July 2006 - West Virginia and North Carolina

July 17, 2006 - High Bridge, NJ to Elkins, WV - 415 miles driven

Our traveling pursuits resumed in July after our month + trip to Australia which finished on May 11. Besides there was house work to get caught up on. We have started to refinish the upstairs bedrooms and get rid of the 1970's paneling and carpet on the floors. Now that one bed room is almost done, we can get away from the spackling and painting and take a two week break from these tasks before starting on the next room.

We left High Bridge at 8:00 AM on a day which was promised to be a hot day. The plan was to get to Elkins, WV by the evening. We had reservations for the Cass Railroad ride on  7/18 and Elkins seemed to be a good place tp start out from.  By 11:00 AM we had crossed into WV on Interstate 81 and decided to drop down into Harpers Ferry for lunch and a visit to the Harpers Ferry National Historic Park. Harpers Ferry is located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers and has played an important role in the history of the United States. Prior to the Civil War Harpers Ferry was the site of a large armory which produced arms for the US army. In 1859 John Brown staged his raid on the armory with the intent of arming the Southern Slaves and bringing about an insurrection intended to free the slaves throughout the South  The raid turned out to be a failure which ended up with the hanging of John Brown within two months of the failed raid. Two years after the raid, the US was embroiled in the Civil War. While the armory was important to the US, the armory itself didn't play a big part in the war. The US army did not intend for the armory to fall into the hands of the Confederacy and shortly after the secession of Virginia, a farsighted army officer blew up the entire store of arms and machinery at Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry changed hands between North and South seven times during the course of the war. The entire downtown of Harpers Ferry has been taken over by the National Park Service as a museum. We joined a tour led by a Union re-enactor who gave a very interesting recount of the John Brown affair as well as the history of the town. He did an excellent job dressed in his woolens while the temperature in the sun was reaching 100.

After lunch we walked around the town a little in the stifling heat and then headed for the AC in the car and the 3 to 4 hour drive over the mountains to Elkins. The ride took us through some of the most beautiful mountain scenery. We passed Seneca Rock which is a huge cliff along the banks of the Potomac. Since 1971, 15 climbers have lost their life on this rock. We also learned that Elkins is a very interesting town. The town holds about 7 festivals throughout the year and would definitely be worth another visit. The leaf peeping season must be spectacular in the hills between Winchester, VA and Elkins.

A real history buff

The Potomac at Harpers Ferry

New and Old Railroad Bridge over Potomac

John Brown's Fort at Harpers Ferry

Thomas Jefferson once stood here

Street Scene in Harpers Ferry

Seneca Rock in the Spruce Knob NRA

Potomac River at Seneca Rock area

July 18, 2006 - Elkins, WV to Cass, WV to Fayetteville, WV - 170 miles driven

Today we had tickets to ride the Cass Scenic Railroad from the Cass Depot to the top of Bald Knob and return to Cass. The ride includes a stop at Whitaker Camp 1 for a 30 minute lunch, museum visit and then a 45 minute stop at the top of Bald Knob where you get a good chance to enjoy the view over the Allegany Mountains. The trip lasts a total of five hours and includes two switchbacks to enable the train to make the ascent to the 4000+ elevation of Bald Knob.

We arrived at Cass around 9:15AM with plenty of time before our 10:30 AM departure. We picked up a box lunch for the day and were waiting for the 10:00 AM boarding of the train. The literature states that purchase of a ticket does not guarantee a seat. When I called for the tickets I was told to be there before 10:00 AM and we would be pretty much assured of getting a seat. We were on the platform at the appointed time and sure enough at 10:00 AM the boarding began. By the time that departure time arrived, all the seats were taken and there were some people standing in each of the cars. The train had two engines pushing the passenger cars. On the end of the train were two cabooses. After we left the station the train immediately started to climb. For the most part, the train constantly climbs through a forest canopy with occasional views of the mountain vistas.

While the Cass Railroad is now a tourist attraction, at one time it was part of a thriving lumbering operation. At Whitaker Camp 1 there were displays of the housing shanties used by the loggers in the field as well as displays of the skidding machinery which permitted the hauling of logs from as far as 3000+ feet from the engine. We passed a spot where at one time stood the town of Spruce with 500 inhabitants. It is now an empty field which will eventually be fully reclaimed by the forest. When we arrived at the summit of Bald Knob, one of the cabooses was unhitched and parked at the end of the track. The explanation for this was that you can rent the Caboose for vacation housing. You have to provide all the food necessities and the only thing that the railroad will supply is 11 gallons of water daily and also coal for the stove inside the Caboose. There are rest rooms at Bald Knob but no electricity. Open fires are not allowed. The family that was renting this unit was being dropped of today - Tuesday and would return to Cass on Saturday. Mom and I decided we would never do this. The day passed amazingly fast. The ride and scenery was very interesting and we would love to do this trip again in the fall when the color changes are spectacular.  We were amazed to find out that Cass had four engines operating on the mountain this day and to accomplish this they have to keep an engine maintenance crew 24/7 for each engine in operation. The coal fires must be maintained around the clock as it takes 24 hours for the steam pressure to build to an operating level if the fire is allowed to go out. Anyone who is a train buff would really enjoy this tour on a steam train.

