Kennerdell, PA!

 

Early morning wildlife spotting from the deck of our home.  I've got the two essential tools in hand,  binoculars and coffee!

While searching Airbnb for a location close to Ben we spotted Kennerdell.  Kennerdell is a little off the beaten path.  Which given these crazy times is just the way we like it.  To get to this small, very serene, unincorporated riverfront village located in Venango County you'll probably need a GPS or a real good sense of direction.  If you do find it, you'll be really glad that you did.  It's definitely a slice of paradise along the Allegheny River.

A foggy sunrise on the Allegheny!

Geese coming in for a landing.  In addition to geese we've also spotted deer, a river otter, rabbits and numerous birds.

According to information I've read about the history of the area it was a trade stop along the Allegheny River prior to the War of 1812.  Barges loaded with wool, coal, timber as well as produce from local farms were shipped down the river to Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh).  In 1853 Richard Kennerdell purchased a wool mill located along one of the tributaries of the Allegheny.  By 1865 the area which would later become Kennerdell not only had a mill but also a blacksmith shop, sawmill, gristmill, church, school and general store.  The mill closed following Kennerdell's death in 1873, however he and his families legacy continues to live on today in this remote area of Western Pennsylvania.

The Kennerdell Overlook

For the next four weeks we'll be calling Kennerdell home.  We're staying at a place overlooking the clear, easy flowing water of the Allegheny as it makes it's 325 mile journey towards Pittsburgh.  There it will join the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River which flows into the Mississippi River and on to the Gulf of Mexico.  In this neck of the woods the river twists and turns along the route.  It's overall flow is in a Southwesterly direction, although in front of where we are staying the flow is northward.  

While here, there will be plenty of hiking on the extensive trail system, exploring the area, my daily whipping at Scrabble, frequent visits with Ben and plenty of sitting quietly and watching the river go by.   For some people, this laidback lifestyle would make their head explode.  For us, we've mastered the fine art of nothingness.  In Kennerdell we're looking forward to further perfecting this skill.

Yesterday we took a short drive over to Freedom Falls.  We expected to see this...........

..........instead we saw this.  Not much rain up here at this time of year!

West Virginia wrap up........

Early morning fog over the New River (Hawks Nest State Park)

Yesterday we left West Virginia heading towards Northwest Pennsylvania where we will be spending the next four weeks.  We'll be staying at an Airbnb located directly on the Allegheny River in the small community of Kennerdell.  According to the 2010 census, Kennerdell's population was 247.  I'm not sure if it's gone up or down over the last 10 years, but social distancing won't be an issue!  Ben lives in Slippery Rock, which is about 30 minutes away.  We look forward to spending lots time with him and his incredibly loving dog Allie during our stay.  It'll be a blast!

Upon arrival in Slippery Rock we did some "social distancing" visiting with Ben in his back yard.

Allie was ignoring the CDC guidelines for social distancing!

At the risk of starting to sound like I'm blogging for the West Virginia Tourism Association or the state park system, West Virginia was awesome from beginning to end.  Our four hour drive from Hawks Nest State Park to Slippery Rock, PA yesterday was scenic the entire way, especially in West Virginia.  We traveled mainly on US 19 and I-77.  Typically interstate driving isn't the most scenic but Beth and I commented that the scenery on I-77 was every bit as nice as that along US 19, which is designated as a "scenic byway".

Summersville Lake has 2,700 acres of water surface and over sixty miles of shoreline.  It's formed by a dam on the Gauley River.  It's just a few miles off US 19.

Water flowing out of the Summersville Lake Dam.  Whitewater Rafting is popular further down the Gauley River.

The Gauley River

As we made our way closer to exiting West Virginia we fired up the same song that we played as we were leaving Anna Maria Island last Sunday morning.  That song?  Of course it was the John Denver classic.............Take Me Home, Country Roads!

Ben and Allie's home in Slippery Rock!

