15 February 2013 Big Muskie

I've wanted to stop and see the Big Muskie bucket as long as I've been traveling to Salisbury. When coal was big industry in large areas of southeastern Ohio, the Big Muskie was the king of the hill. The only thing that remains of the huge piece of equipment is the scoop bucket. I got an early start working in the hotel room and was on the road with enough time to finally drive the extra fifty miles to see Big Muskie. It was the middle of February and it started snowing lightly while I was still in West Virginia, but had stopped by the time I reached Ohio. The lure of Big Muskie and the chance to cache in Morgan County won out over common sense. By the time I was headed back to I77 there were nearly white-out conditions. It was a long slow drive north until I cleared the snow, but seeing Big Muskie was amazing.

The image below is in the kiosk at the park. Wow, it was huge. The countryside in this area was forever altered by coal mining. This machine was a big part of that history.

The steps leading into the scoop give a great idea of the size.

The overlook beyond Big Muskie shows the land where the big scoop roamed. The area has been forever altered by Big Muskie.