Dunes of Ice

Presque Isle State Park is a gem of the state park system in Pennsylvania. The name roughly translates to English (from French) as an “almost” island and, indeed, the peninsula connects to Pennsylvania’s notch and city of Erie by a strip of land barely wide enough for a beach and a few traffic and parking lanes. Without a series of breakwaters and the winter phenomenon of ice dunes it is very likely that Presque Isle would graduate to being an actual island over the next few hundred years.

The bitter cold of winters on the Great Lakes facilitates the development of ice dunes that cover and protect the frigid sand on the western side of the peninsula. As water hits the beach, some of it freezes. Over the span of the winter, the ice accumulates into dunes. My husband and I make annual pilgrimages to Erie just to take in the sight of this natural oddity, even if we can only tolerate about 30 seconds on the beach before the bone-chilling wind and cold is too much (despite dressing appropriately for the weather). In fact, this year the wind was so sharp and cold that it drew blood! After getting into the car to warm up I noticed a spot just below my right eye, blood. Never even knew that to be a hazard of the frigid wind (the temperature itself was not abnormally cold, mid-20s).

If you have not had a chance to visit Presque Isle in the winter, it is a unique kind of wonderland. The frozen harbor on the eastern side of the peninsula is often congested with people ice fishing. While ice-fishing shanties recently made news when an Ohio mayor expressed concerns about prostitution, there was no apparent red-light district off the shores of Erie. It is also always fascinating to see the lake freighters in the harbor, inspiring me to play the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (did not sink on Lake Erie, but the vibe is about right). Plus, the monuments and memorials on the peninsula are much less crowded and facilitate quiet reflection between gusts of frigid, winter winds.

And when you’re finished at Presque Isle, it’s always fun to do a little bit of shopping and Wegman’s and grab a sandwich at Picasso’s.

Frankfort Mineral Springs Falls

Less than a ten-minute walk off of Pennsylvania State Route 18 in Beaver County is a remarkably beautiful and secluded waterfall that, while currently part of Raccoon Creek State Park, was the focal point of the Frankfort House Hotel and Resort, which enjoyed a heyday from the mid-1800s until it burned down in 1920. The falls, its grotto, and ruins from the hotel are all highlights of a one-mile loop hike.

The water here is enriched with iron, leaving unique orange streaks on the walls of the grottos. On a hot, humid July day, there was little water coming from the spring and over the falls, but the trickle of a stream confirmed we found the right location and as we emerged from our hike the most pronounced ruins were evident. Some have even constructed cairns from the stone of the ruined foundations. While Raccoon Creek State Park boasts many great things to do and see, this one isn’t to be missed.

 

The Greenbrier River Trail in Marlinton

The Greenbrier River Trail is a 78-mile-long rail trail following the Greenbrier River and the path of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway’s Greenbrier Division from Cass to Caldwell, West Virginia. Sections north of Cass are still in stages of operation as part of the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad. The trail crosses 35 bridges and travels through two tunnels as it meanders through some of the most remote (and peaceful and breathtaking) places in West Virginia.

Bridge over Knapp Creek, heading south out of Marlinton.

The West Virginia Encyclopedia recognizes that the Greenbrier Division differed from most other railroads in West Virginia because rather than hauling the state’s most famous export, coal, the Greenbrier Division was built and operated to support the burgeoning timber business in this remote section of West Virginia. Through the early 1920s, business thrived along the line, but the resource was almost entirely gone by the 1920s and demand from timbering interests dropped off. Traffic slowly dropped off until when in 1975 the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad requested permission to abandon the line.

Water Tower Park, heading north on the Greenbrier River Trail from downtown Marlinton.

Marlinton retains much of the character introduced by the railroad, with bridges and a watering hole for the trains, seemingly suspended in time until the next freight rolls through. Indeed, when things threaten their railway heritage, the folks in Marlinton fight for it. When destroyed by fire in 2008 the Chesapeake and Ohio Depot was replaced with a nearly perfect replica. Tourists would never know that the bright yellow depot building is not the original, but an expression of love for the community and civic pride.

The Marlinton Depot, from the Pocahontas County Chamber of Commerce

What will you discover on the other 74 miles of the Greenbrier River Trail?

