Roadside View
In the northern part of the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia, not far from the edge of the Maryland Panhandle, US-219 runs a crooked route. The overall track of the two-lane country highway is north-south, from upstate New York, through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia to its terminus in southern Virginia. Within West Virginia, the highway basically runs along the ancient Indian warpath route known as the Seneca Trail. Many Indian tribes used the footpath as a trading and communication route for centuries before European settlers arrived. Settlers naturally began using the existing trail, which the Indians had created along prehistoric animal paths through the Appalachian Mountains. It's a route with a long history, and many stories.
Though its general course is north-south, because it's a mountain road there are a great many twists and turns. In the region north of Blackwater Falls, the highway runs east-west for a few miles through some beautiful forest mixed with farms and pasture lands. Between the villages of Thomas and Parsons, a small roadside park sits up in the high country with wonderful views to the north and west. Whenever I'm driving through that region of the country, I always stop at Fred Long Centennial Park, and take some time to enjoy the views. I've been there in snow, fog, rain, and bright sunshine, in morning, afternoon, and evening, and the views from that little spot at the side of the road are always breathtaking.