WV Trip, Day 6, Hawks and Crafts

Ward, Wally, Theo, and I are on a week's vacation in southern West Virginia. If you're interested, here's what we did on the previous days. Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four. Day Five

On Monday, we headed north to Hawks Nest State Park, located near Anstead in Fayette County, WV. There, we got another look at the New River Gorge. 

The park has several parts, and we went first to the lodge. Behind the lodge, there was a short walk to an overlook.

This is one of the views from the overlook. You see the dam on the New River here that forms a 250-acre recreational lake.

As part of the lake project, a tunnel was dug through sandstone under Gauley Mountain to divert the New River's flow around the lake. This is so the river could be used for hydroelectric power. The silica dust inhaled by the workers caused a lung disease that killed most of them.

Then, we drove about a mile down the road for another overlook. Notice the bridge.

Here is a closer look at the same bridge. We drove down to the marina on a narrow, twisty dirt road with a steep drop-off on one side and massive rocks on the other. Now, I really felt like I was home in WV. 😀

From there, we hiked a rail trail that was an old spur line used
to transport coal from the mines to the main tracks. 

We took a spur off the main trail to find the entrance to the old Mill Creek Mine.
Theo is checking out what you can see inside - not much except a tunnel.

After the hike, we went back to the lodge for lunch. The food and the view
were great as we looked out over the gorge and mountains as we ate.

Then we headed south, back to Beckley, to visit Tamarack. Tamarack is a marketplace for West Virginia artisans. It is a circular building with pointed windows around the top, and the points represent a quilt piece.* Everything in here was juried and made in WV. (My mother once had her book sold in here.)

I was drawn to the quilts we saw.

Ward was interested in the woodworking products.
This is a fully-functioning chain saw made entirely out of wood!

Wally found stringed instruments made with kitchen things.
That's a cake pan, you see.

We all thought the freeze-dried products Theo found interesting.
That's a piece of freeze-dried Little Caesar's Pizza you see.

These flowers were made by someone who used to be our paperboy.

Then we ate Mexican for dinner, and soon enough, we were back to the Vrbo to pack and clean up. We left Tuesday morning for our ~7 hour trip home. We listened to Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, which made our uneventful drive home enjoyable. Today, we are regrouping and thinking about where our next trip will be. 

Until next time...

* I thought I heard or read that the peaks represent quilt pieces, but I can't seem to find that info now. So, I'm not sure about the design. 

WV Trip, Day 5, The Cold War

Ward, Wally, Theo, and I are vacationing for a week in West Virginia. If you want to catch up with our other days, here are links. Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four.

Today, Sunday was the fifth day of vacation, and we were suffering from vacation fatigue. Thus, we cut back our planned activities for the day. After a slow start to the morning, we spent the afternoon in White Sulfur Springs, WV. White Sulfur Springs is a small town in Greenbrier County, WV, and home to the world famous resort, The Greenbrier. 

The Greenbrier

We didn't go to visit the Greenbrier, per say, but what's under it. The Bunker. The Bunker was a fallout shelter for Congress to be used in the case of a nuclear attack. It was completed in 1962, during the height of the Cold War with Russia, and was the idea of President Eisenhower. Eisenhower thought it was close enough to Washington, DC, that it could be reached quickly in an emergency by car, train, or plane, but isolated enough in the WV mountains that it wouldn't get a direct attack. Thus he approached C&O Railroad, owners of the Greenbrier, with a deal that the government would build the hotel a new wing if they could build the bunker under it. By having new hotel construction, no one would be suspicious that they were building a secret hideaway underneath the mountain. 

The shelter could hold 600 people (Congress and support staff) for 30-40 days. It was totally self-contained including power sources, water, food, a hospital, decontamination chambers, and meeting rooms for the Senate and House of Delegates. The planners seemed to have thought of everything including riot gear in case problems broke out with that many stressed people living underground in close quarters.

Bunk beds in 1 of 18 dormitories in the complex.

This is one of the 25-ton blast doors protecting the facility.

The secret bunker became public knowledge in 1992 after an article in the Washington Post exposed it and suggested that it was no longer necessary since the Cold War was over.  It was decommissioned over the next couple of years and today it is used for cloud data storage. Luckily, it never got tested to see how well it would have worked.

The tour lasted about 1 1/2 hours and was excellent. Jonathan, our tour guide, was knowledgeable and had the logistics of maneuvering a group of people through the bunker down to a science. We were not allowed any electronics on the tour, so the bunker pictures you see here are from postcards they gave us at the end. 

Even though, Ward and I had gone on the tour years ago, we all found it very interesting. We realized that Jonathan was right when he said that even though the Cold War was an important part of history, there aren't many actual places that you could visit that were directly connected to it. The Bunker was one of those.

We explored The Greenbrier and were properly impressed before heading back to the Vrbo for some reading, game playing, and puzzle working. 

We have a plan for tomorrow, our last day before heading home, but we are flexible, so we'll see what we end up doing.

