Monday, September 6, 2021
Buchanan Swinging Bridge, Giant Watering Can, Natural Chimneys Park
You can drive from our home in Clinton, Tennessee, to the closest town in West Virginia in just three and a half hours, but driving through the winding roads of WV can be laborious, so we decided to enter the state halfway up. The fastest route is via I-81 through Virginia. Tomorrow we'll start our West Virgina adventure. We saw a few sights in Virginia today.
At 366 feet long and 57 ½ feet tall, the historic Swinging Bridge in Buchanan, Virginia, was a fun stop. This sketchy little bridge has the lowest load limit I've ever seen: No more than 3 pedestrians at a time. After walking out onto the bouncy, swaying surface, I can see why!
Swinging Bridge, Buchanan, Virginia
There's been a footbridge at this spot over the James River since 1851, and the citizens of Buchanan are determined to keep up the tradition, having rebuilt the bridge several times over the years. Tom and I walked all the way across, but we saw others step just a few feet out before hastily retreating.
Load limit: 3 pedestrians
Our next stop was to look at a giant watering can. The sculpture is on display in the median of Lee Highway at an underpass of the C&O railroad south of downtown Staunton. I was a little disappointed to find out this wasn't the world's largest watering can (that being in Utica, New York), but it was still worth seeking out.
Giant Watering Can, Staunton, Virginia
Late in the afternoon, we came to Natural Chimneys Park, outside the tiny community of Mt. Solon. The small park features some tall, spired rock formations and shallow caves. The chimneys are what's left of the walls of formerly open sinkholes in the limestone landscape.
Natural Chimneys
Remnants of ancient sinkholes
Lodging: Super 8 in Harrisburg, Virginia.
We had dinner at El Charro, excellent carnitas and a ridiculously big burrito. Tom saved half of his giant steak burrito for breakfast, while I ate every last morsel of my pork. Yum!
Tom
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