Change of Plans for the Drive Back to Colorado

Although we were sad to leave NERI, we were more excited about the many upcoming travel adventures we had to look forward to. Because we had been having issues with the RV not starting, we made our way to Knoxville, Tennessee, so that the Mercedes dealer there could see what was going on. Unfortunately, they couldn't seem to find what was causing our issue.

Although we had originally planned to take a more scenic route home, visiting two new National Park units on the way, we decided to scrap that plan. We didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere and have RV issues.

We therefore took the safe way back, interstates almost the entire way. We also decided to stay in hotels right off the highway instead of more remote campgrounds.

The highlight of the trip happened on our last day when we stopped to see the Kit Carson County Carousel in Burlington, Colorado. The building was closed, and we had to peek through the windows to see the beautiful interior. I’d love to see it when it’s operating.

Kit Carson County Carousel

We arrived home on July 14. We had less than three weeks to get ready for Iceland.

Our Last Project for NERI?

As I’ve mentioned before, I love working at NERI and fondly think of the museum collection as “mine.” We really feel like we have accomplished so much over our last five years working here and that the collection is in so much better shape than it was.

This year, we continued to perform backlog cataloging and re-housed and reorganized the museum collection. We also decided to tackle the many items that had never been accessioned into the collection.

In order to make it easier for those who will come after us, we inventoried and photographed all of the unaccessioned items. These items will require a review and determination as to whether they meet the Scope of Collection Statement and should or should not be accessioned into the collection.

Jessica was so good at her job that we recommended that NERI hire her as a museum technician. By doing so, however, we pretty much guaranteed that NERI would no longer need our services. That’s a sad thought for us, but the park needs Jessica on a full-time basis.

Finishing Our Project at NERI

West Virginia State Capitol

Our last field trip in West Virginia was a bit farther afield. Tim and I like to visit state capitol buildings but had somehow never made the time to visit West Virginia’s. To rectify that omission, we drove to Charleston to tour the capitol.

Designed by Cass Gilbert, the structure was dedicated in 1932. It is said that Gilbert liked the design of the interior so well that he reused part of the design for the United States Supreme Court.

Almost all state capitol buildings are impressive structures, and this one was no exception. I always love to look up inside the domes, and I was quite impressed by the huge crystal chandelier.

West Virginia State Capitol

More Exploring at NERI

The original communication snafu that resulted in our RV site switched from Grandview to Burnwood and a part two. A long-term volunteer at Canyon Rim Visitor Center was scheduled to arrive at Burnwood on June 19. Uh oh! That meant that we were going to be “homeless.” We worked with the park on options and found a site at a city-owned campground in Beckley, West Virginia. NERI picked up the tab, and we moved into town on June 19. It wasn’t a big deal for us.

On our days off, we continued to explore more of the far-flung sites within the park. We always enjoy exploring the historic buildings in the Thurmond Historic District. Thurmond was a boomtown in the early 1900s because of the vast quantities of coal being shipped through there. It was a vibrant era of coal and railroads for Thurmond. The boom didn’t last long, however, and most of the businesses closed. The depot, which has been restored as a visitor center, as well as the remaining buildings evoke this important period in the history of the area.

While walking along Commercial Row, we ran into a couple who used to live in the town. They come back every year to visit, and it was fascinating to hear their stories of the “good old days” in Thurmond.

Thurmond Historic District

We also visited two other railroad towns along the New River. Prince was built by the two Prince brothers. Prince was not a coal town, however, and the general store that they established was the only independent store in the area. The store remained in business until 1984, and many items from the store are now in the park’s museum collection. The wood frame building remains.

The building in Prince that fascinated me the most, however, was Prince Station. Built in 1946 to replace an earlier depot, the structure is a fabulous example of Art Moderne style architecture. I had no idea that a building like this was in the park. Amtrak still stops at both Thurmond and Prince.

Just down the road from Prince is the town of Quinnimont, the first mining town in New River Gorge. Virtually nothing remains of the town, however. We did go searching for the Quinnimont Missionary Baptist Church, the first stop on the African-American Heritage Driving Tour. Established in 1880, it was one of the first African-American churches in the New River Gorge. 

Prince and Quinnimont

Near the end of our stay, we made our way to the south end of the park.  We had visited many of the historic sites at NERI.  Now, it was time for a visit to Sandstone Falls, the largest waterfall on the New River.

Sandstone Falls

Working with a 21-Year-Old

Tim and I knew before leaving for NERI that we would have a new experience this year. We would be training and working with a 21-year-old intern. Jessica had just graduated from my alma mater, believe it or not, and was enthusiastic about working with a museum collection.

Jessica was a quick learner and willing to do any assignment we proposed. Her enthusiasm was contagious. We trained her in various aspects of the museum management program, including how to rehouse archeology collections, label history objects, catalog items, package history collections according to archival standards, and accession new collections.

Jessica Quickly Learned to Catalog Items

Tim Gladly Trained Jessica in Working with Archeological Artifacts

Although I had been hesitant about the idea of working with an intern at first, it turned out to be a wonderful experience. Interacting with Jessica was so interesting, and I learned as much from her as she did from us. Being around someone her age was enlightening.

