For years now, I have traveled across the Allegheny Mountains to visit my parents. Whether it was flying in from the Gulf Coast and then crossing the hills or traveling from our home in Maryland, we've had a long, focused drive to get there. There was beautiful scenery and interesting things to see and do along the way, but because spending time with my parents was always more important than taking time out to see the sights we pressed forward without much stopping. But this year is different. With no more on our agenda than a family reunion on Saturday, Ward and I are going to traverse the state and see some of those things we have wanted to see for years now. And maybe find somethings to see that we didn't know about.
Day Five:
Gorges, Girders, and Grist Mills
It was another warm day with no rain. Our main goals of the day were to visit the New River Gorge Bridge and do laundry. We accomplished both and more.
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The New River Gorge National River is run by the National Park Service. The park is 53 miles along the New River which has cut a deep gorge through the surrounding mountains. There are trails, overlooks, historic sights, visitor centers, trains, and many other things. So our first stop was at one of the visitor centers to get help to plan our day.
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| After we watched an overview movie, we decided the first order of business was to take a hike to one of the overlooks. The weather was hot and the trail went up hill both ways. Or at least on the way back. I got tired. but I survived. The scenery was beautiful along the way. |
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| We saw wilted azaleas all over the area. Southern West Virginia is in a drought and drinking water is threatened because some of the streams are 75% below their normal water levels. |
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| At the end of our trail, we got a good view of the bridge that crosses the gorge. The bridge is the longest arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. For scale, the white dot on top of the bridge is a big truck. |
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| At another spot, we got different view of the bridge. |
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| And Ward climbed lower to get a better look at the girders. |
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| As the afternoon was heating up to near 90, we decided to go to nearby Babcock State Park. |
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| Besides camping and hiking, Babcock is home of the Glade Creek Grist Mill. It was assembled from three other mills and is a replica of a nearby mill. It operates on the weekends. |
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| On the way back to our hotel, we drove through the bottom of the gorge and got to see the New River up close. |
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| We had dinner tonight at Tamarack. Tamarack is a collection of arts and crafts made by West Virginia residents. It also has artisans demonstrating how their work is made. After we ate, we enjoyed browsing the variety of handmade items there. |
Until next time...
Sounds like you’re having so much fun. I’m jealous. Safe travels.
ReplyDeleteIt had been fun, especially since we have just gone to wherever there was something that sounded interesting. I'm not sure I've done a vacation quite like this before.
DeleteSounds like a wonderful vacation! Lovely scenery and I really like the photo of the grist mill! I think I'd be nervous to drive on that bridge, though! :D
ReplyDeleteWhen you're driving over the bridge, it's just like regular highway. You have to pay attention to know it's a bridge. Bridges tend to make me nervous and I have no problems with this one.
DeleteThat's a beautiful bridge. I love the grist mill photo.
ReplyDeleteThe grist mill is in a great setting and photographed by many. Now I can finally add my name to that list. The bridge is the most photographed thing in the state.
DeleteDid you drive across the bridge? It's very picturesque. Your photo of the grist mill reminded me of mills we saw when we were in the Smokies. I succumbed to the lure of the tourist and bought some wheat which had been ground at one of them. It made tasty bread. :)
ReplyDeleteWe drove over the bridge several times during our travels in the area. As I mentioned to Bless, it's just like driving on the highway.
DeleteUnfortunately, the mill was not operating while we were there or I might have bought some ground wheat, also.
Kris,
DeleteI would do the same and buy some wheat as our "souvenir." Those are the sorts of souvenirs that we tend to buy.
We don't buy a lot of souvenirs. If we're going to get one, it's usually a magnet for our fridge.
DeleteI have visited these places for years! Thank you for your great pictures and writing. Unfortunately, the fall colors aren't cooperating due to the drought. We drove to the Williams River/Highland Scenic Highway this past Friday, and the river was very low and the trees weren't showing much color. Yvonne in WV
ReplyDeleteWe stopped at Summersville Lake and it is very low. Also, there are a lot of tress that have just gone from green to brown in most of the places we've been. But we did see some good color over in Greenbrier County.
DeleteThe grist mill looks fantastic. That image could be on a postcard or puzzle. I feel like I am looking at photos from a bygone era. Most of these places look so untouched.
ReplyDeleteHope you're really enjoying your travels!
A lot of them do seem untouched even though I know that is not possible. However, they look just like they did in photographs I saw as a child.
DeleteWe are enjoying our travels, but starting to get a little weary. Time to head home soon.
I have had a couple of photos made into puzzles, but if you get more than a 100 pieces or so, it's expensive. There's usually a sale around Christmas, so I watch for those.