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Our next destination was West Virginia. What a beautiful state! We had read about a secret bunker under the famous old Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs and we wanted to check it out. For most of its history, the hotel was owned by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and its successor, CSX Corporation. However, after declaring bankruptcy earlier this year, it was purchased by a local entrepreneur who promises to return it to its former status as a five-star resort.

The lobby of the Greenbrier. We did tour the massive underground bunker under the West Wing of the hotel and learned that construction was begun under Dwight D. Eisenhower. The was meant to serve as an emergency shelter for the United States Congress during the Cold War. It was equipped with living quarters but only for congressmen. Their families would not be allowed. It was totally self-contained with food service, laundry and everything it would take to live there for an extended period of time. There were chambers for the House and the Senate, along with a communications room. This room had changeable seasonal murals of Washington, DC so when announcements were made, it would appear that they were in DC. More about this in Ann's journal.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio is really, really well done. We spent over 5 hours there! There were exhibits featuring Janis Joplin, Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, Ricky Nelson, Madonna, David Bowie, the Alman Brothers, Michael Jackson, James Brown, and The Doors, to mention a few.

Visitors to the Studebaker Museum start out in the horse-drawn carriage section of the museum and learn a little bit about the Studebaker brothers. Particularly impressive is the “presidential coach collection”, which includes the vehicle Abraham Lincoln drove to Ford’s Theater on the night he was assassinated.