Hiking to the Shamokin falls near Fenton Inn .

Another short hike for an interesting spot on Wintergreen is to hike to Shamokin Falls.  It is out near the very end of Laurel Spring, and can be driven to from the Fenton Inn in about 10 Minutes.  The Trail head is marked by a sign on the side of the road with a few spots to pull over for the hike.

 

A tree fell in the forest, but I am pretty sure it made a sound even if no one was nearby.  As a big fan of trees, I see a certain beauty and dignity in the weathering of the massive trunk.  Even after falling, the wood holds up for decades against the elements as if wanting to be remembered.  

 

A little bridge over a stream.  

After a few more minutes we reach the waterfall.  The water spills down into a small pool, but not quite enough for swimming.  After a good rain in spring the waterfall can grow considerably.

This is a very short and pleasant hike in a cool woods even in a hottest days of the year.

 

The Plunge hike at Wintergreen Resort.

Imagine a long hike on the Blue Ridge Mountains to get to a rocky peak over looking a long valley, and then replace the long hike with a 5 minute drive and a short climb, and that is what the plunge is about.  No need for a back pack or a compass here, but you will need some good shoes as the trail involves a lot of steep climbing over rock faces and cliff.  The trail head is at Black Rock Park, which is about half way around Black Rock Circle, which is the first right turn after the Black Rock Market. 

 In a few minutes and after descending a few flights of stairs and feeling a bit like a mountain goat, there is a great overlook of the Beech Grove area including the Devils Backbone Brewery and Bold Rock Cidery.

It looks a bit like ancient ruins of a lost time, but only goes back to the 80s when the trails around Wintergreen were being made.  The Nature Foundation maintains a number of trails that circle the entire Wintergreen area, but there are many access points along the way to allow you to go on shorter hikes to different areas.

Looking out towards Three Ridges.  We spend a lot of time looking at the same mountain from the Fenton Inn, but it is interesting to get a different angle. 

 

Yes it is a bit hazy in summer, that is why they are called the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Fenton Inn will be located just past the second mountain on the right of the picture. This mountain is called- Fortunes Ridge and at one time had a farm on the top. Way back that area was known to be an Indian Hunting Camp.

Oriel Tower and more timberframing techniques.

The Oriel Window on the Hummingbird room is another Bavarian building feature that is rarely seen in America.  By cantilevering in two directions, the tower gains space while leaving the street below untouched.  The windows offer view all around from the mountains to the main street to the town square.

 

To add to the difficult, the octagonal tower is 10 degrees from square relative to the floor system.  If you stay in the Hummingbird Room and stare at the ceiling, you will need to bring a geometry book to figure out all the angles involved.   

 

A bird has found a use for the pegs.  It must be a good spot, as the little birds never seem to leave the nest.

 

Our two kittens got some extra lives added up on the wall.  Just like the real kittens, one sleeps all day and one is always looking for trouble.  Below the cats, the timberframe bracing is from Bavarian folklore with an added twist.  The right side is a symbol in many German timberframes call the "Wildman of the woods."  If you look closely, it can be seen as a man with arms up.  Though I never saw this while in Germany, I decided it was time the wildman found a wife.   So far so good, he has not run off in the woods yet.

 

 This squirrel has figured out how to get her attention.  If the acorn fails, then book a couples massage or a romantic drive on the parkway.

Bavarian Style Timberframing at the Fenton Inn right in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

The Bavarian Style of Half Timbering is what everyone imagines when they dream of old Europe or hear a fairytale.  There are a wide variety of different styles and techniques that allowed each house to be a little piece of art along a medieval street.  The Fenton Inn Bakery is in a more ornate style with traditional three coat stucco between the wooden frame.

 

 Across the street, the Butterfly house has a more organic flow to the tree like timbers with no shortage of butterflies on the doors and facade.

 

The end wall of Wilhelm's house has a more Iconic style of middle Bavarian region.  Often the most interesting houses in a town are not the most fancy, but the ones that must deal with an irregularly shaped lot where two streets branch apart.  It is hard to find more than one right angle in that house. 

 Half timbered houses often place diagonal braces under a window for added stability to the entire frame.  These braces can become quite elabate and often carry symbolic meaning to the house.  Any guess as to why the Wilhelm house has all those Ws?

 

 Wood in European villages was often more difficult to come by in more settled areas, thus it was not uncommon for a middle class home to have less than ideal timbers from trees that grew along streams and fence rows.  These trees would be shorter and curve towards the open spaces.  A little curve to the timbers if used correctly, can actually add to the stability of the house.