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US Route 19 carries traffic across the New River Gorge Bridge

An easy 20-minute drive south on 19 and we came to the New River Gorge, "The Grand Canyon of the East".

The New River Gorge Bridge is a steel-arch bridge, in Fayetteville, West Virginia, USA. With a length of 3030 feet (924 m), it was for many years the longest in the world of that type. Its arch extends 1700 feet (518 m). Part of U.S. Highway 19, it is crossed by an average of 17,000 motor vehicles per day. Its construction marked the completion of "Corridor L".

The New River Gorge Bridge carries U.S. Highway 19 over the New River and the CSX railroad at a height of 876 feet (267 m), making it the highest vehicular bridge in the Americas, and the second-highest in the world. (Before the 2004 opening of the Millau Viaduct in France, it was the highest in the world.

Scene from the edge of the New River Gorge

Every October, Bridge Day is held and thrill-seekers come from all over the world to--jump off the bridge?

The bridge is the centerpiece of Fayette County's "Bridge Day," during which the bridge is closed to vehicular traffic. Until recently, the bridge was half-open, with two way traffic. Security concerns have prompted the closing of the entire span to vehicles during the festival. This festival includes demonstrations of rappelling, ascending & BASE jumping, and is held every October on the third Saturday. Bungee jumping has been banned from Bridge Day since an accident in 1993. The bridge is within the New River Gorge National River and the National Park Service operates a visitor center at the northern end of the bridge with scenic overlooks and a staircase that partially descends into the gorge.

NEXT STOP: Gauley Bridge, WV

After snapping a ton of pictures, we headed down WV 16 to Gauley Bridge, where the Gauley and New Rivers merge to create the Kanawha River--which empties into the Ohio at Pt. Pleasant WV.

The best spots for taking pictures were, unfortunately, off-limits when we arrived at Gauley Bridge, due to road construction.

COLD water doesn't slow down when fortified with adult beverages

The picture above is the Gauley River, right before it joins the New River.


Even the wildlife was laid back

One interesting item was the rocks jutting upwards out of the river to form a small island, which was adorned with three crosses: the work of evangelist Bernard Coffindaffer, who died in 1993.

The Rev. Bernard Coffindaffer, a businessman turned evangelist who spent a fortune building trios of crosses beside roads in 29 states and two other countries, died Friday at his home here. He was 68.

The cause was a heart attack, his family said. He was a Methodist minister and a World War II veteran who fought with the Marines on Iwo Jima.

Something you don't see every day: Three Crosses in the middle of the river

NEXT STOP: Hawk's Nest State Park and the Mystery Hole

The route back to US 19 and home was US 60--The Midland Trail.

The Midland Trail, also called the Roosevelt Midland Trail, was a national auto trail spanning the United States from Washington, D.C. west to Los Angeles, California and San Francisco, California (though the Lincoln Highway guide published in 1916 states the original eastern terminus was in New York City). First signed in 1913, it was one of the first, if not the first, marked transcontinental auto trails in America.
The early routing of the Midland Trail, from east to west, began in either New York City or Washington, D.C. and continued through Richmond, Virginia and Lexington to Charleston, West Virginia; thence passing through Louisville, KY; Lexington, KY; Vincennes, IN; Salem, IL; St. Louis, MO; Sedalia, MO; Kansas City; Topeka, KS; Limon, CO and then to Denver, Colorado.

Along the way, some additional picture were snapped.

The Mystery Hole: we just had to stop

It was on US 60, west of Ansted, that we came upon the Mystery Hole.

This MYSTERY HOLE thing seems to effect different people in different ways depending on whether they cling to the new style education or stray to the plain old C.H.S. (common horse sense) method. We have noticed that the highly educated folks do ask more questions than the lesser educated ones do. Whatever these unidentified effects may be they are believed not to be a serious threat to those searching for fun and excitement.

The Mystery Hole promises to let the tourist "defy the laws of gravity". That sounded a little like Congress trying to defy the laws of supply and demand over gasoline prices.

Pictures from along the road on the way to Hawks Nest State Park.

Nestled in the heart of whitewater rafting country, Hawks Nest State Park encompasses 276 acres bordering a rugged section of the New River Gorge National River.

Long known for its panoramic views, the park offers a modern, 31 room lodge for the comfort of overnight guests.

View from one of the observation decks at Hawks Nest SP (WV).



NEXT STOP: Ansted, WV

At Ansted, a coffee stop was made and we ended up at Blue Smoke Salsa, right on the town's main drag--which is US 60.

While we were waiting for the coffee, we took the pleasant and super-friendly staff up on their offer to help make some of the establishment's renown salsa. So, this road trip wasn't all fun and games.

Mondo, slaving over a hot salsa pot

After purchasing some Jalepeno Pepper Jelly (the mild variety, although the Hot jelly was delicious), it was a quick picture with the Blue Smoke Salsa staff (below) and a 4-hour trip back along US 19 and I-79 (and various little connector) to home.




And back to work.

We're not sure where next month's DBKP Road Trip #2 will head to, so keep checking back.

