Skip to main content

Civil War Road Trip Day 4 - Returning Home

Image
By

Virginia is for Lovers at the Buchanan Swinging Bridge

The final day of the road trip saw us head back south and home to Charlotte.  However, we did make a few stops, specifically Natural Bridge State Park and the town of Buchanan, Virginia.

Route: I-81, US 11, I-81, US 11, I-581, US 220, I-73, NC 68, I-74, Business I-85, I-85, home.

For the full photo set on flickr - head here.


Traffic wasn't too bad on 81 and the scenery this Sunday morning was very pretty.

Getting to Natural Bridge State Park from I-81 South involves a unique left-hand exit.

US 11 was a common theme along I-81 - weaving in and around the Interstate - almost inviting you to take a trip back in time.  We exited off the Interstate twice to follow US 11 - to Natural Bridge State Park and then Buchanan.

Virginia's Natural Bridge State Park

Natural Bridge is a beautiful site that demonstrates the power and wonder of nature.  Privately owned until transferred to the Virginia State Park System in 2016, Natural Bridge State Park features hiking trails, a small natural history museum, a living history exhibit showcasing the life of the Monacan Indians, caves, and waterfalls.  

Keep an eye out for name carvings within the rocks!

Admission to access the bridge is $9/per person over 13 and $6 for children between 3-12.  Admission can be paid either at the Natural Bridge Visitors Center or at the bottom of the gorge at a small ranger/concession stand.

Doug recently wrote a more in-depth feature on Natural Bridge State Park.  The park is a pleasant break from the traffic on Interstate 81, and you can easily spend an enjoyable 60 to 90 minutes here.

It's easy to get back onto the Interstate from Natural Bridge State Park.

After briefly returning to Interstate 81, we ventured onto US 11 again and into the Town of Buchanan.  Buchanan is home to a pedestrian swing bridge over the James River.  

Buchanan Swinging Bridge

The local landmark dates to 1938 after a new (and still-standing) concrete bridge carrying US 11 over the James River was completed.  The Buchanan mayor insisted that a pedestrian connection would continue over the river.  

The swinging bridge is one of several existing and former James River crossings at Buchanan since 1851, including three covered bridges and an iron bridge.

A unique combination of exit letters on Interstate 581 South.

We got back on the Interstate south of Buchanan. In Roanoke, we headed south on Interstate 581 and US 220 back into North Carolina.  Interstate 581 uses the old-style directional exit numbers using N, S, E, and W instead of A&B.  Though at Exit 3, there is a 3C, W, and E!

The trip with Colton was great! It was amazing to return to past trips with him.  There were some fun memories too.  We can't wait to go on our next father-son or full-family adventure!

Site Navigation:


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Did Caltrans just kill the G26 cutout US Route shields?

By
The US Route System was formally created by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926.  Through the history of the system the only state to which has elected to maintain cutout US Route shields has been California.  The G26 series cutout US Route shields have become a favorite in the road enthusiast hobby and are generally considered to be much more visually pleasing than the standard Federal Highway Administration variant.  However, the G26 shield series appears to have been killed off on January 18, 2026, when Caltrans updated their Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  This blog will examine the history of the US Route shield specifications in California and what is happening with the 2026 changes.  The blog cover photo is facing towards the terminus of California State Route 136 and at a G26-2 specification US Route 395 shield.  In the background Mount Whitney can be seen in the Sierra Nevada range.   ...
3 comments
Read more

Hawaii Route 50

By
Hawaii Route 50 is the longest Sign Route on the island of Kauai at 32.6 miles.  The entirety of Hawaii Route 50 is overlaid atop Kaumualii Highway from Lihue west to the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands. Hawaii Route 50 is one of the original 1955-era State Highway designations on Kauai.  Much of the Kaumualii Highway corridor was constructed during the sugar plantation boom of the late Hawaiian Kingdom.  The first tee beam bridge in Hawaii would be constructed along the Kaumualii Highway in 1911 at the Hanapepe.  Much of this highway would be modernized to two-lane standards through the 1930s and 1940s. This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series.  A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking  here .  Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 50 and Kaumualii Highway Hawaii Route 50 is the longest highway on Kauai at 32.6 miles.  The highway begins at Rice Str...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ghost Town Tuesday; Nichols, FL

By
A couple years ago I spent a lot of spare time exploring phosphate mining ghost towns in the Bone Valley of Polk County, Florida.  One ghost town in particular called Nichols on Polk County Route 676 west of Mulberry caught my eye due to a relative lack of documentation on ghosttowns.com. Nichols was created in 1905 during the early phosphate mining boom in the Bone Valley region.  For the time Nichols was unusual since it had company housing in the Nichols Mine site and private residences outside the gate.  Nichols is only about two miles west of Mulberry which probably made it a somewhat reasonable commute even by the wonky standards of the early 20th Century.  Most of the Bone Valley region was relatively remote which made commuting or homesteading impractical which is why there are so many ghost towns in the area.  The company housing section of Nichols was phased out and abandoned by 1950. The Nichols town site is largely abandoned and could "possibl...
4 comments
Read more