Thought I'd share a couple pictures from a recent hike, so some of you that have read my rambling on about this little part of the world can see what it looks like from a fairly high vantage point, 3000 feet above sea level. I like coming up here a couple times a year, if for no other reason than to stomp around in the woods for a while. I had another week of leave to burn after surviving the 81st Annual Old Fiddler's Convention the week before, so I figured it was about time to take a little walkabout...


These first pictures are meant to be a panoramic view of the Roanoke valley seen looking Southeast to Southwest from the summit of Fort Lewis Mountain. I live on the lower slopes of the Northwest face of this mountain in a little community called Mason's Cove, about 1600 feet below. Took me about 4 hours and 3 quarts of Powerade to get up here... it's an unbelieveably steep and rocky climb in places, and there isn't much of a trail once you get out of the foothills and start up. Once you reach the top, there's a jeep road for access to various communications sites along the ridge. The woods though, for the most part are open without much thicket to deal with, and are relatively unspoiled. Nothing much moving around up here but deer, bears, and the occasional  rattlesnake. Most of the mountain is a State Game Preserve, (Havens Wildlife Management Area) but one of my neighbors owns a sizable tract between my land and Havens WMA. (he's cool with me hiking through it though.)

So anyway, looking at Google Earth, I'd been wondering what this weird looking structure was I could see in a clearing on top... I'm assuming since it's marked as Federal property, it must be FAA (Federal Aviation Admin.) related, probably some kind of RADAR array for air traffic control. Anybody else got a more educated guess? There is a regional airport here in Roanoke, you can see it quite well in one of the pictures. I didn't hang out here too long... saw what I came to see, and left only footprints, but for what it's worth a plastic fence seems a little... flimsy on security. Hey, y'know, let's just not go there. For all I know, the spooks were like –"stand-down red-alert guys, it's just a bass player." 

This last set of pictures is from the same spot at the very top of the mountain, but looking Northwest towards West Virginia. The furthest mountain range may actually be in West Virginia, which borders Craig County, Virginia, just North of Roanoke. It's probably not but 40 (driving) miles to the W.Va. border from my place.

Maybe I'll do another set sometime on these little waterfalls I found on the way back down.

Beautiful part of the country there. 

I get a 4 -6 day solo backpacking trip in every summer up in the sierras somewhere. Had a wonderful time in the Ansel adams wilderness area this year.  Always great to get out and actually experience the beauty of nature.

It's an affordable housing prototype - OR - a giant smoke house - OR - a nuke silo that they screwed up on the hole size.

Actually, I think you are right. I think it helps guide airplanes.

That thing for the FAA is a VOR. They are a ground based means for an aircraft to fix location and course with a range of around 200 miles.

Ha! Keith is exactly right.

https://skyvector.com/

The irony is, I was plotting a course to the top of the mountain on Google when I spotted the thing.

So it's not a giant statue of Cloris Leachman as Nurse Diesel ?

"...stand-down red-alert guys, it's just a bass player."    CLASSIC!

I held a private pilots license until it got too expensive for me to keep it up.

Very nice pictures!  And a very nice corner of the earth.

Hey Ed of H.   Sorry could not meet up when we were in VA.   Busy having fun and a 30 mile drive is over an hour.  Here a short video from west of where you were.  First is Whitetop Mnt followed by Little and Big Pinnacle.   The second time lapse is Wilburn Ridge near Mt Rogers.   These are all over 5000 ft in the Unika Mnts.   The oldest rocks in the 48 states.  The final time lapse is from our camp site.  If you look carefully, you can see a meteor.    The clouds got me that night.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=UUEvfUy0IP18v5Hp7hmUnLBw&v=j8PIoZmhz0w

Stephen

Hey, no sweat Caveman, we'll catch up another time. 

The Fiddler's Convention was a muddy, sloppy, smelly mess this year, hope you guys got some dry weather for riding down there.

Cool video Stephen!

Thanks Dave.  The music really fits to me.  One of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen in the Appalachians. 

Great job with the video! I just had a chance to watch it while on a set break. I know that area well down in that end of the State. For a few years when I was a kid, my Dad worked for a chain of rock quarries based in Big Stone Gap... we lived there until 1976.