Somehow there is a huge difference between "I have a whole month left!" and "I only have three weeks left!" I made a list recently of all the places I still want to see, and since I'm running out of time I decided to do something on each of my days off this week, instead of just one. I did Angel Falls Overlook yesterday, and today I drove up into the Kentucky section of the park. I wanted to go up to Blue Heron and actually look at the exhibits - both the other times I was there it was for work, so I didn't get to spend much time looking around.
On the way up I took a side trip out to the Bear Creek Scenic Area. I knew there was a river overlook there, and a short hike out to Split Bow Arch. I got a little turned around on the way there but I found it easily enough, and it was a beautiful drive. I just forget sometimes how long it will take to get to places on these twisting roads!
At the Bear Creek parking area, I went to a picnic table to change my shoes, when I looked over and saw an enormous black bird sitting in a tree just beyond the car with its wings all spread out! I hurried back to the car and was tramping around with my shoes untied, trying to get a good angle. The vulture (I assume that's what it was - it wasn't an eagle, and it was too big to be anything else) was evidently sunning itself, and that meant the sun was shining into the camera as well, so it was tricky to get a shot.
After all that excitement, I finally got my shoes tied, and walked out to the overlook. The trail was a clear swath mowed through a meadow, then leading into some trees. There were a lot of goldenrod and asters blooming, including some deep lavender ones - and a lot of small sumac bushes that were turning bright red.
A net full of precious pearls.
It was a very easy walk to the overlook, and the view was definitely worth it. Every view of the river is different!
The second hike took a little longer. This was a loop trail out to Split Bow Arch, down in the woods. It started out going downhill right from the beginning, and I knew that meant it was going to be a climb back out... There were a lot of stone steps carved into the sandstone. The rock was wet and looked like it would be slick, but fortunately sandstone doesn't get slick easily!
These were the teeniest-tiniest mushrooms ever!
When the trail split, I could either go up or down. I chose to go down, because that meant I would be coming down on the way back, before climbing back out. Looking back, I'm glad I chose that way, because I got a great first view of the arch.
Split Bow Arch is very close to the adjacent rock wall, as if it just split off from it at one point. The trail climbed under it and then up next to it on the other side.
This tree has managed a complete 180!
Trees tilting off the edge... but caught by the rock wall on the other side of the alley.
I managed to climb up on top and walk across. Getting down later was a little trickier... I had to use the "sit and slide" routine.
There was a nice long view from up on top.
There's that twisty tree again!
Narrow across the middle, but there was a very handy tree to hang onto.
There was a very loud trickling, a tiny waterfall echoing from the far wall.
I got back down to the trail and followed the rock alley back out into the open.
Here's looking at the arch end-on. It's really quite a narrow chunk of rock to be such a stable arch.
As I had guessed, it was a bit of a climb back up to the parking lot, but not too steep. Here's those sandstone steps again...
After I got back to the car I drove out the way I came in, and stopped at a small parking area that said "Split Bow Arch Overlook". I had bypassed it before because I knew the trail I wanted was at the Bear Creek Overlook parking area.
The meadow all around the parking area was a sort of savanna or glade - grasses and sumacs growing over a layer of rock that was very close to the surface. It was interesting to see such a different habitat from what's at Bandy Creek.
The arch really was right by the road! I had heard cars go back and forth a few times while I was on the trail, but I hadn't known I could walk right out to it.
Ooops... They didn't have one of these at the other end!
It was getting late, so I ate part of my lunch, then drove to Blue Heron. Again, it took longer than I realized - although at least I wasn't driving through fog this time! I took a side road to an overlook parking area. The paved path was about as long as the one at Bear Creek had been, but it was a nice walk in the woods - and the views at the end were well worth it.
I wanted to stop at a second overlook, but decided to drive down to the see the exhibits at the mining community first. I hadn't realized it was getting into the afternoon, and I wanted to get there before the train left, so I could check the store. (There are two stores at Blue Heron - a bookstore run by the rangers, with the same items we sell at Bandy Creek, and a gift shop run by someone from the train, with railroad memorabilia and souvenirs. The person running that store has to close it and get back on the train when it leaves.)
Walking from the parking lot to the tipple, then underneath it to the depot.
Looking back at the tipple, through a scale model of the tipple!
Looking down the depot - the train was already gone.
I read all the exhibits at the depot first, then walked out to all the restored buildings. The original buildings from the mining town that was here were not completely rebuilt; rather, the exhibits show the skeleton of what was there, with displays about what each building was used for.
The photo cutouts look like ghosts from a distance, depending on the angle...
This was the bathhouse. The miners went on strike at one point in order to get a bigger and better one. It was apparently the site of many pranks... "Some said the mines were too dangerous to 'pull pranks' while working, and the bathhouse was a welcome relief."
A few places had photos showing what the original building looked like.
Each building had a display showcasing a different aspect of life in the mining community.
And, of course, there was the mine itself!
One of the big ventilation fans that kept miners from suffocating in the mine.
This bunker was the sandhouse, where they stored sand to put on the rails so the trains would have traction on steep inclines.
Looking back toward the mine... and then across the trestle above the tipple!
Quite a different view from above!
This was a good long walk.
I didn't walk all the way across, but I wanted to get well over the river.
I can see my car from here!
When I walked back down to the depot, I spotted a tiny gray lizard! It took a couple of tries to get this shot - he did NOT want to have his picture taken! This is only a little smaller than life size.
I was walking through the exhibits across from the depot when I finally figured something out. I knew some of them should have audio as well, the recollections of some of the people who had lived and worked there. I thought I just hadn't gotten to that part yet, when I finally figured out that the old metal post next to each exhibit had a lid that flipped up, and a button underneath that said "Press for Audio"! Apparently someone had closed them all. (They need a sign on the outside of the post...)
More ghosts...
I went back around and listened to the audio on about half of the exhibits, before the ranger on duty came out and turned them all off. I was very disappointed - I didn't realize they would close quite so early. I could still read the displays, but I missed out on a couple of audio tracks. Too bad - it was really neat getting to hear their actual voices.
One more angle of the tipple as I walked back to the car...
The church - I'd only been here in the dark before, during the Ghost Train storytelling!
I was pretty tired from all that walking around - on asphalt, which is harder on the feet than the trails I usually walk! Still, I drove back out on that side road and walked to the Devil's Jump overlook. (Devil's Jump is the park's other Class IV whitewater rapid, besides Angel Falls down where I'm at. The Angel fell, but the Devil jumped...) The view was spectacular! Fall colors aren't quite out yet, but there was a lot of color around the edges.
Sourwood! Those are the seed pods of the sweet-smelling flowers from a few months ago.
Blink and you'll miss it - a tiny but complete sandstone arch, right by the road as you drive back out from Blue Heron! I remembered it from my very first trip there, training week in May, and when I drove in I made sure to look for it! I went past it but made sure to notice some landmarks so I'd catch it on the way out!
I was glad to get back out to the main highway for the drive back to Oneida. Those twisty roads are twice as long when you're tired, and I did a lot of walking - but I'm glad I finally got to see all of the Blue Heron Mining Community!
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