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

Bleriot Ferry - Alberta

By
  Alberta operates six ferries scattered throughout the province. Roughly twenty to twenty-five kilometers up the Red Deer River from the town of Drumheller is one of the most scenic ferry crossings in all of Wild Rose Country, the Bleriot Ferry. Using the North Dinosaur Trail (Alberta Highway 838, or AB 838), the Bleriot Ferry provides a scenic river cruise of sorts in the Canadian Badlands. The Bleriot Ferry started operating in 1913 as the Munson Ferry when a few bridges crossed the Red Deer River. The ferry was started by Andre Bleriot, the brother of famed early aviator Louis Bleriot, who became famous for being the first person to fly over the English Channel. At the time, the Alberta provincial government commissioned local residents to run the ferries. There were several ferries along the Red Deer River, and not only did they serve as vital transportation links, but they also served as local social hubs, since everyone had to take the ferries to go places. Over time, as the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

By
In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...
4 comments
Read more

I-73/I-74 and NC Future Interstates Year in Review 2024

By
Welcome to another annual review of progress in constructing North Carolina's New and Future Interstate routes. While 2024 was not too exciting, with no new segments of major routes opening, there was 1 new interstate signing, another proposed new interstate route, and the near opening of a new segment for 2 routes. As tradition, I will start off with a review of what happened with I-73 and I-74 and then move on to the major news of the year about the other new and future routes. Work continued on the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass through the year. The last few months have been hoping for news of its opening before 2025, without luck. Signs of its near completion included the placement of new signs, many with interstate shields uncovered, along the Bypass and intersecting roadways. For example, these went up along US 74 East: Overhead signage at Business 74 exit which contains the future ramp to I-73 North/I-74 West. Signage was also updated heading west on US 74 approaching the unop...
Post a Comment
Read more