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...
