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Published: October 13th 2010
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Kanawah Falls
These falls go all the way across the river. You can't see all of them. September 5—I drove across West Virginia, going through the capitol city of Charleston. Charleston is split in two by the Kanawah River. The capitol building sits close to the river and has a large gold dome which was really shining in the sunlight. I wanted a picture, but, as usual, there was no place to get off the interstate to get a good one without getting snarled in traffic downtown. So, I just admired it and kept going.
I followed the Kanawah River for a while and saw the Kanawah Falls. They are only two to five foot high, but they cross the whole width of the river diagonally, which makes them very wide. So wide, in fact, that you can't see all of them at the same time. One section is a huge U-shape, like the horseshoe ones at Niagara. The whole area is pretty with the falls in a valley area and an old mill building on one side of the river. I spent the night in Fayetteville, WV.
September 6—This morning I crossed the world's longest single arch bridge. It is just outside of Fayetteville and goes over the New River Gorge. The New River, interestingly
New River Gorge Bridge
It's either the longest or the highest single span bridge in the world. (I forget which) enough is not “new”. In fact, it is considered the oldest river in the world by geologists. It is even older than the Nile. Don't ask me how they figure this, except that the Appalachian Mountains are considered the oldest mountains in the world. The New River is also one of the rare rivers in the world that flows north. I walked the many steps down to the viewing area to get pictures. This area was still some 800 feet above the river. I wish the fall colors were further along. This place will be beautiful then.
After the stop at the bridge and gorge, I continued on the curvy back highway through the mountains until I got to my next stopping place at Lewisburg, WV. I wanted to stop at this town because I read somewhere that it was not only old and historical, but had over 60 buildings built between the 1700's and 1900's. One was an old stone church built in the late 1700s, complete with cemetery and old tombstones. Another 19th century building is now part of a college campus and is a music and fine arts center. It is named, appropriately, Carnegie Hall. I
guess it is the frontier answer to the more famous Carnegie Hall in New York. The college itself had several lovely Georgian and Victorian buildings. I also saw several such houses and churches. Lewisburg is an interesting town and worth a second visit..
I kept on driving the winding highways that West Virginia has in abundance. There were picturesque valleys among the mountains with large farms. I saw corn, tobacco and soybeans growing. I liked the big red barns at one farm so stopped to take a picture. At another place there was a signed that indicated a covered bridge. Naturally that was irresistible! I found a place to turn around and followed a very narrow road several miles before coming to the bridge. Then, I had to back up a ways to be able to turn around! A friend told me why bridges used to be covered. It was to keep the horses from seeing the water below and getting scared.
At one point, I pulled up behind several cars that were stopped. Since there had been construction signs on the road, I assumed we a were stopped by a flag person for one lane traffic. As
Steps to the Gorge
I thought the wooden steps down to view the Gorge Bridge were pretty. time wore on and we didn't move, come to find out there was a terrible accident. A helicopter flew in to life-flight one of the accident victims. We were probably held up for over an hour while the victims were taken care of and the highway was cleaned up. I lost count of the police cars, but there were three EMS trucks and two fire trucks. I heard from one of the cars near the front of the line that an auto had hit a truck pulling a trailer. I prayed for the victims and families and thanked God again for watching over me in all my travels. I realize daily how blessed I am.
When the road was finally cleared, I drove on and entered Virginia, stopping at an RV park on the New River in a town called Narrows for the canyon-like surroundings.
September 7—I drove most of today. I went to Roanoke and thought about going on into North Carolina, but changed my mind at the last minute. (Oh, the joy of having no schedule!) I called an old friend I used to work with at the VA and asked if I could come for
Carnegie Hall
The fine arts and music building in Lewisburg, WV. a visit. Jackie and I haven't seen each other for six or seven years. It took me the rest of the day to drive to Richmond where she lives. I spent the night in their driveway.
September 8--Spent the day visiting with Jackie and her husband Ray and we caught up on news and gossip for the last several years. Jackie has been good at keeping in touch with all the people that worked with us. (Something I am horrible at doing.) It was great to visit and hear about the others. One of these days, I hope to go back with a bit more notice and stay a bit longer. Jackie and her husband Ray were great hosts, especially with such short notice!
September 9—.Next stop, Williamsburg. When I last visited there, they had just started building the historical village. There were only one or two houses and and a couple of taverns. I think there was also a smith-shop and a souvenir shop. Boy have things changed. It is a huge place now with all kinds of buildings. They are also doing a lot of things for educational purposes. I watched a re-enactment of a village
Covered Bridge
An old covered bridge which is still in use in West Virginia. meeting about the stamp taxes and the beginning of the rebellion which turned into the American Revolution. There were all kinds of people wearing period costumes and playing the roles of villagers when you stopped to talk to them. I found myself mesmerized by the acting and, like other tourists, felt the emotion and like I was part of the group!! Because I didn't get to the village until after 3:00, my ticket was good for the next day, too.
September 10—I spent all morning and part of the afternoon in Colonial Williamsburg . I enjoyed going into the various stores and businesses, all designed to look like they would have in the 1700s. One shop sold cheese and wine. Another was a bakery. I bought some snacks for later on! I ate in one of the pubs and had Brunswick stew which was delicious. The historical village is definitely a place to visit more than once.
Since I decided I wanted to visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina next, I left Colonial Williamsburg and drove south, going through the bridge/tunnel at Norfolk. I didn't stop to see Norfolk, even though my daughter Susan spent the first
Quilt Patterns
This was a poster of the quilt patterns used to send messages for the underground railway for runaway slaves. I mentioned that in an earlier chapter and forgot to put the picture in. few months of her life there while her father was stationed on one of the ships at the base. I sure had lots of memories as I went by.
Bootsie—I spent my time as usual, sleeping and bugging Marty to play with me when she came back from wherever she goes during the day! She told me we were going to drive through a tunnel today, but I didn't know what that meant. I didn't know what caused it to go kinda dark in the RV for a few minutes, then get light again. Oh, well, that's the life of a traveling cat!
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Tray Conner
non-member comment
North Carolina
Hey Marty, I'm in North Carolina right now for work. Got the chance to travel part of the Blue Ridge Parkway last week - absolutely beautiful. Stayed at the wonderful Skyline Inn and Tavern in Spruce Pine, NC for a few days. The parkway is listed as one of the top ten most beautiful American drives. The leaves are just starting to turn. The weather is PERFECT. Hiked around Linville Falls for a couple of hours, camera in towe of course (pics will have to wait til I get back home next month). I am going to try to hit Blowing Rock Canyons this weekend. I hope all is well. -Tray