Of Wilderness and War

September 26 – October 3, 2022

While we were in Washington DC, we thought it would be pretty cool to attend a performance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  We were really excited to see Hamilton was playing and eagerly got on-line to purchase tickets.  You can imagine our reaction when we saw the least expensive tickets were approaching $500 each!  Suddenly, the thrill of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts had lost its appeal.  As a concession, we were able to stream it in our camper the night before we left!  We didn’t even have to get dressed up!

We just saved $1,000!

Our state sticker map is really starting to fill in!  Virginia makes 41 states we have visited since beginning this adventure.  In some ways, it’s exciting to see it getting so full!  In other ways, I’m wanting to pull on the reins and slow this ride down.  We are having the time of our lives and I’m not ready for it to end!

King Neptune is Virginia Beach's icon, honoring the maritime legacy and the community's duty to respect and protect their natural blessings.

During our stay in Virginia, we nested our camper in the Shenandoah Valley, next to the Shenandoah River.  Luray RV Resort on Shenandoah River was a wonderful spot to call home.  

Hurricane Ian devastated Florida and South Carolina during out stay here.  It was so sad to see images of entire neighborhoods flooded and all of the homes lost.  We are so incredibly blessed to have avoided the destruction and heartache of such tragedy.  After Ian finally calmed down, its remnants reached us, giving us a few days of chilly rain.  We felt fortunate to be able to experience Ian’s rain without the 140 mph wind and destructive forces.  I always have a sewing project to pull out and this was a perfect opportunity to break out the machine!  I had started a table runner filled with lobster buoys when we were in Maine, so it was nice to get that project wrapped up!

The Civil War is very evident in this area with sad reminders everywhere.  We took a trip to the nearby town of New Market one damp, chilly day.  Looking for a cup of Joe to warm ourselves with, we wandered into Jackson’s Corner Coffee Roastery and Café.  This coffee shop is housed in what was the Strayer House in the 1860s.  Besides being an amazing coffee shop, the home is now a visitor center and contains a fascinating display of photos, stories and artifacts from May 15, 1864.  This was the day the Battle of New Market occurred.  The street in front of this home suddenly became what was described as “terror and chaos” with cannonballs and explosives raining down from nearby Shirley’s Hill.    

What a terrible view this window offered 158 years ago

Sometime earlier, in preparation for the battle, “Stonewall” Jackson stood in the doorway of the Strayer House, reviewing his troops as they marched down the street to face battle on the fields outside of town.  It was heartbreaking to learn that Cadets from the Virginia Military Institute (some as young as 15) had been called in to reinforce the Confederate forces.  Casualties were large on both sides and the local citizens opened their homes and tended to the wounds of the soldiers, including the Strayer House.  

A couple of miles outside of town, at the site of one of the battlefields, is the Virginia Museum of the Civil War.  Above the museum’s rotunda hung a circle of the 34 flags of those states which then belonged to the United States.  The flags for the states that had seceded were slightly lowered.  

There was an informative series of panels that described the progression of the war.  They detailed battles and strategies used by both sides.  It was interesting to learn how the events unfolded.  Included in one section was a display of all of the various types of bullets used.  One of the bullets was labeled as a “chewing bullet”.  It bore the imprints of teeth that had clenched down on it while having surgery from injuries sustained in battle.  I shudder to think of it.   

The circled bullet is the "chewed bullet"

A trip to the Woodstock Tower was part of another day.  The tower overlooks the many bends of the Shenandoah River.  With all of the foliage, we couldn’t quite make out all of the bends, but the area includes Seven Bends State Park, if that gives you any idea!

Fall colors are starting to show

We’d never heard of Route 11 Potato Chips, but with a rainy day to burn, we thought we’d check out where they are produced!  In nearby Mount Jackson, we found their factory, toured the plant and sampled away!  They offered us samples of Barbecue, Lightly Salted, Dill Pickle, Sour Cream N Chive, Salt N Vinegar, Chesapeake Crab (the only one we didn’t like), Mama Zuma’s Revenge, Salt N Pepper, and Yukon Gold.  Sadly, their Sweet Potato Chips were out of season.   It was interesting to learn that potatoes go through the entire process of peeling, slicing, frying, inspection, seasoning and bagging in 14 minutes!

The highlight of this stay was having Shenandoah National Park 30 minutes away!  We made several trips into the park, hiking a few of their trails and taking in some of their history.  

