Blogs from Shanendoah National Park, Virginia, United States, North America - page 2

Daniel woke me us up at 8:30 this morning to go canoeing/kayaking at the Shenendoah. I got up surprisingly easily. Not so with everyone else. Got on the road about 11 and got on the river around 1:15. Great day to be on the river. Weather was just about perfect. Not too hot not too cold and the water felt amazing. Wilson cast a few lines then proposed we throw the anchor in and stop for lunch just about a minute after we put in. We all agreed. Delicious sandwiches made by Nadine. Soon after lunch, I learned to use a fly rod and caught a fish almost instantly, about at the exact moment I realized I lost my car keys. The fish was the priority so I reeled it in. A nice sunfish. Rob and ... read more

We woke up nice and early... 2 find it raining. Our first day on the trail and it was pissin it down!! Well we checked, double checked and triple checked that we had everything and then headed out the front door 2 walk the mile or so 2 the bus station 2 be picked up by Mr Kirby. When we walked out of the hostel the rain had calmed down a bit and i thought 'this ain't gonna be 2 bad' then a couple of minutes later the heavens opend up and sent a torrent of rain upon us. We dipped in a shelter so ben could slip his water proof trousers on. While i thought 'really wish i bought them freakin water proofs yesterday!!' When ben was suited and booted we carried on2 the station. ... read more

In the morning we woke up around 8am and started packing the dogs were already excited and they did not know what was happening. All they knew was we are packing for something and it looks fun. We finally had everything packed and ready to go around 1130. We picked up the last few things at Wal-Mart some McDonalds breakfast. I also figured out how to load maps to my GPS so we hand turn by turn directions. I love technology. We arrived at our site around 0130. The drive into the park was great. Just imagine the classic all American winding drive. We are already planning a trip back just to enjoy the drive and fall colors. We were a little disappointed that the sites were close together and the entire camp site was packed ... read more

OK, what started out to be a easy drive to Fredricksville Virgina, ended up being a ten hour trip, but who cares!!! Driving through the national forests takes up a lot of time, because the speed linits are 20 to 45mph!!! any faster and you'll end up on the evening news!!!Part IIAfter getting some dinner at a local establishment, I headed out for what I thought would be some great night images in Washington DC. I have never been more dissapointed in my life. I have been to many cities and have taken hundreds if not thousands of night shots, but there won't be too many from this city. I intended to go out and take shots of the various monuments and memorials that only Washington DC has to offer, to my surprise, parking was not ... read more

(Thursday 8/2/07) With goodbyes said we headed off for the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Shenandoah National Park. Even with the haze, a combination of humidity and pollution from the North East we were told, the views are amazing. A ranger told us they only have about 10 clear days during the summer. The Park offers accommodations and excellent, reasonable restaurants. You really need at least a week to do this drive justice. We were surprised at how little traffic there was. We saw more motorcycles than cars. The drive took longer than anticipated so needing to check in at the Bent Mountain Lodge we reluctantly left the parkway and took a faster highway route. We called ahead and they advised us to eat in Roanoke as there was nothing near the lodge. They weren't kidding. ... read more