 

Parade of Steam 2021

Cass Scenic Railroad State Park in remote Pocahontas County, West Virginia has some secrets. At least five of those secrets are powerful, geared, steam locomotives that worked hard time on logging railroads all over North America. In fact, several of the steam engines at Cass spent much of their service life in my home province of British Columbia, Canada! As odd as it sounds, I feel closer to home when visiting Cass and being near machines that helped tame the West.

The Parade of Steam is a relatively new tradition at Cass Scenic Railroad, launching after the Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad assumed operations of the rolling stock. There were initial concerns about turning over these operations to a for-profit business enterprise, especially with rates for rail excursions increasing substantially, but their care and attention to these historical machines and dedication to their operation has proven their honest intentions.

My husband and I arrived to Cass early on June 19, 2021, not knowing exactly what the turnout would look like for the Parade. Initially it seemed like the turnout would be modest, but within 30 minutes of the beginning of the event the parking lot was packed with cars and folks sitting in lawn chairs with their cameras and cell phones fixed on the track between the old mill and the station. The Parade of Steam featured five of the engines at Cass, the Climax #9 and Shay’s #2, #4, #5, and #11 in an array of configurations that lasted the better part of an hour!

While happy to share some stills from the event, others took some magnificent video, such as this one shared on the KensTrains YouTube channel.

My favorite, Shay #2, “Pacific Coast”

A pair of Shay’s taking off in formation

The icing on the cake was a nice excursion to Bald Knob after the Parade. The excursion was sold out and filled with guests from all around the mid-Atlantic, including a busload of elderly tourists from New Jersey who had a lot of questions about West Virginia. To them, and everyone from out of state, we welcome you and your tourism dollars. There is a lot of great stuff to see and do in West Virginia!

 

Where in the World is Watoga?

In the ultra-rural hills of Pocahontas County, West Virginia are many unexpected gems, including the Green Bank Observatory, Buckeye Bend Books, the Highland Scenic Highway, and the Edray State Trout Hatchery. Among these hills, one may also find Watoga State Park. Originally conceived as a state forest, it was developed into a full-fledged state park by the Civilian Conservation Corps, with many of those amenities maintained and celebrated to this day. The park is an all-inclusive rustic wonderland, featuring a swimming pool, small lake (with kayak, canoe, and SUP rentals!), and miles of meandering trails.

The lake is stocked with fish and perfect for folks wanting to try their hand and some type of paddling without committing to making an intense day of it. Following the lakeshore is a rustic trail with a smattering of benches, so those who prefer to stay on land can still get much of the benefit of the lake while staying dry.

The amenities at the park include a lodge with a well-stocked gift shop (all the non-alcoholic cold drinks you will ever need) and a moving tribute to the CCC workers that left this gem in these hills. Come, get away from it all.

 

Memorial Day 2014: Burgers, Bypasses, and Buffington Island

We were musing over how nice Columbus and, heck, even greater Cleveland seemed as places to live. But our attempt to exit onto U.S. Route 33 off of I-270 was foiled. As it turns out, a police standoff was occurring a block or two away and, for the safety of the public, they had closed Route 33 at the 270 interchange. Maybe the boonies aren’t so bad. When the police guided us back onto I-270, we took the next and worked our way back to 33 because we had a mission: White Castle.

In Lancaster, Ohio we stopped at a White Castle to get a taste of their sliders. I went for four of the classics through Chris went for variety, including double sliders and some concoction that appeared to be mostly jalapenos. Fountain cream soda was a great pairing with these tasty delights.

Ohio seems to be amidst a major highway building boom. We got to travel the new Nelsonville Bypass on Route 33, so new that our barely six-month-old Garmin seemed to truly believe we were driving off road. The prior routing narrowed the four-lane divided highway to a two-lane local road through town, subjecting motorists to lower speed limits and congestion. The bypass is a wholly modern road that pretty effectively cleanses the charm of the Hocking Hills region from the route. But, as it is now, it is a road built for speed, a concept that has not escaped the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Let us take this moment to thank the inventor of cruise control (a gentleman named Ralph Teetor).

