Is that the windmills you see driving on the PA Turnpike?
Yes. If you get a chance, stop in. It is one of the most beautiful and depressing sites I’ve ever seen.
It’s very quiet. It’s on a farm, and the owners will be happy to see you. At the base of the highest mill is a small garden and plaque. My story :
The Pennapike can have some of the densest fog you’ve ever seen. I was travelling to my uncle’s place at about 5:30 am, and the sun was coming up. The fog was now illuminated against the bronze sun. Coming down the hillside to the Somerset exit, the sun was high enough to make the fog a dreary silver. From there I saw my first windmill.
It scared the sh*t out of me. It’s a medium sized one, apparently, but it was the largest animated object I had ever seen in my life. I swerved. This thing is like a Ray Bradbury vision . When I got off the exit, I followed the horizon. I HAD to see it up close.
When I got to the site, It was still under fog. I couldn’t see the top of the mill, nor the blades. I got out of my car and walked up through the eery silence to the gardens. I could only hear the blade swooping down as I walked (Woop....Woop... Wooop..) but I could see nothing. As I walked through the garden I stepped over beer bottles, trash, wood and other detritus that suggested a nightly teenage hang-out. The plaque there was graffiti vandalized, but it read of it’s brief history, and the history of those involved.
Apparently the site was to be opened on September 12th, 2001. It was to be the toast of the town, with local government and celebs on hand to christen the new turbine. The events of 9/11 unfolded, and the people mentioned above were on those flights. The party was cancelled, and the power switch was just turned on. No regalia.
The park was developed, but the entire site was basically scrapped and abandoned. The fog cleared slowly, and I got to see the enormous blades spinning away above my head.
It was stunning. I still remember the whole morning as if it just happened. I went to Meyersdale to check out the other windfarm, which is also a fantastic journey of driving and walking. The landbridge that connects the site to the road (The old Rails to Trails trail that crosses the highway) the windmills slowly peak out over the horizon. Again, a fulfilling afternoon.