Ravencliff Knob is an ugly summit. It is interesting because it has an FAA VOR on top, and the hike is lovely, but the summit is seriously ugly.

The VOR is a small building, surrounded by a big gravel parking lot, surrounded by a denuded summit. It looks like they bush-hog the vegetation and then spray it with an herbicide. Consequently, the summit is covered in dead stubble with a powdery dirt mix.

To get to the gated driveway, you drive several miles up a remote dirt road. It is an easy 0.9 mile walk from the gate at the end of the driveway. It was a pretty day, and the leaves are starting to turn.

About 3/4 of the way to the summit, I saw someone’s private little bit of heaven. Waaay in the middle of nowhere, 3/4 of a mile up a gated driveway, someone has a small plot of land with power, a small grass parking area, a covered picnic table, a carport and a storage building. It is clearly a one-trailer RV park. Surrounded by woods. With no neighbors for miles. (The ugly summit is out of sight.)

At any rate, I had activated Standing Indian earlier this afternoon, so this was a late afternoon summit. I had a fine session on 20m until and alligator from the California QSO party landed on me, so I switched to 40 and picked up a few more contacts. I made it back to my car just as the sun set behind the hills. Very nice.

Thank you chasers! Kevin / K4KPK