Perhaps the greatest thrill of the day was crossing back into West Virginia, if for no other reason than we could drive down a major state route and ever have a moment where we did not see a state trooper running radar. Our initial goal for this entire weekend was the WV Civil War Trail Zone 1 – Buffington Island geocache, it is why we rented a small SUV rather than just a larger car with fewer miles than ours. Our plans certainly grew, but this one never escaped our mind, not since we had to skip over it the previous month because we just weren’t sure how the Civic would handle it. The view from the cache was breathtaking. I love the Ohio River (and all of its tributaries, especially the one I live on). It is a hardworking river with an interesting and evolving history—though you couldn’t pay me enough money to swim in it. This cache was a great test for the Sportage that negotiated the gravel and dirt road up with ease and proved the value of the hill descent function with pride. We weren’t sure we could love a Kia, but this Sportage won our hearts.

The view of the Ohio River and Buffington Island

From here, all roads lead home. We headed up to U.S. Route 50 to make our way over to I-79. The trouble with the modern day Route 50 is that sure gets boring after a while, built for speed and all that good stuff. So we took a side trip to Harrisville, WV and WV Civil War Trail Zone 1 – Jones Raid. Harrisville is the seat of Ritchie County and is truly cute as a button, the kind of place Chris and I could see ourselves summering in after we retire. The geocache was located next to the repurposed old elementary school. Nothing stirs my heart more than an old school that finds new life in a city or town center. That is where schools belong so communities may congregate.

The old Harrisville School

From here we discovered that if we kept driving we would end up in North Bend State Park. Having never been there, we figured we’d come this far, we should keep going. Despite the seemingly remoteness of the park, it was a busy place! The pool was a popular choice, but around every corner you could see children playing and people enjoying the best of what West Virginia has to offer. I think we found the next place we’d like to take a stab at camping at.

Road weary at this point, all roads really did lead home. Shortly after arriving home, we arrived in bed face-first, where we slept for twelve hours, ending only when my best friend called to say she was an hour out and hungry for lunch. There are worse ways to wake up on the last day of a long weekend.

Easter Lillies and Railroad Grades

No matter where you venture throughout the entire state of West Virginia, you are never far from evidence that people have been there before you. One is hard pressed to find a hollow or a mountain without an old rail grade or Easter lilies. What isn’t a result of mining is the result of the booming logging business in West Virginia during the nineteenth century. Of course, back then there was no regard for ensuring there would be trees to log in five, ten, or fifteen years and by 1920 the virgin forest was entirely gone. It is difficult to imagine the scale and the methods required to log an entire state during the late nineteenth and earlier twentieth century, but there is still once place in West Virginia where people can learn: Cass Scenic Railroad State Park.

Cass Depot, July 2009

Cass is a remote town in Pocahontas County, WV, virtually impossible to accidentally come across due to its remote location. Chris and I, with my mother in tow, set out from Elkins, WV on a July morning to find Cass and a piece of West Virginia heritage. A fine mist hovered in the air as we traveled through mountains, farmland, and quaint little towns down US-250 and over to WV-92, passing through Durbin and by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

While founded as a company town for the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (now Mead Westvaco), Cass is now a state park, featuring a fully operational logging railroad as the cornerstone of the park. Prior to logging trucks, railroads were built to move logs down the mountain to the mill. The locomotive most capable of handling the steeper tracks and switchbacks was (and probably still is) the Shay, which are geared locomotives. Cass is home to the largest collection of surviving Shays, including the #5 which has been traveling up and down the mountain at Cass since 1905.

On this day we were going to take the train up to Bald Knob, the third highest point in West Virginia. As we waited on the platform at Cass, the train approached, filling the narrow valley along the Greenbrier River with the scent of burning coal. We boarded one of the rustic cars, a flat car with a canopy and wooden benches installed, and the journey began.

For the bulk of the excursion all you see are trees and sweeping vistas of the remote Pocahontas County. The guides on the train point out all of the places where there used to be life, but nature has seemingly reclaimed all of it, everywhere you look. Imagining that this place was ever devoid of trees is asking the impossible.

Once at Bald Knob the view of the state was stunningly beautiful, but there was a twist. For all of the history in the woods we climbed through, the most noticeable feature in the valley below are the telescopes for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Where once there was a rowdy logging operation, science has come to find peace and serenity.

View from Bald Knob, July 2009

Back at the Cass town site, the rusted skeleton of a paper mill is being overtaken by vegetation and the houses and town only still stand because the state stepped in to preserve them before all that remained was a patch of Easter lilies and a railroad grade along the Greenbrier River.