Blogs from Shanendoah National Park, Virginia, United States, North America

Woke up at 6 and drove north on the Skyline Drive. Stopped for breakfast at Big Meadows then drove further to Little Stony Man parking lot where we were supposed to meet our climbing guide, Andy Nichols, at 9. The pin he emailed me was for a different lot, but we found him. We hiked a half a mile to a cliff and learned how to climb. On our hike we were on a bit of the AT and learned about some plants and hiking tips. The cliff was 125’ and overlooked the valley. Andy explained about safety, equipment, showed us how to set up the rope. Max was a natural climber and climbed to the top. Andy encouraged him to keep climbing when he gets home. Maggie did great and also climbed to the top. ... read more

Trent and Denise planned an overnight stay for us all in the Shanendoah Valley at the National Historic Village, Harpers Ferry, where the majestic Potomac River cuts through the Blue Ridge. In the force of these rushing waters George Washington envisioned military strength and chose this site for a U.S. Armory. Factories from the early 1800s witnessed innovations that fueled the Industrial Revolution. It was here abolitionist Johm Brown struck a blow against slavery and soon the Civil War trapped the town between North and South. With a beautiful balmy day on our arrival on Friday, the marked change in temperature on Saturday was a bit of a shock. Beanies, warm coats, scarves and boots saved us as we walked around the village taking in the history of this significant site. After our climb up the ... read more

The next morning, Friday, the 28th of September, we drove back to highway 94/30 and then followed the early morning traffic through interesting old villages and residential areas with modern shopping centers here and there. After crossing the Maryland border the road was just numbered 30 and after about 50 miles it dropped onto Interstate 795 toward Baltimore. We exited toward Randallstown and then took the back way into Columbia to visit Paul and Christina for the weekend. On Tuesday morning, October 2nd, we left their home in the pouring rain and drove mostly on the freeways to Gaithersburg to have lunch with our Aunt and Uncle. After a nice lunch, we drove around DC proper to Interstate 66 and headed towar... read more

The next leg of our journey could not have been more different from our previous stretch of city hopping. In Washington DC, Ben and I hired a car for 10 days in order that we may drive through the Appalachian Mountains and down some of the east coast. We hopped into our VW Beatle (which I aptly named Ringo!) with great enthusiasm and set off on our journey. We began by driving the Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park. This was a 105 mile drive, which redefined our idea of 'scenic route'. We were constantly treated to spectacular views and this was arguably the most impressive 'scenic drive' we have ever completed. We were immediately forced to test out our brakes when two deer innocently wandered across the road. The leaves burnt bright red and orange, ... read more

well we made it to shanendoah national yesterday. cara is adjusting. joDan and i are back in the swing. im short of time at the moment. but check out either cara's blog or joDans. www.travelingoyester.com www.travelblog.org/bloggers/jodan/... read more