We took our time departing Briar Point Campground this morning as our drive to the next location was only 102 miles and checking time was not until 1500 hrs. The lady here said we should be good anytime after noon since that was checkout time here. So we had a leisurely breakfast, cleaned up inside the coach like we always do, and then pulled chocks at 1047 hrs.
Our trip took us out of the campground to I-79 and then south to Hwy 19. Ahead of us was a reminder of where we are and the unique emergency services required in this region.
As we turned onto Hwy 19 south of Sutton, I had visions of it being a narrow, winding rural road but we were pleasantly surprised to learn Hwy 19 is a divided four lane in great condition for the most part. It is also a very scenic drive down through the Appalachian Mountains towards southern West Virginia.
About 12 miles north of our campground we crossed the famous New River Gorge Bridge. This bridge was built in 1977 and is the longest steel span in the western hemisphere. It is also the third highest bridge in the United States. Every year in the fall they close the bridge for a day and allow pedestrians on the bridge. Visitors experience great views, vendors, BASE jumping, rappelling, music, and more. Bridge Day is not only West Virginia's largest one-day festival but also the largest extreme sports event in the world.
On Sunday we will drive a short distance back up to the bridge and enter the Canyon Rim Visitor Center where we will learn more about the bridge and get a great view of it.
We rolled into the Eagles Nest Campground at 1305 hrs after driving just 102 miles today. The campground is nothing special, but I picked it because of it's location. We checked into the office and quickly set up in our +100 ft long pull through full hookup site.
Later we took a walk with liberty and found the laundry building. We also walked across the street and passed by the Glen Jean Armed Forces Reserve Center, home of the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), the West Virginia Army National Guard, and the Field Maintenance Site.
We are here for four nights. On our radar for this stop is:
- Saturday (tomorrow): West Virginia State Museum, formerly the West Virginia Science and Culture Center, is a history, culture, art, paleontology, archaeology and geology museum at the West Virginia Capitol Complex in Charleston, West Virginia. This is about an hour drive each way.
- Sunday: New River Gorge and the Canyon Rim Visitor Center (discussed above)
- Monday (our last day here): Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, one of the largest coal heritage destinations in the region, is a preserved coal mine that travels 1500 feet beneath the hillsides of New River Park. You can also visit the Coal Company House, Miner's Shanty, Superintendent's Home, Pemberton Coal Camp Church and Helen School to get a true representation of early 20th century coal camp life. It is about 12 miles south of the campground
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