36 Busted Spokes, part 5
Taking a Break
We concluded that our long “Hungry Mother” day entitled us to a break. That it was at a park called Breaks didn’t play into our justification.
The first morning, we had breakfast at the park diner. We were discovering that state parks in this part of the country sported many amenities, including lodging and eateries. We would take deep advantage of the latter in the weeks ahead.
This area is called the Breaks because of the deep gorge and sheer rock faces that are its main attraction. These breaks are formed because some rock is harder than others, resisting erosion that takes away the softer material. This is why there seems no pattern to the area unlike our previous day’s ride, during which we crossed three parallel mountain ridges. Unlike the hollows along the Blue Ridge, these ravines do not look as if they could support any kind of reasonable agriculture. Chris questioned why anyone would settle here; there is nothing anyone can do with the land… except dig coal.
We spent the afternoon hiking along the rim of the gorge. The views from the many overlooks are spectacular. At 1000 feet, the canyon is the deepest east of the Mississippi. It is cut by the erosive power of the Russell River, a branch of the Big Sandy, which flows into the Ohio River to the northwest. The whole area was once covered by sea, resulting in sedimentary bedrock. The earth moved and folded the land, pushing up mountains. Eventually erosion wore those early mountains flat, but once more the earth shrugged and new mountains were thrust upward. So much time has passed since that event that these mountains have been largely scrubbed away. Coal is found in abundance here because at one time the land was tropical, allowing large masses of organic material to build up. When the region refolded, this organic matter was subjected to high temperatures and great pressures, crushing it over eons into coal.
The railroad is important for transporting the mined coal. There are natural rail beds that follow the streams through the ravines. These ravines have gradual descents and climbs, with quick, tight switchbacks, which doesn’t work for trains, so they put tunnels through them. The Clinchfield line runs through the Breaks gorge. It was completed in 1915, and within 35 miles of track there are 20 tunnels. One of the most notable cuts is through a mountain called the Towers, a great rock mass formed in the crook of the Russell River where it makes a big, broad bend. This is a very beautiful spot and much of the park is centered around overlooks of the Towers.
That day was Don’s birthday, so we had dinner at the park motel’s restaurant. Four and a half dollars bought me roast beef with gravy, a baked potato, salad and vegetable bar. Don’s father, Uncle Don to the rest of us, drove up from Winston-Salem to celebrate with his son. He brought his sleeping bag and spent the night in our campsite. Then left for home early the next morning.
The next day was another “off” day, but Chris, Scott and I explored the gorge more intimately, taking a trail down the steep canyon walls. That night, I stayed at camp while the others took in a film on coal mining at the park amphitheater. Even the entertainment revolved around that industry.
This is part 5 of my chronicle of a 13,000-mile bicycle trip around America. You can read part 1 here.
