{"id":4543,"date":"2020-05-26T22:59:30","date_gmt":"2020-05-26T14:59:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/?p=4543"},"modified":"2022-04-27T10:21:45","modified_gmt":"2022-04-27T02:21:45","slug":"20200526west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/2020\/05\/26\/20200526west\/","title":{"rendered":"Day Trip to Pennsylvania and West Maryland"},"content":{"rendered":"

A star gazing trip to the woods of Pennsylvania, followed by some scenery on the way back.
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\"Galaxy\"<\/a>

<\/br>Galaxy<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

My big trip to Utah at the beginning of June was coming up, so I thought it\u2019s a good idea for me to go star gazing somewhere near my home first, giving my new Sigma 20mmF1.4 lens some field test.<\/p>\n

There weren’t many places near Washington DC without light pollution, Spruce Knob in West Virginia and Buchanan State Forest in Pennsylvania were probably the only two spots within reasonably driving distance. After a couple of cloudy days and with much anticipation, I finally got a clear night forecasted for May 25-26.
\nAlthough Spruce Knob had darker skies, it’s forecasted to have some cloud covers early morning May 26, so I picked Buchanan instead, packed up everything and left home at midnight.<\/p>\n

Buchanan State Forest Star Gazing<\/span><\/h3>\n

Weather-wise, the forecast I relied on (Canadian Meteorological Centre) called for a clear, cold and very humid early morning, which was certainly worrisome as fog could easily form under these circumstances. So while Weather.com predicted clear skies, AccuWeather predicted a foggy morning with low cloud ceilings.
\nIt\u2019s certainly a test of faith as I raced along I68 into west Maryland, among shifting fog (and not a lot of stars above). Yet the sights of a star-decorated heaven at my destination came most rewarding, leading to some enjoyable time ahead.<\/p>\n

\"Galaxy\"<\/a>

<\/br>Galaxy<\/p><\/div>\n

For the record, I took these photos in Buchanan State Forest of Pennsylvania, located along Route 326 south of the town of Rainsburg.
\nThere was an overlook (A) located on “Blankley Road” (unpaved) not far from Route 326, where I took some of the photos. A trail running parallel to Blankley Road also afforded an overlook (B), presumably with less obstructions. But I found that hiking in the dark among all kinds of bugs weren’t very pleasant, even for a few hundred meters, so I didn’t venture there. Later, I found that views at the parking lot along Route 326 (C) weren’t any worse compared with the previous overlook.
\n\"Location\"<\/p>\n

These places were on a hill, with higher elevation than surrounding villages. It’s probably why my star gazing wasn’t bothered by fog\/clouds that morning.<\/p>\n

\"Night<\/a>

<\/br>\"Night<\/a><\/br>Night Sky<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Night<\/a>

<\/br>Night Sky<\/br>A truck happened to pass by while I was taking this photo. That\u2019s my only encounter of others during this morning of star gazing.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Night<\/a>

<\/br>Night Sky<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Big<\/a>

<\/br>Big Dipper<\/br>In hindsight, I should probably put this shoot slightly out of focus, so that the major stars would be more obvious in the background.<\/p><\/div>\n

And when the horizons were lit up in preparation of a new day, I had a quick snack in my car, before driving to my next stop of the day, Dan’s Rock in Maryland, for sunrise.<\/p>\n

\"Farmland<\/a>

<\/br>Farmland with Morning Mist<\/br>Before reaching I68, the drive from Buchanan State Forest to Dan\u2019s Rock was through patches of farmland like this, between two mountain ridges. Morning mist added senses of mystery to these lands.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Dan’s Rock<\/span><\/h3>\n

A group of rocks next to a cliff south-west of the city of Cumberland. The site was directly accessible from a road, not being part of any established nature zone like state park or wildlife management area. That’s probably why artists came and painted these rocks with various patterns, without finding themselves in trouble.<\/p>\n

Since the cliffs were facing east, I thought it\u2019s good spot to watch sunrise, after my star gazing morning. Unfortunately, probably because I went star gazing for too long<\/del> I didn\u2019t drive from Buchanan fast enough, by the time I reached the rocks the sun had already risen. I missed it probably by 1 to 2 minutes, tops.<\/p>\n

\"Rising<\/a>

<\/br>\"Rising<\/a><\/br>Rising Sun above Clouds<\/p><\/div>\n

The sea of clouds were rising so fast, that just a few minutes later they covered the rising sun.<\/p>\n

\"Sea<\/a>

<\/br>Sea of Clouds<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Signal<\/a>

 \"Signal<\/a><\/br>Signal Tower<\/br>There was a fire tower and many signal towers near Dan\u2019s Rocks, most of the signal towers were FM. But judging by the fact that a T-Mobile user like me received cellular signal, one of them must be a cell phone tower.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Dan's<\/a>

