This is a tree that looks like it started growing in the wrong place but never gave up. I took this photo in Barbour County. I saw it while we were driving home from the train ride.
These photos were taken July 23, 2006, at Cool Springs, West Virginia. Cool Springs is a little country store with tourist attracts (if you call old tractors and broken trains attractions) that sits at the bottom of Laurel Mountain on US Rt 50. It is a grocery, hardware, restaurant, ice cream, gas, tool, feed, and anything else you can think of store. It has a large walking park with old farm equipment, old train cars, and animals that you can visit (no cost). When you think of a 1920-1930 country store you are think about Cool Springs. Cool Springs is located about 1/2 west of the US Rt 50 and WV Rt 72 intersection (that's the best I can do for directions to it. It is the landmark)
If you lived in WV you would think a good photo of a couple of deer would not be hard to get, but I challenge you to try it. This photo was taken in Tucker County on a back trail just off US Rt 50. I was out running around in my jeep when I decided to try to get a good picture of some deer. I saw about a dozen but this is the only decent photo I got. If you hunt with a gun instead of a lens you might want to check out the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources page for information
Webster Springs sits at the bottom of some steep mountains along a river. This is a photo of some of the food stands at the festival. The people are just your standard "crowd".
This is what they called "The Spring Board". Basically you chop a notch in a log stood vertically, you then wedge a board into the cut notch, then you cut another notch and put in another board, climbing up on it. Now while balanced on this second board, you chop through the main log. These guys were fast! It look like very hard, tiring work. I wish I would have listened closer and wrote down their names.
I forgot the name of this event but basically you chop the log in half. You cut half way through it on one side then turn and "drive" it (cutting it in two). These guys cut these logs in half in 10 to 20 seconds! Notice in the one shot how close they cut to their own feet. The axes they use are carried in special cases and are very, very sharp.
This is a more modern event, "Modified Chainsaw". They draw a mark around the end of a log (about 4 to 6 inches from the end I think) and you have to use a chain saw to cut down then up then down again (three passes) without cross the line and all your cuts have to be complete circles. These saws are modified and are very loud and powerful. Under 10 seconds was the usual times for this event.
While Walking in the West Virginia Parks you are usually on just dirt/rock trails. You have to pay attention because not all have warnings. Following this trail I wondered where the view would be when I suddenly found it.
This is why they call it "Blackwater". From what I read in the park the color is "amber" because of the tannic acid from fallen hemlock and red spruce needles. Even in August the water was very cold.
The road to get there isn't too bad but if you have a four wheel drive vehicle or mountain bike there is a road called the Canaan Loop that runs about 15 miles around the rim of Blackwater Gorge. Most of the road was a third gear two wheel drive gravel road (12 miles) but the last 3 miles were rough 4 wheel/mountain bike only road. Were talking stream crossing (three of them) and some deep mud holes and a little rock crawling (one small section). If you just want to take a two wheel drive and walk/bike in, you should go straight to the Balckwater Falls Lodge and park on the nice safe paved parking lot.
The reason you want to go? For the "view" of course. At least that is why I went. there are several hiking trails too and if you are really feeling up to it, you can hike or climb down to the bottom.
