Posts Tagged ‘West Virginia’

« Older Entries

Blackwater Falls

September 29, 2020

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

Betsy and I celebrated by birthday earlier this year before the pandemic and the lockdowns came along and closed everything down. We went to Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia for a short getaway with the possibility of getting in some hiking.

Blackwater Falls is a pretty waterfall that gets its name from the amber tint of the water going over the falls. The tint comes from the tannic acid of fallen hemlock and red spruce needles.

This picture was taken at an overlook across the river from the main Blackwater Falls overlook near the base of the falls.

Tags:, ,
Posted in Waterfalls | 6 Comments »

Our World: Autumn Colors in Harpers Ferry

October 14, 2013
Autumn color in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. September 26, 2013.

Autumn color in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. September 26, 2013.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

On our recent trip to the east, Betsy and I saw our first inklings of autumn color in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.  The beautiful yellows of these trees quickly caught our eyes.

Autumn color in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. September 26, 2013.

Autumn color in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. September 26, 2013.

These trees were actually in the parking lot of the Visitors Center, but they were beautiful nevertheless.

Looking toward the Potomac River from Jefferson's Rock, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. September 26, 2013.

Looking toward the Potomac River from Jefferson’s Rock, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. September 26, 2013.

This final picture was taken later at Jefferson’s Rock above the town of Harpers Ferry.  The red tree and church steeple attracted my attention.  That’s the Potomac River beyond the steeple.

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in Our World | 29 Comments »

Philippi Covered Bridge

July 1, 2013
Covered Bridge in Philippi, West Virginia. September 15, 2011.

Covered Bridge in Philippi, West Virginia. September 15, 2011.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

In September, 2011, Betsy and I drove from Hocking Hills, Ohio, to Blackwater Falls, West Virginia.  It was a dreary, overcast day, but we were driving back roads as we usually do and were enjoying the scenery.

As we neared Philippi, West Virginia, we suddenly came to a covered bridge.  Covered bridges are pretty unusual, and finding one in use is even more unusual.  After we got across the bridge, we just had to find a place to stop so we could get a picture.

You can learn more about the bridge from the photo of the historical marker below.

PhilippiBridgeSign11091501

Tags:, ,
Posted in Our World | 25 Comments »

Brush Creek Falls

April 3, 2013
Brush Creek Falls, Pipestem Resort State Park, West Virginia. April 23, 2010.

Brush Creek Falls, Pipestem Resort State Park, West Virginia. April 23, 2010.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

As most of you know, Betsy and I enjoy tracking down and visiting waterfalls.  They don’t have to be big or well-known for us to enjoy them.  We visited Brush Creek Falls in April of 2010.  It is located in the Pipestem Resort State Park in West Virginia, but it required some hiking to get to it.

Tags:, ,
Posted in Waterfalls | 14 Comments »

Watery Wednesday: Waterfall on Laurel Creek

March 28, 2012

Upper Waterfall on Laurel Creek, Beckwith, West Virginia. March 7, 2012.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

We traveled to West Virginia to celebrate my birthday earlier this month.  It was a very wonderful trip, and we were rewarded with several new waterfalls for our ‘collection’.

While driving toward Gauley Bridge on SR 16, we came upon two waterfalls on Laurel Creek.  The road follows the creek here, and it was very easy to find both waterfalls.  Of course we just had to stop and get some pictures.  This is a photo of the Upper (larger) Waterfall on Laurel Creek.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Watery Wednesday | 20 Comments »

My Big Day

March 12, 2012

Betsy got this cake and candles so we could celebrate my birthday in our room at Blackwater State Park Lodge. March 9, 2012. (Photo by Betsy).

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

Last Friday was my 70th birthday.  I remember thinking that my Dad was old when he turned 70, but I really don’t feel that way about 70 anymore.

Betsy, however, managed to find a subtle way to remind me of my advancing years.

Blowing out the candles on my birthday cake. March 9, 2012. (Photo by Betsy).

The advantage of her subtleness was that it made it easier to blow out all the candles!

Cascade on Falls Run, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia. March 9, 2012. (Photo by Betsy).

But I’m happy to report that earlier in the day I still felt young enough to do some bushwhacking in  Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia.  Betsy went with me to this pretty cascade on Falls Run, and then she sat guard on a ‘sitting rock’ while I bushwhacked to two waterfalls further down the run.  Both were very pretty.

Upper Waterfall on Falls Run, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia. March 9, 2012.

Since there was no trail I had to work my way around and over rocks, boulders, fallen trees and rhododendron.  I was able to get fairly close to the Upper Waterfall on Falls Run, and captured this picture.  This waterfall is about 17 feet tall.

Lower Waterfall on Falls Run, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia. March 9, 2012.

It was harder to get to the Lower Waterfall on Falls Run.  This waterfall is about 30 feet high, but I could never get a clear view of either the very top or the very bottom.  This was the best I could do by shooting through a narrow space between two boulders.

