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Pocahontas County
Written by: Janet Pope
Photography by: Donald
Adventure starts here: Droop Mountain, a scat exhibit, road kill cooking, and the mountaintop phenomenon of 'Snowshoe Mountain' and attend a Mountain Stage concert. Don utilizes his professional eating skills to become a judge at a chili contest.
Again we had well laid out plans, but Mother Nature told us that she was the boss not us. We met Park Superintendent Mike Smith for a tour of Beartown State Park about an hour from Lewisburg, but were greeted by garden hose rains. When traveling we've learned rule number one- always be flexible, and have an alternative plan. We drove a short distance to Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park for a tour of the park museum. Mike is extremely knowledgeable and after giving us the background of the Civil War in this area and a brief history of the park, the rain clouds parted and the sun came out.
This is the oldest park in West Virginia, dedicated in 1928, and the site of the last major Civil War battle in West Virginia was fought here in 1863 only five months after West Virginia broke away from Virginia This park has an awesome view from its observation tower with a 30 mile vantage point South and a 10 mile vantage point to the north to the Valleys. Breathtaking is the only cliché word that suits the scenery, engulfed in the panorama at the top of the mountain.
The park has three and one half miles of hiking trails and barbecue areas abound so it’s a great attraction for families, travelers and Civil War buffs. To us it was worth the view alone. Now I know why the waitress in Lewisburg called West Virginia a little bit of heaven. No matter what your religion, you are amazed that God created this beauty for us to enjoy.
A lot of this area of West Virginia is woodland, evidenced by the large amount of natural areas to visit. Next we went to Cranberry Mountain Nature Center about 15 minutes away. In this federally funded learning center is a large handmade quilt outlining the area with embroidery stitches and buttons as markers. This was a wonderful idea using the crafts of this part of the country as a visual aid to highlight the 750 acres in this preserve. The hands on museum area had an ingenious display I had never seen before: a sand table for the children, and animal footprint stamps so that they and the adults alike can visually distinguish between all the varied indigenous animals by imprinting them in the wet sand.
We played a little bit in the sand, checked out the display of SCAT (that which is left when the animal passes by) and was frightened by the live snakes that I thought were fake. Our tour guide led us down to the Glades Botanical Area, which protects West Virginia’s largest area of bogs, also known as glades. The boardwalk makes a ½ mile loop and that seemed very doable until the guide told us quite calmly to be on the lookout for wild animals that inhabit the area, like snakes or bears. Didn’t she realize she was dealing with a city girl? At first I laughed and thought she was joking, but it soon became evident that she was serious – dead serious. It seems the bears don’t bother people as long as the people don’t bother the bears. Well that theory sounded good but where are the gates, the cages, the alarms? I must admit, our guide was very knowledgeable when she pointed out the plants, trees, birds and flowers, but I heard very little as I was deliberately watching each step I took and scanning the underbrush and the horizon for any lions, tigers or bears... oh my!
Thankfully, we arrived at the Country Roads Café in Hillsboro, safe and sound with nary a bear or snake sighted. The building is a 1914 hardware store, and still retains the original wood shelving and rolling ladders used to retrieve nuts and bolts from the higher shelves. The cooking was West Virginia down home style or road kill special which ever you prefer. I sampled the soup of the day, baked potato, and it tasted chunky and thick with flavor. The ham steak was accompanied by fresh baked macaroni and cheese as well as a tasty Cole slaw, and every calorie was worth the price, including those added on by the hot berry apple cobbler. The café opened three years ago and has a small stage for live bluegrass music on Tuesday nights.
While stopping there for a good home cooked meal, check out the antique safe in the front of the café, blasted opened by robbers in 1966. Though the robbers were never caught and did get away with a $2,000 silver coin collection, they couldn’t have been too bright, as the safe was never locked. Every West Virginian we met on our trip had a story to tell, this was one of many.
Full and satisfied we checked out a few of the local artisans and antique shops on our way to Marlinton, a small town celebrating its Pioneer Days Festival. The festival is somewhat like a very large street fair in Brooklyn, but there the whole town seems to be participating. Carnival type food booths, an outdoors flea market and a craft exhibit filled the streets. We strolled around, and naturally I did my best to boost the local economy by shopping.
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Naturally You B&B and Spa | |
This afternoon, after a week of travel I had scheduled a massage at the Naturally You Bed and Breakfast and Day Spa in Marlinton. The owners, Dave and Pauline Zorn, are both licensed massage therapists and their B & B sits atop a hillside. It's a beautiful spot and the whole atmosphere is one of peacefulness and tranquility. As I got my well needed massage (too much sitting in the car), Don sat on the front porch swing, took in the view, enjoyed the breeze and promptly fell asleep until a passing car woke him up.
I emerged an hour later and looked somewhat dazed and comatose, every muscle in my body had now been relaxed and I felt like I was standing on rubber band legs. We had dinner reservation, so it was off to the Elk River Restaurant.
We sat by a window and decided that no matter where you look or what corner you turn in West Virginia; you're sure to find a view to rave about. The atmosphere in the restaurant was comfortable, with fresh flowers on the table and country antiques and quilts on the walls. The menu is quite eclectic and international in style and range. Our waiter informed us that they use local organically grown produce and meat. I opted for the apple and sausage stuffed pork chops and Don chose the West Virginia Cornish hen. When traveling Don tends to pick anything that has the name of the area in its description. He even tasted Appalachian Ale. All the desserts are homemade including my griddle fried pound cake topped with ice cream and raspberries. My mouth is watering as I'm thinking about it.
The restaurant was busy, as there is an inn attached and many bike riders use this place as one of their stopping points. The Elk River Touring Center has been offering bike tours for almost 18 years.
Day 1 - Morgantown
Day 2 - Morgantown
Day 3 - Lewisburg
Day 3- Part 2 Greenbrier
Day 4 - Lewisburg
Day 5 - Pocahontas County
Day 6 - Part 2 - Pocahontas County
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