Man-Made Marvels

We left Mayberry Campground this morning destined for West Virginia, the only must-see item on our agenda being the New River Gorge Bridge.  

With the diesel pickup truck, the trailer pulled easily along mountainous highways.  Glad we chose a truck strong enough to make towing nearly effortless.

Interstate 77 routed us through two tunnels, Big Walker Mountain Tunnel and East River Mountain Tunnel.  I am amazed by the feat of engineering and dynamite blasting that created passages through rock like this. So in awe of how they blazed trails through these mountains, figuring out how and where to build roads.

Entrance to Big Walker Mountain Tunnel

 

Entrance to East River Mountain Tunnel

From the highway, West Virginia appears to be unspoiled territory: lush mountain forest as far as we could see, with smoky mountain haze in the distance. 

A West Virginia view taken at road speed.

 The weather was perfect for traveling and sightseeing today.  Sunshine and cooler-than-home temperatures made for a comfortable hike down the 200 steps to view the span of the New River Gorge Bridge.  What an incredible man-made marvel!  Hundreds of feet below, rafters floated lazily down the river.  We could see some splashing in the water, too.

White water rapids on the New River in West Virginia - notice the rafts on the river

Look at that bridge!  Riding across it you cannot see how high you are.

We hiked down to the observation deck to view the span of the New River Gorge Bridge on U.S. 19.

Back in the parking lot, we pushed open the windows of the SolAire, flipped on an electric fan (thanks to the inverter Jamie brought along), and made sandwiches for lunch. (Side note: Our last restaurant meal was in Leesburg, GA, on Friday at lunch before we started this trip.  And it's been a whole weekend! Our entertainment used to be eating out; now our entertainment is preparing a meal and eating in the camper. Funny how things change.)

We traveled along U.S. 19 for a bit longer and pulled into an overlook to take in the view.  

View from the overlook on U.S. 19 in West Virginia

Eventually, we merged back onto I-77.  Realizing we were making better-than-expected time, we knew we could easily make it to Confluence, PA, where we had reservations beginning tomorrow.  With a quick phone call we made arrangements to arrive a day earlier.  That was the last call I’ll make with my AT&T phone for a while. There’s no service here for me; at least Jamie has Verizon service.

Following Google’s “shortest route” advice, we exited the interstate onto a tiny road leading through farms and rustic homesteads.  It was bumpy with asphalt patches; thankfully, there was very little traffic on this narrow stretch.  We passed into Pennsylvania with little notice; just a county sign and a smoother road.  Up and down and up and around for a few miles.  

Pennsylvania farmland

And then we were here.  Outflow Campground in Confluence, Pennsylvania, along the bank of the Casselman River.

We selected our campsite, one with shade, and set up quickly, this time with the chairs and the rug and the table and the tablecloths.  We’ll be here a few days. 

There was a rain shower here earlier in the day, so we have a little mud puddle, but we expect it’ll dry up if the sun shines tomorrow like it has today.

While it was still daylight, we toured the toured town, checking out the bike trail, the bike shop, and the restaurants.  The streets are narrow here.  The town is quaint. 

As I finish these last few lines, we are sitting outside, enjoying the cool air. No air conditioner running.  It’s a pleasant 72 degrees.