Travel – Page 3 – Geeky Girl Engineer

Exhibition Coal Mine

Posted on July 1, 2022 by geek

While visiting New River Gorge National Park, I am in the Beckley area, so I decided to visit the Exhibition Coal Mine. It is a museum dedicated to coal mining including structures that show how people used to live. The main attraction though is an actual coal mine that shut down decades ago that you can tour while on a mine car. It was quite interesting. Our guide was a retired coal miner, and he was able to explain how things worked. You cannot stand up straight in the coal mine. We were seated on a car the whole time, but our guide got out several times, and he had to stoop over. He further explained that with most area, they did not remove the rock above the coal seam. The coal seam was generally only 24 inches high, so miners worked on the ground in a 24 inch high area. The work was obviously grueling.

Entrance to mine

Signs near entrance to mine. They still have a fire boss check the mine everyday even though they are not mining.

Rock bolts were in all the walls and ceiling to strength them

View from the car down the mine

Example of a car that held one ton of coal that a miner would fill. A 24 inch high or so coal seam can be seen in wall.

Wall of mine with coal seam at the bottom

Bridge Walk

Posted on June 30, 2022 by geek

I spent today doing more exploring of New River Gorge National Park, but I started the day by walking across a bridge. The walk across the bridge was under the road deck, which is not something a person normally gets to do. Bridge Walk lets you do just that. The New River Gorge Bridge is beautiful with a wonderful design, and walking under the bridge allowed me better appreciate and to take photos of the structure. Walking on the catwalk also allows for photos of the stunning scenery. It was a nice, leisurely walk that just happens to be, at the highest point, 876 feet above the ground, by walking on a two feet wide catwalk while attached the longest continuous safety line in the world.

Looking up to Bridge Walk from Fayette Station Road

View to the west

Looking down at the piers

View to the east

Looking down at the arch

View to the west

Looking down at the arch

At apex of arch

Looking down at the arch

View to the west

Looking down the catwalk

Nuttallburg

Posted on June 28, 2022 by geek

I started exploring New River Gorge National Park today. It is second on my list of things to see in West Virginia after the capitol. The park is really spread out, and there are lots of areas to explore. I did some hiking in the Nuttallburg area today because it features the remains of a coal mining operation, and I love ruins. I hiked from the top to the headhouse. I was originally going to hike down along the trail that somewhat follows the conveyor, but I met some people at the headhouse, who had just hiked up the that trail, and they said do not do it. It is a really difficult trail, and while the park material said as much, somehow their exhausted faces persuaded me more. I then drove to area near the river where the lower part of the mining operation was and hiked around there a little. The area trails are really neat because you can essentially follow the mining operation from the mine entrance to where the coal would have been loaded onto trains.

While the mining operation started in the mine, obviously, the first part you can see is the mine entrance. As I stood in front of the mine, I could feel the air coming out was probably 10 or 20 degrees colder.

Mine Entrance

The coal cars then went to the headhouse where the coal was dumped and loaded onto the conveyor, which brought the coal all the way down the slope to be transferred to trains.

Headhouse where coal was dumped out of the cars from the mine and onto the conveyor. In the lower right, you can see the start of the conveyor.

Inside the headhouse where the coal cars came in

The conveyor was essentially a really long conveyor belt, and it was kind of awesome to stand beneath it.

Conveyor that brought coal from headhouse to tipple

The conveyor ended at the tipple. The tall structure seen on the right was a storage silo for the coal.

Conveyor entering the tipple

The tipple sat on top of train tracks, and the coal was transferred to the trains there.

Tipple where coal was transferred to trains

Under the tipple, standing on the old train tracks where coal was transferred

There are also some remains of coke ovens. These are considered to be the earliest remains of coal operations. Originally the coal converted to coke there.

Coke Ovens

West Virginia State Capitol

Posted on June 27, 2022 by geek

I continue in my quest to see all the state capitols. Today, I checked off West Virginia. The current, sixth, and final state capitol is gorgeous but not overly ornate. As just stated, it is the sixth capitol, and the short history of why West Virginia has had that many is one of the reasons why guided tours of capitols are so worth it. The original capitol was in Wheeling from 1858-1870. The Legislature decided to move it to Charleston. According to my guide, Wheeling then stated they would build a wonderful new building and pay for it if they moved the capital back to Wheeling, which they did in 1875. [This sounds like cities competing for sports franchises.] People evidently complained about how far away Wheeling was from the rest of state, and most wanted one more centrally located. Then there was a state wide vote, and Charleston won, and the capital moved back there in 1885. [At this point, you have to wonder if there was niche market for move the capital by steamer business.] Now, I get to the best part of this story, which is about the fourth capitol (and second Charleston capitol). The state had confiscated a whole lot of ammunition, gunpowder, and other material from protestors and/or strikers in coalfields. At least one version of the story I found says the ammunition belonged to police. The capitol was rather large, and evidently they had a bunch of storage space, so with what was thought a good idea at the time, they stored it in the capitol. It caught fire somehow, and the building burned for three days. The fifth capitol was then built really quickly after that, and then they built the current building.