Engine #6 - Cass Scenic RaiRoad

Working on #6

Moving up the Grade

Almost Heaven - West Virginia

Moving up the grade

Whittaker Camp 1 machinery

Taking on water near the summit

Alleghenies from the summit

Caboose lodging in place

Viewing platform at the summit

4 tons of coal went into this mouth today

Shays engine at the summit of Bald Knob

July 19, 2006 - Fayetteville, WV -  around New River Gorge, 172 miles driven

Today we started our exploration of the New River Gorge area by visiting the New River National River Bridge overlook. The New River Gorge Bridge spans the (you guessed this) the New River. It is reported to be the longest arch span bridge in the world. It is indeed an impressive structure and we saw it many times today from different angles. We even learned that there is an annual New River Gorge Bridge Day when people jump from the bridge in parachutes. From the bridge overlook we drove the loop road which takes you under the bridge and across to the other side on the old bridge at almost river level. There we watched some white water rafters enjoying the rapids in the cool water. We then continued to the historic town of Thurmond and its historic railway depot. Thurmond at one time was on the main line of the C & O railroad which serviced the bustling coal industry in the area. There were railway maintenance facilities in a town which primarily existed to service the rail industry. At one time more than 20 passenger trains stopped at Thurmond but by the 1960's the town was well into decline. C&O abandoned the facilities and eventually the Park Service claimed the historic depot and restored it to its grandeur. We got to talk to a local who had been born in the Thurmond Area and had taken the passenger train to Chicago. Amtrak still runs passenger service through Thurmond but will only stop there as a flag stop with prior arrangements. Other than the Depot there is nothing else of great note.

From Thurmond we drove to Mt. Hope, WV to have lunch at Guiseppes Restaurant. Mt. Hope is a town which looks like it is heading to look like Thurmond.  We then headed to the New River Gorge National River visitors center at Grandview. The views of the gorge here are very impressive and breathtaking. The mountains just keep folding into each other for as far as the eye can see. At the visitors center we learned that there is an amphitheater which puts on three different outdoor productions. Tonight's performance was The Hatfield's and McCoy's. We decided to attend this performance and to kill the few hours we had we drove back to Beckley(25 miles) to visit Tamarack. Tamarack is a "All West Virginia Crafts gallery with almost all the products hand made in West Virginia. I say almost as some of the clothing was made in Hong Kong. All of the items were beautiful. I was impressed with the wood working items. There are a lot of talented people in West Virginia.

The Hatfield's production was a re-telling of the most famous family feud that claimed many lives in it's 50+ year existence.  It started during the Civil War and carried into the 1900's.  The performance was quite loud with all of the gunshots etc. We enjoyed the performance even thought there were a few musical, dance numbers that Mom and I botrh agreed didn't make much sense. The performance lasted until 11:00PM so it wasn't until 12:00PM that we returned to our rooms at Fayetteville.

New River Gorge from Rim Visitors Center

New River Bridge from Rim Observation platform

Pilgrims starting into the rapids

In the middle of the rapids

Further down into the rapids

New River Bridge from river level

Railway Depot at Thurmond

Lonely trackside at Thurmond

View of gorge at Grandview

Carving for sale at Tamarack

July 20, 2006 - Fayetteville, WV to Babcock State Park to Beckley,WV., 188 miles driven

We started out the day with a visit to the Grist Mill at the Babcock State Park. I had seen the mill in tourist  fliers on our West Virginia trip in 2001 and had also seen it later in some travel magazines. It is a very picturesque mill as the photo's will show. My interest in the mill was also triggered by my involvement with the mill at Millbrook, NJ. I never pass up an opportunity to visit a mill and ask the miller some questions I need answers to. In my case there are many answers I need. I was able to have a long discussion with Steve the Miller at Babcock. I did learn a lot about the mechanics of the stones themselves and am now clearer on what we will need to do at Millbrook. It was a nice visit. Steve provided copies of articles relating to stone dressing and set up for which I am thankful.

From Babcock we headed towards Beckley and the Sandstone Visitors Center of the New River Gorge National River. We did stop at Tamarack to go thru the galleries again and also to have lunch. After lunch it was on to Sandstone. At the visitors center we watched a short film on the New River Gorge and gathered information on what else we could see in the area. The ranger pointed out Sandstone Falls on the New River as a spot to visit and also the monument to John Henry - the Steel Driving Man. The drive to the monument was about 20 miles from the visitors center. John Henry is reputed to have beat a mechanical drill while working on the Great Bend Tunnel. The statue stands on top of a hill which is directly over the Great Bend Tunnel.

