Valentine's Day

7:30 a.m.: Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.
Vivi and I got back on the roads and did a three-mile run this morning. The roads have been plowed, so it wasn't bad at all. It was a little cold (25 degrees), but we pressed on. I always feel better after running.




Yesterday I found a West Virginia commemorative quarter, and I love it. I have gotten interested in the New River, which flows form the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, through West Virginia and into the Ohio. We cross the headwaters of it when we drive down to Asheville, and I would like to explore it. There is a stretch in West Virginia called the New River Gorge that is supposed to be particularly beautiful. It is a popular area for white-water rafting. I was thrilled to see that the New River Gorge is depicted on the West Virginia quarter. Now I really have to go see it.
According to the U.S. Mint site:

The design chosen to represent West Virginia is one that combines the natural physical beauty of the State and the triumph of the human intellect exemplified by the engineering wonder that is the New River Gorge Bridge. At 3,030 feet long and 69 feet wide, the bridge is the world’s largest steel span and the second highest ridge in the United States, rising 876 feet above the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia. In 1978, 53 miles of the New River was added to the National Park System as the New River Gorge National River. For years, crossing the New River Gorge meant long detours along narrow, winding mountain roads. The completion of the bridge in 1977 reduced this dangerous 40-minute trip to a smooth and scenic one-minute drive.

Photograph provided by the National Parks Service

Running: 3 miles