The Road Less Traveled

I saw this sign in West Virginia along U.S. 33 near Germany Valley. Someone felt creative when naming the roads there. Another one sported the name "The High Road."

Sentimental Return to a Mountain Top

When I was a child, my parents took us to Spruce Knob, West Virginia's highest peak. My dad took home movies of us up there, including a scene where we added rocks to a cairn (manmade pile of stones). I think it was around this spot.
I remember that I loved the feeling of being so high up on a mountain. The air is fresh and invigorating. The terrain and plants are different from anything lower down. And of course, the views are fantastic.

Exposing for the Sky

Bright Clouds Over Spruce Knob

As I looked through the viewfinder, I saw the trees and sky darken as the lens faced this portion of sky where the sun shone behind the clouds. I decided to shoot the picture with the sky slightly darkened. If I had framed the picture the way you see (above) using automatic settings, the sky would have been much darker than I wanted, since my built-in light meter is heavily influenced by the center of the picture.

Rather than switch from automatic to manual, I fooled the sensor by moving the lens to the right. With gray clouds taking up most of the frame, I depressed the button part-way down without clicking the shutter until I moved the camera back to get the image you see. Then I pressed the button down the rest of the way.

The trick of holding the button part-way down is an old one that predates digital cameras. It takes advantage of auto-exposure and auto-focus features but allows you to shoot without the subject in the center of the image. With digital, you don't have to worry about the cost of film so you can experiment with this until you get an image you like. Also, digital images can easily be adjusted using software on the computer so you get a chance to refine the results.

I like using a camera that has a viewfinder as well as a screen. I can easily see what's in the center of the image and judge the light more accurately than I can on a screen (which usually has reflections on it). Also, with my eye near the viewfinder, I can steady the camera using my face as well as my hands.

View from Whispering Spruce Trail

Spruce Knob, West Virginia

This trail runs just below the summit. Here you can see which way the wind blows. The branches on the spruce trees have broken off on the side that's exposed to the wind.

All the trees up there are short, again because of breakage due to wind and also ice.

Highest Point in West Virginia

High up on Spruce Knob, there's a short trail from the parking lot to the tower at the summit. Take a sweater or jacket -- there's wind up there and it may be cold. We enjoyed walking among the wind-shortened spruce trees. And the view from the lookout is magnificent! List of U.S. States by Elevation Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area

I've been to Spruce Knob a couple of times before and I wanted to share it with Frank. Now I want to go again and make it an overnight trip because there is so much to see in the area.

Note: This blog posts entries in reverse order so our trip to this point is covered below (including The Road up Spruce Knob and Fox and Ox Rocks).

The Road up Spruce Knob

The route to Spruce Knob is clearly marked so you can find it from the main road. It's a paved road, but I wouldn't haul a trailer or RV up there. There are several switchbacks that are pretty sharp.

We pulled off at an overlook and enjoyed the spectacular view before the clouds moved in.

Forest Service Site: Spruce Knob

View of Seneca Rocks

Pendleton County, WV

Champe Rocks

A Tuscarora Quartzite Formation in West Virginia

Someone has quite a view from their home! Fortunately for the rest of us, motorists can view Champe Rocks from WV28/55.

The historical marker tells us that:

Near Champe Rocks is the home and grave of Sergeant John Champe who was sent by General Washington and Major Lee to kidnap Benedict Arnold, the traitor, from within the British lines. The daring plot almost succeeded.

According to a Wikipedia article, John Champe was originally from Loudoun County, Virginia.

Fox and Ox Rocks

We went for a scenic drive Thursday through nearby West Virginia. I pulled off at a roadside park near Petersburg to take a look at the cliffs high above the river. It turned out to be the Vernon W. Welton Park and the rock formation is known as the "Fox & Ox rocks."

The river here is the South Branch Potomac River. The names of the different branches that form the Potomac are confusing so if you need to differentiate between the South Branch, South Fork South Branch, North Fork South Branch, and the North Branch, refer to Wikipedia: Potomac River.

As you can see, the fall foliage was colorful.

I entered West Virginia at Brock's Gap on Route 259, and took WV 55 west. It is now a gorgeous modern highway between Wardensville and Moorefield. We were coming from Shenandoah County, but if you are coming from Northern Virginia, you can take VA 55 west from the second Strasburg exit.

	Even after viewing the sign at the park, I was not able to make out either the fox or ox. However, when I stare at the photos I see what looks like some animal faces. Click on a picture to see a larger version.

View from the Strasburg Town Park

Looking toward the end of the Massanutten Mountains from Park Road

North Fork at Strasburg's Town Park

We came across the Strasburg Municipal Park last weekend. It has a boat ramp on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, although the water was shallow there.

A couple of dogs and their owners arrived and enjoyed a lively game of fetch.

The park is off East Queen Street in Strasburg, VA.

What's Wrong With this Scenic River?

Oops! Someone forgot to take their tire with them.

(South Fork at Bixler's Bridge, Page County, VA)

The South Fork at Bixler's Bridge

Shenandoah River, Page County VA

Near the intersection of Bixler's Ferry Road and Egypt Bend Road is a public boat landing. Here you can see Bixler's Bridge and what appears to be an abandoned low-water bridge across the South Fork of the Shenandoah. It appears that when the river floods, whole trees wash up against the low-water bridge and get lodged there.

Notes on the Anti-Slavery Movement in 19th Century Virginia

I came across an intriguing statement in a local history book called Regards to Broadway. It says that the Brethren Church met in 1857 in Virginia to decide what it would require of any slaveholders desiring to become members. They agreed that the converts would first give up "ownership" of their slaves. However they should continue to provide work, food, and clothes, until "suitable and lawful provision" could allow them the opportunity to become independent.

