Luray, VA

The weather in the Virginia mountains is fantastic...warm during the day and cool at night. Luray is in the Shenandoah Valley between the Shenandoah Nat'l Park mountains and the George Washington Mountains. Quite beautiful actually. Lots of farming going on here. It is less than 100 miles to Washington D.C. One might think it would be a favorite getaway for those living in the city, but it does not seem that way. The area is a bit downtrodden.

However, we found a nice, quiet, clean, well-kept RV park and enjoyed our stay. We plucked Adrienne and a couple of trail friends from the AT. She stayed with us for two nights and I hiked with her in the Park for 9 miles. That amounted to less than a half day for her, but it was enough for me! The Togetherness Meter dropped temporarily and rallied at the end of the day. Al picked us up, fed us dinner at the Big Meadows Lodge, and Adrienne continued on her way. What an amazing experience she is having!! We feel fortunate to witness small segments of her journey.

We hiked some on our own in the Park which is replete with wildlife, and that is always fun. Deer are plentiful and proprietary about the trails. Adrienne and I encountered a deer on the trail that did not want to give us the right-of-way. She stamped her feet a few times but eventually left the trail just long enough for us to pass. The bears are many but are more cautious, due, no doubt, to lots of work on the part of the Park Rangers.

Al rented us a sea-worthy vessel(an Old Town of course) to canoe the Shenandoah River. It was my first experience on a river, and now I recognize the V and know where the boat SHOULD go. After a few times, it was fun! As always, Al is a great teacher and it was a good day.

Luray has an amazing Singing Bell Tower called a Carillon which is actually a musical instrument. It has 47 cast bronze bells arranged in chromatic series and played from a keyboard of oak levers. Four times a week an elderly gentlemen climbs up the tower and plays for 45 minutes. What an incredible sound! Maybe you music enthusiasts are familiar with it, but we were not.

One of my favorite things is to find a really good used book store and we stocked up with a pile of good reading. We visited a local winery to replish our wine cellar and picked up a few much-needed items at Camping World--a unique U.S. map with removable state stickers to show the world where we've been...just like every other RV has. :)

Today, we went to the dentist. Dr. M thought it was really weird for us to get our teeth cleaned while on vacation. English was not his first language and it didn't seem necessary to pursue it.

The RV Park has all manner of creatures and musicians coming and going to keep us entertained, and we joined the town folks for 4th of July fireworks. Al made two new friends, Daryl from Texas and Johnny Appleseed from Massachusetts.

We really like hearing from Y'all on the blog and via e-mail! We're headed for Falling Waters, WV. See you there!

Roan Mountain

Our final fling in TN was to revisit Roan Mtn. to see the wild rhododendrons in bloom. They were blooming, but we were a few days too early for the peak bloom. We backtracked down the mountain to Carver's Gap where the AT crosses the pass. Oh my gosh, the pass is field for the most part and the scenery was breathtaking! Usually, photos just don't do justice to beautiful scenery; but, here I think words are inadequate. Notice the natural specimen I caught sunning himself on a rock. :)
We have rolled up our awning, pulled in our slides, released our wheels and we're on our way to Luray, VA near the Shenandoah Nat'l Park. Tulip is excited about another road trip!

Our Favorite!

Hands down, our favorite find has been biking the Virginia Creeper Trail. We really like the trail from Abingdon to Alvarado Station the best. It has the best trestles and scenery...and it's flat. However, we biked the most popular section as well - Damascus to White Top Station. It is a 17-mile climb that is accomplished by a shuttle service... Once at the top, the ride down requires NO PEDDLING. It's the easiest 17 miles on a bike...and one has no choice but to pass by an ice-cream shop at the bottom of the hill!
Y'all know I think Foresters are special people. They do have some peculiar habits though. Racing at break-neck speed down a mountain trail on a bicycle, a Forester might come to a screeching halt to snap a twig from a tree and take a long sniff...as it is a Black Birch, betula lenta, and it smells strongly of Wintergreen. After appreciative recognition of the wonder of Mother Nature, prior activity can be resumed.
Imagine our surprise, as one day we are peddling along our favorite part of the trail, when we encounter a sign pointing the way to a local winery...only a half mile off the trail. Our bikes made a left turn and to the vineyards we went! We tasted, we selected and we sipped a nice "back porch" wine before making the return trip. I love the great outdoors!
P.S. Al's ride is ever so comfortable now...he has acquired a "pillow top" saddle for his bike. Twenty dollars well spent!!

Bristol, TN/VA Excursions

We've had a great time in Bristol, TN/VA. Summer has arrived; the days are warm and the nights are cool.