<\/br>\"Dan's<\/a><\/br>\"Dan's<\/a><\/br>Dan’s Rock<\/br>A few people weren\u2019t very happy with the “vandalism” of nature by street artists. I thought as long as the artists keep their boundaries, it didn\u2019t hurt to add some colors to what would otherwise be a few mundane and boring rocks, especially on a foggy day like this when other views were heavily obscured.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Dew<\/a>

<\/br>Dew on Drone Arm<\/br>Result of flying in humid clouds.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

After an hour or so by myself at Dan’s Rock, I found that the town of Paw Paw wasn’t too far away, with its famous tunnel on C&O canal. So on my return trip I decided to pay them a visit.<\/p>\n

The country road leading from Cumberland to Paw Paw happened to be Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Scenic Byway. As its name suggested, it’s a delightful drive through the woods.<\/p>\n

\"Country<\/a>

 \"Country<\/a><\/br>\"Country<\/a> \"Country<\/a><\/br>\"Country<\/a> \"Country<\/a><\/br>\"Country<\/a> \"Country<\/a><\/br>Country Road<\/p><\/div>\n

Paw Paw<\/span><\/h3>\n

Tunnel<\/span><\/h4>\n

Trail to the tunnel started at “Paw Paw Tunnel Campground”. It was an 850-meter trail along the canal’s towpath. Again, I didn’t see anybody else on the trail.<\/p>\n

The 950-meter long tunnel was built so that C&O Canal could avoid a six-mile stretch of Potomac River with bends and steep cliffs, not suitable for a ditch canal. Engineering difficulties and labor disputes among immigrant workers plagued the construction of the tunnel, making it hugely delayed (completed in 14 years instead of the estimated 2) over-budget ($600k instead of estimated $33.5k). As the last segment of the Canal to be built, its delay meant C&O Canal lost the race to reach Cumberland to B&O Railroad by 8 years.<\/p>\n

\"Towpath\"<\/a>

 \"Towpath\"<\/a><\/br>Towpath<\/p><\/div>\n

At first, I decided to take the “Tunnel Hill Trail” over a hill to the other side of the tunnel, and then the tunnel back. Probably due to COVID, the hill trail didn’t seem much trod. The trail was still visible, but I wouldn’t enjoy blazing through spider nets, so I gave up after 50 meters in.<\/p>\n

\"Entrance<\/a>

 \"Entrance<\/a><\/br>Entrance to Paw Paw Tunnel<\/br>Probably for some maintenance project, the canal entrance was sealed.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Paw<\/a>

<\/br>Paw Paw Tunnel Interior<\/br>Soggy grounds with dripping water, and above all, the tunnel had not lights. With the endless abyss all but devouring my meager cell phone light, and the smallest murmur resounding between its walls into full scores of terror, I decided I wasn\u2019t in the mood of traversing the tunnel, and headed back to daylight.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Building\"<\/a>

<\/br>Building<\/br>At the far end of Paw Paw Campground, I didn\u2019t know what it\u2019s for. Probably some residence for NPS staff?<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Town<\/span><\/h4>\n

The actual town of Paw Paw was across the Potomac River in the state of West Virginia. It’s a quiet and relaxing little town, like so many others hidden in America’s countryside. (I bet the tunnel was more famous than the town itself). I did a quick driving tour of the town, before taking a stop at its boat launch site where I launched my drone.<\/p>\n

\"Mayor\u2019s<\/a>

<\/br>Mayor\u2019s Office of Paw Paw<\/br>Looked rather humble and rustic to me.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

I used my drone for a quick tour of the nearby Potomac River first, followed by the town of Paw Paw.<\/p>\n

\"Potomac<\/a>

 \"Potomac<\/a><\/br>Potomac River<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Road<\/a>

 \"Road<\/a><\/br>Road Bridge<\/br>Connecting Paw Paw, West Virginia to Maryland.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Field\"<\/a>

<\/br>Field<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Pool\"<\/a>

<\/br>Pool<\/br>Just outside the town of Paw Paw, probably some water treatment plant.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

\"Potomac<\/a>

 \"Potomac<\/a><\/br>Potomac River and Mountains<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Potomac<\/a>

 \"Potomac<\/a><\/br>Potomac River<\/br>The abandoned railway bridge in these photos was part of B&O\u2019s main line, that was in use until 1961, when they got replaced by \u201cMagnolia Cutoff\u201d.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

And here are two drone footages hosted by YouTube. Some panning control wasn’t very smooth. I tried to post-process them, which I wasn’t sure made thing better or worse.<\/span>
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