West Virginia - Mountains & Environs!

[giradman]

Beckley Coal Mine, Tamarack, & Pipestem State Park

Well, my previous posts in this thread related to our most recent trip to West VA, but I've been there a half dozen times; SO, for completeness, especially for members nearby who may want to visit the state, I'll describe a number of other trips - two involved the Beckley area and Pipestem State Park; two to the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, and one to Harper's Ferry on the Maryland border.

Beckley, West Virginia - in the southern portion of the state (as shown below on the map; blue arrow is the location of the New River Bridge), and of interest for the three items in the title of my post - I'll start w/ the Coal Mining, which began in the early 1800s when West VA was still Virginia - coal has been mined in virtually all of the counties in the state and forms an important part of West Virginia's history, economy, and culture (and, of course, a darker side related to the treatment of the miners, their families, and the diseases related to this activity, especially before their awareness) - for MUCH more history, if interested, check HERE.

A visit to Beckley should include the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine which provides a history of mining in the state along w/ buildings that represent those in the bygone 'Coal Camps' (quote below from HERE) - the visit also includes a 'ride' in an actual coal train into a real mine, typically w/ a miner who had worked the coal shafts. Dave

[SIZE=+3]I[/SIZE]n the early years of coal mining, many miners and their families lived in coal camps. Coal camps were communities owned by a coal company. The company owned houses that they rented to the miner and operated a company store. Many camps had schools, movie theatres, doctor’s offices, baseball teams and even opera houses. They were most often found in the region of the Appalachian Mountains, particularly in West Virginia. In fact, in 1910, 90% of West Virginia miners lived in coal camps.

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[scifan57]

I enjoyed your post about the coal mines. Is Pipestem State Park where the red stone used for ceremonial pipes was quarried?

 

[giradman]

I enjoyed your post about the coal mines. Is Pipestem State Park where the red stone used for ceremonial pipes was quarried?

Hi Scifan.. - thanks for the comments!

Our visit to Pipestem State Park was a while ago and the name has to do w/ 'pipes' but the hollow stems of a flowering shrub, as quoted below from HERE - pic of the plant below along w/ some 'reed' stem pipes (not sure which type of plant reed) w/ corn cob bowls - of course, any type of bowl (stone, clay, wood, etc.) could be attached w/ the stem replaceable. More on the park later - Dave

The Park name derives from pipestem, or narrowleaf meadowsweet (Spiraea alba), a locally common shrub historically used for making pipe stems.

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[leelai]

Hi Leelai - more information HERE about the 'Landing Zone' w/ better close-up pics - below is a quote from the linked page - seems like most hit dry land and some end up in the water (the reason for all of the boats) - actually reading through that site indicated that injuries are not that common and are usually minor. Again, the FAQs on the links addresses all of these issues regarding 'requirements' for jumping - seems quite well organized. BOY, sounds exciting for her but as a parent, I'd be holding my breath also - Susan & I have taken a couple of helicopter tours (over the Grand Canyon & the Juneau Ice Field which we landed on) but that's been the limit of our risk taking - Dave

Very interesting reading Dave.......I'm kind of amazed that 1 jumper landed on that large rock, I guess he has to get his parachute in fast or it may go in the water and drag him in too!

Yes, I'm glad my daughter hasn't done any of this lately.....she just loves the thrill of it whereas I think I'd be sick, well that's if I don't die of fright first....I just don't know why anyone would jump from a perfectly good plane!

My hubby and 2 of my girls did the helicopter ride over the Canyon, they just loved it, especially when they flew over the ledge and the land just dropped away into the canyon...... I stayed behind with our youngest who was afraid of getting dizzy from it.

Your landing on the Juneau Ice Field sounds very nice, it must have been just beautiful to do that....I did a trip in a helicopter and landed on Fox Glacier in New Zealand a long long time ago...it was just a wonderful trip and my first in a helicopter.

Last year hubby and I also took a plane/road trip to the Great Ocean road here in Victoria to see the Twelve Apostles (only 7 left now). We took a helicopter ride there and it was just stunning visually....it's the only way to see them all at one time. If you like driving, you will absolutely love this drive....it's just so scenic, especially in a convertible!

