http://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm
We found the Bridge over the New River Gorge as one finds most things of rare beauty; serendipitously.
Meandering is our preferred mode of navigation. Thus, we left the Interstate in search of an adventurers’ route from Michigan to any point along the Appalachian Trail. An early-fall drizzling rain was just cold enough to dampen our curiosity as we traveled though God’s Country West Virginia along limited access Route 19 near Fayetteville. “If you see some place you want to stop” became “Hey babe, as soon as you find a place to pull over…”
The Visitor Center at the Bridge over New River offered a short respite but after hours in the car, we needed a walk. Drizzle turned to sporadic showers as we debated the advisability of descending the wet wooden stairs that lead to the nature trail or return to the heated seats of our truck. Use-it-or-lose-it mentality kicked in and we slip-slid our way down 8 flights to a fog shrouded platform.
A shrug, a kiss, a last disappointed look over the platform and then the mist dissolved into elation, amazement, awe— the apogee of industrial architecture in juxtaposition to nature’s bountiful beauty.