Day 85 (September 15): Oh, Shenendoah!

Early in our relationship, Elise taught me a phrase that I still think is peculiar to the Pacific Northwest: "The mountains are out." She would say this to me after flying from our home in Boston to see friends or family in Seattle and the approach to SeaTac had yielded spectacular views of Ranier and others.

For me - at the time, a lifetime east coaster - this phrase didn't make any sense. The mountains are just there and they always seem to be beckoning to me to pull my car to the side of the road and just walking up them, something you can't do on Jefferson, Hood, Adams or St. Helens. Well, you could (we have relatives who do, regularly) but 10,000' feet is quite different than 3,000!

But now we are in Shenendoah National Park in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains. Have you ever seen a geological map of the United States? This part of the country looks insane. Like pouring several dollops of oil paint in a line on a canvas and then smearing them sort of in an arc. Don't believe me? Here's one of the first results from google.

We've decided to impose a two night minimum on ourselves. It was beginning to seem that the kids weren't doing well with frequent moves. Now, at least, there's one whole day at our base camp, even if we head out.

So on Monday we drove from Gettysburg to Luray, Virginia, This gave us the opportunity to enter three new states: Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia. We entered Shenendoah National Park. We even stopped at a used bookstore in Front Royal before we entered the park as a hedge against internet access. Enjoy this little timelapse video of driving our motorhome through town and then the park.

Looks can be deceiving. Skyline Drive is just over 100 miles long but there is a 35 mph speed limit and often the RV can't hack it because of the grades and curves. We stopped at Dickey Ridge Visitor Center 4 miles into the park, grabbed our junior ranger programs and then logged another 25 miles, some of them extremely foggy before descending the valley for a stay at the Luray KOA.

We've enjoyed two nights here, with plenty of time for swimming and playing. The kids made friends on the playground I never visited and handed out several of our "tracking" (business) cards so that we might stay in touch. We visited the spectacular Luray Caverns and enjoyed a total lack of crowding, which was lovely.

Now it's on to the southern end of Shenendoah NP and then onto Blueridge Parkway. My next report will be from the heart of bluegrass country! Meanwhile, here's a sample of pictures.