Category: travel

Cathedral Falls,  A Natural Sanctuary

Color Photography, travel

About one mile East of Gauley Bridge West Virginia is Cathedral Falls.  The cascade of water is about 60 feet high and the stream that feeds the falls is call Cane Branch.  The little roadside park is easy to access so I stop by often.  The path to the base of the falls is left in what is best described as a natural state. If you are sure-footed it’s no big deal.  I water is only ankle deep in most places and if you can avoid slippery rocks you can walk right up the stream.  If you can be there in the right light it’s one of our best photo ops.  The image here was taken in the Spring.  The air at Cathedral Falls is highly oxygenated due to the cascade.  It’s a good place to go and just quietly exist as part of God’s creation.  The cascading water seems to carry away the stress and anxiety that clings to the soul after a day of making modern life work.  Green ferns and moss grows everywhere in the canyon.  Birds and butterflies are often present.  The birds sing their songs and butterflies seem to dance to the tune.  

Cathedral Falls is one of God’s special spots.  I’m happy to share it with you but you should see it for yourself.  

Golden Dawn on the Kanawha River 

Color Photography, travel

This image was also taken the morning of October 28th 2017.  The building on the left is the hydroelectric power plant that supports the local foundry.   The Kanawha Falls seen here are part of system that incorporates a manmade dam with the natural beauty of the falls.  The light in spot doesn’t always cooperate with the lense but this time the sky made up for past disappointments.

Welcoming 

black and white photography, travel

Gauley Bridge West Virginia is a town of just over six hundred people.  At one time it was a local center of commerce tied to the railroad.  The trains still come to the small village but they don’t stop. As you Enter the city limits this mural welcomes you. It beckons you back to a simpler time along the three rivers area.  

Painting by Nancy Coleman Lane of Jodie West Virginia 

Morning Drive 

Color Photography, Summerville, travel, Uncategorized

Early on the morning of August 21st 2017 I stopped by the roadside park at Summerville Lake in West Virginia.  The shot was taken by placing the camera directly on the road.  The road crosses the Summerville Dam which is a Flood control dam. My grandfather was a engineer who helped build the dam.  Below the lake is the flooded town of Gad. The traditional way of naming Dams and Lakes built during the flood control project had to be suspended to prevent a scandal.  The local community just couldn’t allow the existence of “Gad Dam” and “Gad Dam Lake “. The resulting history is somewhat of a local joke today.

I spent a large part of my youth on or in the lake.  By the time I was 16 swimming from the beach to the campground was a ritual way to celebrate the opening the summer lake season.  Just to left of the road here there’s a cliff where I used to dive.  I’m guessing the drop was about 60 feet high from the surface of the water and the bottom of the lake is about the same.  We’re not allowed to have such adventures there today.  Unfortunately a person was injured because he dove from the wrong spot.  The Corps of engineers decided to ban diving altogether.

On the right side of the road is the Gauley River. The outlet for the lake creates class 6 rapids and so that spot is popular with rafters and kayakers.  The river is a great place for trout fishing.   There’s a local story about a specific DNR officer who came up on two guys fishing.  When he asked to check out their licenses one of them dropped his pole and took off running downstream. After a harrowing chase the officer finally corners the fisherman and once more demandsfor the license to be presented.  When the fisherman produces the license everything checks out. No laws were broken.  The two men are completely out of breath from the chase.  Panting heavily the officer asked why the first man ran. “You have your license and there’s nothing I can charge you with ” he said.  The fisherman replied “yes, but my friend didn’t have one.”

If you come to West Virginia,  Summerville Lake is a great place to have some summer fun. Just don’t jump from cliffs and if you plan to fish you better have a license.  The DNR officers travel in pairs now.  😉