 

[giradman]

Hi Leelai - well, you & family have had more adventures than Susan & I - loved to see some of those sights, but now beyond us at our age - the Grand Canyon ride is exactly our own experience - as I remember we had headphones on (to mute the helicopter noise) playing John Williams music from Star Wars or Superman - can't remember?).

The Juneau Ice Field was amazing - about a half dozen of us on the copter - we landed, got out, and looked around - absolutely no one else - felt like I was there 10,000 years ago crossing the Bering Straight land bridge - spectacular - an image below that is likely similar to the scene we saw - Dave
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[leelai]

Hi Leelai - well, you & family have had more adventures than Susan & I - loved to see some of those sights, but now beyond us at our age - the Grand Canyon ride is exactly our own experience - as I remember we had headphones on (to mute the helicopter noise) playing John Williams music from Star Wars or Superman - can't remember?). The Juneau Ice Field was amazing - about a half dozen of us on the copter - we landed, got out, and looked around - absolutely no one else - felt like I was there 10,000 years ago crossing the Bering Straight land bridge - spectacular - an image below that is likely similar to the scene we saw - Dave . <img src="http://www.ipadforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=57499"/>

Lol....no I don't think we've been on as many trips as you and your wife, but we do love to travel and see new things and do get to have some adventures along the way. I love travelling with the girls but now that they've grown, they take off with their own friends.

We are hankering to see Europe....all our girls will have beaten us there....the eldest 2 went last year and our youngest is leaving on her Europe trip in 2 weeks time and another is going to Florida next month....it's going to be quiet here for a change! We hope to get over to London in April next year, hubby would like to be in Paris for our wedding anniversary......it's just all about being able to take the time off which is hard when we've always had our own businesses.

I googled the Juneau Ice Field, what an amazing area to see....it truly must have been spectacular to be there and see it all! I know what you mean about there being no one else there....it's a very unusual feeling and very special and it does give you that feeling of being an explorer! Kinda scary too sometimes!

 

[giradman]

Beckley & Tamarack

Tamarack - Best of West Virginia is located just south of Beckley on HW 77 - a huge place that offers crafts of all sorts (including furniture & musical instruments), arts, and foods (and a food court). If you are into mountain crafts and love to browse and shop, then this might just be the place for you. Some pics below to give an idea of the unique West Virginia craft center. Dave
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[giradman]

​Pipestem State Park

West Virginia has many state parks, most with lodging, restaurants, and numerous activities (golf, boating, hiking, horses, etc.) - Pipestem Resort State Park is located south the Beckley, so an easy drive for us from North Carolina - the Park's name comes from a local common shrub, the narrow leaf meadowsweet (Spiraea alba) (pic below of the white flowers); historically, the hollow stems were used for making pipe stems, as described in a previous post above.

Quoted below is a brief description from HERE - plenty of lodging choices (we stayed at the main lodge in a room w/ gorgeous mountain views); the food as I recall could be better, but one night we ate off-park in an old house and had a superb meal. The aerial tram (shown below) goes to the bottom of the river gorge. Pics continue in the next post - Dave

The park features two hotels, one of which may be reached only by an aerial tramway to the bottom of the gorge, 26 fully equipped wood cabins, a regular and a par-3golf course, several restaurants, and other recreational activities, including its own stable of horses.

The park's nature center features displays of native plants and animals, and offers nature programs. The Nature Center is open year-round, and includes the Harris Homestead, a reconstructed 1900s (decade) period historic house museum, barn and meat house.

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[giradman]

Pipestem State Park (continued):

Just gorgeous views of the mountains (first pic below) - Long Branch Lake (2nd pic) has a 2+ mile trail around the water; as I recalled a walk of easy to moderate difficulty (we enjoyed the exercise!). Plenty of water views and falls - below Indian Branch Falls - plus, abundant wildlife, especially the deer - one needs to be wary at dawn and dusk when these animals seem to come out of the woods and munch vegetation along the sides of the roads. Dave

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[giradman]

Greenbrier Resort

The Greenbrier Resort is located in White Sulphur Springs just off HW 64 near the Virginia border (see map below of just the southeastern portion of the state (HW 64 continues into VA and passes through Charlottesville - yet another travelogue). We've been there twice but a while ago when the prices were more decent - now, quite expensive and also a bit of snobbery that should have disappeared by now (e.g. at night, men still need coats & ties for dinner - not something I do in retirement); SO, if you're considering a visit, make sure that you have a healthy bankroll and are willing to tolerated the rules; otherwise a truly magnificent place.

