Ankan Basu, P.G » Travel

Pocahontas-Virginia

Ankan Basu — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:00:18 +0000

Pocahontas-Virginia
Pocahontas, a small town in Tazewell county is one of our favorite places to go. The town is only 20 minutes away and we have bus services during the week too to Pocahontas. We love to take our friends to the Pocahontas Exhibition coal mine. The town itself is small and in a bad shape. However, you can feel and sense the liveliness of Pocahontas Town during the coal age by looking at the historical buildings still remaining.

The Broken Remnant of old coal town

Pocahontas is a town in Tazewell County, Virginia, named for the Algonquian Indian woman Pocahontas. The population was 441 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 107,578. Pocahontas was the location of the start of this region’s coal boom with a spur line that launched the Norfolk and Western Railroad (now Norfolk Southern) into national prominence during the 1880s. The large two-state coal region bears the town’s name. Pocahontas was also the birthplace of jazz pianist Teddy Weatherford.

The Town of Pocahontas owns and operates the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine and Museum, a National Historic Landmark and Virginia’s official “coal heritage zone.” The “show mine,” as many locals call it, features tours from retired coal miners into the real mine that served as the birthplace of the world-famous Pocahontas #3 coal that heated homes across the United States and was the chosen fuel of the United States Navy. The exhibition mine, open from April-October annually, features a 13-foot tall coal seam. There is also a museum and education center located in the mine’s former powerhouse.

The town also features a registered Virginia Historic site, the Pocahontas Cemetery. The cemetery features graves that are over 100 years old and a mass grave of coal miners killed in a mine explosion in Pocahontas on March 13, 1884. Each year, the town holds a ceremony at the cemetery to remember the more than 114 coal miners killed in the explosion.

The town is also home to St. Elizabeth’s Roman Catholic Church which features ten life-sized murals on the ceiling and walls of the church. The church also holds an annual Hungarian cabbage roll dinner to honor the European heritage of the coalfields.

On Labor Day each year, Pocahontas is home to the Coal Miners Reunion, which brings together retired coal miners and railroad workers from across the United States to be honored by the town with a parade and luncheon. The festival also includes special recognition of the oldest and longest-serving miners or railroad workers present and stump speeches from local political candidates.

On the last Saturday in April, the town celebrates the official seasonal opening of the Pocahontas Exhibition Mine and Museum with a special ceremony and luncheon and half-price admission to the exhibition mine. Earlier in the day, the town hosts the annual Pocahontas Indian Run, a 5-mile run through the historic town and scenic community that brings runners from across the United States. The event also features a 3-mile Indian Walk and a Papoose Run for children 6-12. In the evening, there is a memorial ceremony at the Pocahontas Cemetery for the miners killed in the 1884 mine explosion. Which killed 114 coal miners.

To Learn more about Pocahontas VA visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocahontas,_Virginia

Claytor Lake Summer 2009

Ankan Basu — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 19:26:36 +0000

Trying to Be Cool and Blue.

Claytor Lake 2009 Ankan

Ranger WV trip – cold

Ankan Basu — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:54:28 +0000

Last week, February 3th-6th I went for a field trip in Ranger, WV. I stayed in a motel at Chapmanville, WV about 40 minutes drive from the site. It was cold. Full of snow. Ranger got almost 6 inches of snow on wednesday. I had to buy special insulated boots!

Some pictures:

Ankan Basu at Ranger

Ankan Basu - Ranger, WV

Ankan Basu

Icecream Shop near Bluefield, VA

Ankan Basu — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:44:33 +0000

Here are some pictures of our one of the most favorite spot to hang out. A cool ice cream shop that operates only during summer and a nice looking lake with park facilities.

Enjoy.

Ankan at the lake

Shrabanti Basu in Bluefield, VA

Claytor Lake – Virginia Some Moments

Ankan Basu — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 04:05:53 +0000

We love to visit Claytor Lake. We go there pretty frequently specially during the Summer. Here are some moments from Claytor Lake, VA.

Summer time Special - Bikini Watch!

Shrabanti at Claytor Lake

Beach Hours - Claytor Lake, VA

Beach Activities at Claytor Lake

Pepsi at Claytor Lake Beach

Claytor Lake – Beach Life – Funny bloopers are a click away

Claytor Lake – Summer Time at Artificial Sabd Beach – Click here for another funny movie.

Claytor Lake Trip – Near Blacksburg, Va – The most popular videos are here

Luray Caverns Trip!

Ankan Basu — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:47:11 +0000

Last Weekend was busy. Well I have been too busy for a while now. However, I had to meet my friend Monalisa Mukherjee who came all the way from Mumbai to America to visit many of us. We decided Luray Caverns would be a good place to stop. So, I drove 4 hours last Sunday in my Black Nissan Versa, 08 to meet my friend. It was really hot summer day and I had to turn the A/C in my car. Here is the official website of Luray Caverns, http://www.luraycaverns.com/.

I still have not got time to download all the pictures I took there, but I will do that soon and let you all enjoy the view of the Limestone Cave. There were some unique geological features in the cave such as stalactite, stalagmite and so on. It is a very well maintained cave and extremely known for “the largest organ” in the world. The organ uses various rocks within the cave to produce sound. Numerous people come to the cave to make their wedding special. Sometimes they also host TV shows in the cavern too.

Well that’s all for now. Weekend is just a day away. I will be writing more soon.