The New River and the Nile are kindred bodies of water
If you heard that the Nile River in Egypt and the New River in Virginia were the only two bodies of water to flow from south to north that is incorrect information. These two rivers however do have two spectacular features in common. They both belong to a minority group and share a unique quality with only a few other bodies of water worldwide. Rivers flowing from south to north are rare because most significant rivers in the East flow east to west or west to east.
East to west or west to east?
This brings to mind the episode of The Andy Griffith Show Divorce Mountain Style where Barney Fife dons a black outfit and gets on a white horse because a black rider (someone dressed in black) riding a white horse spot traveling east to west will curse a betrothed couple.``
The horse gets it wrong and takes its rider from west to east. Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) who is watching begins saying over and over "East to west, east to west." Just like Barney's horse the New River also is considered to be going the wrong way based on how most rivers flow which is what makes it unique.
The New River may be the second oldest in the world
Another significant difference with the New River is the water does not flow from the mountain but goes right through the rocks and crevices. For this reason, the New River is considered the second oldest river in the world behind the Nile River which is the first. The thinking is that the New River was powerful enough not to change direction as the mountains grew around it. how amazing that this Virginia River shares these things in common with a body of water on the other side of the world.
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