New River Gorge Bridge

Wednesday
This morning, Roger and I both had eye exams. It was a new place this time, as our last office which we had been going to for a number of years, had gone out of business. However, we were pleased with the service we received this morning. It turned out whilst my left eye showed very little deterioration after two years, the right one had deteriorated somewhat. I hadn’t noticed any particular difference, since it’s not often we look at something with just one eye! He still assured me they’re still in pretty good shape for my age, but said I should notice a difference with the new prescription.
After a coffee back at home, Roger and I left for a few days away at New River Gorge in West Virginia, about 4 1/2 hours drive. This was the first time we have been there. Flowing water is the creative force shaping the geologic features of the New River Gorge, as the river continues to sculpt the longest and deepest river gorge in the Appalachian Mountains. There are a variety of unique geologic features and processes on display in the gorge, including the exposure of over 1,000 feet of sandstone and shale, house-sized boulders scattered from rim to river, plant and invertebrate fossils, and steep channel drop-offs. The river had also exposed four seams of coal, considered among the best bituminous coal in the world. The smokeless New River coal once fed the boilers of the nation's trains, factories, fleets, and power plants, and its coke fueled the nation's iron furnaces. Remnants of the coal industry can be found around the area. The bridge shown in my blip was built in 1977, and reduced the time to cross the gorge from 45 minutes along narrow country lanes to 1 minute! At the time of construction, the New River Gorge Bridge's arch made it the longest steel arch bridge in the world, a title it held until 2003 with the construction of Shanghai’s Lupu Bridge. It is currently the longest single-span steel arch bridge in the United States and the third highest bridge in the country. We only had time this evening to see the one viewpoint, as the weather began to close in at that point, and so we headed for our hotel. Unfortunately, the outlook for the next couple of days is thunderstorms on and off, so I’m not sure how much hiking we’ll be able to do, but we shall make the most of it!
Step count: 3,713