This morning I was  greeted with a layer of frost when I emerged at 8 a.m.  So double t-shirts and two shirts under my cagoule just about made life bearable.  It seems there was little of interest in the immediate vicinity of Elk River T.C., according to the staff here, so I was recommended to travel the Highland Scenic Highway.  The roads are very empty:

AN EMPTY ROAD IN WEST VIRGINIA

I cruised the Highway and noticed a number of hills and trees

HILLS AND TREES AND VALLEYS IN WEST VIRGINIA

I have to say that if I want a lot of hills and trees then Keilder Forest, or many other parts of Northumberland, do the business rather well and do not involve travelling 3,800 miles.  You got it.  Not terribly impressed.  Maybe if I had seen a flying squirrel I might have been a bit more ecstatic but sadly none came my way.  Several large raptors cruised the sky and that kept me busy with the bins for a little while but the recommended visitor attractions - Cranberry Glades Botanical Area and The Falls of Hills Creek were not stunning.  Cranberry Glades is an arctic remnant left after the last ice age.  A mossy bog at a high altitude which mimics conditions far further north and the concomitant flora and fauna.  The Falls are, well, falls.  Three of them.  Conveniently small, middling and large.  Given my acquaintanship with Forest in Teesdale in Co Durham, which also boasts an unusual, in this case Alpine, flora and fauna; and has England's biggest waterfall, this was frankly small beer.

FALLS OF HILLS CREEK - This is the big one.  Not a patch on High Force

The picture above was borrowed as a demonstration.  The actual lower falls are not currently accessible upon pain of a $5,000 fine or 6 months in jail.  A couple of, ok rather large, trees fell upon the staircase damaging the hand rails and at one point actually taking out 2 metres of the whole staircase.  Nothing the intrepid traveller would be unable to deal with were he so minded.  Of course I am unaware of any intrepid traveller who might be so minded.

Great tiredness overtook me last night and this blog is now being posted on Saturday morning.  The Crazy Baker I ran into on Thursday evening has on his Facebook page an article about how his town, Lewisburg, has been recently nominated the 'Best Small Town in America'.  Since it is on my way south and west how can I resist?

So that's where I am off after breakfast.