This reminded me that the Pritchard family in Kernstown gave up slave-holding in (or by) 1859, as I mentioned in a post last year about Kernstown and Winchester. Whether they did this for religious reasons I don't know.

Details on the Brethren Church and it's opposition to slavery can be found at a page called "Who are the Dunkers." There were other churches in the south that opposed slavery, and a book called Bound Away: Virginia and the Westward Movement points out that many churches encouraged members to move west out of Virginia and the Carolinas in order to avoid the evil of slavery. Unfortunately, this movement took anti-slavery voters out of Virginia, perhaps enough so that the various measures that came up in the state legislature aimed at eliminating slavery did not pass.

Note: As an Amazon affiliate, I receive a credit of 4% when you buy a book by clicking on my link. Eventually I earn enough credits to order a free book or CD.

The View from Locher Road

A chalet that's for sale here in Basye has a nice view of the resort's core area with it's ski slopes, lodge, and air strip. Creekside Realty has it listed for $229,500.

A Garden at Shrine Mont

Shrine Mont has some lovely little gardens. This one is at the parking lot near the outdoor cathedral.

I added a Poster Edge filter in Photoshop on this image to bring out the edges of the statuary.

Ask the Animals - Stories from a Veterinarian

I was curious about the book Ask the Animals: A Vet's-Eye View of Pets and the People They Love. After all, we take our dogs to the author's clinic, Seven Bends Veterinary Hospital, for veterinary attention and boarding. Often we see one of the other veterinarians there instead of Dr. Coston. They have been excellent, although Frank sometimes fusses about the expense. The clinic is very professionally run and our dogs seem happy with the kennel.

The book turned out to be entertaining and moving. I'm a bit soft-hearted when it comes to pets, so I found myself crying at regular intervals in the latter part of the book, which is where the most emotional stories of ailing pets are.

Recommended for pet lovers and aspiring veterinarians.

Link: Seven Bends Veterinary Hospital, Woodstock, VA

Labyrinth at Shrine Mont

Yesterday I took our cocker spaniel for a walk in Orkney Springs. I noticed a new sign at Shrine Mont: Labyrinth. The labyrinth turned out to be located in a clearing a short walk up the trail. Built of local stones, it's 45 feet across. A note encased in plastic offered information on labyrinths. This one is patterned after the one in Chartres Cathedral. (See the PDF document about the Labyrinth on the Shrine Mont website.) When I reached the center of the labyrinth, I found little tokens made of pipe cleaners (pictured below). I imagined that these were made by young people from one of the church groups that visited Shrine Mont.

Link: Shrine Mont Facilities Map. The labyrinth is 1000 feet to the right of the shrine (#18).

Note: Your cell phone may not pick up a signal at Shrine Mont due to the mountainous surroundings. Try the high ground around #23, or ask at the hotel (#45).

Along Route 11 in Staunton

Taken from the same spot facing different directions

Here U.S. 11 is also called Greenville Avenue. The other day I was meeting Lynn at Kathy's Restaurant and I got there five minutes early so I snapped these pictures.
The historical marker is for Woodrow Wilson's Birthplace.

Birthplace of Woodrow Wilson

U.S. President 1913–21

One mile north, on Coalter Street in Staunton, is the birthplace of Thomas Woodrow Wilson, 8th Virginia-born President of the U.S. Princeton University President, New Jersey Governor, 28th President (World War I). He was chief author and sponsor of the League of Nations. Born Dec 28, 1856, died in Washington, Feb 3, 1924. The birthplace is maintained as an historic shrine.

Return to the Exchange Hotel

I had toured the Exchange Hotel on a field trip last year but Frank had never seen it. I wanted to show it to him so a week ago we drove to Gordsonsville (Virginia). A docent gave us a tour and even allowed us to handle selected artifacts.

Displays show the story of the hotel and the nearby railroad. The upper level is devoted to the use of the building as a hospital during the Civil War.

Site: Exchange Hotel Museum

A View of Short Mountain

Perhaps you've seen this mountain with an "eye" while driving down I-81 between New Market and Mount Jackson. It's actually a rock feature on Short Mountain, which is part of the Massanutten Range.

The following information is from Wikipedia:

Short Mountain lies along the northwestern margin of Massanutten Mountain in Shenandoah County, Virginia. It is seven miles in length, from Mount Jackson on the south end to Edinburg on the north, so it was also once known as "Seven-Mile Mountain".

A Book of Interest: Geology Explained: Virginia's Fort Valley And Massanutten Mountains by William G. Melson.

Autumn Decor

I spotted these autumn decorations in front of a garage on Alum Springs Road. They looked warm and friendly until I read the sign on the post:

NO TRESPASSING

VIOLATORS WILL BE SHOT

SURVIVORS WILL BE SHOT AGAIN

It's October Already

The months are flying by. This blog serves several purposes, one of which is sharing pictures, and another is recording events. When I glance back through it, I see a visual diary of the past months (told in reverse order).

Both September and August posts include pictures of flowers, geese, Shenandoah Valley scenes, historic sites, and our trip to California. August also covers a visit from Frank's daughters and their families.

In July, I passed my 2,000th post and devoted posts 2001 to 2005 to photographs from the years 2001-2005. Those were years before I started blogging. July also featured Shenandoah scenes, a trip to Pennsylvania, and our tour of Savannah, Georgia.

Mixed Flower Arrangement

Not much is blooming in our garden that's suitable for cutting except zinnias and a few wildflowers. When I was at Martin's I saw roses on sale and bought a grouping of three. I put them in a vase with some zinnias and a few other things. They looked pretty so I took them outside and photographed them in the afternoon light.