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Pocahontas County
Written by: Janet Pope
Photography by: Donald
Now our last destination on the tour through West Virginia is Snowshoe Mountain. This complex is so big that the driveway leading up the mountain takes a good 15 minutes. And it is of course a winding road from beginning to end.
Once the resort is in sight you realize that this is not just a resort but also a small city. It certainly is larger than many of the towns we passed. We discovered that Snowshoe Mountain is 11,000 acres and is described in brochures as a "playground of vast wilderness full of adventures". There is a main hotel, Highland House where we stayed, and numerous other facilities and condos. The resort was so packed the weekend we arrived, due in part to a National Chili Cook-off being hosted, that we had to circle the nearby parking lot three times before finding a spot. There were people walking around everywhere! It was a busy place.
Friday nights Snowshoe Mountain also plays host to a live national radio show called "Mountain Stage" on Public Radio International. (It is also on the Internet). We quickly checked in and followed the crowd to where we hoped the performance was. The stage is set in the vista of a mountainside, and people were sprawled everywhere in the grass on chairs and blankets. The setting was a bonus to anything you do in West Virginia. The concert start at 8 p.m. and we watched day turn into night as we listened to country music. The crowd was hopping, most with a beer in their hand, many people greeting old friends. It felt like I was at a rather large block party. If Greenbrier was a playground for the over-the-top-well-to-do, then Snowshoe Mountain was for everyone else.
We ate a buffet breakfast at the Junction Restaurant in the Village at Snowshoe. It was only 7:30 a.m. but the place was buzzing with the guests wanting to get a head start on the day's activities. Many trail bike riders and walkers are here, as well as guests anxious to use the pool, paddle boats, miniature golf course and more.
Though there's a lot to do on premises, we were heading to some nearby sights. First on the agenda was the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which I must admit; I wasn’t even too sure what it was. Like Snowshoe Mountain and Greenbrier, you can see this from a distance. All of a sudden we looked off the highway and saw what looked like the biggest satellite dish we had ever seen. On a free tour we were educated in this slice of science. The observatory’s mission is to design, build and operate special telescopes used to study radio waves that come from sources like stars and galaxies. Don knew this all along, but I heard telescopes and thought that meant a picture.
Anyway, after a short video presentation our group got into a bus and viewed all of the telescopes up close. There were many, but the granddaddy of them all (the huge disc from the road), is the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank telescope, the largest full steerable radio telescope on earth. Not just in the United States...but Earth!
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Judging the Chili Contest | |
To give you an indication of size, this telescope, built in 2000, is 16.7 million pounds and the dish span is 2.5 acres. Now that's a telescope! Two hundred astronomers, scientists and observers use this telescope on an ongoing basis. The daily tours are free and be sure to see the "hands on science museum", the presentations and tours are done in a user friendly manner. This is a great slice of interesting science.
After our tour we headed to the Cass Scenic Railroad to catch an hour and a half train ride. This steam engine is an enjoyable ride through a section of Pocahantas County, with a stop at Whittaker Station to tour a replica of a 1950's lumber camp.
Quite a few stores are at the depot for the visitor to browse through, including an old country store and a museum. Always time to shop!
We were anxious to get back to Snowshoe Mountain since they were hosting the "Fire on the Mountain" Chili Cook-off, which meant live entertainment, arts and crafts, games and chili samples. Even more exciting, was the fact that Don was about to have one of his lifelong dreams come true. No Porsche, no castle, no steel credit card with endless funds...but judging in a food competition. Ah, his ultimate fantasy. Don was asked to be one of the many judges in the chili cook-off and being a professional eater, he took his job very seriously.
The coordinators of the event also took this seriously, as a $10,000 grand prize was at stake. There was a meeting of the judges to go over the rules so we could not, no, we would not, be late!
They explained that chili should not be too soupy or too dry, nor should it be too spicy or too bland. In Goldilock's vernacular - it should be "just right". With plastic forks, water bottle and tally sheets in hand, Don was at the ready. There were almost 100 judges, I told you this was serious stuff. Everyone was chatting animatedly until the head judge said it would begin. As if a gong had just been sounded, there was an immediate hush over the crowd of judges and from that moment on, a silence fell over the room. Donald stopped speaking to me and focused on the immediate task at hand. Tasting! He was now in his element. A glazed look came over his eyes and they became like narrow slits, like a concentrated shooter at target practice. All his attention was on the samples on the tables and the notes he was writing. In between bites, he cleansed his palate with celery sticks, and then he would look quite ponderous. This was a highlight of his life and at the end all he could say was " how do I get on the food judging circuit?"
The atmosphere outside the judging area was like a big festival, and we spent the evening enjoying the music and browsing the West Virginia crafts for sale.
Tomorrow we leave Snowshoe Mountain and West Virginia. In a week's time we had traveled from one end of the state to the other, visiting three distinct areas and staying in five hotels. We ate in down home cafes and deluxe restaurants. We met many friendly people, proud of their state, their heritage, and most of all the land of West Virginia. It truly is a beautiful state. Visit it now before they bottle it, and charge double.
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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