SPRUCE KNOB ~ Highest Point in West Virginia

This was my first trip ever to Spruce Knob and it was absolutely beautiful.

Spruce Knob sits 4,863 feet above sea level which makes it the tallest point in West Virginia and it's also the tallest mountain within the Allegheny Mt. Range.

The view from the lookout tower ~
  Mountain tops for as far as you can see, a thick forest of Spruce trees and large boulders that littered the ground.

Those trees were a welcome sight after standing atop the lookout tower. The winds were pretty strong but once we were back on the ground those trees offered shelter from them. We could also feel a definite temperature change as our bus began climbing the mountain road...glad we brought warm winter clothing.

                              Looking out over Germany Valley
On the way back down the mountain we stopped for a view of Germany Valley and a lesson on the formation of these mountains which happened millions of years ago during the Paleozoic Era.
I'm more of a history buff than a science lover but let me tell you, I learned so much from this group of Science teachers and I loved every minute of it!

I hope that this science fieldtrip will continue for many years to come. It was an AWESOME learning experience for the kids as well as us adult parents.

Next stop... The Sinks of Gandy!

Does Anyone Know what Plant this is??

My Dad transplanted this to his yard a few years ago but can't remember it's name.

I plan on digging some of his up so that I can plant a bit in my yard.

It comes back each year on it's own and I think it is so pretty and delicate looking. It almost looks like a flower inside of a flower.
Just wish I knew what it was!

I've still got plenty of photos to share with you all from our trip but I've been super duper busy trying to wrap up our schooling for the year and attempting to get my Spring Cleaning begun.
Hope to be back tomorrow with a few more of those photos PLUS I'm way behind on reading all of your blogs. I'll be around to visit all of you soon!

A few days with no rain and the pool is finally in!

With all the rain that we have been having I was honestly beginning to think that this day was never going to happen.

Luckily, the rain stayed away for a few days and the ground dried up enough to get this in here.

By the end of Friday we had the pool up and began filling it.
Now ~ two days later and we are still working on getting it filled.
No hurry though, because it's gonna be a while before the water is warm enough to get into.
But at least it's installed!

Other weekend happenings:
~ enjoyed the first backyard fire of the season with a few friends over

~ picked up a few more plants for my mini garden that I'm going to plant tomorrow
~ enjoyed breakfast out this morning for Mothers Day...yeah NO cooking!
~ tilled, raked and seeded grass around the new pool area
~ Grilled out with the whole family at my parents house for Mothers Day dinner...yeah again, NO cooking
~ didn't even have to do the dishes at Mom's because hubby did them for us.

Hope you all had a great Mothers Day too!
I'll be back tomorrow with more pictures from our trip!

Cathedral State Park & Blackwater Falls

                                                            Blackwater Falls
These were stops two and three on our field trip. First up was Cathedral State Park which is located in Preston County, WV. This forest contains some of the last of the ancient hemlocks that once grew everywhere in the Appalachian highlands. The largest trees measure 90 feet tall and are 21 feet in circumference.

                                   Cathedral State Park
Unfortunately, some of my pictures didn't turn out so the above photo is the only one that I have from this stop. We were crossing a little bridge to go to a picnic shelter.

Next stop ~ Blackwater Falls

This is one of those places that I could go to over and over again and never bet bored with.
This five story tall waterfall is beautiful and due to the heavy rains that we have had lately the falls were booming.
The black or sap colored water is caused by fallen hemlock and red spruce needles that result in a build-up of tannic acid.

 Only 200 and some steps to descend to reach this overlook.  Not bad going down but it's a real treat to climb back up to the top.

Blackwater State Park covers a total of 2,456 acres and if you are a nature lover then you will have plenty to do here.
Fishing, boating, camping, hiking, swimming, skiing, sled riding and more.

That's all for today!
Next I'll show you where we stayed (and where hubby and I honeymooned almost 17 years ago) as well as an awesome military museum that's tucked away near Petersburg, WV and a fish hatchery that supplies all of our state parks.

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all of you!