One of the cool things about it being so high is that the plants are not like those you’d see in nearby lower elevations. According to a sign I read, there was “…flag-formed red spruce, heath barrens, and wildflowers typical of a more-northern climate.” There’s a nearby place — the Dolly Sods Wilderness — I’d visited in 2016, which is also within the Monongahela National Forest. If you’d like to read more about the flora and fauna of the region, please visit that post. Ironically, I took that trip after accepting the job offer from the employer that just laid me off.
Not only is it beautiful in that area, it’s usually cooler, and the roads are pretty awesome, too. Win-win, right?
Lucky for me, it was open!
I realize 4,863 feet (~1,482 meters) isn’t, like, the highest mountain on the planet, or even in North America, but, relatively speaking, it’s a nice-sized hill. And, most important, I REALLY enjoyed getting there and being there, finally. Plus, I was not at all rushed, so I got to enjoy the scenery and capture some pics to share here.
The road to and from Spruce Knob is way nicer than the road to and from Dolly Sods.
After taking my good, sweet time enjoying the place, I continued west toward Buckhannon. It actually started getting dark sooner than I anticipated, so I stopped in Elkins, West Virginia for the night. The bugs get really big at night in the mountains, not to mention the fact that the deer and bears tend to wander around a bit, too.
All in all, it was a good first day.
Big bugs, yuck! And that was a nice view from the top.
I’m not sure if you were making fun of me for the big bug comment or not. LOL. It’s okay if you were. They are big, though, and VERY plentiful. It just dawned on me that you probably don’t have that issue in AK because it doesn’t get dark in the summer. The one-sided trees fascinate me. I’m pretty sure it’s because the wind is strong and usually blows from one direction. I liked the view, too, but I also liked that it was very peaceful up there.
That road up to Spruce Knob is so great, you would do it even if there was no view at the top! We still talk about that road, and it’s probably been 3 – 5 years since we’ve been there.
Your photos are beautiful…so nice to take your time and not have hubby waiting “patiently” for you to stop, LOL!
Lynne, you are absolutely right about the road and the “patiently” comment. Mike has actually gotten much better and I think I have also learned not to push it too much.
Ditto and ditto for me! Jerry appreciates the fact that I do take photos and document our travels, so he is more patient and I try to curtail it…sort of! 😜
Beautiful scenery. Loved the snail picture.
Thanks, Trobairitz. I always like seeing those kind of snails. Where I grew up, and even in the foothills where we currently are living, we don’t see snails like that, only slugs. Not pretty ones like live in the Pacific Northwest, either, just brown ones with little black spots that leave trails of slime everywhere they slither. Ugh.