Babcock State Park and the Midland Trail

 

The Glade Creek Gristmill

Just a short thirty minute drive from our lodge at Hawks Nest State park is another one of West Virginia's fantastic parks, Babcock State Park.  This 4,127 acre park has all the typical activities you would expect to find, such as camping and cottages,  miles of hiking and biking trails, picnic areas and a small lake.  One unique feature of the park, and it's most popular attraction is the Glade Creek Grist Mill.  This fully operational mill is actually a replica of another mill (Coopers Mill) that was located on the same site.  Although we didn't purchase any (mainly because we forgot to stop by on our way out), freshly ground corn meal can be purchased in the parks headquarters/camp store.

Swinging Bridge on Glade Creek

The grist mill again, this time as a "close up"......it's so scenic it's worth two pictures

The lake at Babcock State Park.  The trail that circles the lake is mostly flat and a little over a mile in length.

Paddle boats, canoes and row boats are available for rent.

We enjoyed visiting the mill and did a couple of relatively short hikes.  One of the hikes was on the Lake View Trail, which circled the lake.  Only one thing was missing along this relatively flat, well used trail and that was views of the lake!  Other than the first and last several hundred yards of the trail we only occasionally caught glimpses of the lake.  No complaints though, there were places to "sit and ponder" at a couple of places along the way.  After the hike we also enjoyed taking a paddle boat on the small lake.

One of the many species of mushrooms along the Lake View Trail

Sitting and pondering.....one of my specialties! 

Taking a few minutes break from the rigors of paddle boating!

The overlook from near the Manns Creek Picnic area

The drive to Babcock State Park was a treat in and of itself.  It was along a section of US Route 60 known as the Midland Trail.  This nationally designated scenic byway runs approximately 100 miles from Charleston to the unincorporated community known as Sam Black Church.  The trail was believed to have been originally cleared by buffalo and Native Americans.  In 1790 George Washington ordered the trail to be further cleared and improved.  It was used by both stage coaches and later by soldiers in the civil war.

The close proximity of several interstate highways has driven many small businesses away from the once thriving communities along the Midland Trail.  However, if you're looking for a beautiful drive along a well maintained and historic route,  the Midland Trail and a stop at Babcock State Park just may be right up your alley.  

West Virginia Extended.....Camp Creek State Park and Hawks Nest State Park

The view from our balcony at Pipestem State Park on our last morning.

We've put Pipestem Resort State Park in the rearview mirror.  It was a great introduction to the West Virginia State Park System.  There are 37 parks that make up the system.  We won't get but a small sampling on this adventure but we are going to get a few more than originally thought.  Our plans were to head on towards Pennsylvania after leaving Pipestem, but we've made a slight change, and are going to be spending a few extra days in West Virginia.

With school starting back, and summer travel winding down, we were fortunate to be able to book some time at another one of the beautiful state parks.  We are now at Hawks Nest State Park which is located in Ansted, just a few miles from the New River Gorge Bridge.  At 370 acres, Hawks Nest is much smaller than Pipestem (4,050 acres), but equally stunning in beauty.  The 31 room lodge sits on a ridge 750 feet above the banks of the New River.  The name "New River" is somewhat misleading since it is estimated to be approximately 65 million years old!     

Hawks Nest State Park

On our way to Hawks Nest we made a short detour off of I-77 to visit Camp Creek State Park and Forest.  This park is close to 6,000 acres in size with over 35 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding.  Additionally, for fisherman, there are over seven miles of trout streams that are stocked annually.  There were two small but very nicely shaded campgrounds.  One with water and electricity and another for tent campers.  Our visit was somewhat short but very enjoyable.  We did a little bit of a drive along the Turkey Loop Road to Campbell Waterfalls and a short hike to Mash Fork Waterfalls.  If we're back in the area, we'd look forward to exploring more of Camp Creek State Park.

