Ice Mountain and the Cass Railroad

It's a blustery and cool morning here--the wind has seemed to follow us from up North in West Virginia down here to our home in the valley.  We took a thorough tour from Ice Mountain to Elkins, from Cass to the Cranberry Glades, from Lewisburg over to Lexington, VA and on home.  We covered a lot of ground!  You could call it our Vacation by the Book--this trip was inspired by Maurice Brooks and The Appalachians.

Our trip had its highlights, and the first was Ice Mountain.  You can see the talus slopes here through the trees.  We saw them from a greater distance (and a much more photogenic angle), but I wasn't quite certain of what they were and we were feeling a bit lost at the time. ;-)

Nonetheless, despite some confusion, we made it and we were able to have our guided hike!  It was a warm and steamy afternoon, so some time by the cold air vents was quite welcomed.  We did spot the dwarf dogwood quite easily, as you can see here.  It looks like a baby tree! 

The area had recently had some significant flooding, probably the same as we had with more water, and the ice was gone.  It is my thought that the rains sped the melting along, though this is certainly a spot that is a good indicator for climate change.  The ice used to hold on until August!  I felt an urgency to get there while it was still a cold spot with unique boreal plants.

You can see the vents here as mossy rocks and tree roots.  The air that comes out is truly quite cold.  The above slope looks like a rocky roadside, though quite displaced from any road.  We all enjoyed this spot and the chance to stretch our legs after a long drive.

After some time to rest and enjoy Elkins, WV, we drove down to Cass and the state park with a railroad theme.  You can see the lumber company town and all the quaint houses along the main street.  As usual with us, we were just outside of the main tourist season, so we had the place all to ourselves.  The state park folks were getting things ready for train rides and crowds of people.  There were very strong winds (30 mph, steadily) in this small valley and dust clouds rose up with regularity.  Our picnic lunch was done with great care, since the bread was becoming stale as I was making the sandwiches! 

The children all enjoy trains and they are a big part of our history here at home, too.  We were given the go-ahead to climb up on the trains and take a look, as well as exploring the area with caution.

We thought this contraption reminded us of Mike Mulligan's steam shovel, Mary Ann. 

The train in the background was getting a new paint job, as the men were getting it ready to go on many excursions.  This log had been sitting in a nearby state park for a hundred years--no rotting.  The story of the American Chestnut is one that is both sad and amazing.

And here's the remains of the lumber mill that once ran on the site.  So many gears, wheels, and big, toothy saw blades.  We were able to view it from a platform.  It was once a grand operation, sending over a billion board feet of chestnut wood out from the valley and into the world.

Traveling down the Eastern side of West Virginia was beautiful, especially with all the lush green that May brings.  The countryside was lovely, with an almost Alpine feel to it.  It was remote, to be certain, and we were quite glad for all the picnic supplies I had packed before we left.

 Well, it's time to make some biscuits to go with the strawberry jam I canned yesterday after we got home.  There's no time to waste when a harvest comes in--it's nice to have the freezer filling up again!