I made country ham biscuits for breakfast. You just can't get good country ham in Pennsylvania, so it's a treat I allow myself when I go to my parent's in North Carolina or other places in the South. The biscuits were not homemade, but they were still good.
After breakfast and caffeination, we set out to find a hike. The morning was cool and for the first time, it felt like fall to me. For the last three weeks we've had such great weather--never getting much about 80 during the day or below 65 at night -- but today started out a little nippy.
The hike Robert found was along the New River Gorge rim and promised a mostly shady trail of moderate difficulty, but a spectacular view at the end. We drove across the New River Gorge Bridge to get there, and learned that it is the largest arched bridge in the Western Hemisphere, at 876 feet high. I have to say, it's pretty tall. It was built in 1977. Before that, to get from one side of the gorge to the other, you would have to utilize a narrow, winding road to go from the top of one side of the gorge, to the level of the river at the bottom. Then, go across a one-lane bridge, take another road, equally as winding, to get back to the top. Mind you, the roads up and down on either side were at least three miles each, with many, many switchbacks. Today you sail across the gorge bridge in less than 60 seconds, but before it was built, it would easily take 20 minutes to traverse the gorge.
(The river is actually several hundred feet below the base of the arch)
The hike took us first through a really beautiful primeval forest. The tall trees kept out most of the sunlight and the forest floor was dampish, so there were lots of ferns and other shade-loving plants. There was also a lot of moss, vibrantly green, clinging to the tree bases, fallen logs, and rocks. We saw tons of rhododendrons and mountain laurel too. The path was carpeted with leaves in most places. The biggest challenge of the trail were the tree roots. Here's a pic of a place where we encountered a lot of roots. To me, it would make a really great design for a stained glass window.
It was a bit crowded, which I guess isn't surprisingly for a gorgeous Sunday in October. I don't mind sharing the trails, but I don't really want to hear other peoples' conversations. To me, the silence when hiking is kind of meditative. It was a bit distracting to hear people ahead or behind us yak yak yaking the whole time. Aside from that, we had a great time and the view from Diamond Point WAS spectacular.
Tomorrow we will arrive at our waystation -- my sister's home in Winston-Salem. We'll take a break from the sightseeing and meandering and spend the time mostly with my aging parents. I'll see if there are tasks around the house that I can do for my dad and we'll cook for them, which will give my dad a break from a responsibility he does not enjoy. I also think we're pretty good cooks, so our meals are a treat for him.
I probably won't blog during that time, which will also give YOU a break. I'm gratified by your views and comments, but I've probably overstayed my welcome in your online reading. We'll hit the road for home after three days, so you might hear from me when we're in Virginia (we're hoping to see some colorful leaves on Skyline Drive) and then we'll be home--home sweet home.
Oh, did I mention I went skydiving from the bridge today?
