Brilliant Fall Colors

As soon as we arrived at our first campsite in Kumbrabow State Forest Carole and I realized that we'd hit the Fall colors at their utmost peak. And we lucked out even more than that. It was also obvious to us that these were the most brilliant colors that Autumn had delivered to our eyes in decades. I can't recall colors so bright and pleasing since the year after I graduated from high school. It was magic.

Here, then, are some of Mother Nature's sleights of hand:

From the Raven Rocks overlook.

On the road through Kumbrabow State Forest.

Another view from Raven Rocks.

On one of the high trails through the park. I was closing in on the 4,000-foot mark when I looked up and snapped this shot.

This bit of beauty was located at the remains of the old CCC camp that housed the men who put this park together.

One rainy day we drove into the high peaks region. The rains were heavy and slowly knocking down the brilliantly hued leaves from the hardwoods. I stopped along a lonely Forest Service road and got this view.

Afternoon sun accentuates the already bright Autumn colors of the slopes beyond Seneca Rocks. Yet another treasure from our campsite at Seneca Shadows.

A lonely hike along the mountain ridge.

The Osage Orange

An Osage orange I picked up along the upper reaches of the Potomac River and brought home. It has a most pleasing scent.

While Carole and I were exploring the Smokehole Canyon in West Virginia, I happened to see an Osage orange tree growing along the banks of a branch of the Potomac River. The tree had dropped ripe fruit into that river, perhaps aiding in spreading the seeds downstream.

And this reminded me of the fate of that tree.

The Osage orange is native to parts of Texas and Arkansas and Oklahoma. It does grow in other parts of North America due to it being planted by Europeans. I recall seeing them from time to time in the woods of my native Georgia where it was known as "the horse apple", because of the fact that horses will sometimes eat the ripe fruit.

The pre-Indian North American horse.

However, from evidence, it was once far more widespread than it is today. This is probably because the "oranges" were a favorite food of several large extinct mammals. Back then, the fruit would go through the digestive systems of these large animals and the seeds would be distributed widely in their travels within their dung. It's figured that such creatures as Mammoths, mastodons, giant sloths, and probably even horses ate Osage oranges and shat the seeds far and wide.

The Imperial mammoth, which likely ate lots of Osage oranges.

Alas, the arrival of humans to North America put an end to most of our continent's megafauna, and so the Osage orange lost its main vectors of distribution.

Today, you see it rarely out of its current range. But at one time it went wherever the big mammals roamed. Mammals that were all killed and eaten up by the vast tribes of the folk we now refer to as the Native Americans.

And now the tree probably best finds distribution via waterways?

(With a tip of the hat to Mark Gelbart's GEORGIA BEFORE PEOPLE.)

The Salamander!

Carole loves to take train rides. We've been on a few one-day jaunts, mainly in the mountains of North Carolina and West Virginia. Since most passenger train service is gone from that area, the only places to enjoy such an experience are where some public/private concerns have taken over short bits of rail lines, paid out the money for the purchase and upkeep of the necessary engines and rail cars, and instituted a tourist ride.


We found one such outfit in Elkins, West Virginia and promptly booked a couple of tickets. The day we went the weather was quite nasty, so we knew we weren't going to get any hiking and picnicking done. The price of the tickets included a buffet lunch, so we didn't even have to pack that. All we had to bring were some spare jackets (for rain), the camera, and a tripod. And off we went!

We took the Salamander, so named because of the endangered Cheat Mountain salamander. So they tagged it onto the official name for the line. The city of Elkins has refurbished the old train station--it's quite pleasant to look at and inside there is a museum, ticket office, information kiosk, a shop, and rest rooms.

We arrived for our ride at 9:30 am, and boarded the train at 10:00 am. After that, we were on our way!

The station in downtown Elkins, WV.

The choo-choo train!

The "green" car, and my sweet wife already making friends with the couple behind us before we can even sit down.

This guy was our guide and entertainment for the ride. He had a lot of cool history and information about our route and the cool stuff along it.

A rough section of whitewater taken through the window along the ride. The water appears "dirty" but in fact this river is one of the ten cleanest in the USA. The color is from tannins produced by tens of thousands of years of the drop of hemlock and spruce needles into the soil.

