We decided to take our adult children on a road trip to the mountains of West Virginia. in McDowell County where hubby and I spent our childhood. It was a nostalgic, heart stirring event as we drove through communities where a treasure chest of memory gems was filled. Driving through those places unlocked the memories that we cherish. We stopped in Kimball briefly so that our children could take pictures.
We were parked off the main road and by a railroad track. Just as we parked,
we spotted a train, with lights on, rumbling up the tracks. Our son quickly stepped out of the car and captured a video of the event. That was the perfect moment that highlighted our time in Kimball.
When I stepped out of the car, I paused briefly as the scent of creosote wafted in the air, mingled with the natural, woodsy smells of trees and shrubs that grow nearby, along with the smell of coal. I said to hubby, “As I stand here, in this spot, we are so young again.” It was a heartwarming experience in that very moment as we talked about the days gone by and the friends we left behind, the street dances and the milkshakes and hot dogs from the local drive-ins.
Along the crooked, meandering roads, we pointed out places that were playgrounds to us as we drove through Kimball, Vivian, where my childhood church stands today, Maitland, and my grandparents old homeplace. We drove thru places where businesses once prospered and streets that were once filled with families out shopping on a Saturday. Momma shopped at the Kroger store in Welch on those Saturdays when the bakery items were marked down to half price. The city swimming pool is still in operation today. The movie theater of our childhood and our courtship was closed and taken down years ago, but a new one has been built. The bus terminal building still exists but has a different use. My high school alma mater still stands on the hill, overlooking the city of Welch. The drive-in restaurant where we attended street dances, is gone.
We were a roving encyclopedia of answers, for our kids had never visited all these places before. Some, though, brought back vivid memories for them.
As we closed the door on our daytrip, there were many questions that arose as we travelled across Rt. 52 and the answers rolled with the hum of the tires on the asphalt. And suddenly, our children were toddlers again with the inquisitiveness of babyhood while we enjoyed turning the clock back sixty years.
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