One week in on our journey to observe 70 levels. After leaving NJ we drove for about 4 1/2 hours. Doug was fairly decided that we would have liked to no less than get out of the Northeast Hall earlier than we might cease for the evening. He even tried to inform me that we would have liked the go away the state earlier than we might take a potty break… That didn’t occur. Truthfully, I don’t even assume we had formally left our dwelling county earlier than I used to be complaining that I wanted to go. However we did the truth is make it previous Washington DC and throughout the northern portion of Virginia earlier than we referred to as it an evening. So the place did we go? The Shenandoah River Valley.
We stayed within the Shenandoah Valley on the Shenandoah River State Park in Bentonville, Virginia. This place was excellent. At first, it was hotter than the climate we left in NJ. So for two individuals looking for hotter days, this labored. Actually the day earlier than we left, the each of us had been out salting and plowing roads. Right here, there was barely any snow on the bottom and the temperature was above freezing. I’m not going to say that we had been heat but, or that it was even remotely near 70 levels, nevertheless it was undoubtedly higher. Temps had been within the 40’s and the solar was shining vivid after we began our first official day. Heat sufficient to take a pleasant hike down alongside the river with our canine Lagertha and discover the realm.
On prime of the marginally hotter climate, Virginia has executed a wonderful job making their state park a vacation spot for the RV group. Our website was massive with a gorgeous view of the mountains throughout. The bathhouse was clear with showers and a laundry room. We had water and electrical on the website, with a dump station completely situated as you exited the tenting space, and it was all fairly priced.
Proper now we do our street tripping in a fifth wheel camper. But it surely wasn’t that way back that each one our street journeys had been executed in our day by day driver, largely our Suburban, however typically in a small sedan. State Parks are an distinctive possibility for any such traveler as lots of them supply primitive websites for tent tenting, or cabins for the much less outdoorsy. The bathhouses are cleaned and maintained by the park rangers frequently. And, like I mentioned earlier than, the worth is usually proper.
Entrance to the Shenandoah Nationwide Park was a ten minute drive down the street. Right here you can find the northern begin of Skyline Drive, a gorgeous byway that actually permits you the chance to journey the ridgeline of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 105 miles of mountain prime driving with breathtaking views of the valley’s beneath. The street continues and finally turns into Virginia’s portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We didn’t drive the complete factor, however we did go for about an hour stopping at many of the scenic overlooks alongside the best way.
In a brief driving distance there are a number of caverns (Skyline, Luray, Shenandoah, Grand and Limitless – simply to call a FEW!) within the space, all providing guided excursions for roughly $30 per individual. We’ve executed a couple of cavern excursions up to now with Jayden when he was youthful. They’re definitely enchanting, and typically it’s arduous to grasp that this panorama is slightly below our toes. Strolling via a few of them you possibly can really feel like you might be on a far-off planet. However on this journey via the realm we opted to skip them in favor of getting misplaced down nation roads to see what else the realm needed to supply.
Luray Virginia didn’t disappoint. In our pursuit of getting misplaced we stumbled upon Cooter’s Place. Now, I do know the tv present Dukes of Hazzard went off the air again in 1985, however the present maintains an honest following of followers. Right here at Cooter’s Place in Luray Virginia you possibly can tour the museum of all issues Dukes of Hazzard without spending a dime. They’ve a reproduction of Cooter’s Storage with the unmistakable Normal Lee and a number of other different of the long-lasting autos from the present. There’s a eating space for some eats, and you may peruse an array of merchandise. Their webpage boasts a live performance by Cooter himself each Saturday, nevertheless it was a Monday after we had been there so no backstage passes for us this time.
We awakened Tuesday morning to a balmy 17 levels.. Which meant it was time for us to maneuver on. We had solely spent 2 nights right here within the mountains, nevertheless it was now approach too chilly for us, and now we have approach too many different locations to go to and folks to see! That is definitely an space that we plan to return to in a hotter month to benefit from some extra mountaineering and fishing of this prestigious panorama. Maintain following our journey right here, and on our YouTube channel to take a look at a number of the cool video footage of the place we are and what we’re doing!
