As I drove along the Kanawha River coming out of Charleston, West Virginia, I saw several paddlewheel boats docked. These weren’t the great big paddle wheels you might see in a big city. These were smaller vessels and the interesting thing was they were docked at private residences.
I never did find out more about why people might own these paddlewheel boats, but I counted at least four of them, and there was one directly across from the boat dock next to the park I was staying in.

If I were to take a wild guess, I would wager that these boats are used in various regattas and other types of events on the river. Whatever the reason, it sure would be fun to ride on one of these little paddlewheel boats.


The Occasional Sadder Side of Travel
Like many things in life, there are pros and cons to the lifestyle that I live. And also, like life, it’s best not to judge a book by its cover, but it’s often hard not to.
Staying at this site provided one of those points. The RV parked next to my site had a huge Confederate flag in the back window, two dogs tied up out front, and two kids. It’s hard to watch the kids live in what appeared to be a somewhat impoverished situation.
Of course, I don’t know any of the details, and I didn’t talk to the people who came and went related to this vehicle, but it’s hard not to wish that the world was a better place.

