From the beginning of our journey, Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive has been on my Bucket List.
Known for face-to-face ordering and fast service, we ordered and left in less than a minute total! Best take-out hamburger and chocolate milkshake ever! (In fact, it was so delicious we stopped again for lunch on our way home from Shenandoah). Hey, if you're gonna sin, do it up! If you ever see a PAL'S and feel like the best burger ever, stop by. You won't be disappointed. You're welcome.
We stayed in Wytheville, VA on the way there and back. A friendly, pretty town with lots of shopping options and an interesting downtown area.
It's different here in some parts of the south. There's a hound dog in the back of the truck. Right behind the gun rack.
This flag flies on a hill along the highway.
The Blue Ridge Parkway traverses through VA as Skyline Drive; a beautiful road winding around and through the mountains with 75 scenic overlooks.
Amazing. You just have to stop. Take it all in.
It's like living inside a really high quality postcard.
The Park Rangers are super friendly and helpful. As part of this lovely woman's teaching display, she had an animal skull for people to look at (on table in background). Zuma thought it was a snack. Being at her level, she gently scooped it up in her jaws then immediately dropped it back on the table when I told her no. Phew. So thankful she listens. She looks really goofy here, smiling, with her teeth stuck on her lip. Zuma makes us smile too!
There are several tunnels on The Blue Ridge Parkway but there's only one tunnel on Skyline Drive, carved through a mountain.
Along the way, natural sculptures appear,
created by wind and weather:
This reminds me of the paintings
the famous GROUP OF SEVEN Canadian artists created.
We kept the driving to a minimum each day because it was really hot (high 90s F) for Zuma. We keep the A/C on full blast but she needs to stretch every hour. So do I. On the second day we arrived at Skyland, a resort with dog-friendly rooms. Doug reserved us a room in the dog-friendly building. The views there, atop one of the the highest peaks in Virginia, are incredible. You're literally up in the clouds. This is a pic I took from our deck at cocktail hour.
We saw black bears and deer in the wild and, later in the day, we witnessed a fantastic thunderstorm over the Shenandoah Valley below, from its developing stage to its dissipation:
Storms are so much more powerful in the mountains.
Then it all calmed down. Time for a second cocktail.
The clouds rose up and softly enveloped us
as we watched from our patio.
We enjoyed feeling the moisture and coolness
as it softly wrapped around us.
It was a moment of a lifetime.
The next photo was TOTAL WHITENESS!
Slowly and silently, the clouds receded and
everything became clear again.
It was absolutely amazing to watch.
It seems like such a simple thing, but having the opportunity to really enjoy the forces of nature is such a joy.
At Skyland, we hiked a short while on a well-groomed piece of
The Appalachian Trail. The AT is not groomed like this all the way but it was a treat to stroll for a little while on this iconic path.
Sadly, at this point, dogs are not allowed so we didn't hike far.
One afternoon, we enjoyed a tour of a historic house built by Skyland's original owners in 1888.
It was a gathering place for parties and has great aura.
We were determined to cover every mile of Skyline Drive.
Fort Royal is a charming town at mile Zero.
It's well worth a visit.
There is a fabulous bakery in the town and we indulged in purchasing a gorgeous, lovingly-made peach pie,
with fresh peaches from Georgia.
Yup, we ate the whole thing in a couple of days.
It was delicious!
The Tourist Information people in Fort Royal were extremely helpful and suggested we visit a nearby town, Sperryville. A perfect suggestion! After a rolling, hilly drive through miles of immaculately fenced horse country, we arrived to find colorful homes and charming shops, honest country farm stands and very interesting people.
This eldery gentleman, (selling produce from his garage) informed Doug he was one of the last living survivors of Hiroshima. Or something like that. Neither of us could really understand his accent. Cool guy. Best peaches ever. I made a Peach Crumble.
The locally grown produce was outstanding.
Fresh tomatoes were abundant:
There were assorted ciders lined up in the sunshine:
And juicy Georgia peaches!
It was a beautiful, memorable trip.
A feast for the eyes and the senses in every way.
We are all so glad we had the opportunity to enjoy Shenandoah.
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