Category: Travel

On Travel Part 3

The idea for Part 3 of  “On Travel” came from a news item I saw earlier this summer.  July 4 marked the 250th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s purchase of a place known as Natural Bridge in southwestern Virginia.  It is a rock formation featuring a giant hole or tunnel.  Virginia’s Route 11 runs over the rock ‘bridge’ and a park and trails have been developed around the site. Years ago, our family visited the Natural Bridge park.

Native Americans prized the phenomenal site, but after Jefferson’s purchase of it from King George, the property continued in private ownership and became a tourist attraction early in the twentieth century. In 2016, Natural Bridge became a Virginia state park.

At the time our family went there, the park was still privately owned.  After a long, steep stairway descent, paths take you along a creek and under the bridge.  There are caves too, which may have been how the tunnel formed.  I recall how as we walked the creekside trail, our school-aged son with typical boyhood energy, scrambled along the rocky ledge of the path.  Suddenly, he fell off the path and for a  millisecond, I wondered how far down he had fallen.  It turned out that we were not far above the creek bed but the rock gashed his leg:  it was one of those gasp parent moments!

The other fun aspect of visiting Natural Bridge at that time was an evening light show.  In 1927, Westinghouse helped create a light show spotlighting the rock formation with moving beams and colored lighting.  As the lights flashed, the creation account from Genesis was broadcast to the audience.  It was meaningful to experience a wonder of nature, technology, and creativity with credit given to God.

This past week, my Bible readings included Psalm 36 which says,

5Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.

The heights and skies of the mountainous area, as well as a flowing stream with just a little depth, are on awesome display in wonders like Virginia’s Natural Bridge.  It is also comical to me that verse six ends with

“You, Lord, preserve both man and beast.”  Our son came through his fall with only a scrape!

A late summer road trip approaches for us.  We will look for God’s wonders and trust Him to preserve our travel.

The Natural Bridge, Virginia, 1852, by Frederic Edwin Church, on display at Bayly Art Museum. Charlottesville, VA

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On Travel: Rest Stops

My husband and I travel the road a lot.  Living on the east coast, we traverse north and south on I- 95, and sometimes further west on I-81, also a north-south highway.  We enjoy diversions too on less-traveled routes, but we’ve become very familiar with the cities, townships and sights we pass on our repeated journeys.

As empty nesters, we plan our pace loosely.  I can’t say that we always stop to smell the roses; there are people and places along the way yet to see.  We do, however, often travel with a freer itinerary and that includes frequent stops:  mental and physical breaks that are wise for our age, wise for all long-distance travelers.

Welcome to New York state, via I-81 north.

Along our familiar routes, I have my favorite rest stops.  When we head home southbound on 95, the first NC rest stop features giant whirl-i-gigs.  A North Carolinian grew fond of building these large wind structures and they now adorn various spots in the state.  This whimsical rest stop means the journey is almost over for us.  For many years, we drove to Westchester, NY for Thanksgiving.   The crisp air and city vibe as we pulled into a Jersey travel center meant the holiday had begun for me!   Even the coffee seemed festive!  A New York Welcome Center on northbound 81 overlooks a gorgeous mountain vista and inside a market offers nice products from around the state.

Recently, we discovered a unique rest area.   It is, of course, accessible from the highway for those traveling by car as we do, but behind it is the Dismal Swamp Canal, so this rest area has a dock and boat slips for those traveling the canal!  They too need rest areas, and this one offers special facilities for boaters.

 

 

 

 

 

Our road stops include quick bathroom breaks, stretches, tidying the car and maybe some caffeine, but I’ve noticed the travelers who are more leisurely about their stops. They rest at picnic tables in shady areas savoring plentiful picnics.  Playful dogs get needed exercise in the open grassy spaces.  Once I saw a young family cooking their meal on a rest area grill – now that’s planning ahead and making a memory!

Is rest Biblical?  Yes, planned rest began in the account of creation.  God worked for six days to bring the universe into existence.  Scripture tells us that God “rested on the seventh day from all His work He had done” (Genesis 2 v 2).  With His infinite power, I don’t think God was tired on the seventh day.  Instead, He was modeling for us the goodness of rest; physical, mental, and spiritual rest.  Sabbath rest is a deep topic that I won’t pursue in this post, but I encourage you to rest regularly.  Psalm 46 v 10 calls us to “Be still and know that I am God.”  And on this Saturday evening, I pray that you include “enter[ing] the sanctuary of God” (Psalm 73 v 17) in your day of rest tomorrow.

If you subscribe to my blog via email, thank you.  The posts are best viewed at “A Writer’s Daughter”