Ward and I are on a little vacation, i.e., change of scenery, in WV. The vistas are splendid in every direction in the Allegheny Mountains where we are. However, today we visited two geographical areas of note among this scenery. One was Spruce Knob, the highest point in WV at 4863'. The other was Smoke Hole, a long canyon formed by South Branch of the Potomac. Ward remembers camping there as a kid and wanted to explore it again. Below are a few pictures from our day.
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Spruce Knob is in the Monongahela National Forest and has several hiking areas.
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This was one of the views from the road we were driving to the top. Goldenrod is in bloom everywhere and is quite beautiful. However, come to think of it maybe that's the reason my allergies have been acting up.
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Often, the peak is shrouded in clouds. Today however, there was only one direction that our view was obscured.
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We had clear views in every other direction.
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| There is a prevailing western wind that is causing 'flagging' of the red spruce, meaning branches growing in the direction of the wind. You may have guessed that the predominance of red spruce growing there gave the peak the name of Spruce Knob. |
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Spruce Knob is held up by the Tuscarora Sandstone, and boulders and outcroppings of it abound.
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Besides goldenrod, we saw other wild flowers along the trails.
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Under the spruce trees is a blanket of rocks and moss. Quite lovely.
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Before we left the area, we found one last treat--a goldenrod crab spider in the parking lot.
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| We drove through the canyon enjoying the scenery along the way. |
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| We saw numerous outcroppings of the Oriskany Sandstone along the river. |
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| We hiked along the river where we saw foundations of old homesteads. |
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| As is typical in the fall, the river level was low. However, that made it ideal for rock play. Unfortunately, the river rocks here were too rounded for good skipping but making big splashes was almost as fun. |
(Tuesday, September 15, 2020)
Oh my goodness, your pictures look so much like the kind of pictures I take on vacations! I'm pretty sure our two families would travel well together--history and scenery, especially rugged mountain and canyon views, are what we tend to seek out. Thanks for letting me travel vicariously with you!
ReplyDeleteI guess that does summarize us--history and scenery.
DeleteAll of the museums and such were closed but the visitor's center in Romney left out bags of popular pamphlets where we found the walking history tour. There were quite a few historical sites for a town of 2,000 people.
Lovely photos! I noticed the golden rod, in the second photo - they give me hayfever! Beautiful views, although that one photo with the clouds reminded me of our hills covered by smoke from the fires! That goldenrod crab spider is amazing! Thank you for sharing pictures of your vacation with us. :)
ReplyDeleteClouds are a lot easier to breathe in than smoke. I hope the fires are contained and out soon.
DeleteSuch a beautiful area. I had one of those yellow spiders--Goldenrod Crab Spider?--in the house this week when I brought in cut flowers for a bouquet. It was the first time I'd seen one. It's amazing how you can live in a place forever and still not know all the critters that live there.
ReplyDeleteThat spider was getting a lot of attention in the parking lot. It was basically a small yellow dot on a rock, but everyone saw it and was commenting. And yes, so many things out in the world that we know nothing about even though they are very common. Boggles my mind sometimes.
DeleteThat is such beuatiful country. The names too are interesting, like Smoke Hole. I've never seen such a pretty spider!
ReplyDeleteI love to look a place names. They often tell quite a story.
DeleteThat spider was something else. I'm going to be on the look out for another one. Although, they apparently camouflage very well.