The building is like most capitols with lots of marble and other natural stone. The central dome is really pretty. I like the contrasting colors. The dome and each of the chambers have crystal chandeliers on which the state did not skimp. The senate chamber is red, but the house chamber is more pinkish red. The senate has a small dome with skylight, but the house has larger square skylight. It may have just been the time of day I was there, but the house chamber had more light from the skylight. The exterior of the central dome has lots of real gold, according to my guide, and I think the gold is contrasted nicely with the blue paint.

Capitol exterior

Capitol dome exterior

Capitol central dome

Capitol dome area

Upstairs hallway

Senate Chamber

Senate Chamber dome

House Chamber

Williamson Coal House

Posted on June 26, 2022 by geek

While in Charleston, I found the book “The Essential Way Out in West Virginia” by Jeanne Mozier for sale, and I immediately bought it because this is my kind of book. One of the crazy items in the book, is Coal House, which according to the book is the oldest and largest building made out of coal in West Virginia. It was constructed entirely of coal, and its walls are two feet thick. Incredibly in 2010, the building caught fire, and the interior was gutted, but the coal block exterior was untouched. Supposedly, the exterior is not a fire hazard, which seems to be proven by the fact that it didn’t burn during the fire. However, it is coal, so I am still trying to understand that.

Quite obviously, I had to see this coal house. I drove about three hours roundtrip out of my way to see it, which may be not normal, but it was completely worth it. One detail that I could see in person is that bricks are very shiny. They must be coated with something, probably for weather resistance.

Coal House and sign

Coal House

Coal House plaque

Coal House bricks

Seneca Rocks

Posted on June 25, 2022 by geek

As I continued my West Virginia road trip, after Spruce Knob, I made another stop at Seneca Rocks. They are a beautiful rock formation to see. I didn’t do any hiking, but I just wanted to stop and see them. As I love to see any cool geological formation.

Seneca Rocks

Spruce Knob

Posted on June 25, 2022 by geek

I’m taking a leisurely road trip through West Virginia. The main destination is Charleston as this trip will add the West Virginia State Capitol to my list of state capitols, as I am trying to see them all. Along the way though, I am just enjoying the drive and finding detours and stops to make along the way. The first detour in West Virginia was Spruce Knob, which is the peak of Spruce Mountain and the highest point in West Virginia. It is a lovely drive to get there, as long as you don’t mind curving mountain roads including the final part which is forestry road and not actually wide enough for two vehicles. At the top of the mountain, there is a short trail that you can take to give you several wonderful vantage points of the surrounding area. There is also an observation tower of which I don’t understand the point because it provides views of the surrounding trees and that is about it. However, the views from the trail are worth the detour from the road.

Green tree covered mountains and a blue sky

View from Spruce Knob

Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary

Posted on June 12, 2022 by geek

I went on a tour of Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary today, which sits along the Patuxent River on the east side. I have lived in the DC area for over a decade, and I am still discovering neat places to visit of which I just was not even aware exist. There are lovely forest and wetlands trails to see. Besides educational outreach, they also do scientific research on the wildlife and even archeology. It is a rather busy park really. On our tour, we also were able to go on a pontoon boat ride along the Patuxent River. There were so many red-winged blackbirds and ospreys along with lots of other birds that were difficult to see.

Jug Bay (in the morning while it was raining)

Spatterdock

Spatterdock flower

Jug Bay

Red-winged blackbird among the wetlands plants including cat-tails, wild ride, and spatterdock

Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary trail

Calvert Cliffs State Park

Posted on June 11, 2022 by geek

I visited Maryland’s Calvert Cliffs State Park today, which I have been wanting to do for a while. The park is known for its beach where you can fossil hunt for shell and shark teeth fossils among others. The hike to the beach is not quite two miles. What I didn’t realize until I got here, mainly because the state’s website gives only the barest of information and is very unhelpful, is how lovely the trails are. The trail that is the most direct path to the beach first passes through a lovely wooded area. It then goes alongside a wetland area, which currently is filled with blooming water lilies. The wetland area is gorgeous and worthy of a visit to the park all by itself.

The beach is small and not someplace I would go swimming, but it seems everyone goes to this particular beach to hunt for fossils, not to swim. I found the geology of the beach to be quite interesting. There were rocks and other objects along the beach of which I couldn’t understand the origin. I picked up a few shells and at least one fossil. However, I also picked up a couple of items that I still can’t determine what they are, even if they are natural or human-made objects. I took photos of the objects I collected. If anyone can help me understand what the objects are in the last photo (also featured in second to last photo), I would appreciate you leaving a comment.

Calvert Cliffs SP trail

Calvert Cliffs SP lily pond

Water lilies

Calvert Cliffs SP beach

Fossils, shells, and other objects from Calvert Cliffs SP

Objects of unknown origin from Calvert Cliffs SP

Pittsburgh Rivers Boat Trip

Posted on May 29, 2022 by geek

I took the Rivers of Steel Uniquely Pittsburgh Sightseeing Tour today. I have to admit to being slightly disappointed that I could not see more of the leftovers from the steel industry on the boat ride, but it was a nice boat ride. It started near where the Monongahela River and the Allegheny River join to form the Ohio River. It went down the Ohio River just a little then it turned went up the Monongahela River for a bit before turning around and going up the Allegheny River for a little. It was a beautiful day, and it appears everyone who had a boat was on it, and everyone who didn’t was out on their bike or just walking.