Gumby strikes again and we added another state to our RVing map!
Our current RVing map. On this trip we added Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio as states where we have stayed overnight in an RV.
Entering Ohio. As you can see, our windshield met a few insects today.
We said goodbye to Rodney and Tammy yesterday as we headed out in opposite directions on I- 64. We went west to Ohio and they went east to Maryland. We backtracked through the gorge area and then continued to Zanesville, OH, about a 4.5 hour drive. The terrain the entire way was very similar to the area around to gorge – some 9-10% climbs and descents driving along rivers a good part of the day. Very pretty. Surprisingly Fred still got a little over 9mpg. We were expecting about 7.
Our home base in Zanesville
Chainsaw carving at the campground entrance
Today we found a little trail on Alltrails in downtown Zanesville along the river. The river is muddy and running fast due to the rain but it was a nice little walk and very interesting. The Muskingum River runs right through downtown Zanesville and we walked out to Historic Lock #10 on the Muskingum. This was our very first time to see a manually operated lock. Very interesting. Unfortunately there was no river traffic today so we didn’t get to see the lockmaster open and close the gates for a boat to lock through. It is very tempting to return and rent a boat just to lock through. When we still had a boat, we locked thru on the Black Warrior, and Tennessee rivers many times but all the lockmaster did was press a button to sound the horn and then another to open or close the gates. We were glad to find a video of the manual operation to share with you. Hope you enjoy. We had no idea this type of gates were still in use. Love new experiences like this. It’s what RV travel/wandering is all about. The rest of the day was spent catching up on paperwork and getting a little rest.
There are not many bridges with an intersection in the middle.
The river was flowing fast under the Y Bridge today.
Nice trail but you had to watch your step…
…because of these.
These old manually operated locks are still in use today.
The lockmaster walks the handle around in a circle to open and close the lock gates..
This stop was a work stop but it sure did turn out to be a lot of fun. Last Thursday we left New River Gorge and drove a whopping 48 miles to our next stop, the State Fair of West Virginia fairgrounds in Lewisburg. We met Tammy and Rodney there to assist them with planning the 2022 NOMADS annual meeting. We reviewed the work done to date, met with the fairgrounds staff – all very helpful – and toured the RV sites, and meeting rooms we will be using. It is certainly easier to make plans when you have seen the facilities. We also ate well because we were looking for some caterers to use for the meeting. Our NOMADS friends may recall that we had planned to be in WV in 2020, and Harry, working with John and Jill had already secured the venue but then COVID happened. We are attempting to continue their plans. Saturday we visited the Greenbriar Resort and the Greenbriar Bunker as well the historical district of Lewisburg. The area is very nice with lots of activities available for those wanting to do some of the touristy things. And of course they can visit the New River Gorge.
We attended a very good worship service at Lewisburg UMC. We also were able to get some good ideas for local mission projects next year from the congregation.
The State Fair of West Virginia has great facilities for RV gatherings.
Downtown Lewisburg
We had a pleasant surprise Saturday morning when we looked out our window and saw a farmers market being set up. Of course we had to go support the local farmers, and especially the local bakers.
Cute sign at the farmers market
Before the Bunker Tour we had time to walk around and check out the Greenbrier Resort.
Cameras and phones are not allowed on the Bunker Tour, but they ave us a few pictures to keep. The tour was very interesting to those of us who lived the Cold War.
Sunday after church, the four of us biked a section of the Greenbrier River Trail, another activity our NOMADS would enjoy. The trail was a hard crushed stone trail along the Greenbrier River, mostly shaded. It was a great trail that we really enjoyed. Hope we can do some more riding when we return in 2022.
The trail runs beside the river much of the way
Can you tell we enjoyed the trail?
Rodney and Tammy are doing a great job and putting together a wonderful team that will provide our membership with another great meeting and we thank them for all their work.
This is what it looked like when we were getting ready to leave this morning.
A few of these signs could save you a lot of mowing. This one was at the Sandstone Visitor Center of the New River Gorge National Park.
Wednesday was our last day at our newest national park so we tried to be sure we had done the most important items on the long list of opportunities in the park. We began the day heading back to the northern end of the park. We stopped to get a biscuit for breakfast at a regional chain Tudor’s Biscuit World. Very good and very large biscuits. From there we went to our main hike of the day, Long Point. It’s only about1 ¾ mile hike but the payoff at the end is another great view of the bridge and the gorge. At the start of the trail there is a crushed stone section but it quickly changes to the all too familiar rocks, roots and rhododendrons. It’s classified as a moderate hike but we would really call it pretty easy except for the scramble up and down to Long Point at the very end. The beautiful panoramic views of the gorge and the bridge make this another must do hike.
The long Point trail is wider than most of the others we hiked here. It is also a mountain bike trail.
Rhododendron tunnel at Long Point
Another pretty rhododendron bloom
View from Long Point
After a last quick stop at the Canyon Rim Visitors Center, we headed south to the Sandstone area of the park. We did have to make one quick stop at Dairy Queen because we had just completed a hike. Our visit to the Sandstone Visitor Center meant we visited all four of the New River Gorge visitor centers. There was another short film to watch and of course we stamped our passport book. The Sandstone Falls are one of the attractions in this area of the park so we drove toward Hinton to the Overlook to take a look. Unfortunately with the trees in full leaf, there was not much to see but a few small glimpses of the falls. So we drove on towards Hinton which is another interesting community at the bottom of the gorge. On the drive down to the bottom you have the mountain immediately to the left of the road, the railroad track immediately to the right and immediately to the right of the track there is a small sliver of land where the homes are built. When we finally reached the bottom of the gorge there is a larger than expected although still small quaint little town of Hinton with several interesting shops and restaurants. After a drive back up the other side of the river we finally came to the Sandstone Falls. At only about 30 feet, they aren’t nearly as high as many we have seen but there still very pretty falls reaching all the way across the river. There was also another nice little boardwalk hike to reach the viewpoint of the falls. Rain was on the way and so we headed back to the truck and then back to Fred.
