Evening star., 1934-06-24
NATURAL BRIDGE
ASCEN|C WONDER
Masterpiece of Nature May
Be Reached by a Pleas
ant Week End Trip.
BY CHARLES B. DEGGES,
STAFF Correspondent of The Star.

NATURAL BRIDGE, va, June 20.
Deep in the heart of lovely Shen-
endoah Valley is one of the scenic
wonders of the country-the Natural
Bridge of Virginia.
Standing in the bottom of the
gorge of Cedar Creek beneath the vast
stone arch that is the bridge, man
catches fleeting glimpses of earth-in-
the-making. Brilliant-hued rock mo-
saics outline for him formations that
lived million years ago and remain
today in grandeur that makes this
spot a mecca for travellers.
And for WaShingtonians this
Bridge -of-the-G Gods, as the Monacan
Indians worshipped it, is the South
ern terminus of what undoubtedly is
one of the most delightful and in
teresting week end trips available to
them. Capital residents may look
with enthusiasm upon their Washil g.
ton Monument. their Capitol dome
and their Lincoln Memorial. which
fellow-men have fashioned for Them
but here they'll view with awe the
beauty of the handiwork of Nature.
Now adjectiveS are words generally
avoided in newspaper columns. but
this correspondent. who SO recently
has stood before the natural wonder
here is willing to forget his craft S
pet aversion in recording his tour OF
the past week. For he has dotted
his hat with the rest of the tourists
in admiration of all that's here.
Hills and Pleasant Valleys.
Here is a trip of scenic and nat
ural phenomena: Mountains OF real
splendor; valleys Of pleasant quiet
caverns that embrace beauties that
are under the earth. and splendid
roads over which to reach them all
Make the circuit over the route fol-
lowed by this reporter and you'll
travel no less than 365 miles: but
they're 365 highly recommended
miles
Leave Washington by way OF Key
Bridge and take the right turn onto the
Lee Highway, road No. 2ll, around
the corner OF the electric train station
in Rosslyn and travel on through the
suburban towns of Cherrydale and
Fails OIlICoS Od liofS "a HeAA
ticu,ar interest in passing through
Fairfax. take the new concrete ROAD
that forks to the right l4.3 miles from
Washington and make good time on
to Centerville Here you will ind
markers proclaiming that locality as
the scene of the First Battle OF Bull
Run. A little beyond 26.6 miles from
Key Bridge. in fact. the route passes
an cid stone house on the right side
Of the read that was used as hospital
for both Union and Confederate SOL
diers during 1851 and 1862.
Seventeen miles further on you'll
find yourself at the foot of fairly
steep hill and ahead. on its peak,
you'n see the graceful white Splre Of
the court house at Warrenton. This
particular tour has to do with places
at greater distance than those gen.
erally touched by the after-Sunday-
dinner rides" of so many Washington
motorists, SO bear of to the right ana
follow the little numerals marking
road No. 2ll.
Toward the Foothills.
Outside of Warrenton the road be-
gins to roll. for the foothills OF the
Blue Ridge Mountains are just ahead.
The route lies over beautiful Kappa
hammock River, which at that north
erly point in Virginia is a beautiful
stream giving little promise of the
power it assumes further downstate
where it empties into the Chesapeake
Bay. Continue on at good speed
through AmisSville and MaSSies Corner
and when the speedometer shows COS
miles frCm Key Bridge you'll be IN
quaint old Washington-the first town
to be given the name of the great
Virginian.
Here is a worthwhile place to stop.
for there's historic interest in that
little town and there are hospitable
people there who take the time and
the trouble to answer your questions
and tell you all they know of their
citys history. George Washington,
himself, surveyed and laid out the
community which later was given his
name. and it was he who named the
streets you'll find there: Middle street,
Gay street, Wheeler street, Calvert
street, Jett street. Porter street and
Main street.
Entering Washington, the route lies
between the ever-preSent tianking
gasoline stations and if you'll look
through the right hand side of your
windshield before you make any turns
into Main street. you'll see, half hid
den by the thick foliage of the trees
that border the street, the old Wash
ington House. This quaint old house
once was a tavern-Still is, in fact
and George Washington is reputed to
have danced there in what is now the
dining room. Sitting at table enjoy
ing one of the bountiful meals which
are served, it is not hard for one to
visualize the powdered wigs and color
full costumes that must have arrayed
that room. 1t has changed but little
in all these years.
Reaching the Mountains.
But this tour leads to Natural
Bridge. and progress must be made.
So follow the Lee Highway to the left
through the center of old Washington
and out of town to Sperryville, 73.l
miles from Key Bridge. The hills
about the road at that point grow
higher, more vigorous in their rises
and falls and the Lee Highway now
begins to skirt about them instead of
nonchalantly rising over them. For
the next 7 miles. the road fairly
scrambles in and out Of gorges and
valleys. always seeking to maintain
a comfortable level. The turns be-
come sharper and as you sweep into
narrow gorge where the sloping
sides of great green hills seem to close
in on your car, the highway suddenly
rears itself upward in great curves
to ascend the first Of the mountains.
The road passed over ThorntonS
Gap. there at Panorama, and If you
are at all interested in scenery, stop
here and look your FILL There's a
tea house on the right side of the
road where you can get refreshments
or meal at an elevation Of 1905
feet. Look across the road and you'll
see reared into a peak old Mary's
Rock. with an elevation of 3,5l4 feet.
If you're so inclined you may climb
up to that rock there is an excellent
trail all the way.
It is from the Lee Highway at this
L. a.