Day 2 on the New River

We awoke to a calm day with a hint of frost. Ate, packed, loaded the boats and drove our shuttle. By 10 we were ready to slide into the river. Shortly, we passed under the Rt 221 bridge, an old structure in place since 1922. On either side of the river were some old businesses, a general store on river left and an old gas station on river right. Soon we passed an outfitter with a lawn full of red canoes. Development continued unabated. We had a few unspoiled stretches in the morning.

I spotted what appeared to be a marten although they are not supposed to be in this area. As before, Canadas ruled the river. A few Kingfishers had their stakes but the geese were everywhere.

We stopped on a nice sandy beach for a break and later lunched at the King's Road access. Upon leaving here, the river passed Twin Rivers Family campground and took on a wilder appearance. We had to negotiate a class 2 rapid in which I sideswiped a rock and just barely slipped through. This rapid looks like it has caused a number of spills. I should have been watching Will ahead as he was motioning me to move left but I was not paying attention. We learned later, one of the boy scout canoes overturned here.

The mile of river before the confluence is simply beautiful. We stopped at the confluence (South Fork and North Fork) on a wedge island for a little sightseeing. After the confluence, the development continues. Especially annoying was a line of log condominium building on river right.

Just beyond here is the Allegany Access campground. Pay attention it comes upon you quickly. We grabbed campsite #1 for a great view of a nearby rock cliff on the river.


We met Ranger J Shimmel and had a pleasant conversation with him. In the course of which we learned the State Park system derives income for land acquisitions from a portion of real estate transactions taxes. Obviously, this income has declined in recent years as the number of real estate transactions has.

It was another nice night with a roaring fire. The scouts staying in the campground had an hour long "Capture the Flag" activity that occurred in the dark. It was blur of flashlights and yells and rushing through the dark woods. The scouts had great fun that night. We finally ventured out into the open field to view the stars and were treated to a wonderful display of stars and constellations. I heard Great Horned Owls during the night.