Campbell Water Fall, Camp Creek

Marsh Fork Water Fall, Camp Creek

Camp Creek State Park

Our drive from Camp Creek to Hawks Nest also included driving across one of the most photographed sites in West Virginia, the New River Gorge Bridge.  This bridge is 3,030 feet in total length, with the main arch being 1,700 feet in length.  It stands 876 feet tall, meaning the Washington Monument and Two Statues of Liberty could pass underneath with 20 feet to spare.  The visitors center is currently closed due to Covid-19 but the observation platforms are open.  The view from the lower platform was well worth the energy expenditure required to go down and then back up the close to 200 steps.

The New River Gorge Bridge from the visitors center

I was serious about getting a good selfie at the New River Gorge Bridge

We arrived at Hawks Nest around 2:00 PM and were pleased to find out that our room was ready.  After a few minutes of rest and relaxation we were off to explore the park.  Like Pipestem State Park, Hawks Nest has a tram that runs from the rim down to the canyon floor along the New River.  The current cost for the tram is $7 round trip, unless you're old like me, then you get a one dollar discount.  These one dollar savings are adding up.

We hiked about half of the 1.9 mile Hawks Nest Rail Trail, which had a trail head near the lower tram station.  As the name implies, this trail is along a rail bed that is no longer in service.  In this case, the trains that ran here serviced the numerous coal mines that used to operate in the area.  The well shaded trail runs beside Mill Creek making the views of the meandering creek and occasional waterfalls spectacular.  We didn't turn around near the halfway point because of fatigue or boredom.........we turned around because we didn't want to miss the last tram of the day (currently 4:45).  It was a fun day and we knew we'd be back for more after a good nights sleep.

One of the many small waterfalls feeding into Mill Creek 

This entrance to an old coal mine (now sealed) was just off the Hawks Nest Rail Trail 

This railroad trestle across the New River is still in use.  

The tram on it's way to pick us up.

Sure enough, soon after a nice breakfast this morning we were heading back to the Hawks Nest Rail Trail.  This time instead of taking the tram down (it's currently closed on Wednesday's) we parked at the upper trail head in Ansted and hiked down the trail to the canyon floor.  Although the trail is an "out and back" trail, the views look quite different depending on if you are going down the gradual slope or hiking back up.  We've done a lot of hiking on a lot of magnificent trails, this was one of the best. 

Hawks Nest Overlook

Close up from the Hawks Nest Overlook.  The small building on the left side is the lower tram station

Hawks Nest Rail Trail

The largest waterfall on the trail.  It's at just about the mid point.

The most difficult part of the hike was deciding when to stop and take a picture.  It would have been easy to take a picture every step of the way.

Have stick, will travel.  Near the Ansted Trailhead.  

Ansted Trailhead

 Once we completed the hike, we took the car down the road on the opposite bank of Mill Creek.  This led us back to the lower trail head area.   We brought a couple of lawn chairs with us and we were soon relaxing in a shady spot along the edge of the New River enjoying the cool breeze and pondering why it took us so long to get to West Virginia. 

The view from our pondering spot!

Almost Heaven..........Pipestem Resort State Park, West Virginia

Pipestem Falls

We've covered a lot of miles in various states and different countries since I retired back in April 2016.  There have been planes, trains, ships and rental cars involved in all of these journeys.  What there hasn't been is a true "road trip" where we've driven our own car as the primary mode of transportation.  

Until a few weeks ago our car, which we still lovingly referred to as the "new car" was a 2005 Honda Accord with over 245,000 miles on it.  That's a few thousand miles more than the distance from the earth to the moon!  We were pleasantly surprised when it got us and all our belongings from Texas to Florida after retirement.  Since then it has gotten us to where we have wanted to go, but we haven't pushed it much beyond the one hundred mile range.

Before hitting the road we hit the dealership and purchased a new to us, but used Honda CR-V.  We're not big car people.  We want something comfortable, safe, dependable and long lasting.  We drive them until the wheels practically fall off and have even been known to sell a car or two on the side of the road after it died.  We're hoping to get as many miles out of the CR-V as we have on the Accord.  We'll be putting it to the test over the next few months.  

