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I
had seen beautiful pictures of this attraction and decided
it was a must-see as part of my Parkway experience. I admit,
though, that hearing it touted as one of the 7 natural wonders
of the world I thought must be a bit of an exaggeration.
Therefore,
I was not at all prepared for how awe-struck I was from the
first glimpse of what nature and Cedar Creek created here.
The stats, though impressive (215' feet high - 55 feet higher
than Niagara Falls) do not convey the majesty of the bridge
and its surroundings.
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history, while interesting, also does not account for its fascination.
Vaguely visible on one of the walls are the initials "G.W."
said to be left by George Washington in 1750 when as a young man he
surveyed the surrounding area. It was once owned by Thomas Jefferson,
who built a cabin on the grounds in 1803. Long before that, the ancient
Monacans considered it a sacred site and called it "The Bridge
of God." This sounds like the most fitting explanation to me.
I took hundreds
of pics and none could capture how beautiful and majestic this creation
is - go see for yourself and you'll see what I mean. |
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under the bridge a short way and you come upon a recreation
of a typical Monacan Village. See what their lives may have
been like 300 years ago as you watch Ms. Bertie weave her artistic
baskets. |
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Further
along Cedar Creek Nature Trail's shaded paths will take you
past things like Lost River, Saltpeter Cave and butterfly
garden.
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I
liked it here so much that when I met up some good buddies
during my return trip heading south, we made this an outing.
Here I am with my favorite Margarita maker, Helen, one of
the Class of 2005 I camped with at Quartzsite. We're at the
end of the trail at Lace Falls, a worthy destination. She,
hubby Bill and I really enjoyed our time here together.
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The
leaves were just starting to get tinges of color and I imagine
this place is absolutely amazing all decked out in their fall
finery.
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I had
missed the show they put on at dusk, the "Drama of Creation,"
on the stop I made when heading north. Mom and I were just too pooped
after our daytime explorations here. But it sounded like such a
neat thing - colored lights flowing across the bridge walls, symphonic
music and excerpts from the story of the first seven days of creation
from the Bible. So when I visited with Bill and Helen, we made sure
we made time for it. Maybe we were a bit over tired, too, because
that's the only thing we were a bit disappointed in. We suspect
that some of the lights were malfunctioning because it just wasn't
nearly as dramatic as the brochure made it look. But it was pretty
cool being there anyway when the artificial lights were out and
just the brilliance of countless stars lit up the skies viewed through
the archway - that was my favorite part and made me grateful for
the drama of this, one of God's most beautiful creations.
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walk the trail from the visitor center or a shuttle will bring you
within easy walking distance to the bridge. When mom was with me,
she really appreciated the ride and the chance to sit and gaze at
the surrounding beauty while I walked the nature trail. The complex
here includes a beautiful inn, caverns, wax museum and more. There's
also plenty of room for RV parking in the visitor center parking lot.
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Click
arrow to see nearby RV Parks
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