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John Muir once wrote: "To the sane and free, it will hardly seem necessary to cross the continent in search of wild beauty, however easy the way, for they find it in abundance wherever they chance to be." Guided by the words of Muir, my wife and I are always on the lookout for �Wild Beauty.� It seems Wild Beauty comes naturally to West Virginia where nature is always at work casting beauty in unlikely places. For instance, last Tuesday (August 9, 2016), we went in search of a purple fringeless orchid that had been spotted on the Highland Scenic Highway by a member of the staff at the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center. Having a rough idea of where the orchids were located, we slowly drove the Highway looking for them. On our second pass, we caught sight of them. Growing on a tall central stalk they stood out from the grasses and ferns growing by the side of the road. Purple Fringeless Orchid Purple Fringeless Orchid That�s what amazes me about Wild Beauty. Like gold, it�s where...

Most photographers are looking for great sunrise/sunset shots. With plenty of deep mountain vistas, West Virginia is a great place to find perfect sunrise and sunset locations. Bear Rocks at Dolly Sods in Tucker County is famous for its glorious sunrises as is Grandview National Park in Raleigh County. Beauty Mountain in the New River Gorge in Fayette County is known for its fabulous sunsets. Snowshoe Mountain Snowshoe Mountain Resort A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I went looking for sunset shots at Snowshoe Mountain Resort. Sitting at elevations of 4700 to 4800 feet, Snowshoe Mountain towers above neighboring ridges and highlands. I felt this mountain had to have great sunset or sunrise potential. My hunch proved correct. Checking Bing Images I found a sensational shot taken at Snowshoe by master photographer Ed Heaton.      11,000 Acres of Beauty It couldn�t have been more perfect. Mountain ridges receded into the horizon, the valley lay below, flowers graced the fo...

Most people drive the Highland Scenic Highway for the scenery�and rightly so. There�s not another highway in West Virginia that offers such continuous vistas. Nevertheless, as the Parkway crosses such high elevations, it creates and accesses some unique environs for plant communities. Wildflowers and meadows thrive in the abundant rainfall of the high country. Particularly in the summer months, I find as much to see and enjoy by the side of the road as at the vistas. Indeed, it seems as if the entire 23 mile length of the Parkway is lined with summer wildflowers, both common and rare. It�s like a narrow garden winding across the summits of the Allegheny Highlands. TEA CREEK MEADOW Across from the Little Laurel Overlook north of the Williams River crossing, lies the Tea Creek Meadow (GPS: Lat. 38.341527, Long. -80.163410). This 40-acre man-made meadow is composed of fill dirt created by the road cuts on the Parkway and is chock full of wildflowers all summer long. Early in the summer, b...