From the memorial we returned to the town of Hinton and crossed over the New River to drive River Road up to the Sandstone Falls boardwalk trail. The only drawback here was that we he had to drive 8+ miles to the boardwalk and then drive the 8+ miles back to Hinton. The falls stretch across the river and drop over ledges between 5 to 10 feet high. Not the biggest falls we have seen but they are pretty.

Somehow we managed to kill the entire day by just bumming around. We ended the day with an ice cream sundae at the Cracker Barrel. Tomorrow it is on to the Boone, NC area.   

Grist Mill at Babcock State Park

These wooden gears are close to 150 years old

Bed stone of Corn Grindstone

Another View of Glade Mill at Babcock State Park

John Henry the Steel Driving Man

Great Bend Tunnel where John Henry worked

Sandstone Falls area on New River

Sandstone Falls area on New River.

July 21,2006 - July 23, 2006 Beckley WV to Boone, North Carolina

Friday, July 21 was primarily a day spent moving from Beckley, WV to Boone, North Carolina. We got a late start and arrived in Boone at around 2:00PM. We spent most of the afternoon relaxing at the motel and also attending a late afternoon concert on the green at the community center. Two local entertainers played Celtic and Appalachian music using hammer dulcimers, acoustic guitar, banjo and mountain dulcimer. They were very good.

Saturday, July 22 The plan for today was to drive to Hawk, NC which is 45 miles from Boone and visit the John Dellinger Grist Mill on Cane Creek. Driving the mountain roads to get there was interesting but not as interesting as the return trip which I will describe later. We arrived at the Mill at 10:30 AM and were greeted by the miller, a John Dellinger. He explained that he was the 4th generation miller on the site which had originally been set up as a mill by his great grandfather in the 1860's. The original mill was destroyed by a flood and rebuilt on this site in the 1920's. His father had operated the mill into the 1950's. In the late 1940's John had decided that farm work was not for him and had joined the Air Force and served during the Korean War. After the war he had earned and electrical engineering degree and had been hired as a computer programmer by IBM. During his career he had worked on the programs for the Apollo moon missions. After retirement in the 1990's he had re-purchased the mill property from his brother and decided to restore the mill back to operating condition after 40+ years of laying idle. According to John he had to re-dam the stream and re-build the sluice and do major rehabilitation to the mill building and waterwheel. After spending $50k plus he has the mill operating and the site is now on the National Historic register. When I asked John what led him to do the restoration he said that he didn't play golf and needed something to do. Mom and I enjoyed listening to John re-tell the stories of the mill and what it took to restore. After spending 2+hours with John we purchased some cornmeal ground right in front of us and left for the return to Boone. 

Rather than taking the same route home John suggested that we get up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and stop at the Orchard at Alta Pass for some lunch and country music. We found the Orchard which turned out to be a gift shop with a small lunch trailer outside of the store but with a big ice cream counter on the inside. On one end of the store building was a hall with chairs and a small stage. A group was playing country/folk music and the crowd in attendance was sizeable. We grabbed a chili dog at the lunch stand and I spent some time talking to a Leon Neal who was carving bread dough bowls into a slab of 5 inch maple. Leon was another of those easy and good to talk to people that I enjoy meeting. He even let me take a few swipes at the slab with the bowl adze he was using.Tough work. After the meal we bought some apples and started to head to Boone. After a stop at the Linville Falls visitors center we headed north again on the parkway. Knowing we were in need of gas we got of at the Grandfather Mountain exit with the intent of returning to the road we had come down on. However I made a wrong turn and instead of getting to my intended road I wound up paralleling the Blue Ridge Parkway with no services on it for the next 20 miles. Besides the road was very windy. Half the time we felt we were falling off the mountain and the other half we were climbing higher. We finally arrived in Blowing Rock where we got gas. The car must have been on fumes. I dread the thought of running out of has on those roads. No shoulders and no place to go.

After returning to Boone we drove out to Valle Crucis to vist the Mast General Store. This is one of those country stores that at one time sold everything from A to Z.. It is a must if you are in Boone.

For the evenings entertainment we had tickets to see the outdoor drama - Horn in the West. It is a dramatization of the pre-revolutionary war period in the mountains of North Carolina when the "Regulators" protested the crowns unfair taxation practices only to be classed as traitors and persecuted by the royal governors forces. Daniel Boone leads these people up into the mountains to flee the persecution. At the end of the play the American forces defeat the Crown Loyalist forces at the Battle of Kings Mountain in North Carolina. It was a very entertaining evening. The play was excellently done with humor mixed into the drama.

