If you pay attention to the license plate mottos, West Virginia reads Wild and Wonderful. It couldn't be more true. The wild beauty of West Virginia is simply mesmerizing. Curving roads, tall mountains covered with trees, crystal streams and few towns - all part of the unique natural beauty of this state. I was taking incessant pictures only to realize they could never live up to the true sights. I have not been this struck by the natural wilderness since I drove through the California coastline. Being on a road trip wtih kids, we had to make plenty of stops. And while I enjoyed the history of Charleston's capitol building (largest in the country), and my husband loved the small mountainous towns, I found that the little town of Beckley had something interesting for everyone.