Waterfall Watching

Looking Glass Falls, Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina

While wonder-walking in forested reverence

Only a wren’s call fell through sunbeams,

Punctuating wind rustled leaves.

Then, I heard your distant roar.




My heart leapt as I turned to pursue you,

With upturned ear and feet ascending

Over rocky crag and laurel hugged path,

Drawn by your pulsating frenzy.




Breathless, I found you

Wildly dashing to your precipice.

Then, abandoned you grasped the air

Where in glorious freedom you fell.




Sunlight danced upon your face

While rainbows played within your mist

Just as you caught your breath,

Before plunging into aqua deep.




There you swirled by speckled trout

Before resuming your steady race

Over riverbed your artistry carved

Suspended, I watched— lost in your beauty.

Meigs Falls, Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Cass Scenic Railroad–Workhorse of the Forest

My husband and I have visited a lot of state parks, but never one so unique as Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. Hearing glowing reports of a ride on a steam-powered logging train up the third highest mountain in West Virginia during the peak of fall color piqued our curiosity. So, we made our way over winding mountain roads to the town of Cass where we spent the night camping in the depot’s parking lot. In the morning we secured tickets for the 4 1/2 hour ride to a stop in Whittaker and up  Back Allegheny Mountain to the summit, Bald Knob. After a welcome breakfast of eggs, sausage, and biscuits we joined the gathering crowd to await the approach of our locomotive.  A loud oscillating whistle and billows of steam announced the grand entrance of Shay locomotive # 6.

Shay Locomotive # 6

Seats were first come, first serve. We found bench seats on one of the last open cars and soon we were on our way pushed up the mountain by the mighty piston pumping, black smoke belching, largest surviving Shay locomotive in the world.

On our Way

After following beautiful Leather Bark Creek, and negotiating switchbacks to gain altitude, we arrived at Whittaker. Climbing out to get a better look at our engine and a recreated 1940’s logging camp constructed by the Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association we marveled at the well conceived historical site. You may be interested in photos on the historical association’s website showing the construction of the Whittaker logging camp.

In this photo you can see that our engine is in the pushing rather than pulling position.

Shay # 6 at Whittaker

This photo shows two flatbed cars loaded with logs. In the background you can spot the Lidgerwood tower skidder that brought freshly cut logs out of the forest.

Tower Skidder and Flatbeds bearing Logs

Of special note was the brightly colored caboose parked on a siding.

Elk River Coal & Lumber Company Caboose

Ready to Continue up Back Allegheny Mountain to Bald Knob

After re-boarding, we continued up the mountain, amazed at the locomotives powerful pulsing as we mounted grades up to 11 %. On the way, we stopped at Oats Run to take on water from a  spring. The tracks took us through beautiful hardwood forests rich with vibrant color until suddenly the forest changed to Spruce. That’s not all that changed–a cold front moved in bringing drizzling rain and fog. The temperature at 4,700 feet dropped to 37 degrees. We hadn’t dressed for those temperatures! An observation platform was completely enshrouded in a misty cloud.

Bald Knob Overlook

One creature who didn’t mind the cold, a hungry doe, approached the train looking for handouts.

Hungry Doe

After a brief stop, we descended. Occasionally the fog would clear and give us glimpses of fall’s glory.

View from the Train, Bald Knob

Even though we felt cold and damp, the trip was worth every minute. We hope to go again someday.

Logging at Cass stopped in 1960 and in 1963 the town of Cass and its railroad became a West Virginia State Park. The Park owns six Shay engines, a Climax, and a Heisler. All are geared locomotives designed with articulating trucks to navigate the hairpin turns on irregular tracks laid atop the ground. Direct gearing is provided to every wheel.

Shay # 6

Our Shay engine was built for the Western Maryland Railway Company. Redeemed from the Baltimore & Ohio Museum, the Cass Scenic Railroad acquired it in 1980. You must experience a ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad to appreciate the incredible power of this 162 ton locomotive. There is nothing like the pulsating push of this enormous workhorse as coal black smoke chugs from its smokestack or the mighty pssssst of rolling white steam as it discharges from the pressure-relief valve. If you haven’t discovered the romance of railroading, then this is one experience you should seek. It might even turn you into a railroad aficionado.

Fall’s Complexion

Every season has a characteristic appearance. At its peak, fall is renowned for a collage of unequaled color. My husband and I recently took to the road to immerse ourselves in autumn splendor. We began in the beautiful Shenandoah region of Virginia where the leaves had just  started to turn.

Shenandoah Fall

As we wound our way across the Valley toward the higher elevations of West Virginia, every mountain switchback brought scenes of breathtaking beauty. We took each opportunity to pull off the road–without endangering ourselves or others. Sometimes that meant hopping guardrails perched atop breath-catching drop-offs to trudge through thickets of tall grass, brambles, and stick-tights. (I must have pulled 50 of the nuisances off my clothing at one stop.)

Roadside Grandeur

Each new vista was worth stopping to enjoy. We could see for miles. At this visit the mountainside was paved with lichen-laden stones. A gentle breeze sent golden leaves raining down on the forest floor.

Golden Rain

At higher elevations, every mountain side exploded in a mosaic of shades of yellow, red, and orange.

Whittaker, West Virginia

Here are a few closeups of fall foliage.

Maple on Fire

Maple Mania

Blood Red Oak

Finally, this struggling maple sapling caught my eye. It grew out of the rocky wall of a rain-swollen, raging river. Amazed by its singular charm and awed by its tenacity, I had to capture it. I hope to frame the image for my wall, not because it’s a great photograph, but because it reminds me that beauty can exist in the most difficult of circumstances. Life’s challenges ebb and flow, just like the river, so it is likely that I may need the sapling’s reminder some time in the future. Perhaps God put it there just for you and me.

Wild River Maple

Autumn’s Arena

Shortened days and cooler nights signal the Appalachians to prepare for winter’s wardrobe. The trees celebrate autumnal equinox with a festival of color. Donning their brightest red, shocking orange, purple, and gold, they wave farewell as they toss their leaves to the wind like confetti.

Lured to follow fall’s path, I discovered vistas of breath-taking beauty. Come with me over the next few weeks to discover the natural majesty of fall kissed mountain forests, valleys, and rivers.

Black-faced sheep graze on succulent grasses as vibrant woodland topiary portend barren fields of snow.

From the shelter of branch and thicket a watchful doe herd braves fence and open field to forage for tender shoots.

Bright blue skies and windswept clouds caress variegated mountain ridges.

Cool air rushes in, leaving a cloak of fog over mountain and river while Canada Geese pause to feed and groom before resuming their southerly migration.

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 3:1