Dellinger Grist Mill Wheel

Sluice - Dellinger Grist Mill

Waterwheel - Dellinger Grist Mill

The corn meal is flowing - Dellinger Grist Mill

Dam serving Dellinger Grist Mill

Bowl carver busy at work

Finished bread dough kneading bowl

Part of "Horn in the West"

Sunday, July 23  After church we intended to visit the Appalachian Cultural Museum but we had 3+ hours before it was (so we thought) scheduled to open. To fill this time we drove to Glendale Springs and West Jefferson to visit the Holy Trinity and St. Mary's Episcopal Churches for a view of the Blue Ridge Mountain Frescoes. These two churches are decorated with frescoes by Ben Long a well known North Carolina artist. At Glendale Springs we were lucky that the weekly service was just ending as we arrived. Of the two churches, we found St. Mary's to be the more impressive one with beautiful stained glass windows in addition to the fresco. We found out that the artist had worked on the fresco even while the service was in session and had only left the scaffolding to come down for communion.

We then returned to Boone for the Appalachian Cultural Museum which we found out is no longer open. AAA says it is open but the visitors center says otherwise. We then headed up to the Moses Cone Parkway Craft center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Moses Crone was a wealthy textile manufacturer with 3000+ acres and an estate in the area. The land and estate was donated to federal government and added to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The estate building now displays and sells mountain crafts. The quality of the items is excellent. On the front porch a quilter was busy demonstrating her craft and mom did get to talk with her for quite a while.

From the craft center we headed south on the parkway to re-visit the Linville Falls visitors center. We had stopped there yesterday but didn't have the time to take the 1hr round trip hike to the fall viewing areas. The trail is about three quarters of a mile which in spots is quite steep. It took me a little under an hour to make the round trip and visit all the viewing areas. We had also wanted to visit Grandfather Mountain for the views but despite the sunny skies, the views in the mountains were very much limited by the heavy haze. Maybe tomorrow when we leave the area.

Boone is an interesting and busy area. Appalachian State University brings a lot of activity here in the winter and spring months and tourists fill in all the slack. We enjoyed Boone. 

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church - Last Supper Fresco

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church - Departure of Christ Fresco

St. Mary's Episcopal Church - Fresco's

Shaker style trays at the Parkway Craft Center

Parkway Craft Center - the Moses Cone Estate

Parksway Craft Center Quilt

Linville Falls

Above Linville Falls

 
July 24,2006 Boone, NC to Asheville NC

The only plans we had for today was to go see Grandfather Mountain and drive to Asheville, NC via the Blue Ridge Parkway. We got a late start and arrived at Grandfather Mountain around 12:30PM. We had planned to go up the mountain yesterday but with the haze and mist in the mountains we didn't think that the views would be spectacular. We delayed until today thinking it would be better. Guess what - it was worse. Grandfather Mountain is the highest peak on the Blue Ridge Parkway at 5960+ feet. The mountain is privately owned and is run as a park. There are picnicking areas all along the 2 mile road which leads you to the summit and its swinging bridge at the 5300 foot level. There is also a nature museum with mineral and flora and fauna displays and of course the requisite snack bar and gift shop. To get to the summit you drive a twisting turning road and wind up at a parking lot at the summit. From there you have to walk up a few flights of stone steps to get to the mile high swinging bridge that connects to another rock outcrop. On the other end you can scale some rocks to get to the top and admire the view. However the view today was mostly of fog and mist at the summit. Oh well. Mom was a bit weary of crossing the swinging suspended bridge but once she got on she was like a woman on a mission. She charged across without stopping to look at what was below. On the other side she sat on a stone ledge while I climbed to the end of the trail. Going back she was more relaxed.

After Grandfather Mountain we drove the 80+ miles to Asheville via the Blue Ridge Parkway. The BRP is run by the National Park Service and is a non toll road without traffic lights that connects the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in NC and Tennessee. The BRP is the most visited National Park Service facility in the system. We had driven the Blue Ridge many times in the previous three days in Boone but this was the longest leg that we had driven on this trip. The speed limit on the road for the most part is 45mph with sections also at 35mph. To attempt to drive its total 470 mile length in one day would not be recommended or possible. In the 100 + mile stretch that we covered in the three days in Boone we didn't come across any fuel facilities.  It is a road to be enjoyed in a relaxing way. There are numerous overlook pull outs, picnicking sites as well as cultural areas for exploration. As the views were for the most part misty from fog and low clouds from threatening thunderstorms I didn't take many pictures excpt at Grandfather Mountain.

View of Grandfather Mountain Summit from lower overlook.

Huge bowl carved from a burl of a black birch.

Swinging bridge over the gap in the summit

View over the gap at the summit of Grandfather Mountain

Swinging Bridge in the fog at Granfather Mountain

Final destination of the bridge crossers

Another view of the Swinging bridge

The crossers view.

 

 

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