23 October 2021
I set out for Harpers Ferry around 9 am this morning. I was plenty done with Hampton Inn & Suites in Lynchburg. The mattress sagged to the point you had to sleep on the far side of the bed or you would roll down into the abyss. Not only that but the coffee maker in the room didn’t work. Such trials and tribulations roughing it in a Hilton branded hotel.
The next two nights are in Home2 Suites by Hilton in Charles Town, West Virginia. I have a full sized refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, even dishes, cups, glasses, and I assume silverware. I also assume the coffee maker will work and the bed will not sag. Stay tuned for further updates.
I decided I would actually drive to Harpers Ferry first off, do a short reconnaissance, then do a U-ie and head back to Charles Town. I was about 15 minutes into the trip when I saw a sign for Natural Bridge in Virginia.
I’ve always wanted to see this natural phenomenom so I pulled over to check the GPS and see how far it was. It would take me 45 minutes out of my 4 hour trip to Harpers Ferry. I quickly reprogrammed the GPS for Natural Bridge and struck out. I guess I’m too much a sentimentalist.
It took me through some of the most beautiful crooked roads and mountains I’ve ever seen. Traffic was light but what little there was in front of me stirred up the leaves on the road bed and had them swirling behind them and into my field of view. It reminded me of old country roads where I grew up in Scott County Mississippi. The leaves had a little more color to them than they did in Appomattox and Lynchburg. I had forgotten how red the sumac leaves get in the fall.
Funny thing about fall colors. The absolute first tree to turn color in the fall in Mississippi is the Tupelo gum (Nyssa sylvatica) with red leaves. I could always tell fall was around the corner when those leaves started to change. Sumac (Rhus copalina) is more brilliant in color with their red leaves but don’t change color until later in the fall. Sometimes the leaves remain on sumac for the entire winter whereas the Tupelo gum gets naked pretty quickly.
The GPS announced I had arrived at Natural Bridge but when I looked, I didn’t see anything except what looked like a bunch of commercial buildings. I kept going. I finally turned around and realized what looked like a tourist trap was actually the visitor center for Natural Bridge.
I got a real bad feeling about this, particularly after I walked inside (with mask) and the place was teeming with people. There was a long line at a ticket booth and behind the ticket booth was a shop that would put any tourist trap to shame. My ticket was $9 and I was told half the trail was closed due to flood damage. I asked if I could even see the natural bridge from the open part of the trail and was assured I could.
I was also warned there were a series of numerous steps down to the bridge. I noticed there were quite a few people huffing and puffing their way back up as I made my way back down.
The trail was really nice down to the bridge.
I have to admit, I was ready to be disappointed. I’d seen postcards of natural bridge from the 40’s and some quite beautiful color photos over the years and like the Grand Canyon, I thought it would not match those photos and my imagination. I was wrong. It may be a tourist trap but it is still a beautiful thing to see.
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The arch is solid limestone, 215 feet high, 100 feet wide and spans 90 feet. It is actually 55 feet higher than Niagara Falls. The rocks of the bridge date to the Ordovician and are estimated to be 500 million years old. This is an impressive sight!
Once you get under the bridge, you get a good feel for how massive the structure is.
Even better, once you pass through to the other side, you get a whole different perspective.
Also along the trail is an Arbor vitae (tree of life) which died in 1980 that is considered to have been 1600 years old and was considered to the be the largest of its species in the world.
After leaving the park, I was routed to I-81 and it actually cut an hour off my time to Harpers Ferry. However, I pulled off at Charles Town, needing a bathroom break. I thought I would check to see if my room was ready and use the facilities at the hotel.
They got me into a room, I took a bathroom break and decided to not head on in to Harpers Ferry but leave that for tomorrow. Instead, I washed clothes and am now looking to head to a Japanese restaurant for a good meal. I skipped lunch today so I should have a pretty good appetite.
Tomorrow, it’s Harpers Ferry or bust. It’s a 6.5 mile drive from the hotel, so I should be able to make it.
Stay tuned!
