Day 54, "The road goes (ever) on."*

Leaving the DC area helped us remember one of the big reasons Denis wanted to leave Maryland - Beltway traffic. I worked three miles from home in, what was then, one of the farther out suburbs. So, I  was never really that bothered. Denis, on the other hand, had to go halfway around the Beltway to get to work for much of the time we lived there. Washington, DC has one of the worst rush hour traffic problems in the US. That, combined with the hot, humid summers and icy (not snowy) winters sent us packing to California.

On our way out, we passed the Mormon Washington temple. It was opened in 1974 so towered over the DC skyline as we traveled the Beltway the entire time we lived there. Sometime while we were there, someone painted graffiti on the bridge pictured in this photo. It said, "Surrender Dorothy." It stayed there for quite some time. It always made us smile.


When we finally made it out of the traffic, the road was wide, straight, and green. Once again, we were amazed at the number of semis on the road. The rest areas in Virginia provide picnic areas, and, unlike Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts, didn't include commercial services. However, with all the semis on the road, there is a lot of competition for parking space.

We made it to our campground near Lexington, Virginia. After we got settled, it was time for a walk. Natural Bridge State Park is on land George Washington is said to have surveyed. Thomas Jefferson purchased the land from King George. He leased a saltpeter cave to a company that used it to provide gunpowder for the Revolutionary War. There is so much history here!

 
The centerpiece of the park is the natural bridge, a 215-foot high natural arch. It is the remains of a limestone cave or underground tunnel. The natural bridge was quite the tourist destination and subject of a number of paintings. Herman Melville refers to it when describing the size of Moby Dick!




At the end of one of the trails is a pretty waterfall. I was more interested in the river bed and the way the rocks are eroded.






Another trail in the park takes you to a local peak. From here, you can clearly understand why they are called the Blue Ridge Mountains.


We stayed until the sunset, not as pretty as we'd hoped, and the moon and a few of the planets were visible making it well worth the walk back down in the (almost) dark.

There is a Tolkien verse from *"The Road Guess Ever On" from The Lord of the Rings carved in a stone in plain view, yet out of sight at Natural Bridge. 

Still round the corner
there may wait
A new road or
a secret gate,
And though I oft
have passed them by
A day will come
at last when I
Shall take the hidden
paths that run
West of the Moon,
East of the Sun
       J R R Tolkien

I couldn't find any information on why it is there, and it is hardly legible (click on the link to see it better), but for now...

Westward Ho!
Location: Natural Bridge / Lexington KOA Holiday, 214 Killdeer Ln, Natural Bridge, VA 24578, USA

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