Evening star., 1934-06-24

person to see the bridge. II you do
not get the combination ticket" you
will be charged a dollar for each view
of the natural wonder. In seeing the
bridge, you must 60 from the highway
level 10 the valley below. II walking
is too unpleasant for you-and on the
return trip the climb is fairly steep
You'll find a bus which will take you
down and back-or only one way, If
you choose, for 10 cents ride; 20
cents for the round trip.
Washington Carved Initials.
This correspondent saw the bridge
first after dark. A faint after-gloW
still illumined the Western sky and
the guide called attention 10 the
bridges arch silhouetted against the
dying blue He then presented, in
brief and skillfully composed lecture.
salient features of the bridge: its 2l5
feet of height. its span of go feet. the
estimated 36000-ton weight OF the
suspended portion Of the arch: its
surveyal by George Washington, who
carved his initials in the stone aside
the gorge. and erected a surveyors
bench mark" directly beneath the
span where his plumbline swung.
, Then began the pageant. repro
duced voice spoke from high within
the arch and a tastefully devised mu-
sical score accompanied the speaking
which intoned words from the scrip
ture depicting creation. Cunningly
planned indirect lights gradually IL
Z HOhf
after another flooded one magnifi-
! canoe after another, the little band OF
tourists in the gorge sat In huShed
reverence. COl0rS that are brilliant
fairly cleaned in the lights so that
skeptical minds wondered at the ac-
tuality of nature. This pageant re-
ouires As minutes 10 complete, yet the
time fairly flies.
Next day. when seen in the full
/ light. the visitor realizes the colors
+ he saw were real; etched into the
rock by time. and not merely flooded
/ on those rocks by clever lights.
! And one Of the pleasant things
! about the stay here is that accommo-
dations are perfect. The Natural
Bridge Hotel is thoroughly modern,
we'll appointed. and not too costly.
| Single rooms with running water. for
instance, are available at from $l.5O
upward, while room with a private
| bath costs from $3.50. An attractive
| dining room at the hotel serves excel
lent meals. but If one prefers more
| economy. he can secure splendid
/ meals down at the little tea house.
! CoIR D.d;..
For the tourist who wants some
| thing more than mere" scenery and
natural wonders, there's horseback
riding, a swimming pool and tennis
courts right here at the bridge, and
| a golf course less than quarter OF
/ a mile from the hotel door.
| Besides the bridge, this Valley holds
other interesting features. There's a
wealth of flora here, and in this
category is a real curiosity: single
arbor vitae that has become giant
trunked tree, estimated to be l,6OO
years old, and a pair of lesser trees
of the same variety that experts de-
clare are 1000 years old. Daytime
visitors to Natural Bridge should walk
up the gorge above the bridge and
see the old Saltpeter mine, TOO.
In returning home from here, the
Washington visitor may take any OF
several different routes. This cor
respondent chose highway No. 249
that climbs over gorgeous Blue Ridge
Mountains and plays hide-and-Seek
with the lovely James River to Lynch
burg. On this trip are some OF the
| most beautiful real mountain scenery
anywhere in this part Of the United
States. From Lynchburg he continues
on over to Richmond and on up
famous old No. l Highway through
Fredericksburg and on to Washington.
An alternate route-and an interest
| ing one-would be by way of route
No. 30 from Lynchburg, through
Charlottesville to Madison, where the
course would branch to No. IS for
the return by way of Warrenton.