After resting up a bit (and searching for more ticks), we sallied out to Blackwater Falls State Park. Barbara's trail book described the falls overlook as a short walk from the Visitors' Center.
Yes, the walk from the Visitors' Center was short, but they forgot to mention the 200 steps down to the lower viewing platform, not to mention the 200 steps back up.
The name "Blackwater" was given to the river because of the tannins in the water arising from decaying leaves. The brown discoloration is visible in spots here.
The falls were first popularized in 1853 by David Hunter Strother who wrote using the pen name "Porte Crayon." (The name basically means "mechanical pencil!") In 1858 a lodge was built nearby to accommodate overnight tourists.
Strouther is significant in Lexington history because he was instrumental in rebuilding VMI after the war ... after being a participant in Hunter's Raid that destroyed it.
I think the best pictures were from higher up, but I had to include the one above to prove we made it down all 200 steps.
We chatted with a local gentleman who told us that two weeks prior to our visit the falls had been a mere trickle due to the drought. Recent rains had brought them back up to snuff.
We saw at least a couple of "Almost Heaven" swings. Barbara posed for a picture here at Blackwater Falls. We chuckled over the instructions behind the West Virginia state display for taking a selfie in the swing. It included a shelf to put your cell phone on to make sure it was pointed in the right direction.
Our plan had been to eat at a recommended pizza place in Davis, WV, but we couldn't find it.
We went directly to Thomas, WV, planning to attend a concert at the Purple Fiddle. Thomas is built on several levels with the main street divided into two one-way sections. The higher "north-bound" section is about three stories above the lower "south-bound" section fronting the river.
There were numerous funky stores and art galleries. Unfortunately most were closed for the day.
After walking up and down the street (the town isn't very large), we decided to eat dinner at the Purple Fiddle and wait for the concert. The act Friday night was Ellis Paul and he put on a great show. Unfortunately, the day's exercise was catching up with us and we had a goodly drive back to the hotel. At night. And it was getting foggy. We didn't stay for the second set.
The following morning, Barbara did her best to talk me into another hike, but I headed home. Rather than follow Miz Google's route back, I tried two other routes over the ridges: US33 and US250. My advice: go with Google.
Thanks, Barbara, for inspiring a great holiday. Let's do it again before too long.
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