wvpictures

A Train Ride

2007-03-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

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.

This is the High Falls of the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River. The closest city I remember was Bemis, WV. The photo on the right is of the "Salamander" an old train that you can ride to Falls. You can catch the Salamander near Durbin, WV.

Swift Water Rescue Valley Falls, WV

2007-02-27T19:19:00.000-08:00

This is a photo I took at Valley Falls, West Virginia. Valley Falls is located in Marion County and is a natural fall on the Tygart River. The day I visited Valley Falls, firefighter Co. 13 was practicing their swift water rescue. I don't know what city company 13 is from. They had a complicated rope rigging. Strung from one side of the river to the other. Here you can get more information on Valley Falls.

Model Train Wheeling WV

2007-01-27T17:08:00.000-08:00

This is a short video I took at Oglebay Park, Wheeling, WV, of the model train display that they have out during the Christmas season. Oglebay Park has a nice Christmas Light display throughout out the park. It's a self driving tour but you should get there before dark because of the traffic (2 hour waits at peak times). You can visit the train display while you wait for dark and because the building that the model is kept in is inside the park you are at the front of the line for the light display.

I've posted a video because I had my camera settings wrong and none of my Christmas Lights photos came out :-(

Want more info on the light show? Click Here

End of the Line

2007-01-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

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)

The Road to the Goat, Cow, and Deer

2007-01-09T21:46:00.000-08:00

Below this post are three pictures of animals, a cow, a goat, and a deer. I know what you are saying, "you can take picture of those anywhere" but I didn't, I was out driving around in October, 2006, in Preston/Tucker County areas of West Virginia in my Jeep, and was looking for a nice trail to ride. As you can see from this picture I found one. This ridge trail runs along the Cheat River for about four miles and is not traveled very often (it looks like I will be the first one up it this day). Once on top I was surprised to see the animals (domestic ones) but I figured this was the "upper" fields of someones farm because the animals looked healthy and the trail I took to get to them was not the one someone would travel every day to feed them.

Don't have a cow man! Oct 21, 2006

2007-01-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

Or better yet, do have a cow man! On up the road from the goat (next entry down) I saw a cow, I took her picture, I posted it here. Why? I don't know, I just liked the picture. This cow lived in Preston County, WV, in a field on top of a mountain on a dirt road. Hey just for fun, I wonder where www.cow.com goes?

A Goat Roping - Oct 21, 2006

2007-01-09T20:58:00.000-08:00

This one was easier to photo then the deer (next one down), he (she?) was in a fence with other goats, the others in his (her?) herd (?) ran but this one stood its ground and stared me down. I took its picture and ran away :-) This picture is just one of several different animals I've photographed in WV farms. Do you remember the story of The Three billy goats Gruff ?

Hunting with a lens - Fall 2006

2007-01-09T20:49:00.000-08:00

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 Wood Chopping Festival 2006

2006-12-30T19:42:00.000-08:00

Webster Springs Wood Chopping Festival is a celebration/demonstration of lumberjack skills. This festival is held in Webster Springs, Webster County, West Virginia and usually in the late spring (May this year 2006). The events include Wood Cutting, Chopping, Sawing and Carving not to mention crafts and food.

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.

How to get there? Google Map

Blackwater Falls WV 2006

2006-12-30T18:31:00.000-08:00

These photos were taken in the Blackwater State Park near Davis, WV. This is the East Blackwater Gorge Rim. At the head of the Gorge is Blackwater Falls, which is a five story falls on the Blackwater River.

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.

How to get there? Google Map Link