Dolly Sods Wilderness Adventure

      It was another cool Saturday in the mountains which meant one thing, a road trip away from Deep Creek Lake to check out what Mother Nature has to offer.  On this 62 degree day, we headed an hour south into West Virginia, to check out the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area.  It was definatly worth the drive.

      The back country, gravel West Virginia roads leading to Dolly Sods were not the greatest, but once we climbed the mountain to over 4000 feet, we were greeted with much better roads, amazing vistas and incredible natural beauty.  All along the road to the top were thousands of black-eyed susans and other wild flowering plants adding to the area's attraction.

      Not long after reaching the plateau, there was a scenic overlook which offered some amazing photo opportunitites.   Of course, this was right up my alley, so we pulled in and started snapping pics.  The place was more crowded than I anicipated and we were lucky enough to have "Mr. Know-it-all" at our very first stop who was explaining to every one within 100 yards exactly how these mountains were made and when it happened.  Thanks for the info, sir!



      We hopped back in the vehicle and headed down the road to an area called "Bear Rocks".  This was an impressive arrangement of massive boulders, dangling on the edge of the mountain.  It was quite a hike up and over the huge rocks and through native laurel but the views from the top were nothing short of breathtaking.  We spent about an hour on "Bear Rocks" snapping pictures and resting our legs for the hike back to the truck.  Finally, we enjoyed some food and some drinks in the bed of the truck before we started our trip home.

     Our adventure to the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area was a great afternoon trip and we were home before dark.

Savage River Day Trip

Savage River Reservoir

      It was 65 and a little breezy on Saturday so we decided it was a bit too cool to spend the afternoon on Deep Creek.  So, instead of freezing on the lake, we took a short trip down New Germany Road, through Big Run State Park, to the Savage River Reservoir then down along the Savage River itself.  It turned out to be the perfect trip for the day's weather conditions.

      Our first stop was at the Dry Run Boat Launch site.  The road in was pretty crappy, but down by the lake, it was quiet and peaceful.  There were a couple kayakers across the lake, but other than that it was just the birds, the fish and us.  We chilled for awhile and as we were leaving, we found a high-priced knife that someone had left behind.  Sorry about your luck fisherman-buddy......

Sunbathing Rock

      A couple miles closer to the dam was another boat launching site.  This entrance road was even worse, but again, once we were down by the lake, it was perfect.  A middle-aged couple was preparing to launch their kayaks.  While they worked on that seemingly difficult task, we found this cool, flat rock which was perfect for a little sunbathing.  Launching kayaks must be way more difficult than I thought because it took these people a good 30 minutes to get in the water.

Hey, it's an eagle!

      It was a posted "no swimming" area, but it sure looked like a great place for a dip.  If it had been warmer, I just might have broken that rule.  The water was clear and deep off the end of the rock and would have been great for cannonballs!  We spent another 30 minutes soaking up the sun and scanning the tree line across the lake for wildlife.  We saw some birds flying high in the trees.  I couldn't tell what kind of bird, but for the purpose of this story, I will say they were eagles soaring high above the lake.   Maybe, maybe not, who knows....  Finally, we decided it was time to move on past the dam and down the river.

The Savage River

      If at all possible, the Savage River was even more peaceful and more beautiful than the reservior had been.  There was decent flow in the river and the moss-covered rocks combined with the surrounding lush, green foliage provided an amazing display.  The Savage River has been host to numerous white-water kayaking competitons through the years (even the world championships) and as we made our way down-river, we found areas and structures that had been built to host these events.

The Garrett Bridge

Looking for the BIG one

      "The Garrett Bridge" was the first thing we found, crossing the river near what appeared to be the finish line for the races.  It was a old wooden suspension bridge with thick steel cables  crossing the river just above the biggest waterfall that we found.  A little further down-stream we found another, similar bridge called  "The Allegahy Bridge".

      At various locations along the river, we came across people who were trout fishing.  The area just below "The Allegany Bridge" must have been a great spot.  There were guys all over the place casting their lines, looking for the big catch.  It was a perfect day to be on the river, and if I were a fisherman, this would have been my spot.

      It was a perfect afternoon for our day trip down the Savage.  Garrett County, Maryland is home to some amazing natural beauty and the Savage River area is no exception.  And the fact that it is just 30 minutes from my house makes the trip home a breeze.