Tag Archives: fall foliage

Goodbye Virginia

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October 27 – Rest Day

We fed chickens, walked dogs in Fighting Creek Park, shopped for groceries, did laundry, and puttered on our computers. As I write, it sounds more like running errands than resting, but it was a relaxing day.

October 28-29 – Shenandoah National Park

I borrowed Jennifer’s car and enjoyed a leisurely tour of this park; her sporty Volvo was perfect for the road. I started at the southern end. Skyline Drive connects to the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway; together these two roads provide almost 600 miles of scenic driving, though at 35 mph, plus stops, that would take a long time. I spent almost a full day traversing the lower two-thirds of Shenandoah. Needless to say, I made numerous stops for photos. As was the case down near Ashville, the viewpoints on the east side were a bit better than the west, so making a south to north drive perfect for me. I also took two hikes, one on a bit of the Appalachian Trail where a sign warned of copperheads, the other to Dark Hollow Falls where a sign warned of nuisance bears. I saw neither. My favorite was the popular hike to the falls, though on parts of this trail the sound of the stream was overpowered by the sound of rangers with leaf blowers. Nature is not what it used to be.

Late in the afternoon, I exited the park and drove a short distance to Luray where I stayed in the very cute Mayneview B&B. I was pleasantly surprised to find live jazz at the restaurant recommended by the owner. After dinner, another guest, a former San Franciscan, and I watched the beginning of game six in the World Series; we both gave up after a few innings. The resident tabby cat, Molly, followed me up to my room and spent the night curled up at the foot of the bed. I look forward to being reunited with Timbre and my other critters soon.

I had planned to do another hike in the morning, but it started to drizzle at about the same time I reached the parkway. Instead I drove through the upper third of the park, stopping for a few photos in the increasing rain, then headed back to Powhatan where I enjoyed a delicious dinner, Mediterranean tacos, prepared by Jennifer’s partner, Michael. Afterwards we all watched the Giants win the World Series. Though I rarely watch games, it was fun surrounded by avid sports fans.

October 30 – Charlottesville

Jennifer and I spent much of the day in Charlottesville, about an hour away. We took a four-mile walk on the Saunders-Monticello Trail. This accessible trail, on crushed rock and boardwalks, goes though a beautiful forest. We didn’t visit Monticello, as we’ve both toured there before (I was here with Joe and the boys in the late ‘90s). Instead we headed over to the mall in the historic downtown. A lone street musician braved the chilly breeze and played a piano. The outdoor tables were deserted, but I can imagine this as a lively scene at another time of year. We ate lunch and browsed in several cute stores.

October 31 – Powhatan

I spent a leisurely last day with Jennifer. We walked around Powhatan and watched the Giants victory parade on television. I sorted photos while she took care of chores. In the evening we drove into Richmond, where she treated Michael and me to dinner to celebrate the sale of her condo in San Francisco; it looks like she’s here to stay.

November 1 – Home

I fixed fresh eggs for breakfast and then Michael gave me a ride to the airport. The temperature was dropping with overnight frost predicted, so I left at just the right time. It took about twelve hours door-to-door to get home. After my laptop died, I entertained myself taking pictures out the window. I look forward to the time when electrical outlets are standard on planes. I don’t have any trips planned for the next few months, so I probably won’t post again until early next year. I hope you all enjoy the upcoming holidays.

North Carolina

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October 24 – Slow Drive to Ashville

 We broke up our drive to North Carolina with a couple stops. In Farmville, Jennifer took me to a store with gorgeous Amish furniture; I’m temped to order a chest I saw there. We walked through the historic section of Winston-Salem and drove through the Wake Forest campus where one of my niece’s attended college. By the time we got to Ashville, it was dinnertime. We managed to get one of the last tables available at Blackbird, where we had the best meal I’ve eaten on this trip, a vegetarian farm dish with mashed sweat potatoes, grilled Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and asparagus, with each item deliciously prepared. Our airbnb, the basement of someone’s home, was cute and comfy, but we both felt that one of the closets was haunted.

 October 25 – Train Ride through Nanthala Gorge

In the morning, we returned to Biltmore Avenue and got in line at the Green Sage Café so Jennifer could get coffee. We then visited the Folk Art Store on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which had a great variety of beautifully crafted items by local artists. Afterwards we drove to Bryson, where we had pre-purchased tickets for ride with the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad through Nanthala Gorge.

Our slow half-day train ride wasn’t as scenic as either of us anticipated. There were nice views of the river and some colorful foliage, but nothing that wowed us. (The views were a bit better on the left side of the train). However, it’s a pleasant ride for train buffs. The weather was perfect and we kept the windows open; the same type as the yellow school buses from my high school days. When we took an hour break at the Nanthala Outdoor Center, I went for a short walk on a segment of the Appalachian trail; I’d like to hike more of it some day. A guitarist played blue grass music on the train and at our rest stop.

