September 26 - 29 Natural Bridge Station, Virginia
Jellystone Park
If we hadn’t planned on leaving when we did, to go further north, we would have anyway. Hurricane Helene was beginning to wreak havoc on the skies and on the ground. The little creek near our campground was filling up quickly and there is nothing quite like breaking camp in the pouring rain – Not!!! The news was nothing good – the rain bands prior to the Hurricane were already here……
The drive to Natural Bridge was not fun…..it poured…..and poured…..then a bit of a break….and poured some more.
When we spotted caravan after caravan of Electric Company trucks heading south, we knew things were going to get worse, south of us. Do we continue heading to West Virginia (long drive) or take a chance that we had missed the brunt of the storm and continue to our stay in Natural Bridge? We checked the weather carefully and decided that Natural Bridge was far enough north and we’d be okay.
We settled into our site (in the rain) and called it a day – LOL!!! Let’s look at the weather again tomorrow and see what is ahead.
The sun is shining!! Thank you sky Gods! We both feel like drowned rats as we’ve been in the rain for over a week and we…are….done….with it!!
We ventured out to a local place for lunch, The Pink Cadillac Diner. Good ole fashioned home cooking is just what we needed…….and it was Yummmmmyyyy……
The Natural Bridge Visitors Center was one of THE nicest Visitors Centers we’ve ever seen. Tickets to the trail down to the bridge were worth every penny. What a gorgeous hidden gem. The park was dedicated in 2016. At the center of the park, the 200-foot tall Natural Bridge sits in a limestone gorge carved out by Cedar Creek. The arch (bridge) is also a National Historical Landmark. How cool is that????
The park is more than just the Bridge; lush forests and rolling meadows showcase the area’s karst terrain and vistas of surrounding mountains, and the James River valley competes with the Bridge itself. There are more than 10 miles of hiking trails, including Cedar Creek Trail, which leads from the Visitor Center under the bridge to Lace Falls with its 50-foot cascade. Just beautiful!!
The Ranger mentioned that once a month, on the last Saturday, they illuminate the Bridge at night, and we should plan to come back. The next evening, we bundled up (yep, it’s starting to get chilly) and enjoyed the spectacular sight.
The entire area of southern Virginia is simply gorgeous. Fall as the leaves are turning, is the perfect time to explore.
