It may sound strange to those not living near, but West Virginia is a frequent destination for me when I leave home. The state slogan is "Wild and Wonderful" and the moment you begin the ascent into the time-worn Appalachian Mountains it's clear why. West Virginia is a stunningly beautiful chunk of planet Earth.
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| Eastern Continental Divde |
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| Criterin Wind turbines, Backbone Mt, |
From Backbone Mountain to Fayetteville, there was a lot of really good four-lane highway and almost no traffic. I set the cruise control at 74mph and sailed for the next three hours to our destination.
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| waterfall |
The New River is one of the five oldest rivers on earth and has been designated a Heritage River. It's noteworthy that the river flows northward. Back in the mining days, it took forty-five minutes to get from one side of the New River Gorge to the other via the Fayette Station Road. We stopped at the Visitor's Center, got the map, and wheeled off to take the old road.
Let me just state for the record the Park Service should warn visitors the Fayette Station Road is best traveled by PICKUP. My Charger sits low to the ground - almost too low for this poorly maintained road. If the Park Service wants to truly encourage visitors, they should do a better job with access. Personally, I think Park Service personnel want to keep these historic areas all to themselves. Thank God we didn't meet any vehicle coming the other way by mistake.
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| old bridge, Fayette Station Rd. |
With that said, every switchback on the old road leads to beauty. With the bridge above, the river below, incredible rock formations and waterfalls at every turn, it was forty-five minutes of wonder.
The old bridge on the Fayette Station Road at the bottom of the gorge provides what is possibly the best view of the New River Gorge Bridge. From the center of the old bridge you can see the arch in all its engineering glory. When built, the New River Gorge Bridge was the world's longest single arch bridge - right there in West Virginia.
We exited the Fayette Station Road and finally crossed the New River Gorge Bridge. Driving, you can't see the gorge below. Your view is the road ahead and the tops of mountains. I was a little disappointed, to tell the truth. I expected forty-five seconds of driving terror, but nope. The solid concrete safety barriers completely block the view. If not for the mountain tops, I wouldn't have known how high up we were. I'm sure tractor trailer drivers see a lot more. As for ever parachuting off that bridge like some do during the yearly bridge festival? Just say NO.
Once we had the nose of the car pointed north, we decided to bolt for home. The plan to have a nice meal went to the wayside. Home beckoned, with a pleasant surprise in store. The Charger got 30.1 miles per gallon on our trip! Not bad for having three hundred horses under the hood.
All-in-all we had a great day together. We left home at 7AM and arrived home at 7PM. It was a long drive - 590 miles, but even after twenty-one years we still enjoy each other's company. I got to cross off seeing the New River Gorge Bridge from my bucket list. Now the list has space for something new to be added. I'll have to work on that between now and next September.
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| New River Gorge Bridge |
