May 30
Today’s agenda consisted
primarily of making our way back to the Dulles airport. We had most of the day to do it, so we
elected to take the scenic route. After
packing and loading the car, we set out once again for Shenandoah National Park. This time, we took Skyline Drive north and
covered ground that we hadn’t seen before.
We actually saw a mama black bear with two or three cubs ambling around in the woods up above the road. They were somewhat shy and didn't come close, so we didn't get any good pictures.
There are dozens of scenic overlooks along Skyline Drive, many built in
the 1930s by the CCC. We turned out at a
few and stopped at the Dickey Ridge visitor center, where we enjoyed our last
picnic lunch. Eventually we exited the
park at Front Royal, the most northern point, and picked up Route 66 back
toward DC.
We reached Dulles in plenty of
time for Evan and Laura to get their flight back to San Francisco. Steve and Sue were scheduled to fly back to
Los Angeles later so that we would have time to take Sara back to the city and
then return our rental car. All went
smoothly. We are all now back in our
respective homes after a wonderful week together, enjoying each other’s company
and exploring new sights.
Goodbye, nice cabin
Skyline Drive - there are bears in these woods somewhere!
Picnic along Skyline Drive
May 29
Since our entry fee to Shenandoah
National Park was good for a full week, it seemed a shame not to return. Sara, Laura and Sue set out after breakfast
for another hike. Knowing that we didn’t
have a lot of time, we chose a short and easy hike to Stony Man peak. It was really more of a nature walk, complete
with an educational booklet you could purchase that explained some of the
history, vegetation and other features along the way. There were lots of families hiking along with
us. After our hike, instead of
backtracking to the park exit closest to us, we drove south along Skyline Drive
for another 25 miles or so and took in more of the spectacular scenery.
Evan and Steve spent the morning
at the cabin. Evan had another Sunday
night deadline approaching for his program and needed to devote several hours
to his coursework.
Our main destination of the day
was Luray Caverns. These immense,
underground limestone caverns were discovered in 1873 and must have become a
significant commercial attraction shortly thereafter. We were stunned to find an enormous, packed
parking lot and a large complex of buildings near the entrance to the
caverns. It was raining Sunday
afternoon, which probably contributed to the crowds. When we learned that the wait to get in was
over an hour, we left the girls to stand in line and drove Evan back to the
cabin, where he put in time on his course work instead of touring the
caverns. Steve and I joined the girls
when we returned, who by then had progressed to near the front of the
line. Although the caverns were crowded,
they were incredible and well worth seeing.
It is amazing to think of the first people who stumbled across them
descending into the earth and exploring cave after cave by candlelight. We walked over a mile underground! There are so many spectacular formations that
you almost get numb to them after a while.
My favorites included the mirror-like pool in which the stalactites and
stalagmites are perfectly reflected, and some of the drapery-like formations
that are translucent. Although highly
commercialized, the proprietors have done a good job lighting the caverns so
that tourists can appreciate the formations.
Another highlight near the end of the tour is an organ that produces
tones by tapping stalactites with rubber mallets. The organ's creator had to tap thousands of
stalactites to find the ones with the best tones!
For the last dinner of our trip,
we ate at the Hawksbill Diner in Stanley.
It was a time-travel experience.
I don’t think any item on the extensive menu was more than $9. Laura enjoyed the Southern Fried Chicken for
which she had been hankering (sorry, slipped into dialect there!). While we wouldn’t want a steady diet of
deep-fried everything, it was tasty and a nice way to experience the local
cuisine.
Our evening entertainment
consisted of a jigsaw puzzle back at the cabin (we didn’t get past completing
the frame) and more jacuzzi and fireflies.
Hike to Stony Man
Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns - reflecting pool
More Luray Caverns
Luray Caverns - the organ
Luray Caverns - "fried eggs"
