That, in combination with the prospect of a knowledgeable guide giving narrative of the highlights of the eastbound trip, is why I chose to ride it. It makes its eastbound daytime run through the New River Gorge, which really is quite spectacular, if somewhat "tree'd in" by rapidly growing brush, which helps cut out some of the spectacular views of the river.
Such as:
The above was the best picture I could get of a sudden 23 foot drop in elevation of the New River. Quite a spectacular drop, not necessarily a good thing for whitewater rafters!
Following is a picture of the famous bridge over the New River. The guide was telling folks about the parachutists who have jumped off the bridge, and prior to 1993, bungee jumpers as well. No thanks, folks. I'll let them do it, and I'll watch! Talk about spectator sports...
If you think this bridge is really high...you're right. It's only 3000' long, was completed in October 1977, but it's 876' above river level! It's one of the highest vehicular bridges in the world, the third highest in the USA. It serves over 16,000 vehicles a day. And when the US Mint issued the WV state coin, this was the bridge shown on the reverse side.
Stay tuned for more...
Mandy
Beautiful country. "Take me home...country roads..." I have only been to small parts of WV and that was almost by error.
ReplyDeleteThat was a great rally and speech out in Huntington WV with the WV gov realizing that the Democrat Party is simply bad for working people to the point that he switched parties.
Pat
I never do remember to hit "reply." Sorry!@
DeleteWV is certainly beautiful to drive through on main roads. Gentle curves, hills and valleys, trees, and so on. Less so in some of the small towns and on back roads.
ReplyDeletePat,
It's sort of like driving through central and western PA. There are some pockets of poverty, and some prosperous areas...staying on the interstates tends to miss some of the worst.
As for the WV speech, etc., I try to stay out of political issues. We may (or may not) have similar views, but friends are friends, and I want to keep every one. I respect everyone's right to have their own opinion, whether it's the same as mine, or not!
Have a super day!
Mandy