An abandoned rail bridge and rail line we pass along the way.

The most scenic destination on the ride: The High Falls of the Cheat River. They are called "high" not because of the height of the falls (only about 15 feet), but because they are located so high on the river--about 3,000 feet elevation. Also, they're not technically on the Cheat River, but on the Shavers Fork of the Cheat, which runs into the Cheat River. Because of the heavy rain, the volume of water going over the falls was very impressive.

Below the Falls.

Self-portrait in the rain. The rocks were VERY slick! If you go, be careful! It was really starting to pour down so I had to hurry this shot and get the camera dry.

The falls from above.


Video from above High Falls of the Cheat River.

The dining car where we were served sandwiches buffet style. The sandwiches were very good! Lots to drink, too. Tea, water, lemonade, coffee, hot chocolate, etc. And fruit and cookies, also.

These were once for men working on the rail lines. The company would drop them off with a couple of cooks and food and they would work the lines. Later, a train would stop to pick them up. After the line was abandoned, these houses were bought by individuals and are now private. Access is pretty much either by arranging a ride on the Salamander, or hiking in, or getting the Forest Service to unlock a gate on a primitive road. Our guide told us that he sees the owners using these two houses only a few times per year. They are extremely isolated.

The end of the line where the engine detached and reversed the train. It's called The Cheat Bridge.

We all got out to stretch our legs while the engine made its changes.

This is what happens when kids live in an isolated village with a population of 20. This car was stolen by some local teens in Bemis. Really. Only about twenty people live there year-round. The few kids were bored. So they hiked out, found this car, boosted it, drove it around for awhile and then somehow aimed it straight down the mountain and maneuvered it through the forest down a 40-degree slope and crashed it here next to the train track. The final impact set off the airbags. No one has yet been able to figure out how to get it the hell out of its current location. Despite appearances, this is not a road, but just a patch of green out in the middle of nowhere. I assume the insurance folk will just consider it totaled and pay the owners off.

And here is Carole getting off the train as we arrive back in Elkins!

West Virginia Vacation 2011

We're just in from our vacation. I'll post a few photos, but list some details later.

I have to say, having now toured just about every eastern state, that West Virginia is pretty much the most scenically beautiful state in the eastern USA.


I've been to Seneca Rock many times. And I knew that there were trails on the mountain, but I did not know that you could actually reach the very high summit without resorting to a technical climb. Well, I reached the high point after a hike with an elevation gain of about 1,000 feet that involved only a brief scramble up a steep slope to get to the very tip of the mountain.

This is the view reserved only for those who reach the top of Seneca Rock. Don't look for it on any of the trails. It ain't there. (Click to embiggen this beauty.)


Seneca Rock from the visitors center at the base of the mountain. As you can see, from the spot where I was standing in that first photo, if you go in the wrong direction without the proper equipment and training, you're in for a very painful death.


This is the brief rock scramble I had to make past the official trail to achieve the summit. I suppose this is what rock climbers refer to as "Class III" scrambling. Maybe not even that severe. But about the limits of my comfort levels.

Click to Embiggen

Well, the blog will be going on hiatus while we're on vacation. My son is staying at home to hold down the fort (and feed the cats).

We haven't been to this section of West Virginia in four years. We're very much looking forward to seeing it again and venturing to some spots we've never seen. Barring Internet access at some point, I'll speak to you folk in a couple of weeks!

Bear Rocks in the Dolly Sods Wilderness.

Me, at Bear Rocks.

Seneca Rock. This is a major rock climbing area for the east coast. They claim it's one of the best places around to learn the sport of rock climbing.

If you'll look closely, you can see tiny ant-like humans climbing the sheer cliff walls. Click to see this image at full size.

Furry Panhandler

Still too tired and too busy to post much on the blog.

Here's a photo I took inside the lookout tower on Mount Washburn in Yellowston National Park last year. This little ground squirrel was panhandling, but I resisted and did not give him anything to eat. He was very cute and very friendly.

Go away, cutie!

On the way back down I stopped to take this self-portrait.

Worn Out...

I'm far too tired and way too busy to blog.

So, here's my favorite photograph of my little boy before he grew up. (He's 24 years old now.) Gosh, he was a sweet little child.

