Spring Drive

It was such a gorgeous weekend that the wife and I hit the road for a Saturday afternoon drive. We had no destination, but just decided on a little road trip adventure. So we headed out, averting our eyes from any gasoline price signs we happened to pass, and wound up near Hinton, along the New River. We'd by then decided to see some parts of the new river that we'd not seen before, but wound up taking a wrong turn and found ourselves at a sign promising Sandstone Falls 9 Miles. Okay, sure.

So we traveled the 9 miles, down a badly paved road that ran along the New River. We passed lots of river side homes and lots where people had put their camping trailers up on blocks to serve as a fishing camp. It was a leisurely drive, which we made accompanied by Moxy Fruvous and the Barenaked Ladies.

Finally, we arrived at the falls, which were not quite what we were expecting. For some reason, I'd figured these falls would be more of a traditional waterfall, like pouring down a cliff-side style. Nope. This was a place on the New River where water has been erroding a layer of sandstone underlying riverbed granite, causing a waterfall in the river itself. While certainly no Niagra, it was mighty impressive and well worth the slow 9 mile trek.