Almost Heaven
It has been some time, and I have definitely been remiss in this travel chronicle. Though the trip came to a close back last July, I do want to finish jotting down the experience. Before I know it, I will be back on the road again.
"Almost heaven, West Virginia Blue ridge mountains, Shenandoah river Life is old there, older than the trees Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze
Country roads, take me home To the place I belong West Virginia Mountain mamma, take me home Country roads"
All the years I have sung this song and have never been to this state. The drive from Ohio into West Virginia is beyond description. Besides, the journey, it's a reminder of presence in just absorbing the scenery along the drive. The first destination is Cathedral State Park
Cathedral State Park is the state’s largest old-growth forest and contains the only stand of virgin hemlock in West Virginia. I came upon this location through Pinterest, but the photo attributed to Cathedral on Pinterest is not Cathedral! Although the trees are uncut Hemlock... the trees depicted on the photos I saw were definitely Sequoia....west coast not eastern U.S. The hike is nearly solitary... no one else in the park with the exception of having my own private tour with Mike the park ranger. He leads us right to the largest trees in the park.
Designated a National Natural Landmark, this 133-acre park offers sanctuary for these ancient trees, as well as 170 species of trees, ferns and wildflowers. During spring and summer, Cathedral State Park offers excellent hiking on its three miles of trails and unique photography opportunities. This ancient forest was once the site of the Brookside Resort, which was built in 1882. Summer visitors from Washington and Baltimore flocked from the cities to the West Virginia mountains for the cool, clean air and natural beauty. In 1922, Brookside caretaker Branson Haas purchased the land, and later sold it to the state of West Virginia with the stipulation that the forest remain uncut. In 1966, the park was entered in the National Registry of Natural Landmarks.
No camping in the immediate vicinity of Cathedral, but not too far, located in the Allegheny Mountains of Tucker County is Blackwater Falls State Park. Named for the amber waters of Blackwater Falls, a 57-foot cascade tinted by the tannic acid of fallen hemlock and red spruce needles. Rainy night keeps us inside the van, but a there is a promise of a good driving day to explore Canaan Valley.
Sometimes I just have to stop when I see a sign that intrigues me. This is a couple miles down a potholed dirt road, but worth the venture. Two years ago, we crossed the wide and mighty Potomac River and here ... right here on this tiny dirt road are the headwaters of the river just bubbling out of the ground. Who knew?
Having never been in West Virginia, I really am surprised at the topography and vistas around every bend. Canaan Valley is an oval, bowl-like upland valley in northeastern Tucker County, West Virginia. Within it are extensive wetlands and the headwaters of the Blackwater River which spills out of the valley at Blackwater Falls. As we leave the falls area, we arrive in Canaan Valley Resort State Park. Sitka and I can use a couple days to sit still. Canaan Valley affords us some WiFi and a chance to do laundry. Canaan Valley (pronounced ku-nane) is a four-season destination tucked into a high plateau in the Allegheny Mountains in an area known for its unique tundra-like wetlands. Canaan Valley is a major ski resort and one of West Virginia’s largest state parks. It has a full-service lodge, cabins and campgrounds. The campgrounds are spacious and with full hook-ups. A place we can catch-up with chores and computer details.
Our campsite gives Sitka plenty of room to stretch out and a diversity of hikes.
I'd like to explore this area more, but I am rendezvousing with a friend in Virginia where she is a camp host in a national forest. So, there is just a bit of a time schedule.
The drive down Hwy 92 is stunning it runs in a valley. The ranches and farms seem to be singing John Denver's lyrics.
Everyone has told me to make sure I make a stop at Seneca Rocks on my way south. A striking rock formation rising 900ft above a fork of the Potomac River, Seneca Rocks is one of the most recognizable natural features in the state. Rock climbers have scaled the sandstone walls here since the mid-1930s. Today there are more than 370 mapped climbing routes. Hikers can walk 1.5 miles to an observation platform near the top of the formation. Temperatures are a bit high and I can see it will be a bit too much for Sitka to go trail blazing this afternoon.
I have heard as we move further south and closer to the town of Green Bank. I will be out of communication range. I am moving into an 18,000 square mile dead zone.
ET phone Green Bank! This real alien contact site is right out of a sci-fi novel!
There’s a surreal sight among Pocahontas County’s rolling farmlands: a giant, space-age telescope peeking out from behind a barn.
Yep, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is a sight to behold. It’s the world’s largest fully steerable single-dish radio telescope and also the world’s largest movable land object!
The world’s first search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) began here in 1960.
The 300-foot telescope at Green Bank Observatory’s Green Bank Science Center is one of 2 telescopes in the U.S. involved in Breakthrough Listen, a $100 million 10-year-long international search, scanning 1 million stars and 100 galaxies for signs of intelligent life.
Now you can get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at Green Bank’s ongoing role in the SETI effort. Visit the control room of the 85-1 Telescope where radio astronomer Frank Drake launched humanity’s first search for interstellar radio transmissions in 1960. Called Project Ozma after the queen of L. Frank Baum’s imaginary Land of Oz, the search focused on the stars Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani, which are about 11 light years from Earth.
I wish I could experience this with my granddaughter, Myla who has her sights set to work at NASA.
Time to mosey. Heading to the border of Virginia and national forest land for a night of boondocking.
“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” ― Joseph Campbell, A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living