Shenandoah

Just an hour from DC are the Shenandoah Mountains, part of the Appalachian Range.  What a lovely area it is.  We parked the RV at Guest/Shenandoah State Park.  The park is only a few years old and is one of the best state parks we have stayed in.  Each site is long enough for the biggest motorhome yet removed from its neighbor.  Each site has a campfire pit and table fitted into a large gravel area surrounded on three sides by a wall, great for eating out and enjoying s’mores.

The first thing we did was stop by the visitor’s center where the most enthusiastic of hosts filled our hands with brochures on things to do in the area.  We took his first suggestion and drove through the George Washington National Forest, a small area between the Appalachians and the Shenandoah.  The area is well marked if you live there but rather vague for us travelers so we carefully meandered along enjoying the view and hoping we were headed the right way.

 Back in Front Royal we strolled the town checking out antique shops and enjoying a dinner by a chef who changes the menu eight times a week depending on what is available locally.

The next day Cheryl, Dave, Bennett and friend Jeff joined us in the campground.  Then we drove into Luray to hear the carillon play patriotic, religious and popular music for forty-five minutes.  Bennett enjoyed himself.

 

The sound of the seventeen year cicadas filled the air as we spent most of our time sitting or hiking.

 
Dave and friend Jeff went biking.  Later Cheryl and Dave went kayaking.  Bennett played at his water table.  We drove into the national park to enjoy the spectacular green scenery spread out two thousand feet below.

To enhance Bennett’s science education, we went to two nature talks given by Americorps workers.  The owl presentation used owl calls hoping to attract them to the pavilion.  The frog, snake, toad and lizard presentation let us touch the creatures as we learned about them.

For adult entertainment we went wine tasting.  DuCarte was worth buying but the other was not (remember, we are Californian’s). 

We ended our five-day weekend with a toasty campfire.