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Saturday, October 3, 2009 - 7:36PM

First 2009 fall colors in the WV mountains

By DAN ROBINSON

Editor/Photographer

Some images from the high country in Pocahontas, Randolph and Pendleton counties today, including three panoramas.

click to enlarge

Can you spot the wind turbine farm?

click to enlarge

I went on this trip solely for stills, so for video I brought only my consumer-grade flash-card Aiptek camera. I brought it out a couple times at Cass to get a few illustrative (IE, amateur shaky hand-held) shots in between stills. The break in the first part of this clip is due to me tossing the Aiptek to the ground (grass), because I wanted to get stills of the scene. Couldn't do that with the FX1, that's for sure. This is 626-wide HD due to there being no real reason to waste bandwidth on a normal-size (946-wide) clip.

VIDEO: Cass Scenic Railroad - Bald Knob train departs Cass

By the way, if you're wondering why these engines look a little strange, it's because they're Shays - 'geared-down' locomotives with three side-mounted cylinders that drive a crankshaft. The crankshaft runs along one side of the engine and drives all of the wheels on the locomotive. This basically makes these engines run in perpetual 'low gear', giving them better traction and power on the steep mountain grades.

Nice shots, Dan!!
- Posted by Dick from Olathe, KS

Thanks Dick!
- Posted by Dan R. from Charleston, WV

Whats the big dish Dan ? Nice images BTW
- Posted by Mick from UK

Thanks Mick, the dishes are huge radio telescopes used by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
- Posted by Dan R. from Charleston, WV

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!! Being a native living in Florida, you have given me a piece of home to look at whenever I need a boost. Thank you-
- Posted by Rhonda S. from Lakeland, FL