I was doing some more digging in the archives and found these two photos of Peachtree Falls and of the road leading to the falls. I think I have a picture of the falls from every conceivable angle except from behind. You can see in the last photo there is plenty of room behind the falls. I think I’ll have to get a camera that can withstand a little water and go on a mission.

The first photo below was captured on top of Peachtree Ridge. The way the light was filtering through the trees made me think of West Virginia’s old motto Almost Heaven. The second photo was captured in Breckenridge Hollow and is immediately adjacent to the winding paved road in the Country Roads post. I really don’t think I need to explain why I took that photo. The third one needs no explanation either. It is another photo from the Bolt Mountain overlook.

The first photo below was taken at Lake Stephens. In the second I was near the top of the mountain in a place called Spring Hollow. The reason I shot this one was not so much the view but that every flower here seemed to be turned towards and enjoying the view as much as I was. The last photo was taken from on top of Peachtree Falls. I thought it was kind of cool how the flower at the end of the log seemed to be defying life and determined to exist against overwhelming odds. I think we could all learn a lesson from this simple flower.

The first photo in this series was taken from Peachtree Ridge looking towards Ivy Knob on Bolt Mountain. It struck me immediately how similar the two ridge lines were so I named this photo Twins. The second photo is from Lake Stephens. The third was taken in early Autumn and is of Peachtree Creek.

I have captured a few photos like the first one below. I was standing in pretty dense foliage when I was offered this view from beyond the trees. The second photo is a branch off of Big Coal River. The only time you will find water here is when the river is at flood stage.

“Those things that mother nature denied to human sight,she revealed to the eyes of the soul. “

The photos in this post were taken in the hollows surrounding Bolt Mountain. The one directly above, beside the truck photo, was taken on the road that runs by Peachtree Falls. That photo was actually taken in the Winter. With all the varieties of evergreen it is hard to determine the season by looking at the photo.The photo with the truck I took when my dog Sam and I went for a Sunday drive.

The trucks in the last two photos are hauling from the Peachtree Ridge Mining Company. The other photos are from the strip roads on Bolt Mountain.

The first and last photos of these three were taken in the head of Drews Creek Hollow. The church is at the end of the paved road and the house is the very last house in the hollow about a half mile beyond the church. The center photo is from the head of Peachtree Hollow and I took it because of the Rhododendron. It is at the last house in Peachtree.

Have A Great Day!!!

These are a few more photos from the archives. Sometimes I just like to take photos of the trees…

Walking up to the stoop, I find myself surrounded by memories of a time long gone. Sitting here, I could hear the kids playing and the dogs barking. The smell of fried potatoes and corn on the cob wafting from the kitchen. A horse and plow on the hillside working diligently to keep Mother Nature at bay and at the same time working to feed a family in this mountain wilderness. The hardships still linger here, voices from the past loud and clear. Can you see what I hear?

I took this photo in Martins Creek, West Virginia. I had never been here before this visit. This photo is a favorite of mine and is currently displayed as my desktop background.

In the last post, the photo ‘Nightriders’ inspired me to write this post since that photo was shot on the Harvey Hill trail. I decided to do some more digging in the archives and found these photos from my rides on this trail. Harvey Hill Trail is my own name for the trail we were on. The reason for that is because you can access it from the top of Harvey Hill on Saxon Posy Road.

I like to travel this route when I go to the Bolt Mountain strip roads because it is convenient and I have to ride on public roads for just a couple miles to get there. But once I hit the trail, it is nothing but West Virginia backwoods.

Another really cool aspect is that this trail is a two for one type of deal. The high road is for the more aggressive rider or for the person that wants to get to the strip roads in a hurry and it goes directly up the ridge line. The low road follows the high road but takes a more scenic route through the hollows.

Taking the high road you have to be prepared for obstacles such as this one which can get pretty hard to climb if even a little bit wet. If I could ever get my friend Dennie from Ohio to comment on my site, he could tell you of his experience with this hill. But since he probably won’t, I’ll give you the short version.

My four wheeler was four wheel drive, his wasn’t. It had rained the night before and we were starting an all day ride. I was in the lead and since we had so far to travel we took the high road. When I got to this hill, my four wheeler made it to the top basically with all four tires spinning and me struggling to straddle the ruts. After I got to the top I waited for him at the crossroads.

This is the only place where the two trails meet after separating at the bottom of the mountain and reconnecting at the top. At any rate, I sat there for maybe five minutes. He shouldn’t have been that far behind. The low road is the one going from right to left. He should have been coming from the direction this photo was taken in. I shut off my four wheeler and listened for the sound of his motor. I didn’t hear it so I backtracked to make sure he was alright. When I got back to the hill it was really hard to contain my laughter. He didn’t have quite the same luck as I did on climbing the hill. His four wheeler had slid into a rut where he somehow managed to get it almost completely sideways. He was cussin’ like a sailor. I helped him get it out and showed him what I thought was the best way for him to go up.

Usually I like to take the low road because it is a lot more scenic and better suited for a lazy ride. You will probably look at this next picture and think “Low road?” But at 3600 ft above sea level and two trails one of them has to be the low road. I guess calling it the low road is more figuratively speaking than literally.

This is another pic of the low road as it takes a more indirect approach to the top of the mountain. When I took this photo I was standing on the same trail pictured but had just come through a hollow and a very sharp switch-back. It was in that curve that we stopped that night and I took the nightriders pic in the last post.

Provided you make it to the top, whichever route you choose, you will arrive on the main strip / gaswell road on Bolt Mountain. From there you can go anywhere, literally.

Have a Great day and happy riding….

Taking photos at night is particularly hard to do with the limited options on my camera. I have taken quite a few, however, and the ones in this post are my favorites out of the few good ones.

I was up in the early morning hours a while back when a very large thunderstorm moved in to Bolt. Lightning was flashing every where. I had always wanted to get a still photo of lightning and viewed that morning as the perfect opportunity. I had gotten a smaller bolt before this one but when I downloaded it to my pc. I had a picture that resembled a heart rate monitor because I took the photo through the screen on my window. Afterwards, I raised the screen and waited for another opportunity. Mother nature didn’t make me wait long before starting a spectacular display.(first photo) It started as a small spot in the center of the lightning and spread all the way across my field of view. That photo is kind of my reaction shot. I haven’t even tried to catch another shot of lightning since then.In the last one a friend and I were out doing some night time four wheeling when we had to stop on the trail. Mother nature was calling to me, if you know what I mean. At any rate, when I turned back to the four wheelers I just had to at least try and get this shot. It is one of my favorites. This trail comes out on Saxon Posy Road at the top of Harvey Hill. The other end goes to the strip roads on Bolt Mountain.
The other rider is my friend Dennie from Ohio.Have a great day!!!