From Albany to Rochester, Part 2

Once I left East Tennessee I headed straight up through Virginia and West Virginia. I had never been to West Virginia before and I've always thought of it as one of the most backwards places in the nation. What I didn't realize is how beautiful it is. The highway I was on went right over New River Gorge Bridge.  It is the longest arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere.  Wow was it a sight to see.  The way it spans the New River Gorge is incredible.

The weather was like 75 degrees which made it for a perfect day to get out and do some exploring.  The first place I came to was an overlook that was easily accessible from a parking lot right off the highway.  It was pretty hazy that day, but some of the photos still turned out pretty nicely.

View from the visitor center overlook.

Cool stairway I had to take to get down to the overlook.

One of the coolest things I learned out this gorge is that it was carved through a plateau which gives it a spectacular aerial view.  It is quite the site to see from above.  Follow this link to an awesome slideshow of aerial views of the gorge/bridge.

From the overlook I could see a very narrow road below.  I just had to figure out how to get down there. Luckily it wasn't very hard to find and ended up being a true "scenic route." Too bad I couldn't spend more time there.  I drove past multiple trail heads, each one leading to some cool place that I hope to explore someday. 

"This rock will have to do until I get a tripod."

Taken from a bridge below.  River rafters in the distance.