Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 15, 1993 TAG: 9308130036
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: STEVE KARK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The foliage has to be cut back every few years, as it grows into the roadway. In a surprisingly short time, I'm told, without this periodic maintenance the road would become as difficult to travel as an old logging road.
Several times I stopped and waited while the crew worked on a large limb they had dropped across the road. They sawed it into more-manageable pieces, which were, in turn, fed into a shredder and chopped into mulch-sized bits.
I watched as one man worked his way up a tree to where he skillfully sawed through the heavy limb. As soon as it hit the ground, the other men were on it, chain saws snarling and wood chips flying as they cut.
There in my truck, air-conditioner on full blast and an Eagles' tape in the deck, I felt cooly isolated from their hot labors, tapping the steering wheel to the rhythms of the music while they dripped with sweat and swatted at bugs.
I've cleared enough fallen limbs from our own little road to feel respect for the work that these men do. On the other hand, there is little comparison; they clear in minutes what would take me hours. This is their job. They do not have the luxury of idle reflection.
I remind myself that dirt roads were around long before paved roads. Giles County's first paved road was built in 1922 between Pearisburg and Hoges Chapel, according to a local history.
I accept that dirt roads are especially vulnerable to the weather. In winter ours is often slippery and sometimes impassable except by four-wheel drive. In spring it becomes gooey with mud and is easily rutted by heavy rains. Nonetheless, I like driving on dirt roads. Call me nostalgic if you want.
I watch these men clear this road. Take away the power tools and I feel as though I am watching road work as it must have been done long ago when men first made roads through this county. It is and was backbreaking work.
Local historians say dirt roads have existed here for more than 200 years. And the old roads, too, had to be periodically cleared of brush and overhanging limbs.
While the methods of traveling the roads have certainly changed, the results of a lack of maintenance on them have not. Protruding limbs will just as easily crack a windshield or snap a mirror today as they would have unhorsed a rider in the past.
The earliest roads followed pathways established by Native Americans, say the historians. But settlers headed for Cumberland Gap found the paths too narrow, so they were widened.
One of the county's first roads, the Cumberland Gap Turnpike, was chartered in 1834 and built between 1838 and 1843. This primitive dirt road roughly followed the path now used by U.S. 460 from Bluefield to Newport. From there it followed Sinking Creek to New Castle, as Virginia 42 does today.
As I've said, the only paved road in the county was the Pearisburg-Hoges Chapel Road in 1922. The rest were dirt until the 1930s. The remainder of U.S. 460 was paved by 1932 - two lanes only; today's 4-lane highway came much later.
Many drivers never have to travel on dirt roads. Most prefer not to. But by doing so they miss a lot.
Some of our best scenery is accessible only by dirt road. I recommend you try the old War Spur Road past Mountain Lake. This will take you to several splendid views and a hiking trail through a virgin timber stand.
Or you might try following Virginia 663 west from Virginia 100, just north of Big Walker Creek. Take this paved road until it turns to dirt at Sugar Run. This will take you into the national forest, where you'll find several views of Wilburn Valley and Dismal Falls.
Although the roads are well maintained, a low-clearance vehicle may have problems. Bring a national forest map and a picnic lunch, if you can. And don't be in too much of a hurry. There's lots to see.
Steve Kark is an instructor at Virginia Tech and a correspondent for the Roanoke Times & World-News. He writes from his home in scenic Rye Hollow, in a remote part of Giles County south of Pearisburg.
by CNB