[DBKP Road Trips will be 30-36 hour adventures by car, with a budge of $250 for food, gas and lodging for 2.]



by Mondoreb
images:
11-National Park Service;
12-hillcountryofmonroecounty
1-10, 13-23: DBKP

Sources:
* Weston State Hospital
* US Route 19
* Summersville, WV
* The Need for $peed--it will cost you!

Destination: New River Gorge National Park
Fayette County, West Virginia
[Click on images to enlarge.]

New River Gorge, WV

A vacation doesn't have to mean jetting to Acapulco or Thailand.

If you're snowed under with work or other distractions and can't find the time for a proper vacation, there are plenty of 1-2 day road trips to break the monotony of work. With this in mind, a trip was planned to take in the New River Gorge National Park in Fayette County, WV--with some interesting stops along the way thrown in for good measure. Combining business with the adventure of a road trip is one of life's little pleasures.

DAY 1

The road taken...

Starting in Ohio on Interstate 70, the traveler enters West Virginia--all fourteen miles of it, from Ohio to Pennsylvania along i-70--at Wheeling. We jumped on US Route 250, a winding, roller-coaster affair that stretches from Sandusky, OH to Virginia Beach, VA and followed it south to our first stop: Mannington WV.

Mario's Pizza was the stop for a quick lunch and a little chat with Nancy, the server about Smoke Nazis. The local health department was trying to extend the county smoking ban to include bars, fraternal organization--in short, any place people choose to relax. Nancy was well-versed in the nefarious ways of the Smoke Nazis.

"They'll be coming for the over-weight people next."

Amen, Nancy.

Back to driving south on 250 to Fairmont, where we hopped onto Interstate 79 and continued south.

Next stop: Weston and the ancient, spooky Weston Mental Hospital.

One small step for the Smoke Nazis, one giant leap backwards for freedom of choice and personal liberty

Clarksburg, WV: A stop for gas--maybe the last time gasoline will be under $4 a gallon?--and we noticed the Smoke Nazis had gotten here before us. Temptation comes in many forms: for the smoker, it might be an inviting cigar; for a Smoke Nazi, a chance to rub smokers' faces in their every victory.

It's only a celebration if you choose to be smoke-free--not if you're ordered to do it by an unelected health official. But there miles to go before any sleep, so it was onto Weston.

The Weston State Hospital was a psychiatric hospital operated from 1864 to 1994 by the government of the U.S. state of West Virginia, in the city of Weston. The hospital's main building is one of the largest hand-cut stone masonry buildings in the United States, and was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1990. In 2008, The group TAPS was called to the hospital to conduct an investigation at the request of Joe Jordan due to purported claims of paranormal activity on the grounds. The owners are now offering haunted tours 7 days a week.

The scene of two recent Ghost Hunter (TAPS) episodes, the locals are convinced that the old Mental Hospital at Weston is haunted. One lady advised to "go at night. That's when the strange things happen."



The place certainly looks spooky enough from the outside, bars still covering the outsides of the rooms. But we had miles to go before we would sleep.

So a decision was made to return one evening soon and see what "strange things" were in the old lunatic asylum. It's all just another excuse for another road trip.

Nest stop: Summersville, WV

Continuing down I-79 south, we exited the interstate onto US Route 19, a grand and glorious highway that stretches across the Eastern USA.

U.S. Route 19 is a north-south U.S. Highway. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul route, connecting Lake Erie with the Gulf of Mexico.
The highway's northern terminus is in Erie, Pennsylvania, at an intersection with U.S. Route 20 about a mile from the shores of Lake Erie. Its southern terminus is at Memphis, Florida, just north of Bradenton, Florida at an intersection with U.S. Route 41.

Summersville, WV is about 30 minutes away, through the mountains and never-ending forests of Southern West Virginia. Summersville is known for the scenery and recreation at Summersville Lake--and for ability of its police department to write speeding tickets.

Summersville Lake

Summersville is a town in Nicholas County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,194 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Nicholas County[3]. Summersville, especially along U.S. 19, is well-known as a speed trap. In 2001 the police department of Summersville issued 18,133 tickets. Because of this, the city has been seen on several network TV programs including CNN, CBS, CBC, and the BBC.

To put the number of speeding tickets in perspective: that's almost 2 speeding tickets issued every hour--24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The average cost of a speeding ticket in Summersville is $150, including court costs. That's $2.71 million in speeding tickets. Business is good for the Summersville PD.

Summersville, W.Va., is another danger zone for leadfoots. The town, with a population of 3,200, gave out 18,000 speeding tickets last year. Each year, it gets thousands of visitors to Summersville Lake, the largest in the state, as well as tractor-trailers and other traffic heading north or south on Route 19, which slices through town.

Of course, the police chief says, "Move along. Nothing to see here."
"I would rather be labeled a speed trap than a death trap," says Summersville Police Chief Jay Nowak.


Be careful.

Summersville is about 20 minutes north of the New River Gorge bridge, the highest single-span arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. This is where we stop for the night. After a great meal at the local Mexican restaurant and some gambling (WV has video poker and slot machines scattered throughout the state), the attempt was made to post the first part of this story. The internet connection at the motor lodge had other ideas, however.

So we turned in a little earlier than usual.

DAY 2:
Next Stop: New River Gorge Bridge

New River Gorge bridge

page 2: DBKP Road Trip#1: New River Gorge - Day 2