All I recall about this is that it was an Easter Sunday and we were hunting Easter eggs.

Photo Tour of our Casita.

Since we spend so much of our vacation time in our tiny Casita trailer, and since it's been a long time since I posted much about it here, I figured I should put a brief tour of the tiny trailer on the blog.

We bought our Casita second-hand from a couple whose health no longer allowed them to use it. It's a 2002 model so we bought it when it was just a few years old. The darned things are made of two sections of molded fiberglass, so they just don't leak. As anyone who has owned a sitck-built trailer will tell you, those begin leaking in pretty short order. So when we decided to buy a travel trailer the two things foremost in our minds were gas mileage and durability. One of my pals at work had bought a Casita, and after looking over several of the molded fiberglass varieties, we opted for that one.

Carole and I visit mainly National Parks and National Forest campgrounds, so the Casita was perfect for us. Those places are sometimes hard to access for larger travel trailers and motorhomes. So the Casita--at only 17 feet--fits in just about any of the campgrounds we use. It makes a wonderful base camp for me when I go hiking, and Carole is safe and comfortable inside the solid walls of the trailer while I'm tramping through the wilderness. (Keep in mind that we decided to go for a hard-sided travel trailer after having our campsite raided by a black bear at the Standing Indian Campground in the Nantahala National Forest.)

Today we went to Carole's mom's place where we store the trailer. Once there we got about cleaning the Casita and getting it stocked and ready for our next trip. I had to wash the entire outside of the trailer from stem to stern, including climbing on top and scrubbing the roof and A/C unit. Carole scoured out the interior and stocked the pantries. After that, I got about the business of cleaning up the truck for the long trip ahead of us next week.

We had a full day getting ready for this new vacation. It's all part of the fun of heading out, I reckon.

View from the bed looking back at the rest of the Casita.

We leave the bed permanently as a bed. But it also converts into a dining table suitable for four persons. We just don't see the need to take up the bed format. This leaves plenty of room underneath for storage. That's our TV on the shelf at the foot of the bed (covered in a protective sheath).

The bathroom is akin to a marine head. Very small and compact, but it comes in handy when we're staying in places that have neither water nor electric hookups, and which don't provide bath facilities. The trailer has black water and gray water tanks and has a 24-gallon fresh water tank, with a six-gallon hot water heater. The bath is tall enough for me to stand up with some room to spare when I use it to shower.

The bath view showing the shower and sink. (We have a tub filled with towels, which we remove when we arrive at our destination.)

The sink/stove setup. We have rarely used the stove for much beyond heating water or making coffee. We do 99.9% of our cooking outside to keep cooking smells out of the trailer and to just make things more comfortable.

The refrigerator/freezer. This unit runs on both electric and gas.

People are always surprised at the size of the refrigerator and freezer.

The closet beside the door.

And the dinette where we often eat, play cards, or where I write.

The happy couple in midst of getting the Casita ready for travel. I had to open the awning and scrub it down with bleach, which I do several times a season.

Where We're Headed for Vacation:

I took all of the following photos in West Virginia in 2004 when we visited the area around Helvetia, WV. We had a wonderful time there and have decided that we want to return there for another shot at seeing some of the stuff we missed, plus seeing again some of the spots we loved so much the first time we were there.

A lot of places we visit we get enough of them so that we don't want to go back after one visit. But there are a few spots we see where we feel like we have to return. This part of West Virginia is one of them. The first time we went I didn't get a chance to climb some of the mountains I wanted to hit, plus we missed a few parks that were in the area, along with some places like a sugar maple farm and a cheese store that was high on our list to visit.

We found this haunted house by accident while joyriding on a lonely gravel road on top of a high mountain. We want to go back and see if it's still there.

A super-cool waterfall called Shupe's Chute in Holly River State Park. I'll be hitting this place with the new camera to get some high-quality photographs.

The Falls on the North Fork of the Holly River.

This was beside our campground at Holly River State Park in early June of 2004. The creek was way up due to heavy rainfall. It rained virtually the entire time we were there. I'm hoping for more mild weather this time.

A footbridge in the village of Helvetia, West Virginia.

Library and other buildings in Helvetia.

Along the river in Audra State Park.

A peaceful swimming hole in Kubrabow State Forest.