Yesterday we joined up with Harold and Joyce again at Bristol, Tennessee. Today we drove on in to Virginia and stopped at a place called Natural Bridge. Of course, there had to be a reason for the name, and it turned out to be exactly what it said it was.... a natural bridge. As seen from below, the bridge appears as a vault rising to 150 feet at its center above Cedar Creek. At the crown of the arch, the solid mass of calcareous rock which forms the vault is 49 feet thick on one side and 37 feet thick on the other. The bridge spans a canyon about 90 feet wide and 200 feet deep (there are 137 steps down to the canyon floor!!!). The span contains 450,000 cubic feet of rock and weighs approximately 36,000 tons. (I might add here that I REALLY would like to know what kind of a scale they used to weight THAT baby!?!?!?!) It was used as a bridge for travelers on foot and horseback when Thomas Jefferson owned it, and it still serves as a bridge for a major north-south traffic route, US Hwy 11. Geologists indicate that the rocks which compose the bridge are early Ordovician (about 500 million years old). The internal forms of the rocks, the folds and breaks in the layers, were imposed on them during the Appalachian Mountain building process, toward the end of the Paleozoic Era (200+ million years ago), but the formations of the stream drainage and the carving out of the bridge started much more recently, probably no more than a few million years ago.
The creek was in flood. They told us that we could not go up to the falls because the flooding had washed the underpinnings out from the little asphalt bridge further down the path and it had been closed for fear it would totally wash out.
A young George Washington surveyed Natural Bridge, originally owned by the English crown head. You can see where he carved his initials in the wall on the opposite side of the walk, under the bridge. (They have conveniently painted a white square around the initials so you can't miss them!!) To further substantiate Washington's presence here, two stone markers engraved with his initials and surveyor's cross have also been found in the area. One was directly beneath the bridge, the other in a nearby field.
The creek was in flood. They told us that we could not go up to the falls because the flooding had washed the underpinnings out from the little asphalt bridge further down the path and it had been closed for fear it would totally wash out.
A young George Washington surveyed Natural Bridge, originally owned by the English crown head. You can see where he carved his initials in the wall on the opposite side of the walk, under the bridge. (They have conveniently painted a white square around the initials so you can't miss them!!) To further substantiate Washington's presence here, two stone markers engraved with his initials and surveyor's cross have also been found in the area. One was directly beneath the bridge, the other in a nearby field.On July 5th, 1774, King George III of England, sold the rock bridge and 157 acres of surrounding land to Thomas Jefferson for 20 shillings. Jefferson called the rock bridge "undoubtedly one of the sublimes curiousities in nature". He visited Natural Bridge often and surveyed and made a map of the land with his own hands. In 1803, two years after he was first inaugurated, President Jefferson built a two room cabin which was located not far from the site of the present hotel.
The Indians tell a story about the natural bridge that goes as follows:"When our ancestors first began to arrive at Natural Bridge, they moved in small family groups of 18 to twenty men, women and children. Along the way, the Monacan were being pursued by war parties. The Monacans found themselves backed onto a great gorge with no way to cross. Even the strongest of the Monacan warriors could not jump the great chasm that separated them from safety.
It was then that the Holy men and women gathered their people together into a sacred circle. Locking their hands together, they began to pray, sing, and dance. The Holy men and women offered the creator gifts of tobacco, sang their death songs, and prepared to meet their fate.
The Algonguin warrors gazed on quietly and with much reverence, for that was the way of their people. Suddenly, the earth began to tremble and shake. A great mist rose from the deep chasm and the sky grew dark as night. When the mist drifted away, it revealed a great bridge spanning to the opposite cliff, which allowed the Monacan to cross safely to the other side.
Both nations understood that a great holy event had just occurred, and with haste fell to their knees. After offering tobacco as a gift for what they had just witnessed, the Algonguin turned and headed north away from the Monacans."
The washed out bridge that we were not supposed to cross over. I waited until they got to the other side, and when it looked like there was no problem, I bravely ventured forth and followed!! 
The falls at the end of the path!! So worth the walk!
The washed out bridge that we were not supposed to cross over. I waited until they got to the other side, and when it looked like there was no problem, I bravely ventured forth and followed!! 
The falls at the end of the path!! So worth the walk! A footnote: Included in the ticket to see the Natural Bridge was a ticket to the "Light Show" that occurred at 9 PM every night. Well, never ones to pass on an adventure, we returned for this great event. It was cold, windy and wet. Of course, we got there early in case we couldn't get a seat. We sat with a bunch of other cold, shivering people, and huddled together for warmth. FINALLY, the wonderous show of light started. At least that was what they told us!!!! Oh my! Was it ever B O R I N G. They used white and red lights. Turn them on. Turn them off. Someone in charge needs to take a trip to Las Vegas and go downtown and get an idea of what a "light show" is all about!!!! However, all was not lost as we got to see the difference in the level of the creek in just a few hours!!! What had been an angry raging river was now just a softly flowing creek. Quite amazing.
My recommendation on this would be to definitely go see the bridge.... it's amazing. Take a pass on freezing your butt for the light show.... DEFINITELY a two-thumbs DOWN experience!!!!!
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