After a LONG day, I’m finally at home in my office uploading pictures from BRIDGE DAY and I can’t wait to share  them with you!  This was probably the 15th Bridge Day that I’ve attended; I’m now 26 and every third Saturday in October for most of my life, I have ventured to Fayetteville, walked across the New River Gorge Bridge, and watched the BASE jumpers.  My parents started taking me when I was a kid and since then, I’ve experienced the event with friends, significant others, and today I went with my Dad.  I even got my first bee sting at Bridge Day when I was 8 and spent an hour crying in the back of the Jan-Care ambulance.  As many times as I’ve been, you’d think I’d be over it by now but I never will be — it’s a tradition!

If you’re reading this and wondering, “what the hell is Bridge Day?” then I apologize.  Let me back up.  Bridge Day is arguably the largest BASE jumping event in the world and it is held in the small town of Fayetteville, West Virginia atop the infamous 876-foot tall New River Gorge Bridge.  Every third Saturday in October, hundreds of base jumpers line up for the chance to jump off one of the longest steel arch bridges in the world.  The event brings in 80,000+ visitors who have the opportunity to watch the jumpers, chow down on some amazing food, and shop the craft tables from local crafters and artisans.  The best part?  IT’S FREE.

Over the years, I find myself taking less and less pictures, as they look more or less the same as last year’s.  However, there were a couple of neat things that happened while we were walking across the bridge that are worth sharing.  First up was the catapult!  Now, I may be able to do the Bridge Walk or ride a rollercoaster without any problem but I am actually scared of heights.  There is NO WAY I would ever jump off the bridge.  Ever.  Let alone sit in a chair and let it catapult me off the edge… which is exactly what some people did.

Another neat thing I saw today was a handful of sky divers make their way to the New River below.  One of the sky divers had an American flag attached to him and it was amazing to see it wave in the wind.  The guy actually came really close to hitting the BASE jump platform!

2013 was another great year for Bridge Day and I’m already looking forward to 2014.  If you were there today, did you enjoy it?  Let me know!

Until next time,
Sara (WV Travel Queen)