VanOrman Roadtrips: WEST VIRGINIA

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

WEST VIRGINIA

In April of 2011, I had taken a solo trip through West Virginia on my way to Florida. I had hoped to photograph the somewhat elusive Swainson’s Warbler which inhabits the Rhododendron understory around Babcock State Park. Despite hours of searching, I never heard a call or even got a glimpse of one. I did, however, come away with a feeling that this beautiful area was one I wanted to visit again, even if the birds weren’t present. Two non-bird images stayed etched in my mind – a beautiful grist mill in the State Park itself and the beauty of the New River Gorge and the bridge that crossed it. I had vowed at the time to return and bring Edie. The fall color would be a bonus. Judging from the tree species present and the terrain I suspected that West Virginians enjoyed spectacular fall color.

Leaving early Sunday morning on the ten hour trip I had the impression that colors were near or at peak in Michigan. This was later than normal. As we traveled through Ohio and into West Virginia it appeared that all three states were in sync and foliage had developed at the same rate and time. Southern Ohio, with a more rugged terrain, added to the fall beauty but the stretch along the Kanawha River on highway 60 south of Charleston drew the most raves.

We arrived at Babcock State Park late afternoon and checked in. I was surprised when the young girl told us that a lot of the leaves had blown off during a windy period several days ago. She gave us a key to cabin 12 and went back to her daily job of sweeping the leaves off the front porch. I had to give her observation credence since she, better than anybody else, was probably in a position to measure leaf drop. Back in the parking lot I studied the color around the old mill. There seemed to be enough left to produce a good autumn image. Normally I would have gotten my camera out right there but the afternoon sun was back lighting the mill and a crowd of people were “milling” around. At set times on the weekends, the mill is open to the public. This draws a large camera wielding crowd. The crowd divides itself into an inside group and an outside group. Members of the inside group lean out of windows and doorways upsetting the outside group which is trying to get uncluttered shots of the exterior. Eventually the outside group becomes insiders and take their revenge. I decided to take some practice shots and return early Monday morning when the crowd would have disappeared.

The road to the cabins is extremely narrow. Two feet to the left and you may hit a rock wall. Two to the right and you may have a 50 foot drop to the river, damaging a lot of rhododendron bushes on the way. There are a few pull offs, but with only 13 cabins on a dead end road, you seldom meet traffic. The cabins come fully equipped. On the plus side you have a very comfortable, cozy cabin in a beautiful setting, without seeing your neighbors. On the negative side, or plus depending on your personality, you share the area with wild creatures and your fireplace is your only source of heat. The park provides matches, kindling, and a large supply of firewood. The rest is up to you. I loved it, although I lamented the appetite of the fireplace compared to my old Jotul woodstove. The nightly temperatures were in the forties and we went through a lot of wood. If this is a problem for you, summers may be your best bet. I would vote for the rhododendron blooming season!

Even the Waltons did not have it this nice!

Monday morning I headed for the grist mill before breakfast. A photographer from Pennsylvania and I had the place to ourselves. The Glade Creek Grist Mill is not original. It is a 1976 re-creation of a mill that was located close to the present site, and uses materials from other original mills in the area. It is a working mill and does grind and sell cornmeal and buckwheat flour.

The Glade Creek Grist Mill

Later in the day we traveled to the New River Bridge Visitor Center to view the exhibits depicting the history of the area. The building offers a spectacular view of the gorge out the back, while a short hike out the front gives a view of the bridge. While the engineering of the bridge is fascinating, the role it played in the lives of the people living around it is even more interesting. Because of the difficulty traversing from one side of the gorge to the other, communities were effectively cut off from each other. The railroad had come to the bottom of the gorge in 1872 to service the coal industry and the small mining towns which sprang up along the river. Today you can cross the gorge in less than a minute on the new bridge. Tourists would be advised to take the old route and get a real feeling for what it was like before 1977 when the bridge was constructed. If you have time for a trip into the gorge, ask the volunteer at the desk for information on the Fayette Station Road Tour. This simple question will get you a brochure which includes a map of the road the pioneers walked until cars began to work their way up and down. Better yet, you will receive a CD to play as you travel.

New River Bridge

New River Bridge from the gorge

New River Gorge showing Fayette Station Bridge and railroad tracks

Tuesday morning began with rain and continued off and on throughout the day and night. We retraced our initial route on Highway 60 visiting Hawk's Nest State Park and old mining towns along the Kanawha River.