Just a few additional pics of the overall appearance of the main building - quite impressive! Dave

P.S. lets see if this posts OK w/ our new forum software (doing this on my Macbook Pro).

 

[giradman]

Greenbrier Resort (continued):

Well, lets go inside the resort - as expected, there is a tremendous difference in room rates, depending on size, location, etc. - but the rooms we've rented is like the one shown below - quite tasteful w/ often a mixture of colors (in fact some complain of going into a daze at the decorating schemes - so depending on your tastes, don't expect subdued earth tones - Frank Lloyd Wright probably had been there and likely hated the place?).

There are numerous (expensive!) shops w/i the main building, a movie theater, and of course plenty of conference room area. The indoor pool is beautiful (two pics below) - of course, spa, sauna, exercise room, and many other amenities. The restaurant and the bar/lounge choices are numerous, varying from fancy & super outrageous as to price (and of course the dress code mentioned previously) to resort casual - below a pic of one of the more 'relaxed' eateries. On our last visit, we found the food rather mediocre in the 'Main Dining Room' and the service slow and somewhat inattentive. BUT, the place is under new management, so may have improve (review comments on Yelp and/or Trip Advisor, if you might want to visit). Dave

 

[giradman]

Greenbrier Resort (continued):

Now for the 'outside' - the outdoor pool (and surrounding grounds & landscaping) are also 'breathtaking' - the pool is fairly new w/ a cascading waterfall at one end (seen in the pic below) and the Allegheny mountains in the background.

The 'outdoor' activities are just too numerous to be listed (check HERE, if interested) - we did mountain hikes and carriage rides. If you're a golfer, then there are multiple courses - there is now an official men's PGA tour there in the summer on the Old White TPC Course.

Finally, there is up on a hill a row (last pic below) of artisan cottages selling various types of 'Arts & Crafts' object at decent prices (vs. the shops inside the main building) - we've actually bought a few objects on our visits there. Dave

 

[giradman]

Greenbrier Resort - The Bunker!

A visit to this resort is not complete w/o a tour of 'The Bunker' (quote below from HERE) - this was a self-contained facility w/ even surgical & dentistry rooms and other facilities and operations that might have been needed after a nuclear holocaust - if really interested, take a look HERE - just a few pics below (a LOT more at the links and on the web).

Well, this completes my Greenbrier Resort posts - have just one more place to discuss relative to my own experiences visiting the state - Dave

The secret is out! The declassified Bunker at The Greenbrier is a must-see experience that takes you behind the scenes and walks you through a fascinating period in the resort's history. Carved deep into the mountainside beneath our West Virginia Wing is an emergency Cold War fallout shelter. Once a top secret U.S. government relocation facility for Congress, The Bunker is now open to anyone interested in reliving a legendary piece of The Greenbrier history. Bunker Tours provide a unique and in-depth look behind the hidden doors and let you explore an aspect of The Greenbrier that no other resort can claim. Reserve your place in our history today!

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[scifan57]

Thanks for the wonderful photos from Greenbrier, especially the bunker photos.

 

[giradman]

Thanks for the wonderful photos from Greenbrier, especially the bunker photos.

Hi Scifan.. - yes, the 'Bunker' is a fascinating story - assume you likely read the links, if interested - here's another description from an On-site Superintendent of the place - some more specific information; now, as I recall from the tour, there were 'arrangements' for even disposing of dead bodies - can't remember the details, but likely cremation - tried to find a source - a scary time in the mid-20 century, were Washington's congressman and even their families would be protected while the rest of the USA (and likely many Canadian citizens) would perish - kind of creepy thinking about it - Dave