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Archive for January, 2011

A Blogging Look Back

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Bridge Day, New River Gorge

Bridge Day, New River Gorge

We’re pretty fired-up that so many of you take the time to check out our blog, but we enjoy reading your takes on the New River Gorge as well.  Here are our top three blog picks from 2010 from rock climbing to jumping and everything in-between.

You guys are pretty clever writers and we’re glad you took a minute to document your trip.

#3.  Rachel Travels // Wild & Wonderful West Virginia

Rachel not only travels but she also rafts.  Chronicle her adventures on Bridge Day and on a raft headed down the Gauley.

#2.  Millivers Travels // New River Gorge

A great recap of the overlook area, including some great pictures.

And drumroll please…

#1.  The New River Gorge and beyond…

A combination of climbing, baking, and hanging out in Southern WV.  Some of our favorites!

To all you bloggers – congrats!  We’ll get working on one of those nifty seals for your blog asap.  Thanks for traveling to see us in the New River Gorge.  Come back anytime.

10 Ways Bridge Day Can Remind Us to Go Green

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Bridge Day is proud to have been awarded the West Virginia Association of Fairs & Festivals 2011 Environmental Fair & Festival Award.

Green Bridge Day

Saving the environment is more than just lip service to those of us who thrive on a clean outdoor surrounding to work and play in. It’s more important than ever that we remember how to live a more environment-friendly lifestyle. Here are 9 tips from Bridge Day that will hopefully help you “think green” over the year to come:

B – Buy locally…especially from local farmers. Remember the distance it takes to get produce and meats from far-away places to your table. Buying locally not only helps the local economy but cuts down on those transportation greenhouse gases.

R – Respect backyard pests. Don’t become a hater – remember some pests like ladybugs are great eaters of the pests that we really don’t like, so figure out which little creatures to honor and welcome.

I - Invest in trees. Air conditioning bills can be drastically reduced by having trees strategically placed on the southern and western sides of your home.

D – Don’t print unless it’s absolutely necessary. With the advent of electronic file sharing – we really don’t need to keep large files of paperwork any longer – saving valuable trees and space.

G – Grab all unused meds and recycle properly. Did you know that unused or expired prescriptions are one of the biggest contaminates of our streams and waterways? Help protect our rivers by taking your bottles to your local pharmacy’s recycling bin for proper disposal.

E – Enrich the soil of acid loving plants with used coffee grounds. Azaleas and rhododendrons will love you for it.

D – Don’t buy individually wrapped items. Buying in bulk helps save on packaging costs and waste.

A – Adjust your thermostat. Changing your temperature one degree warmer in summer and one degree cooler in winter will save you up to 10% on your bill and save valuable energy resources.

Y – Yearn for more info. It’s tough to remember to be green every day so subscribe to a daily or monthly blog with green tips.

Thanks for helping us care for Mother Earth.

Bridge Day 2010 Remembered: What a Year!

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

363  jumpers. 100,000+ spectators.  1,030 jumps. Yep, 2010 was quite a year for the Western Hemisphere’s longest single-arch span.

While we are well into the New Year of 2011, we’d like to take a look back at Bridge Day 2010.

We all had a great time organizing the event and had a blast with you the day of.  So here’s our top 7 moments from Bridge Day 2010. We’re sure you could add a few as well…so feel free!

Subaru Scavenger Hunt Winner

7.  Waking up to wonderful weather

6.  Offering the first-ever In the Gorge Subaru Shuttles

5.  Experiencing a record number of rappellers making their way down, down, down under.

4.  Great food! (ahem…Funnel Cake) Need we say more?

3.  Awarding more than $1000 during the Subaru Scavenger Hunt

2.  Seeing a Bridge Day video featured on CNN.com (Wow we’ve come a long way!)

And our #1 moment from 2010….seeing the crowds flock to the New River Gorge yet again.  We’re so glad you joined us!

What was your favorite moment?

Getting Back to Our Roots

Friday, January 7th, 2011

At one time the New River Gorge was home to more than 50 coal mines and coal mining towns. Those who’ve visited the Gorge probably are most aware of Kaymoor , the town now visited only by hiking trail, or Thurmond, made famous by the movie Matewan. But at one time there were many, many more.

Thurmond, West Virginia

Melody Bragg probably said it best in her book Thurmond and Ghost Towns of the New River Gorge, “If the bridge had stood 70 years ago, it would have towered over not only wilderness, but company stores, churches, mines and railroad depots.” Now wouldn’t that be a site.

At the heart of every mining community was of course the company store. A place where script was used instead of cash and in addition to being a place for the necessities – a social spot for the mining communities. The most important store in the Gorge was undoubtedly the Prince Brothers Store at Prince.

While Prince is still an active stop around the CSX railroad, it was once a community thought of highly by those along the rail. The larger Prince Brothers Store helped keep everyone along the C&O in a wider variety of goods. The lack of transportation except by rail made this store very popular and orders placed could be easily delivered by train the next day.

While this remoteness is foreign to us, at the time, the Prince Brothers Store was held in high esteem. Today visitors can still get a glimpse of the coal town life at the Whipple Company Store & Museum and the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine. Both entities help us step back to a time when coal was king and the company store represented a way to catch a glimpse of the rest of the world.