Sandstone Visitor Center
Batteaux on the New display at the Visitor Center. This type of boat was used to navigate the river.
You drive a while to get to Sandstone Falls …
… but it is a nice drive and we enjoyed the visit. (And there is also an Earthcache here that we logged.)
It takes a lot of driving to get all these stamps.
We had been commenting on not seeing much wildlife here when we looked out Fred’s windshield.
So, how did we feel about our newest national park? We had a great experience enjoying more of God’s creation. We arrived midday Monday and spent 2 ½ active days in the there. For us this was just about the right amount of time to get a really good feel for the park. We did not have time to some of the longer or more strenuous hikes. If you are primarily looking to drive to the sights, you could probably see most of the high points in about 1 ½ days. The gorge is a beautiful area that we are thankful the NPS is working to preserve. We hope to take a train ride through the gorge on a fall visit in the next year or two.
Tuesday was another beautiful day in Little Beaver State Park, Beaver, WV. Last week when we looked at the forecast for this week it was predicted that we would have rain every day this week. So glad we didn’t change our plans! We are having so much fun in New River Gorge National Park and so far have had NO rain.
We were on the road early because we scheduled a bridge tour for 9:00. The New River Gorge bridge is at the north end of the park and we are camped on the south end, about an hour away. We arrived about 8:00 at Bridge Walk Tours and had time to go across the highway to the Canyon Rim Visitor Center to pick up some maps and also walk down to the viewpoint for the Bridge – 164 steps down and 164 back up – before our tour began. Our tour guide was very informative and we learned a lot. The construction on the iconic bridge over the New River Gorge was completed on October 22, 1977. It is inspected once or twice each year and during this inspection every bolt and piece of steel is inspected inside (the hollow areas) and out. It is the longest single arch bridge in the western hemisphere. It is the 3rd longest single arch bridge in the world. It is the second highest vehicle carrying bridge in the US at 876 feet. The bridge tour allowed us to walk across this bridge (3030 feet) on the 24” wide catwalk under the vehicle platform (highway). We were attached by a harness so that there was no way for us to fall or jump off the bridge. It was very cool.
Checking out the bridge before our Bridge Walk
Walking down to the bridge catwalk
Strapped in and ready to go
This ingenious device allowed us to stay hooked in as we passed each of the cable supports.
Fun under the bridge
Looking down at the river over 800′ below
Later we drove across that little bridge down there
These mechanisms allow the bridge to expand and contract with the temperature changes.
The 24″ wide catwalk
Why the bridge was built (click to enlarge)
How the bridge was built. Construction was started from both ends and came together in the middle – with only a half inch of offset.
Peregrine falcons were introduced into the area to keep pigeons from leaving their caustic deposits on the bridge. We did not see any falcons today. (click to enlarge)
After the bridge tour, we went back to the visitor center and talked with the people there about various hikes. Before lunch we decided to drive the Fayette Station Road which is the old road and bridge across the gorge. Instead of the 44 seconds it takes to cross the new bridge, the Fayette Station Road takes about 1 1/2 hour to drive to arrive at the same place. The Fayette Station Road is a beautiful scenic and very interesting drive but surely the people trying to commute to work each day do not want to go back to the old road.
Fayette Station Road heading down to the river
Fayette Station Bridge
Bridge from river level
Driving under the bridge that we walked under earlier
After grabbing a bite for lunch we then drove to the Endless Wall trailhead to start our hike for the day. It was about a 3 mile hike through the shaded woods to Diamond Point with many viewpoints of the sandstone cliffs and great views of the gorge. It was not as strenuous as the Canyon Rim Trail we hiked on Monday but was still a good hike.
This is one of the few national parks that allow dogs on the trails.
Looking down from the top of the Endless Wall
Endless Wall from Diamond Point
Diamond Point
To finish off our day, we made a trip to Thurmond. Thurmond is about 40 minutes south of the Canyon Rim Visitor Center and is almost a ghost town. It was once the heart of the gorge due to the trains running through the town and the coal mines in the area. At one time there were 15 passenger trains arriving each day and in 1910 75,000 passengers passed thru the Thurmond depot. The town now has 5 permanent residents, all of whom voted in the last municipal election – not many polling places can claim 100% of their residents vote. There is another Visitor Center at Thurmond in the restored train depot and the volunteer docent is excellent. There are a number of other exhibits and a walk thru “downtown” where there are more exhibits. If you enjoy history and quirky little places, Thurmond is a must see when you are in the area. It is also a pretty drive. Amtrak still stops in Thurmond and we just may plan a train trip through the gorge to see the fall leaves next year when we are back in this area. It was an active and full day but so much fun!
Entering Thurmond on the shared bridge. No trains came through while we were there.
Thurmond information sign (click to enlarge)
Inside the Thurmond Visitor Center and Amtrak station
Downtown Thurmond
Thurmond Town Hall
This waterfall on the road to Thurmond is a popular place for locals.
RVing With a Purpose 