Until next time...

WV Vacation, Day 4 - A Railroad Town and Rushing Waters.

 Ward, Wally, Theo, and I are vacationing for a week in southern West Virginia.In case your interested, here's what we've done so far. Day One, Day Two, Day Three

Our trip so far has been a good one as we enjoy the good weather and beautiful scenery along with some historical places. Today was no exception. I'll see what I can do to tell you about it, but golly, these blog posts are difficult to write - at least with the lack of motivation and energy I have at the end of the day. 

But if I don't, I think I will forget much of what we did. At dinner tonight, I had already forgotten what we had done that morning. (BTW, the carnivores of the family were very happy with dinner because we went to the Texas Roadhouse Steak House. I had a baked potato.) 

I have a feeling when I get home with my familiar devices, these vacation posts will get some editing. Until then, I'm going to give today, Saturday, a go. It's going to be one of my stream of consciousness posts.

Thurmond Depot

We spent the morning in the town of Thurmond. Thurmond is an incorporated town in Fayette County, WV. Current population is 3, with the county government consisting of 1 mayor and 2 city councilmen. 

The bridge over the New River into Thurmond. It has both train tracks and one lane for cars to cross. There was a 5K race going on, so everyone had to do some careful maneuvering to stay out of each others way.

At one time the town was thriving as a railroad town for the coal that was being mined in the area and shipped around the country. Coal fired engines were also refueled and serviced there.  It was so much of a railroad town that it didn't have a main street. The 2 hotels, bank, train depot, etc., were right along the railroad tracks. It was said that skilled visitors at the hotel could spit tobacco onto a passing train from the balcony. They were that close to the tracks. All of that part of town is abandoned now along with most of the houses that were built on the hill above the tracks. 

Because the buildings were so close to the tracks and we weren't allowed on them, I didn't get any further away perspectives on the old buildings.

Thurmond became a ghost town after both the coal demand of the area dried up and the advent of diesel trains which didn't need the coal refueling services in the town. However, trains still run on the tracks and diesel trains carrying coal still go through the area. Amtrak also makes regular stops here. 

Today, Thurmond is part of the New River National Park and they have a ranger station set up in the old depot.

After walking down the commercial district along the RR tracks, we climbed the hill to see other houses in the town. Most of them were abandoned and nature was trying to reclaim them. However, we did see a couple of houses where people lived currently.

Speaking of nature, I spotted this morning glory on our walk and it was calling to have its picture taken. I obliged because you know how much I like a flower picture.

And the only thing I like more than a picture of a flower is a picture of a flower with a bee on it. So our tour of Thurmond was a nature walk, of sorts. But I digress. Back to the events of the day. :)

After our visit to Thurmond, we went to the Sandstone Falls Visitor Center in the southern part of the New River Park. The center is relatively new and focuses on the watershed of the New River and best practices for it. Theo said it was his favorite visitor center, so far. Kris recommended it us as she visited it with her family a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, as I was wandering around outside, I was "attacked" by a plant that left hundreds of burs on me. It took a while to pick them all off. Nature sure has it's persistent ways. 

Brooks Overlook

Then we were off to see the falls. We had several scenic stops along the way before we made it to the town of Hinton where there was a bridge to cross over the New River. Then we followed along the river for several miles until we reached Sandstone Falls. 

Brooks Falls. Ward and Wally, up close and personal with the New River.

We have been seeing a lot of views of the New River from high vantage points. This was the first time we were up close and personal with the river. Because of Helene, the river was up and quite muddy. This area did not receive excessive rains like North Carolina, but the New River has its origins in NC. So whatever happens there, takes about three days to reach the New River Gorge. BTW, the New River is one of the few rivers that flows north in the East.

The rushing waters were quite LOUD. (I couldn't get my video with the loud river to load.)

Sandstone Falls. A couple of weeks ago, before the rainfall from Helene, these falls only had trickles of water going over them.

Another view of Sandstone Falls a little further down stream. The rocks the water was falling over were not visible because of the amount of water in the river now.

We ended our time around the Falls with a short hike on the Island Loop Trail.

So there you have it. My end of the day brain dump. Time for bed.

Until next time...

WV Trip, Day Three, Coal Country

Ward, Wally, Theo, and I are vacationing for a week in southern West Virginia.

In case your interested, here's what we've done so far. Day One, Day Two 

As an aside: There are many things that are making this vacation a good one. We work well as a group in making decisions and sharing tasks. Two is the beautiful scenery. And three is great weather with temperatures in the 50s-70s with little to no rain. Not to say that everything is perfect, but, hey, we're on vacation so we're not going to let the little annoyances bother us. 😀

Our destination Friday morning was the Exhibition Coal Mine in Beckley, WV. Coal has shaped a great part of the history and economy in this area, so it seemed only fitting that they would open an exhibition coal mine here. The mine was originally a small family mine that supplied coal for local residents to heat and cook with. It operated around the turn of the last century and eventually closed. The town of Beckley bought it and developed it as a tourist attraction. The shaft of the original mine was only 4' tall at its highest and mining was done without machines. Of course, it has been expanded in all directions and has an open-track car that takes tourists inside. Even with the higher ceilings and wider shafts, they always make a stop a little way into the mine in case anyone is feeling claustrophobic. 

