October 13, 2006 | October 14, 2006 | October 15, 2006 | October 16, 2006

Trails (Continued from October 13, 2006)

10/14/06

Yesterday... (click for 10/13/06)

The night was cold as promised.  But the sleeping bags and other provisions I had made kept me and the boys warm.  Ted was so comfortable he wanted to go outside without his coat and hat.  This was a preference he would express repeatedly throughout the weekend.  I had to work hard to keep him wearing the proper clothing.  May times I would see him again and he'd be wearing his inner layers and no coat or hat.

We got the fire going again and cooked breakfast on the camp stove.

While the kids ate breakfast, I made sandwiches for lunch, packed the rest of the lunch food, and then cleaned up the breakfast dishes . 

 

I packed up the cooking gear and stowed it all away for the day.  I loaded the tools and winch bag on the roof rack with the folding chairs and we were pretty much ready to go.

Tom displayed a pyromania, spending lots of time near the fire lighting sticks on fire and waving them around.  That was to be the behavior I spent the better part of the weekend discouraging.

Public Road 18

The day was shaping up very well.  We could see the sun coming out, and the sky was completely clear.  And cold.  But we were prepared so this didn't stop us from getting ready and going out to find some interesting sights.  The non-stop beauty started right at the edge of our campsite.

Big Run Scenic Overlook

The first stop was just down the road from the campsite.  We took a short stop at Big Run Scenic Overlook at 10:31 AM.  I was disappointed to see the sign had been torn down.  Indeed, most of the signs throughout the area appear to have been vandalized.  It's discouraging to see the negative elements that frequent these places.

The view has not yet been stolen or vandalized, and it was not a disappointment.  Like several times before, it was a great spot to stop and view the canyon.

Explorations

Public Road 18

Next we drove along Public Road 18, accepting the few challenges it threw down.  We came to one ford at an intermittent stream.  Just before it, a couple had parked their vehicle in the middle of the road and was busy unpacking their worldly possessions. 

I could hear "I'm Alone in the World" playing loudly in the background as they looked at us like deer in headlights.  The driver came to my window to buy a clue and I mustered up enough patience to reveal to him that this was a road and he was parked in the middle of it; would he mind moving so we and others could pass?  "I didn't know..." was his vapid response. 

But he packed his stuff and moved out of the way to let us pass.  I guess he thought no one would possibly be able to cross the wet rocks that stood head...

Clearing

Along the way we drove up to a little clearing I like to visit when I have the time.  Here's Chris at one tough spot.

I like the section that takes us through the pines.

The little pool is quite beautiful, and an unexpected surprise.

Chris put his camera inside a waterproof housing and made some pictures in the pool...

Overall, the terrain is quite interesting.

The kids took off exploring.

Chris and I took pictures of the pool and surrounding area for some time then we moved on.  Another minor challenge lie ahead...

We reached another interesting area and explored.

Movies

At the top we parked and turned the kids loose.  It was 11:39 AM so we took a one-hour lunch break.

After lunch, we headed back down.

Movies

Tom wanted to climb the big hill so I took a walk with him.  We went about half-way up before I suggested we go back down.

Going back down involved some more going up... 

Here's Chris going back down to his Jeep before climbing this little hill.

Movie

 

Near the hamlet of Douglas we passed this steep meadow.

Coketon

When we reached the crossing over the North Fork of Blackwater River near Synder Run at 1:26 PM, I noticed the Rail Trail to our right.

I had never been able to take the time to explore it, so I suggested we check it out.  Chris agreed and we went off down the trail to see what we could see.

There were several people out for walks.  We soon came to curious ruins.

I guessed that they were coke ovens.  Upon returning from the trip I did some searching and found a site that provided some answers.  It appears that until 1921 these coke ovens were active.  Here is a photo from that site (that I archived in case the link above goes dead) showing the ovens in operation.

It's a stark contrast to what it looks like today, almost 100 years later.

There was lots of interesting scenery further down the trail

Pretty soon we reached the end of the trail accessible to vehicles. 

We stopped for a moment to look around.

 

 

Then we headed back to pavement and on to Dolly Sods.  On the way we stopped at the grocery store for more Hot Dogs and wood.

Dolly Sods

We got on the road to Dolly Sods from Coketon at 2:00 PM.  It took us until 3:00PM because of the store stop, and the windy, dirt roads.

That left us the straight drive to Bear Rocks.

At Bear Rocks parking area we got dressed for the cold and wind that awaited us.  When I opened the Jeep door, the wind grabbed it and torn the footman loop that holds the check strap from the door, leaving a stub of a screw blocking the hole that holds it.  I wonder if they make an "Easy Out" that small...?

I wrote it off and got walking.  We headed for the Bear Rocks trail, a faint network of pathways that eventually lead to Bear Rocks.  We found the wind very powerful and the cold, well, very cold...

We didn't go all the way to Bear Rocks.  The combination of the wind, the cold, and the risk of the kids wandering to the compelling cliffs-edge, suggested a return to the relative safety of the Jeep and the trail back toward camp.  Along the way we stopped to visit a geocache.

Dolly Sods South Geocache

We stopped at this cache to give the kids a chance to log another find.  I ran my travel bugs through; Ted traded for a vintage Hot Wheels car; Tom for a Coke book mark.  Everybody signed the log and we headed on down the road!

I locked the keys into the Jeep, but we figured it out...

We drove back to camp.  We got back to camp at 6:03 PM.  We had company!  Jim and Beth had arrived with their kids, Chris and Maddy!  They were working on getting the fire started.

We greeted everyone and then got organized for supper.  We had Hot Dogs again, along with some snacks and marshmallows.  Ted decided to turn in early.

Later, the group would walk to Big Run Scenic Overlook to watch the stars.  While they went, Tom and I hit the sack.  It was going to be another cold night but we were ready!

 

    

   

 

Sunday... (click here)

October 13, 2006 | October 14, 2006 | October 15, 2006 | October 16, 2006

Chris Shontz Photos in high resolution and more:

This is the lot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cshontz/sets/72157594334335200/

Pictures that pertain to ppro: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=ppro&w=19972326%40N00&z=t

Pictures that pertain to jim65wagon: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=jim65wagon&w=19972326%40N00&z=t

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