We left Florida early (1:30 AM) yesterday morning on a road trip.  We hope to cover a few destinations over the next couple of months and possibly beyond.  We're planning on spending around five weeks in Pennsylvania, close to where our son Ben lives.  We hope to fly back to Florida for a few days for a very special 92nd birthday.  After that we'll head back to Pennsylvania, pick up the car and move to the upper peninsula of Michigan to enjoy the change of seasons from along the shores of Lake Superior.  

First up on this adventure is two nights at Pipestem Resort State Park in Pipestem, West Virginia.  The 4,050 acre park sits in the Bluestone River gorge.  It is conveniently located about 20 minutes off of Interstate 77 and is about three hours north of Charlotte, NC and two hours west of Roanoke, VA.  It's right on the way to Ben's neck of the woods in Pennsylvania.  The name of the area (Pipestem) came from early settlers who observed the Native American Shawnee Indians using the stem of a local shrub to make pipes for smoking.

Over the course of our US travels we've visited most of the fifty states but this is actually our first time in West Virginia.  From what we've seen so far, we're in agreement with John Denver's assessment of West Virginia as "almost heaven".  We had also heard great things about the West Virginia State Park's and if Pipestem is any indication, they too have earned their excellent reputation.

https://wvstateparks.com/park/pipestem-resort-state-park/

Pipestem offers camping,  26 cottages, and two lodges, the Mountain Creek Lodge (open May-October) which sits in the gorge alongside the Bluestone River and the McKeever Lodge which is located at top of the canyon rim.  A unique feature of the Mountain Creek Lodge is that it is only accessible by a tram that runs from the parks Canyon Rim Center.  Day visitors or guests in the campground, cottages and McKeever Lodge can ride the tram for a small fee (currently $7, unless you're old like me, then it's $6).  If you do visit the park I would encourage you to take the tram down.  We took it down shortly after we arrived while we were waiting for our room to be cleaned.  The views looking up from the bottom of the gorge were great.  Also, there is a nice flat trail along the river that was very enjoyable.  This trail was a great way to get the blood flowing again after the twelve hour drive from Florida.

McKeever Lodge on the rim of the gorge

The Tram down to the base of the gorge and Mountain Creek Lodge

A chair in the shade by a mountain river........it doesn't get much better!

The park also has a beautiful 18 hole golf course, a par 3 golf course, miniature golf course, tennis courts, basketball court, fitness center, numerous hiking trails, a lake for fishing that also has a variety of inflatable water features, a "splash pad", an indoor and outdoor pool, several restaurants and a whole lot more.  The word "Resort" in the parks name is well deserved!

Horseback riding through the park.....

Deer keeping the grass on the golf course well manicured!

Long Branch Lake has plenty of activities for everyone

It's a really tough course

We finished off our first day at Pipestem sitting on the balcony of our lodge room enjoying a spectacular sunset, while below us a four deer and seven racoons begged for food from us and the other amused guests.  Additionally, a small but somewhat shy gray fox would occasionally make an appearance before heading back into the thick brush.

We couldn't convince all of the deer, racoons and the fox to get together for a group photo but this isn't too bad!

The fox would only come out for a couple of minutes and never far from the safety of the woods.

Sunset from our balcony overlooking the gorge

After catching up on our sleep we enjoyed a full day's adventure in the park and surrounding area.  First it was coffee with the deer and racoons who were now looking for breakfast.  Afterwards we hiked the nicely shaded, mostly flat Lake Shore Trail that encircles Long Branch Lake. We followed that up wit a walk to a nice scenic overlook just off the parks main road.  In the afternoon we played the incredibly difficult miniature golf course, explored Pipestem Falls, which is just outside the park, and drove a quick 20 minutes to see the impressive but more rustic Bluestone River State Park.

Bluestone River near Bluestone River State Park

Sunset is still a few hours away.  Hopefully we'll be joined by the deer, racoons and shy fox again tonight as we close out our first full day of being in "almost heaven".