After another day of driving over winding, steep roads, we arrived at Parsons, WV. Our new camp is Five Rivers Campground. It sits on the banks of the river and is a peaceful place. It is quite large with the sites scattered higgledy-piggledy across the grassy property. On the hill right beside the river there are lots of tent sites and they were full to capacity over the weekend. The river is crystal clear and the shallow water gurgles over flat rocks making it a great place for kids to swim and enjoy the water. There are lots of Canadian Geese about. Their droppings dot the grass like land mines just waiting for someone to step on them. The atmosphere is lively and folks are very friendly.
After getting set-up and the girls settled in the new environment, we headed out for a long walk. We strolled down to the rivers edge and then ambled downtown. The village center is dominated by a large federal building. It sits side-by-side with the Golden Arches, sort of the past meets the present. There were a couple of small places to eat like Subway and a Pizza place but for the most part just quaint little shops that were closed. Guess I will be cooking all our meals while we are here!
Parsons sits close to the entrance of the Monongahela Forest. Located within the Forest are the Blackwater Falls, one of the sites we wanted to visit. Of course, the drive took us over rolling, curving and narrow roads but the views were amazing. All along the way, Mountain Laurel in pale pinks and white bloomed in profusion. At one overlook, the valley below was sitting under heavy rain clouds. In places, the rain was washing the land and creating a misty highway sky-to-land. All along the top of the Appalachian Mountains are wind turbines. We have seen them in many places but this was the first time our route took us so close to them. The size of the turbines makes one feel insignificant as an ant in comparison. Our route took us through Thomas, WV, a place we wanted to stay but could not find a camp site. It is such a cute village. It clings to the side of the mountain. The Main Street splits creating a strip of shops and eateries that reminded us of Natchez Under the Hill. It was very crowded so we decided we just wanted the peace of nature instead of commercial attractions. Further down the road, we passed farmers with stands selling fresh eggs, honey and just picked vegetables. Of course I had to stop. I came away with red, juicy tomatoes, fresh brown eggs and other veggies that would make a nice meal.
We arrived at the Black Forest State Park just as those rain clouds reach us. Disappointed, we headed back to Parsons vowing to return the next day, which we did. While the clouds threatened rain, they passed over us without so much as a sprinkle. The hike down to the falls winds through thick stands of trees and Mountain Laurels. It was quite steep in places but gave way to more gentle stairs that led down to the falls. From above, we could hear the roar of the water and the mist was in the air giving me a mini moisture facial as we went.
There are never adequate words to describe natural wonders. Accounts of native Americans regarding the falls go back to 1736 but the first written account of the wonders of the Blackwater area was in 1853 when stories of adventures into the area appeared in Harpers. Written under the pen name of Porte Crayon. His colorful descriptions and wonderful illustrations give us a view of the area before settlement and removal of the virgin forests. The foundation of the river and falls are formed by Connoquenessing, sandstone, hard rock. That’s a mouthful for sure. The Delaware Indians gave the rock this word and it means “for a long way straight”. This rock is quite hard and formed millions of years ago. Beneath this rock, is a softer sedimentary rock. Over time, the constant flow of water eroded the rock and caused sheets to give way eventually forming these lovely falls.
On the trip down, we passed an artist quietly painting, capturing his interpretation of the falls on canvas. I tried to give justice to it with my camera, but nothing can compare with standing in front of it listening to the roar of the water. As they say, “what goes down, must come up” and so we turned and headed back to the top. We are not in the best of shape, however we took it slowly and made it back just fine. We headed back to Parsons and the laundry, my least favorite chore!
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