Well, that was my big day.  We saw more waterfalls that day and I did more bushwhacking, but those pictures and adventures will have to wait for another day.  Now I think I could use a nap!

Tags:, , , ,
Posted in American Life | 26 Comments »

Our World: Fayette Station Rapids

November 8, 2011
Kayakers on the New River above Fayette Station Rapids. September 17, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)

Kayakers on the New River above Fayette Station Rapids. September 17, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

When Betsy and I got to the New River at the bottom of the gorge (click here to read about our trip down), we parked the car to walk over the bridge.  We wanted to get some pictures of the beautiful gorge, but when we got onto the bride Betsy noticed two kayakers, as seen in the picture above, getting ready to shoot the Fayette Station Rapids.

Kayakers approaching Fayette Station Rapids, New River Gorge, West Virginia. September 17, 2011.

The rapids were some distance downstream from the bridge, and the kayakers were moving too quickly for me to get back to the car to retrieve my telephoto lens.  So I did the best I could with my standard lens.  The kayakers are approaching the rapids in the picture above.

Kayakers shooting Fletcher Station Rapids, New River Gorge, West Virginia. September 17, 2011.

If you look carefully in the middle of this picture you can see two helmets and two paddles as the kayakers shoot the rapids.

Enlarged photo of the kayakers in the Fayette Station Rapids. September 17, 2011.

I cropped and enlarged the previous picture to give a slightly better picture of the kayakers in the rapids.  It’s a good thing it was a warm day.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Our World | 18 Comments »

Scenic Sunday: New River Gorge

October 30, 2011

New River Gorge Bridge, West Virginia. September 17, 2011.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

One of the places Betsy and I visited during our travels in September was the New River Gorge in West Virginia.  We had visited the upper part of the New River back in April, 2009, and we wanted to see the new bridge over the gorge on US 19.  The bridge is the third longest arch bridge in the world.  We also thought it would be nice to drive down into the gorge along the old road.

The picture above is of the new New River Gorge Bridge, taken as we started going down into the gorge following the old winding road (West Virginia Route 82).

The Tunney Hunsaker Bridge across the New River, Fayette Station, West Virginia. September 17, 2011.

The Tunney Hunsaker Bridge carries Route 82 across the New River at Fayette Station at the bottom of the gorge.  This bridge, and the winding road down into and then up out of the gorge was the only way to get across the river until the new bridge was built in 1977.

Routes across the New River Gorge in West Virginia.

The map above shows US 19 and the new bridge across the gorge, and the old route (in gold) that had to be used before the bridge was built.

The New River Gorge Bridge as seen from the old bridge across the river. September 17, 2011.

I was able to get a picture of the new bridge high above the river from a walkway on the old bridge.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Scenic Sunday | 18 Comments »

On the Road Again

September 26, 2011

Highlights of our most recent trip. September, 2011.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

Betsy and I hit the road again earlier this month.  Since we headed west in June, we decided to head north and east this time.  The main purpose of our trip was to visit my daughter and her husband near Buffalo, New York.

We had originally planned to go on to Vermont to see some of the covered bridges in that state, but hurricane Irene wiped out three of the bridges we wanted to see, plus several the roads we were going to travel.  So we basically decided to play it by ear and see what we could find.  After leaving Buffalo we drove toward Cleveland, Ohio, to visit Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  The park, which is relatively new, contains a waterfall we had wanted to see on an earlier trip, but did not.

A blog friend of Betsy’s had said that Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio was a wonderful place to hike and visit waterfalls.  We decided to stop there for a visit as well.
We had both wanted to visit Blackwater Falls in West Virginia, so we drove there, having an adventure on mountain roads to get there.  Blackwater State Park is absolutely beautiful, and we will definitely plan on going back so we can spend more time there.  After leaving Blackwater Falls we took a ride at the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, where we traveled to the top of Balk Knob behind a steam engine.

Engine leaving the station at Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, West Virginia. September 16, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)

We also wanted to revisit the New River Gorge in West Virginia.  We had seen the upper New River last year, but this year we saw the New River Gorge Bridge and drove down to the bottom of gorge and back up.  We also visited several other parts of the New River National River before heading back home.
It was a wonderful trip, and I now have hundreds more pictures to organize and get ready to share.

You’ve been warned!

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Travels | 14 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #129: Brush Creek Falls

March 2, 2011

Brush Creek Falls, Pipestem Resort State Park, West Virginia. April 23, 2010.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

In April of last year Betsy and I made a trip to West Virginia to search out some waterfalls we read about in  our West Virginia waterfalls book.  We only had a couple of days on our trip, but we were able to visit several falls.

We came upon Brush Creek Falls after a fairly easy hike through the woods.  The trail led to the top of the falls, but I scrambled down the banks of the creek to get this picture.

Brush Creek Falls is near Pipestem Resort State Park in West Virginia.

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Watery Wednesday | 22 Comments »

« Older Entries