Back in Bryson, the restaurant was crowded so we shared a table with a young couple from Tennessee. Our lively conversation covered many subjects, from atheism to politics, child rearing, and the benefits of travel. 

October 26 – Blue Ridge Parkway

The morning started our cool and foggy, but soon cleared and warmed up to t-shirt weather. After another stop in Ashville for coffee, we spent much of the day driving a 100-mile segment of the parkway, something best done with someone more patient than my sister. It’s a beautiful drive, especially at this time of year. At the beginning, it felt like we were driving through a colorful tunnel with an amber glow. The trees were a mix of yellow, ochre, and orange with a splash of red now and then. As we climbed in elevation, there were more brown leaves and at the highest point, near Mount Mitchell State Park, the trees were barren. At one stop, overlooking a multi-colored hillside, a local told me that this is not a good year, with much less color than usual.

We took a break for a two-mile round-trip hike to see Linville Falls. It felt good to stretch my legs, but the trail was quite crowded with people and dogs (that’s what we get for selecting one of the shorter hikes and going on a Sunday). Our last stop before departing the parkway was the crafts center at Moses Cone Memorial Park. It was a smaller, less impressive one than the Folk Art Store, though I bought a handmade wooden spoon.

We had planned to stop in Roanoke or someplace else along the way, but instead decided to drive all the way back to Powhatan, covering almost 1000 miles in three days. We stopped for dinner along the way and listened to the fifth game in the World Series on the static-filled radio. Go Giants!

Leaf Peeping

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Ahh, I’ve finally got WiFi and can begin catching up with my blog. My trip to the East Coast started with a fall color sampler.

October 7 – Getting to Vermont

As is typically the case with travel, the first day was spent getting “there”.  A cab picked me up at 4:00 a.m., and then we stopped a few blocks away to pick up Arlyne, a long time friend and neighbor. We met decades ago when we were both on the parent board where our sons were in school (trying to budge an entrenched administration). Her boys now live on the East Coast so we decided to take an art class and see a little foliage together before heading in separate directions to visit relatives.

I seem to be a bit jinxed when it comes to personal belongings and travel because I managed to drop my retainer trays after eating breakfast at the airport. Fortunately, I had the next set with me and was able to cram them on, though they are very tight. We rented a car in Boston and headed out just in time to hit commute traffic. They would have had to give us all tickets if they enforced the sign stating Minimum Speed 40; we were going much slower than that for the first hour or two. It was dark by the time we reached our cabin outside Barnard, Vermont.

October 8 – A Pleasant Fall Walk

While Arlyne toured a nearby farm and museum, I went for hike in Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park, the only national park in Vermont. Apparently the peak color in this area came a week early and recent rain and wind knocked most of the red leaves off the trees. I thoroughly enjoyed my walk, on both trails and carriage roads, through the green and yellow forest. The names of the trails on the signposts did not match the names on the map, but the lines were drawn correctly so I was able to find my way.

We had lunch in Woodstock. Not the Woodstock, but the one in Vermont; it’s confusing to have so many common names for cities in nearby states. It was market day and I bought some really delicious garlic and pepper cheese and tasted maple butter.

October 9 – Slow Route to Weston

The 50-mile scenic drive from Barnard to Weston (Hwy 12 – 106 – Fletchville-Tyson Rd – Hwy 100) took us most of the day, thanks to stops for covered bridges and other scenic spots. My favorite was a short walk to Buttermilk Falls. Columbus Day weekend is obviously the peak for fall tourists; every town we went through was setting up for a harvest festival, arts and crafts fair, or some other special event. I was glad to be there a few days early and avoid the pending crowds.

We spent a couple hours in charming Weston before heading back north to our cold cabin. It’s been in the 50’s during the day, 30’s at night, and the only heat we have is a wood stove. Fortunately there’s a good supply of wood and kindling so I’ve been building a fire each night. I jumped up and lit one this morning too, otherwise it was too chilly to get up.

October 10 – Getting to Cape Cod

Another day essentially spent in travel, with a well worthwhile detour to western Massachusetts to see the Norman Rockwell museum. I learned a bit about Rockwell’s life, he lived nearby, and saw his studio, relocated a few miles from where it once stood. I was impressed with the values that he depicted in his later work. Along the Mass Pike, as I-90 is called in this state, we saw some beautiful red trees, but there’s no getting off that speedy toll road. Once again we reached our destination in the dark.