This Is Where We Work - The Museum Collection is Housed in the Former Bank of Glen Jean

Favorite Sites at NERI

Last year when we were at NERI, we stayed close to home because of COVID. This time we wanted to get out on our days off and revisit many of our favorite sites in the park, and perhaps discover a few new ones.

Because our RV site at Burnwood is located directly across the highway from the Canyon Rim Visitor Center, our first order of business was to walk the Canyon Rim Boardwalk Trail for great views of the New River Gorge Bridge and New River itself.

New River Gorge Bridge and the New River

We also returned to Grandview for several reasons. The view from the main overlook is one of the best in the park, and we never tire of gazing at the bend of the New River below. Since we were here in the spring, we were looking forward to the glorious rhododendrons. We returned several times to check out the progression of the blooms.

Grandview Main Overlook

Glorious Rhododendron

Our most poignant reason for returning to Grandview to spread some of our Kitty’s ashes near her favorite trees. Kitty loved to walk on her leash with Tim, and she had her own special places near our campsite. We thought she might like to come back here again.

Spreading Kitty's Ashes

New to us was Hawks Nest State Park, immediately adjacent to NERI on the north end of the park. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939, the park also features incredible views of the New River.

Hawks Nest State Park

Our Fifth Season at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

Tim and I have worked at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve (NERI) every year since 2017 on volunteer and/or contract museum assignments. We were happy to travel back to NERI in early May of this year for two reasons. One, the travel fund needed a serious infusion of capital after our travel booking spree in April. Most importantly, however, we really love working at NERI and feel like it is “our” park and “our” museum collection. 

You may have noticed a new designation for NERI. Last December, NERI was “upgraded,” or redesignated, from a National River to a National Park and Preserve, thus the new moniker.

A New Designation for NERI

Because of the size of our RV, we are not able to tow a car behind it. When we started full-timing, we decided to keep our car and drive it separately. Although this was a solution that few RVers adopt, it worked very well for us. We could set up the RV at a campsite, make the Kitty comfortable, and do our touring and errands with the car. 

This setup was almost a necessity during our museum projects, where we could be parked for up to two months. This time, however, we decided to leave the car behind and rent one when we arrived at NERI. We were able to get a good rate with Enterprise, and we would save additional wear and tear on our car. 

We left Colorado on May 4 and spent the first night at a lovely campground in Ellis, Kansas. We traveled through four more states before arriving in West Virginia on May 7.

From Colorado to Kansas

Traveling through Four States to Get to West Virginia

Because of a communication snafu, our favorite volunteer RV site at Grandview had been promised to someone else. We therefore were assigned a site at Burnwood. Although we were disappointed at first, we grew to really appreciate our new location. Although not as scenic or private as Grandview, Burnwood was so much closer to work, cutting our commuting time in half.

Our RV Site at Burnwood

Back to New River Gorge National River

Back in the fall of 2019, Tim and I had been talking with New River Gorge National River (NERI) about returning there in April 2020 for a two-month museum contract. Obviously, that contract had to be put on hold because of COVID-19. In mid-August 2020, however, the project was back on.

We left Colorado on August 18 and drove to NERI in the RV. We felt comfortable going there since we would be working by ourselves with little contact with anyone else. We arrived at our favorite volunteer RV site and scheduled our COVID tests, which were required before we could start work. Negative, as expected, and we began our contract on August 27.

Our RV Site at NERI

Since we had worked previously at NERI, we were familiar with the museum and what we would be doing. We spent most of our time cataloging items in the collection. We then photographed and labeled all the newly cataloged history items and rehoused all objects using archival-quality storage materials.

We found permanent locations for the items and reorganized both floors of the museum storage facility in the process.

Cataloging, Photographing and Organizing the Museum Collection at NERI

Because of COVID, we kept to ourselves, both at work and on our days off. Since we had previously toured the park, we didn’t feel too bad about not venturing out.

We remained at NERI until the end of October and headed back to Colorado on November 1.

A Project for New River Gorge National River

When we decided to settle down, Tim agreed to continue to look for volunteer opportunities at national parks.  We had kept the RV primarily for that purpose, in fact.  While we were traveling full-time in the RV, we volunteered and/or had contracts at national park units throughout the United States.  Most of these projects involved working with museum collections.  In exchange for at least one of us volunteering 32 hours per week, we would receive a free RV site.  Our assignments had ranged from two weeks to two months in length.

In addition to travel, working at national parks has become my favorite activity and something that has given me purpose.  In a small way, it’s enabled us to give something back in retirement.  Plus, it gives us extended time in each park, allowing us to really get to know a park.

During the summer and early fall of 2019, we completed a museum project for New River Gorge National River (NERI).  We didn’t travel there, but worked remotely at home.  NERI had sent us boxes of archeological artifacts to photograph and rehouse.

We set up a small photo box on the desk and laid out each set of artifacts.  We photographed them and then rehoused them into new bags.  Kitty was always available to help us with the project.

Tim ang Kitty Hard at Work

Photographs of Archeological Artifacts