New River Gorge National River

Waking up to another gorgeous sunny day is always a delight. Stepping outside into the nice cool refreshing air is a bonus. Even Stuart had a little pep in his step. After breakfast we broke camp only to continued our journey on the dreaded day two. The second day of travelling has always been the hardest for me. It doesn't matter where we are going I find it long and boring. So we decided to make a stop at New River Gorge National Park. The parking lot looks like it can handle any size RV so we shall see. But first we have a 2 hour drive. 

After a quick stop for diesel we continued on down the I-79 from Morgantown to Fort Chiswell. This part of the trek takes us over the Appalachian Mountains. Meaning, lots and lots of hills to climb and monster valleys to descend in to.

We arrive at New River Gorge in great time only to miss the entrance into the parking lot. The signs were obscured by shrubs. Okay! Have you ever been in that situation where you go "now what"! The only choice was to go in the DO NOT ENTER or descend 825 feet into the abyss. We made the shape turn with no damage to the RV thank goodness. It was all worth it.

Our first stop was the Canyon Rim Visitors Center which housed tons of exhibits and a short film.

The New River Gorge National River in southern West Virginia was established in 1978 and encompasses over 70,000 acres of land along 53 miles of the New River.

The New River is one of the oldest in the world. For centuries it was inaccessible to most people. In 1873 that all changed with the building of the railroad. Coal mining boomed causing towns to spring up overnight. Today, the rich cultural history of coal mining is preserved along many of the scenic drives.

The area is known for recreational activities. The New is renowned for its whitewater boating. With over 100 rapids dropping more than 668 feet, technical runs, and high volume of water  it is known to challenge even the best in the world.

In 1977 the New River Gorge Bridge was completed shortening the once challenging 40 minute drive on narrow steep mountainous roads to 1 minute. At 876 feet above the river it remains the third highest bridge in America.

How high is the bridge you ask. Beneath the bridge the Statue of Liberty could stand twice atop the Washington Monument and still have 20 feet to spare. These steps only took me half way down into the gorge below the bridge. What an amazing view of the river and the bridge.

The steel used on the bridge is called Cor-ten steel which rusts slightly on the surface. This surface rust inhibits the deeper rust eliminating the need for painting. What a brilliant person who thought of that, must have been afraid of heights. Steel was brought to position by trolleys running on 3 inch cables.

In comparison, the old Fayette Station Bridge under the New River Gorge Bridge.

After a nice hour of walking around we continued on our journey but first we had to cross over this massive bridge. WOW it's a long way down.

With the Appalachians behind us we pulled into Fort Chiswell RV Park for the night. Day two turned out to be not so bad after all.