The New River was established as a National River in 1978 to protect 53 miles of river and over 70,000 acres, rich in history & eco diversity. To better represent to numerous cultural, scenic, and recreational opportunities offered in the park, it was redesignated in 2020 as New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The New River Gorge National Park also serves at the home to a world famous engineering marvel, the New River Gorge Bridge. At 876 feet high, it's the second highest bridge in the United States and the longest steel span in the the western hemisphere.
In February 1983 the Shenandoah Valley experienced a 30-inch snowfall. One of the things my new wife and I realized was that we did not have a camera to take pictures of the event. So as soon as the snow melted enough to move, we went to our local photo shop and purchased a used 35mm range finder camera. I was given a 12-exposure roll of film and told to go out, give it a try, and bring the camera back if I did not like the results. One of the images from that roll resulted in my first landscape. Since then I've improved my technique and equipment, but the main focus of my photography has remained the same: nature and landscapes. ~Frank Ceravalo
Location: Martinsburg, WV