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 may cease for the night time. He even tried to inform me that we would have liked the depart the state earlier than we may take a potty break… That didn’t occur. Truthfully, I don’t even suppose we had formally left our dwelling county earlier than I used to be complaining that I wanted to go. However we did actually make it previous Washington DC and throughout the northern portion of Virginia earlier than we known 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. Initially, it was hotter than the climate we left in NJ. So for two folks looking for hotter days, this labored. Actually the day earlier than we left, the each of us have 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 have been heat but, or that it was even remotely near 70 levels, but it surely was positively higher. Temps have been within the 40’s and the solar was shining vibrant 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 completed a wonderful job making their state park a vacation spot for the RV group. Our web site was massive with a wonderful view of the mountains throughout. The bathhouse was clear with showers and a laundry room. We had water and electrical on the web site, 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. However it wasn’t that way back that each one our street journeys have been completed in our day by day driver, principally our Suburban, however typically in a small sedan. State Parks are an distinctive choice for such a 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 commonly. And, like I mentioned earlier than, the value is usually proper.
Entrance to the Shenandoah Nationwide Park was a ten minute drive down the street. Right here you can see the northern begin of Skyline Drive, a wonderful byway that really 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 your entire factor, however we did go for about an hour stopping at a lot of the scenic overlooks alongside the way in which.
In a brief driving distance there are a number of caverns (Skyline, Luray, Shenandoah, Grand and Countless – simply to call a FEW!) within the space, all providing guided excursions for about $30 per individual. We’ve completed a couple of cavern excursions previously with Jayden when he was youthful. They’re actually enchanting, and typically it’s onerous to understand that this panorama is slightly below our ft. Strolling by a few of them you may really feel like you might be on a distant planet. However on this journey by 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 a good following of followers. Right here at Cooter’s Place in Luray Virginia you may tour the museum of all issues Dukes of Hazzard at no cost. They’ve a reproduction of Cooter’s Storage with the unmistakable Basic 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’ll peruse an array of merchandise. Their webpage boasts a live performance by Cooter himself each Saturday, but it surely was a Monday after we have been there so no backstage passes for us this time.
We wakened 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, but it surely was now means too chilly for us, and we’ve got means too many different locations to go to and other people to see! That is actually an space that we plan to return to in a hotter month to benefit from some extra mountaineering and fishing of this prestigious panorama. Preserve following our journey right here, and on our YouTube channel to take a look at among the cool video footage of the place we are and what we’re doing!