Grandfather Mtn.: Is a privately owned mountain...therefore requires a $15/per person entry fee. There are some natural animal habitats, very well done actually. "Mildred" is a rare cinnamon-colored black bear. She has been producing cubs to introduce to the wild as the black bear population was in danger in that area. The population is now at a sustainable level and Mildred can relax. Mildred and her family wait patiently for the 2 p.m. treats...and by her watch, the hour as arrived! At the top of the mountain (at precisely 1 mile above sea level) there is a suspension bridge leading to a rock outcrop. The wind was blowing 90 knots! We hiked the rockiest, rootiest, wettest trail to Grandmothers Outlook--accessed only by scaling a huge boulder with a steel cable attached. Going up was the easy part...

Grayson Highlands State Park: The Appalachian Trail passes over the top of the mountain...and Adrienne reported wild ponies in the meadows...with babies! We didn't see the babies, but we did see ponies and wild rhododendrons in bloom. A great adventure! We climbed a trail to some really awesome waterfalls.

International Storytelling Center: Jonesborough is the oldest town in TN and home to a Storytelling Festival in the Fall. During the summer, there is a Teller-In-Residence every week. Michael Parent is a native Mainer...so we had to take in a performance. Storytelling is an art. I can think of a couple of friends who definitely could make it in this field!

Bristol, TN/VA

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We have arrived in Bristol, TN/VA. Apparently there was some confusion about state lines; it runs through the center of town. It is also the birthplace of country music... Every radio station plays country/bluegrass music...All the time. I know all the words to that WooHoo song. When in Bristol, one visits the Pickin' Porch to take in some local tunes. Tyler Hughes and The Generation Gap from Big Stone Gap, VA (just in case they become famous, you heard about them here!)played some old Beatles stuff...it was all fun. Annie, did I give you a book called Big Stone Gap? There is also a big NASCAR Speedway here...and lots of black and white checkered RVs, clothes, buildings...

The trip for Tulip, not exactly traumatic, not exactly relaxing. She was glad when the Lakeview RV Park sign came into view.

The Togetherness Meter: Plummeted. Al took off with Adrienne for a couple of days. He seemed really anxious to get to the Trail, and even let her downsize what went into his backpack... I'm being my usual charming self. He must have been craving some freeze-dried food...or just wanting to sleep on the ground. Who knows...?

Adrienne has completed +/-500 miles of the AT and seems remarkably well. We feel fortunate to be tagging along to witness her self-sufficiency, incredible grit and determination. It is fun to occasionally feed her when she takes a break from her journey, meet some of her fellow thru-hikers and listen to the STORIES.

We biked the 1st 1/3 of The Virginia Creeper Trail an old railroad bed turned hiking/biking trail beginning in Abington, VA. It was amazing...and flat!! It winds along a river, through fields, pastures and farms and over trestles. Twenty miles was a pretty good day for us. Al is shopping for a new (bigger) seat for his bike.:) Some... discomfort I believe. Josh is the real biker in the family. It could only be better if he were here with us!

We did some more hiking in the rain, but, alas, summer seems to have arrived! Gas prices have risen, but diesel fuel is less than gas. Imagine that? The dually gets hungry often! Our plan is to stay in Bristol until mid-June.

North Georgia Dendrology

Always in discovery and on high alert, I noticed that trees covered with yellow tulips were beginning to show up everywhere. As luck would have it, I had my very own Forester in tow! I could not stop exclaiming over the tulips in the tree while close examination of the branches, leaves, bark, etc. was underway. After careful consideration, it was indeed pronounced a TULIP TREE...liriodendron tulipifera. Apparently, it is in the Magnolia family and not the Poplar as its name suggests, and it does not grow in the far north or the Deep South. Hence, my lack of exposure to this stunning spectacle. How my very own Forester could keep this tree a secret from me is just inexplicable!! The tree is extremely large (quite unremarkable except for the flowers) and getting a close up of the tulips was tricky...but persistence paid off. A tree growing at the bottom of a very steep embankment some 40ft. down gave us free access to the high limbs and the blossoms! You gotta love a happy Forester!

High Shoals Falls

Have I mentioned that it has rained a lot here in No. Georgia?? I believe 23 days out of the 30 days we've been here. Yesterday morning was cloudy and overcast...but no rain. Optimistic, we headed for High Shoals Waterfall--a short 1.5 mile hike in. The sun was actually shining when we arrived at the trailhead. It was a pleasant walk--getting darker, but we were descending rapidly and the canopy overhead was covering us. It began to rain...really pour just before we reached the falls. We took a cursory look, not daring to expose the camera to the deluge, and slogged back up the trail to the truck. Expecting nothing less of him, Al had various rain gear in the truck...and drenched and dripping, we exchanged our soaked clothes for the only dry stuff we had. I chose the yellow, ankle length, drover style raincoat with detachable hood and stylish snaps. Al selected an ensemble of forest green rainpants with matching jacket--very chic! And thus attired, sun once again shining, we drove the 10 miles back to the RV park. It is pouring again...

Tomorrow is a travel day. We're headed to Bluff City, TN.