2. Pretty towns, scenic byways, and the Skyline Drive

in northwestern Virginia

Day 3 - Tuesday, June 20, 2000

Sunshine certainly improves the motoring/touring experience and I enjoyed great weather all day.

Woke up around 5:30 AM to a pleasantly cool 57F temperature. Turned on the heat and went back to sleep for another two hours. A really pleasant shower with plenty of hot water got the day off to a good start. Was on the road by 9:45 AM and spent an hour aimlessly wandering the backroads in and around the state park. Then picked up US 15 south and made my way to the rather pretty towns of Frederick, MD and Leesburg, VA.

I especially liked Leesburg with its picturesque and narrow downtown streets and the attractive Loudon County courthouse.

Leaving town on SR 7 westbound, I detoured to Morven Park, a beautiful setting for a mansion that was home to a Maryland governor in the 19th century and was later occupied by Virginia governor Westmoreland Davis, who lived there in the early 20th century.

Continued on SR 7 (and SR 7 Bus) through several pretty little towns, including Round Hill and Berryville. A few miles west of Berryville the road crests a ridge and one gets a great view of the Shenandoah Valley below. Further west on SR 7 lies Winchester, a charming town with a historic courthouse square and an interesting pedestrian mall.

Then followed US 522 to Front Royal and the entrance to the Shenandoah National Park. There were just a few clouds in the sky and unusually little haze - so the views from Skyline Drive were spectacular. The valley that you see in the photo below is split by the 40-mile-long Massanutten Mountain and the South Fork and the North Fork of the Shenandoah River go on either side. The Blue Ridge, the Massanutten and the mountains you see in the distance all are part of the Appalachian Mountains between Pennsylvania and Georgia.

Encountered quite a few deer along the way, including some gangly fawns that hadn't learned yet how to react to cars. One just stood in the middle of the road, as curious about me as I was about it. Another one darted back and forth across the road as if playing a game of chicken, while mother doe seemed frozen by fear as she stood by the side of the road.

Got a campsite at the Big Meadows campground. Dry camping only, but coin-operated showers are available. The sites are fairly close together, but quite level and well kept. $17, less 50% Golden Age discount = $8.50.

Drove 190 miles, was on the road for 6 1/2 hours. Bought gasoline in VA for $1.519.

Day 4 - Wednesday, June 21, 2000

There was some morning fog when I re-entered the Skyline Drive at 8:45 AM. It had been a pleasantly cool night with the temperature at 60F. As the fog burned off it turned hot, humid, and hazy. So - no spectacular vistas as I had enjoyed yesterday. Jumped off the Drive at US 33 and headed southeast to Barbourville. Took a little detour to visit the ruins of an impressive mansion that Thomas Jefferson had designed for governor Barbour.

Then south on the very pretty SR 20 (Stony Point Road) which winds through horse country to Monticello/Charlotteville. If you are planning to visit Jefferson's home, be sure to first stop at the visitors center and take in the (free) 30 min film that is shown every hour on the hour. Then proceed to Monticello and be prepared for a long wait (30 min) to get on the shuttle bus that takes you to the house, and a very long wait (almost 60 min) before your tour group is admitted. However, it's worth it. The guides are pleasant and well-informed, the original furniture and furnishings transplant you back in time so that you half expect a door to open and Mr. Jefferson to greet you, and the grounds are lovely.

On the way back to the parking lot don't take the shuttle - walk down past the Jefferson family graveyard. If you remember your history lessons, you will pause for a moment of silence or a prayer to say thanks to the man who contributed so much to the kind of life we enjoy today.

My next stop was the University of Virginia (founded by Thomas Jefferson). Then enjoyed the pedestrian mall downtown. Took US 250 west to Waynesboro, and then US 340 north to the Waynesboro North 340 Campground. Reclaimed the same level and shady site I had occupied here on the last night of the previous trip. $18.81 for a site with water and electricity, picnic table and fire ring.

The lady in the office told me that I would be able to use their phone line to upload, so spent the late afternoon bringing the journal up-to-date. Drove all of 110 miles today, was on the road for 7 3/4 hours. It cooled off a bit, now it is a pleasant 82F with a cool dry wind.

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