You know how every town nowadays has a foodie tour to sample fare from local restaurants?  Well, the tiny town of Ansted WV was not to be left out.  Their “Taste” tour was part of the town heritage festival and it was a bit unique.  Their goal, let visitors know what folks around here like to eat.  So…

Six entries

Four were made by hand in the homes of local residents:  Pecan blondies, pecan sponge cake bars, deep fried chicken tenders, banana pudding (the organizers entry.

Cupcakes made at the senior center.  They were decorated with white icing, fresh blueberries and pineapple then arranged to look like an American flag

Pizza: the owner/operator of the local pizza shop created a special chicken/pineapple/bacon pie with sriracha sauce

Participation was free.

The organizer gave me a ticket with direction to “sample everything if you can” then vote with your ticket for the one you like best.”

I don’t know what prize was bestowed upon the winner but all were tasty and it was a fun way to get a glimpse into the lives of the locals.  I voted for the pizza by the way.

Kent’s electrician skills got a workout this weekend.  We are back in business but the issue is far from resolved.

We plug into 50 amp all was well.

Four days later we go out for a few and return to no power.

Maintenance comes…the mechanical guys.  They had no clue as to electrical problems.

The electrical guy shows up..he determines it was our equipment.  Specifically the main transfer relays that keep shore power and generator power apart. Kent expressed his doubts but the guy was pretty adamant.

Kent removes the relay box and we limp by on a 110 extension cord.  That’s when we discover that the outage fried our microwave.

A new relay box and still….no power

Turns out it is a problem with the power pedestal.

Oh joy, now we get to work though the red tape to try and recover costs.  Time will tell.

Summersville Lake at 300 feet deep obscures long stretches of steep gorge walls cut by the Gauley.  For all but about 20 days a year an earthen dam holds back the waters that historically raged through here.  At the base of the dam, three 9ft diameter valves direct flow through the huge nozzles that charge the raging Gauley during let-down in the fall.  Even today with just one valve open there is a roar in the rocky riverbed and the mist cools the air as water from deep in the lake spills out.  Rafters after the wildest rides put in here just below the dam in September and October.  It must be amazing and I suspect more than just a little frightening!

Corp of Engineers operate Battle Run Campground within the dikes of the lake.  Locals claim that it is periodically flooded to levels well above rooftops.  This week though, despite a LOT of rain, all is well in the campground.  We have a water front site and have launched kayaks (we left the motorboat in Pt Pleasant for now) a couple different times.  It is a pretty busy place but nice for water play.  Long Point is a 100+ ft cliff that folks say serves as one of this lake’s “jump rocks”.  We took the ridge trail up onto it but never even considered the quick way back down.

We have opted for early morning Kayaking.  It seems best for wildlife, a smooth lake and calm winds; plus, highs have been bumping 90F and setting off lots of thunder showers in the afternoons.  It has mostly been quiet paddling watching the many mallards that call this place home.  We have watched Pileated Woodpeckers forage along the shore, surprised deer on the bank for their morning drink, and studied a giant blob of a bird in the treetops.  It turned out to be a red tailed hawk.  I am pretty sure that this is the only kind of paddling I will ever be doing on the Gauley.

The docent at Glade Creek Grist Mill recommends that you mix up buckwheat pancake batter (probably 50/50buckwheat and whole wheat flour) then let it sit like sourdough overnight.  The tang of the aging complements the buckwheat flavor.  I’m going to try it…assuming I remember.

No matter the setting, no matter the condition; waterwheel driven mills are a beauty to behold.  The Glade Creek Grist Mill at Babcock is no exception.  The mill, waterwheel, and surrounding stonework have been restored.  It is even run when water conditions are right (unfortunately not today).  I was hoping for buckwheat flour for pancakes but no such luck.  They only grind cornmeal nowadays.  “Buckwheat is too dusty.”  Bummers.

Boley lake….the trail winds through a luxurious quietness that is cradled in the rhododendron thicket that surrounds the lake.  It isn’t silent but the perfect balance of a myriad of sounds.  Soft soil dampens the tromp of booted feet.  Bugs buzz and hum.  Woodpeckers drum in the distance.  Birds chatter and call from the forest.  Frogs and toads plop into the pool as we venture too near for their comfort.  From somewhere high in the trees the clear toned melody of a thrush slices through the otherwise muted sounds.   We never journeyed very far from the developed area of the park but still found a peaceful connection with this lovely place.

The campground is shaded and many sites are nicely spaced.  There are lots of cabins here too.   I’d recommend this quiet mountain retreat.

We are in at least day 5 of 80F+ and saturated air.  Anything more ambitious than breathing results in immediate formation of beads of sweat that within minutes create rivulets down the back.  Ick.  Combine that with daily popup showers and we are basically damp most of the time.  Thankfully overnight temps dip into the 60s making for great sleeping weather.  The forecast includes a cool front for this next week…that’ll be nice.

One of the newer adventures on the Gorge is walking the catwalk under the New River Gorge Bridge.  It stretches the full length of the structure and is about 20 feet below the roadbed.

That still puts it about 850 feet above the river.  You wear a safety harness during the walk.  Pretty cool to see the steel and hear the construction history of this engineering marvel.   The structure moves a bit with traffic rumbling overhead.

We shared the steel with a family of Peregrine Falcons.  At least 3 fledglings and 1 adult were hanging around.  One fledgling was still hanging out in the nest planted firmly within an opening in a steel beam.  According to our guide they were introduced to the site and have eliminated a developing pigeon and swallow population problem.

Far below, the New River beckons us to return.

Ping ponging down the lower New River clinging to our paddles and bouncing wildly in a big purple raft.  It was about a perfect day: rapids were exciting, flow across the rocks was perfect for “surfing”, the air temp neared 90F and the water was at 75F.  Five new found friends were fun companions on the journey and our guide, Scott, did a spectacular job.

We have a video to share with those who crave the detailed version but here are the highlights.

Lower trestle rapids: I high-five the photo guy as we careened past his boulder perch and I am out of the raft before we even really get started.  I am tumbled in the current among the rocks but pop up no worse for the wear.  It took seconds.

The Keeneys…upper/middle/lower.

Orange paddles and guides helmet are all that show in the Keenys rapids

A tight group of three rapids came next.  Let’s just say that Kent can no longer claim that he has bested the New River.  It was the wild surfing that got him…and the other two on his side of the raft.  It looked like slow-mo when I watched them go in.  They too emerged unscathed.

More rapids and lots more surfing.

Some cooling as we voluntarily leave the boat in calmer sections spinning in eddies and whirlpools set in motion by underwater ledges and rocks

Great shore lunch

Bobbing free in the river again, feet stretched out in front of us and hugging our life jackets we floated through “the needle”, a narrow gap where the current rushes between boulders.

The kid in our raft actually road the last rapid standing in the bow hanging onto a lead clipped to the bow ring.

What fun!

Kent got some video from a rider’s point of view on his helmet mounted GoPro camera.  Thankfully he didn’t capture my “graceful” exit or reentry!

The WHS class of 1973 met for dinner to celebrate 60th birthdays and to catch up on life.  About 25% of the class was in attendance. 

A few of us spoiled a good walk the next day with a golf outing.  Fun times.  Good to catch up with friends of old.