Before this park was established, at least 500 families called this stretch of land home.  These families were referred to as “Mountain People” and were content in living a simple life.  It looked like a difficult life to me as I like some of the comforts of modern-day life, but who’s to say one way is better than the other.  When it was decided to create Shenandoah National Park, the families were made offers for the purchase of their property, most of which were accepted. Although some agreeably gave up the “hillbilly” life style, not everyone wanted to.  George Corbin in particular refused the offer saying, “We are unwilling to part with our homes to help a small part of our population to get their hands into tourists’ pockets.”  What George thought didn’t matter.  He was evicted in 1938.  Some people thought removing these families and having them connected with society was a humanitarian act; however, it is very controversial today.  

Hoover's "Brown House"

Also, before this was a park, Herbert Hoover was looking for a site to serve as his “summer White House”.  Knowing Hoover was a trout fishing enthusiast, the state of Virginia lured Hoover to the area to check it out.  After experiencing the quiet solitude combined with the great trout stream named Rapidan, Hoover was hooked!  President Hoover and First Lady Lou Henry Hoover built their Rapidan camp consisting of their modest cabin (The Brown House), a few guest cabins (including the Prime Minister’s Cabin), a mess hall (casual dining only) and a gathering hall.  Over the years, it has served as a Boy Scout camp and a dignitary retreat.  Today, only three buildings remain on the grounds (The Brown House, the Prime Minister’s Cabin and the cabin that Hoover’s doctor would use).   The Brown House is currently restored to the condition it was in when it served as Hoover’s summer home.  It was fun hiking down to it and touring the modest cabin.  It’s hard to imagine any current-day president being comfortable sleeping in one of the twin beds with no air-conditioning or heating!  I’m not sure I would be!

The trail to Hoover's Rapidan Camp

Inside The Brown House

Hoover would be so excited to escape the stress and heat of the Nation’s Capital and come to his Brown House to work (and do a little fishing!).  Lou would do her best to encourage him to enjoy the natural setting and get in some much-needed relaxation. In addition, Lou would work on the Girl Scout Program, wanting to help this wonderful program grow.  

Hoover's favorite fishing hole

Lou's desk in The Brown House

The park ranger offered us a tour and shared the history of Rapidan Camp

Both President Hoover and the First Lady were large outdoor enthusiasts and did a lot of hosting at the Rapidan Camp, doing their best to ensure everyone experienced the great outdoors.  A small stream was created that wandered past each of the guest cabins to allow everyone to hear the calming sound of running water at night.  

Hoover's outdoor fireplace for entertaining guests at Rapidan Camp

Hiking the Appalachian Trail had been a big dream of mine during my college years.  I’m not quite sure why that never worked out, but I had a ton of fun hiking a few miles of the trail while we were in the park.  The 101 miles of the Appalachian Trail that wind through the park are easily accessed.  It was exciting to come across a group of three hikers who had met up in Pennsylvania and were currently hiking together.  They had begun hiking in Maine and have plans to complete the entire 2,175 miles of the trail, ending in Georgia!  Man, I sure do wish I had been able to figure out how to make this happen when I was their age!

My "happy place" -- the Appalachian Trail!

We also hiked the Dark Hollow Trail, which ended at a water fall.  As beautiful as it was, I can only imagine how stunning it must be in the spring!

President Roosevelt sent the CCC here during the depression with their task being the creation of this park.  Skyline Drive is a very scenic road that these strong backs worked on.  This road follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains for 105 miles, most of it running parallel to the Appalachian Trail!   Scenic overlooks are dotted along the road with breathtaking views of the layers of mountains and valley below.  

Blue Ridge Mountains!

Mary's Tunnel took 1,000 pounds of dynamite/day for three months to complete

Although Verizon didn’t have much cell service at our campground, the visitor center at the park had great Wi-Fi!  I’m not sure how I would have pulled off my virtual book club without the help of the park’s Wi-Fi.  I bet people wondered what in the world I was doing, but it was almost like having my private office with a view of Big Meadows straight in front of me!  It was in those meadows that President Roosevelt dedicated this park on July 3, 1936.  During our time in the park, we met so many people not only from around the US, but from around the world.  I think both Hoover and Roosevelt would be thrilled to see it so widely used!

Fitting in a little time with my book club

We ended our time in the area going to Mass in Luray at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church.  This was such an intimate experience with the church being very humble.  For such a small church, they sure had a fantastic choir!  One of the best we have heard!  The cantor’s impeccable pitch and clear voice provided for such a beautiful worship experience.  It was the perfect ending to a delightful week!

Up next:  West Virginia!