By Lynn R. Mitchell
With a hurricane tracking toward the East Coast and weather forecasters discussing a “perfect storm” of high winds and historic rainfalls within a few days, we took advantage of the break in the weather on Wednesday, September 30, and headed out Route 250 west of Staunton as we looked for fall. We found it at the high elevations of western Highland County at the West Virginia state line — the bright oranges, red, and golds that will spread eastward over the next weeks.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
An engineering marvel, West Virginia’s U.S. 48 — known as Corridor H to West Virginians and as “Robert Byrd’s Road to Nowhere” to some conservatives and environmentalists — is an east-west four-lane highway that, when completed, will extend for 148 miles and connect I-79 in central West Virginia to I-81 in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley at Strasburg. The Virginia portion has not been started but in West Virginia it is open from Moorefield to east of Davis, and construction continues on the unfinished portions. The far-reaching views are spectacular as the ribbon of roadway slices through mountains along the ridge tops and crosses rivers and valleys through the rugged Appalachian Mountains.
While traveling U.S. 48, another engineering marvel came into view along the ridge tops of Backbone Mountain. Looming over the highway were 44 giant wind turbines that stretched along the mountains as far as the eye could see, part of the Mountaineer Wind Farm that began production in 2002. Each turbine is 345 feet tall, an overwhelming addition to the landscape. Here is a 2009 YouTube video I found that shows the turbines at work.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
The sheer cliffs of Seneca Rocks, with a peak accessible only by trained rock climbers, is located in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest at the intersection of Rt. 33 and Rt. 55. It was used by the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division in 1943 and 1944 as troops trained to scale Italy’s Apennines Mountains during World War II’s Italian Campaign. Photos do not begin to do justice to this unusual natural landmark that rises straight out of the surrounding forest.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
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Pictured clockwise from top left: Jean-Francois Suteau, Executive Pastry Chef at The Greenbrier, stands next to one of his chocolate creations; some of the resort’s holiday-themed chocolate structures; The Greenbrier’s impressive 1,000-pound chocolate Christmas display.
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By Lynn R. Mitchell
Today at LynnRMitchell.com, we are looking at the Atlantic Coast Pipeline issue that has stirred opinions both for and against in Augusta County and elsewhere. Posts from guest writers and regular contributors include Augusta County supervisors, citizens, information from Dominion, and an editorial cartoon.
Here is the list of articles in today’s Special Pipeline Issue:
Previous articles on the pipeline:
By Tracy Pyles
Supervisor, Pastures District, Augusta County
Guest Post
The “no-pipeline” slogan fits nicely on 2-inch buttons and yard signs but is an incomplete statement of attitude. Most of us realize pipelines, whether 1, 2, or 3, will be approved to cross Virginia, destined for the Atlantic coast, in the next 5 years. The challenge is to insure that these pipelines are smartly placed where they can serve their intended purposes while limiting their impact on the environment, the least risk to our people and force-take the least amount of private property.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
As we enjoyed the warm autumn afternoon, my friend Barb and I caught up on all the goings-on in the area as well as life in general. We were at an outdoor table at McAlister’s Deli in Waynesboro, soaking in the warm breeze and relishing the second day of October over iced tea — sweet for her, unsweetened for me — and sandwiches. It was a long, leisurely, much-needed catching-up, a respite in the middle of busy days and, for her, moving to Fishersville from north of Waynesboro. I like the new abode because it’s closer to our circle of friends, not that distance has ever kept us apart.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
Germany Valley, West Virginia
September 30, 2014
We were looking for autumn and found it in a bend in the road where an expansive, breath-taking view opened before us deep in the Allegheny Mountains of Pendleton County in eastern West Virginia. Reds and yellows of maples were mixed with evergreens and still-green hardwoods.
Rich in history and originally part of Virginia, Germany Valley settled by Germans and Pennsylvania Dutch farming families. The area is rich in caves, some open to the public and some that are still being discovered. The very popular Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob, highest point in WVa, are also in the surrounding Monongahela National Forest.
Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
September 30, 2014
By Lynn R. Mitchell
In a press conference Tuesday at the state capitol in Richmond, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) went against some in his own party when he enthusiastically expressed support for a proposed 550-mile long natural gas pipeline that would stretch from West Virginia through Virginia and to North Carolina. Approximately 44 miles of the pipeline will cross Augusta County.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
Now that the U.S. Senate debate between Democratic Senator Mark Warner and Republican candidate Ed Gillespie is over, Libertarian Robert Sarvis has released a video response on YouTube. The video is available at www.youtube.com/user/RobertSarvisVA.
Sarvis, who felt he should have been included in the debate, was not. The photo is one I took of him in July 2013 after the gubernatorial debate when he was outside the debate room protesting that he had not been included.
“Virginia voters lose out when candidates on the ballot are excluded from the debates,” Sarvis explained. “Mark Warner and Ed Gillespie don’t want to debate me because they both know I’m capable of attracting support from not only independents and libertarians but also from progressives and conservatives. Both are afraid to appear on a stage with someone who can point out their hypocrisy and demonstrate just how similar they are on a number of vital issues like cronyism, government surveillance, and military interventionism.”
The debate took place at the Greenbrier Resort located in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
By Lynn R. Mitchell
Calling all Saints fans! Tomorrow — Saturday, July 26 — fans can picnic with their team for only $10 per person at the Greenbrier Resort in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many. Hamburgers, hotdogs, and more with photos and autographs in the mountains of West Virginia.
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ABOUT THE GREENBRIER:
Located in White Sulphur Springs in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, The Greenbrier has been welcoming guests since 1778. Known as “America’s Resort,” it encompasses more than 10,000 acres of undulating landscape that includes: five golf courses (including the exclusive Greenbrier Sporting Club’s private course); a championship indoor and outdoor tennis facility (including five outdoor clay courts and five indoor courts); a mélange of sporting activities; shops; private homes at The Greenbrier Sporting Club; and, at its heart, a vast and imposing grand hotel. Purchased in 2009 by West Virginia entrepreneur James C. Justice II, The Greenbrier has undergone a $250+ million restoration and is now home to The Greenbrier Classic, a PGA TOUR, FedExCup event, and will soon launch The Greenbrier Medical Institute, a state-of-the-art medical complex on the resort’s grounds.
By Lynn R. Mitchell
Virginia Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Warner and Republican candidate Ed Gillespie will debate Saturday during the Virginia Bar Association’s 124th annual summer meeting at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
The debate will be moderated by Judy Woodruff, PBS NewsHour co-anchor and managing editor, and PBS will livestream the debate. The candidate campaigns have agreed to the debate format: it will consist of opening and closing statements, candidate-to-candidate questions, and moderator questions.
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