Here, our guide, Clacey, was showing us different light sources and gas detectors used throughout the years in the mines. All the tours are led by coal miners. Clacey had worked in the mines 47 years before he retired, and he was able to give personal insights as well as interesting anecdotes from his experiences.

Coal has been an important part of West Virginia's history and economy.  It has provided many jobs--but jobs that are dangerous with long term health effects. This exhibition mine gives a small glimpse into that.

Associated with the mine tour were examples from a company coal town. Various structures were moved from around the area to this location for the museum. We toured a school, church, bachelors house, family house, and a superintendents house. We were lucky that we were the only ones in the houses at the time and we had the tour guides all to ourselves. Below are a couple of things that caught my interest during our touring.

The superintendent's house had a "fancy" washing machine.
The regular miner's house had a washboard and some wringers.

The company barbershop. That's a hair perm machine (circa 1930).
Can you imagine getting curls in your hair with that?

In addition to the coal mine and company town, there was a Youth Museum and Mountain Homestead. We toured the homestead which consisted of  log buildings from the 1800s. These buildings were also relocated from the local community. We toured a home, moonshine shed, weaving room, blacksmith shop, school, general store, livery stable. Once again, we were the only people there, so we had the guides all to ourselves.

Here is Roger showing us a moonshine operation.
He was a man full of stories, both from the past and present.

We spent longer than we had anticipated at the coal mine complex, but we agreed that it was a very interesting experience and worth the adjustment to our schedule. Next we headed to Grandview. Grandview used to be a state park, but is now part of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. 

Grandview has a great view of a horseshoe bend in the New River and ridges beyond. Ward took a panoramic video that's below. It gives you a better idea of what we were actually seeing.

 

Still wanting to get in at least a short hike for the day,
we took the Tunnel Trail at Grandview.

Even though the tunnel part of the trail was blocked off,
we enjoyed being among the rocks and trees.

After Grandview, we headed back to our Vrbo for dinner. Theo baked us a pot pie he had brought from home. Then still feeling the need for a little more walking for the day, Ward and I took a walk along a local rail trail.

There were parks along the trail as well as the old train depot.

 Back at the Vrbo for the night, Ward finished this 750 piece puzzle he had been working on, while I worked on this blog post trying not to curse too much. The internet went down, Google and Microsoft were not playing well with each other, and the pictures were not cooperating. Remember how I said that I was on vacation and the little annoyances weren't bothering me. I lied.

Until next time...

WV Trip, Day 2, New River Gorge

 Ward, Wally, Theo, and I are vacationing for a week in southern West Virginia. If you're interested, here's Day One.

We had a leisurely start to the morning because there was dense fog in the area which interfered with our plans for the day. We used the time while we were waiting for the fog to lift with a trip to Walmart to pick up a few things our house didn't have. Then it was off to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

New River is the US's newest National Park, having become one in late 2020 when its designation changed from a National River to a National Park and Preserve. It is a popular destination for hiking, white water rafting, and rock climbing. Our first stop was the northern visitor's center where we enjoyed the exhibits, movie, and stunning views. After talking with a ranger, we decided that we would hike the Endless Wall trail. Timing was good because the last of the morning fog was just burning off.

Bridge across the gorge. The modern bridge was built in the mid-1970s and until recently was the longest single span arch bridge in the world being 3030' across. In a couple of weeks, the park will be hosting Bridge Day when they close the bridge to traffic for bungee jumping. The bridge is 876' above the New River below.

I was excited to find teaberry (wintergreen) along the trail. It has the most wonderful smell and flavor, although I didn't chew any today.

Along the trail.

We had great views from the top. Ward is looking at the New River below.

From the top you could also see the endless wall of sandstone
that the trail was named after.

After our hike, it was back to the car for a lunch of peanut butter sandwiches and oranges. (And if truth be told, we had enough snacks in the car that we wouldn't go hungry for a week.) Then it was onto Babcock State Park.

Babcock State Park is another park along the New River and has the much photographed grist mill. The original builder combined parts of three different mills that were along Glade Creek (which feeds into the New River), and is now a monument of all of the grist mills of the past. It only operates on the weekend, so we didn't see it in action.

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Glade Creek has good energy for a mill.

At Babcock, I finally got to swing in one of the WV swings.
They are stationed around the state as photo ops.

We explored Babcock for a while before heading back to our Vrbo. Along the way, we stopped for an early dinner at the Secret Sandwich Society Shop which Wally had learned about before the trip as a must go for eating out. We all agreed that the sandwiches were a step above what you usually get.

That evening, we made plans for the next day before heading off for a welcome rest.

Until next time...