Green Cove Station

It's been a while since I posted. Sorry about that but now that the busy-ness of summer is over, I hope to get back to the blog a bit more regularly.

Day before yesterday, I got the bug to get outside and made a somewhat impromptu trip up to Green Cove Station. I say "impromtu" because when you travel with a three year old and an eight month old, no travel happens without some degree of planning. I packed a picnic lunch and we made the drive in about 45 minutes up from Abingdon.

When we got there, we were greeted by Skip Blackburn, the volunter who operates the station for the US Forest Service. It's the last original train station on the Creeper Trail (White Top Station was restored about four years ago). Skip has made the station into a must-stop destination for trail riders. It's a general store with lots of snacks and supplies. He also has many t-shirts and souvineers on consignment from the Friends of Mount Rogers. However, the best part of the station is the museum in the back two rooms. The centerpiece of the permanent exhibit are the original photographs by O. Winston Link, including "Maude Bows to the Virginia Creeper", which Mr. Link donated. Right now, there's a temporary exhibit by staff photographers of the Roanoke Times newspaper who went out to four of the original locations from Mr. Link's photos and re-shot them. They're in color, contrasting with the original B&W beauty and in some cases, even feature some of the same models.

I had fun talking to Skip and looking at the photos. My son enjoyed the playground at the Green Cove Community Center next door. All the time, a steady stream of visitors came up and down the trail, many stopping at the station for a break.