Friday, 3 September 2004
on the road again: tennessee to west virginia
A long day of driving today. We left Gatlinburg after an awful breakfast at our hotel, the Park Vista. The views from (and of) the hotel were lovely, but that’s about all I can say for it. It’s somewhat run-down, and the breakfast buffet was truly terrible.
We made two sightseeing stops along the way. First at the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in Virginia. We had hoped for another stamp for Alex’s passport, but it turned out they weren’t NPS-run—they’re Forest Service, instead. So we got a hat pin for him, instead, and got back on the road.
The next stop was at the New River Gorge National River, where the views were breathtaking. (And we did acquire a stamp for the passport there, as well as a regional sticker and another hat pin.)
The bridge, built in 1977, was the longest arch bridge in the world until last year, when Shanghai built one that surpasses it. But it’s still quite beautiful to behold.
Now we’re safely ensconced in the Holiday in in Bridgeport/Clarksburg, WV. The rooms are small and overpriced (it’s Labor Day weekend, and the fall festivals are in full swing), but there’s free wifi in the rooms and the restaurant food was passable.
Tomorrow’s the last leg of our journey, and barring any travel disasters I should be posting from (and sleeping at) home tomorrow night. w00t!
