Blue Ridge Country Nov/Dec 2024 - 13

IN NEARBY UNION
The White House (airbnb.com) has retained its
historic charm throughout an extensive renovation
by Janet and Robert Tuckwiller (named Best
Mountain Artist by Blue Ridge Country readers
in 2013). Laurie liked that all five bedrooms had
private baths, and I enjoyed watching small-town
life unfold from the front porch overlooking Main
Street in Union, West Virginia.
GETTY IMAGES | JOHN CLAY HARVEY
A GREAT LUNCH STOP
One of my fondest memories of this
region is stopping at Cheese 'N' More
in Gap Mills, West Virginia, ordering
a sandwich (made with bread from
Kitchen Creek Bakery across the street)
and sitting at the picnic tables to soak
up the sun and local color. In addition
to dozens of cheeses and lunch meats,
the Mennonite shop has an array of
nuts, dried fruit, baking ingredients,
jellies, candies, spices and herbs.
THE WALK: A moderate
two-mile (roundtrip), rockstrewn
outing along the
Peters Mountain ridgeline
in southeastern West Virginia
for a vast 360-degree
view.
ernmental agencies and civic organizations
has cared for the site, coming here to watch
the annual fall migrations. An astounding
3,812 broad-wing hawks were seen sailing by
here on a single day in 2020.
We realized the rain had stopped as the
GETTING THERE: Follow
Zenith Road (WV 15) eastward
from the WV 3/WV 15
intersection in Gap Mills
for 3.6 miles. Here Zenith
Road becomes Limestone
Hill Road and you continue
1.7 additional miles to the
parking area on the right.
observatory's interior suddenly brightened, as
if a high-wattage light bulb had been turned
on. Looking up, I saw that a vast expanse of
West Virginia was now visible below. Going
out onto the catwalk, I witnessed uplifting streams
of fog gradually uncovering bits and pieces of Craig
County, Virginia, to the east. The long rocky ridgeline
of Peters Mountain was being revealed, reminding us
of how we had been here before when we became the
first people to walk the Allegheny Trail's full length
years ago. And, we didn't see any hawks, but we did
watch three circling vultures as they were silhouetted
MORE INFORMATION:
The US Forest Service
has a short description
and rudimentary
map of the walk on
fs.usda.gov/recarea/gwj/
recarea/?recid=73737.
We realized the rain
had stopped as the
observatory's interior
suddenly brightened,
as if a high-wattage
light bulb had been
turned on. An expanse
of West Virginia was
now visible below.
against the sky's now deep blue hue.
Lesson learned: Do not let a bit of rain convince
you to back out of what could end up being an absolutely
wondrous, and I venture to say even glorious,
walk in the woods.
Leonard has written 20 books on the outdoors and travel.
Find out more at www.habitualhiker.com. He also writes
Mountain Wildflowers, found on BlueRidgeCountry.com.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 13
http://www.airbnb.com https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/gwj/recarea/?recid=73737 http://www.habitualhiker.com http://www.BlueRidgeCountry.com
Blue Ridge Country Nov/Dec 2024

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