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Pittsburgh, PA & Monongahela Forest, WV
May, 2026

Buckhannon & Back to Pittsburgh

May 28-30

We took off from the beautiful, remote flourishing forest and headed toward a town back in the direction of Pittsburgh, but a small town like Elkins. We decided on Buckhannon. As you can see above, it’s ravaged by logging and mining. Though the town was more “open” than Elkins, it was kind of miserable. It wasn’t surrounded by lushness, but desperation. The other, more common side of Appalachia. We stayed in a shitty motel called “The Bicentennial” that was opened in 1976, and hadn’t changed a bit. Like going back in time. The Main Street had many more functioning stores and restaurants than Elkins, but none of them interested us. A sad end to the trip, but one which helped us understand the dark side of Appalachian life. It aint all national forests.

Defunct movie theater.

A VFW hall that had a flag pole holder, but no flag in it. Right after Memorial Day!

Porch culture. I love it. Like a Tennessee Williams play. Our hotel is in the background. Most of the first floor has been leased to small businesses like a dentist.

And back to Pittsburgh. We stayed at an incredible hotel called “The Priory” which was a rehabbed monestery. I loved it so much, highly recommend for anyone staying in Pittsburgh. It was in a neighborhood called Deutchland, and we went to one of the best German restaurants I’ve ever been to. It was like the opposite of everything we experienced on this trip! A great ending to a FANTASTIC trip.

View from our window: