Road Trip North to ST. Lawrence Seaway

We're off on our road trip the St. Lawrence Seaway.  First stop is Natural Bridge VA

I booked a site at Cave Mountain Lake

A nice pull through site by the creek across from the bathhouse

A short hike to the lake

Fire and Ice

The reason for this stop was to see the Natural Bridge.  It was a 7 mile winding road through the woods to the campground.  Gary grumbled along the way that we could have just stayed at a Cracker Barrel.  We had to do the 7 mile trek again to get to the Park

There are 137 steps down to the trail at the bottom of the bridge.

And we're off

At 200 feet tall, the Natural bridge is the largest limestone arch in North America. It has been a The Bridge was purchased in 1774 by Thomas Jefferson to preserve its natural character. Jefferson hired a freedman named Patrick Henry as caretaker. Henry would act as guide and host many visitors in his home, and after Jefferson’s death a hotel was built nearby to accommodate visitors.  The Bridge was privately owned as a resort with various hotels until 2016 with the founding of Natural Bridge State Park.

The bridge itself is one of the oldest geologic features on the East Coast. The limestone base is made of compressed remains of organisms that lived in the seas during the Ordovician period of the Paleozoic era nearly 500 million years ago

It's a beautiful trail.  Gary is happy we didn't stay at Cracker Barrel 

The Saltpeter Cave.  During the War of 1812 and the Civil War (1861-1865), earth from this cave was mined for the bird and bat droppings that it contained, to make gunpowder.

A million years ago, a sinkhole diverted Cedar Creek and channeled it as an underground river. Eventually, the cave collapsed, leaving only the thickest part of the cave ceiling - leaving the bridge.

Lots of signs for a straight trail

Lost River.  About 1812, workmen from the Saltpetre Cave heard the waters of the Lost River, and blasted the opening to it that you see today.

Legend has it that, in later years, several unsuccessful attempts were made to locate the underground channels of the Lost River. Colored dyes and flotation devices of all types have failed to determine the source and final destination of this mysterious subterranean river.

The Falls come into view 

Gary made a new friend

We stop over to the Historic Hotel

Then Lunch at the Pink Cadillac Diner

We Loved Natural Bridge VA!

The Glenwood Furnace built in 1853

Next stop Pennsylvania - so Welcoming!

Or not!

I found us a spot at an Army Corp of Engineers in Hesson, PA. At Seven Points Campground on Raystown Lake.  It was another long wind road to get there.

A nice site.  We were able to back the car in first and hook up so we could just pull out in the morning.  Didn't explore the park, there were different camping areas and hilly roads to all of them.

Next Stop, Sidney, NY to visit Gary's former neighbors where we house sat a few years back.