sleep (and pick the sand out of my ass crack).

BTW:  Crank Brothers fan (or not)?  Grab some pop corn and tune in at 10:00AM PST for some Q&A with the Crankbrothers’ management team.

Judging by the comments, it could get interesting.