Bristol, VA to Shenandoah NP

We left Bristol, VA on Monday morning in rain. It had also rained heavily in the early morning hours, so we left in the gloom of dark clouds and headed north on I-81 toward Skyline Drive in Shenandoah NP. This is a beautiful road that winds through mountains, decorated with redbud and dogwood in bloom. As we traveled north the skies cleared and we emerged into a beautiful sunlit day. We entered the park at Waynesboro, the very southernmost point, and drove Skyline Drive at no more than 35mph all 53 miles to Big Meadows campground.

It is fitting that we should end our camping experience by staying in this park. We came here for the first time in March 2010 just after campground had opened for the season and were amazed at the beauty of the mountains and trails. In 2010 and again when we came in the fall of 2011, the deer roamed through the campground and grazed on grass near our camper. This time it has been different; we've seen very few deer, and this might be related to the number of families camping with dogs! It is spring break and for the first time we are here with a lot more people than ever before.

David at the head of Lewis Falls Trail

Note the absence of leaves on the trees here!

Marty on the trail

Although the Big Meadows Lodge doesn't open for another week or ten days, a friendly ranger told us that the wifi at the lodge never gets turned off! So once a day we have hiked up to the lodge , gone out on its balcony that overlooks the valley to the west and used wifi. Also, we've been able to make phone calls in what is otherwise a dead zone. Our weather has been pretty good except for nights that have gotten progressively cooler, with Thursday am's low of 35 and Friday's promises to be even cooler (freeze warning).

Bird foot violet!  This is the most unusual violet we saw.  It gets it name from the shape of the leaf.

Our hikes have included the Lewis Spring Falls Trail and the Dark Hollow Falls Trail, the latter reached via theStory of the Forest nature trail that leaves right from the campground. Dark Hollow Falls was very busy with other hikers and, unlike 2010, there was only a trickle of water! Our last hike was nearly six miles in length: a combination of trails starting from Big Meadows on the Rapidan Fire Road then on to Mill Prong Horse Trail to the Mill Prong Trail and then to the AT and back to the Visitor Center...we saw few people and lots of wild flowers! A very enthusiastic ranger named Sue helped us identify all the flowers we saw.

View from Lewis Falls Trail

Sunset from the Big Meadows Lodge

Tomorrow, Friday the sixth of April, we'll drive back into civilization and visit with son Bill and his family in Arlington, Virginia. By the time we get home in Hallowell next Monday, we will have traveled nearly five thousand miles over eight and a half weeks, most of it with Paul and Dee, with whom we've had wonderful experiences. Just as soon as we get home, though, it will be time to start planning the next travel adventure!

David and Marty on their last hike in Shenandoah