Forks of Coal

So, Monday, like a lot of mornings this time of year was just a dreary and foggy morning. I was on my way to a town called Alum Creek to work on some meters. As if it were fate, I missed my first turn off from Corridor G that I was supposed to take and the GPS rerouted me down a different road. While traveling down this road, I passed under an old suspension foot bridge that I thought was pretty cool. I turned around, found a place to park, and took a few photos. The first two I took were of the trees along the river. It was nothing special, it just gave me an Evil Dead vibe.

The next set of photos are of the bridge, the reason I stopped in the first place. The first is the original photo, which I really like in itself, but the 2nd is one that I added a filter to and was extremely happy with the outcome. Considering my background of taking a few years of photography courses in high school, working with 35 mm film and developing all of my own work, I never expected my favorite photo that I've ever taken to be done with a smart phone.

I did some research and found out this area is known as Forks Of Coal, WV. This name comes from this specific location, as this is where the Little Coal River branches or 'forks' off of the Big Coal river. The bridge in the photo is actually one of two bridges, one going across each river. These were built in 1920 as a way for children to get back and forth to school.

(The above photo is the only photo in this post that was not taken by me. Photo credit and more information on the bridge available at https://www.carbidecamps.net/Cliffside/DoubleBridgeCliffside/TheDoubleBridge.htm)

I noticed while taking the above photos that the entrance to this side of the bridges was fenced off, so I was curious  how to get to the other end. and thanks to Google maps, I was able to do so.

I got back in my truck and went on about my route in Alum Creek. When I finished that route, I decided to take lunch before heading over to my next one. I ate my lunch quickly and headed over to the other side of the bridge (which was more driving than you would expect) to do some exploring. To my disappointment, the entrance to the bridge is closed off, which is understandable, as from this end, it was easier to see the state of disrepair that it was in.

Despite my disappointment of not being able to walk across the bridge at all, I was still able to snap a few cool pictures before leaving. It was still pretty cool to see

All in all, it was a fun day for me. I will also add that the town of Alum Creek was a beautiful town as well. I may go back and explore some more sometime.