Oh Shenandoah - #41

 

Virginia is a very green state with boundless mountain views. Traveling from one end to another, we  steadfastly were escorted by the very lush Blue Ridge Mountains. We never tired of their beauty.

I had arranged for two stops in Virginia, approximately 200 miles apart.  The first was in the Shenandoah National Park area; we arrived last Wednesday and stayed until yesterday morning, Saturday, October 9th.  Besides the incredible campsite we enjoyed for three days, we drove (48 miles) the southern portion of Skyline Drive in the National Park. It was so lovely! We stopped at most of the scenic overlooks to take pictures and just express awe. I was also very excited to purchase our "Lifetime Senior National Parks Pass". We will be using it again within the next couple of weeks at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas.   Here are a few favorite photos from our drive.

Back at the campground, I spent one of the days doing laundry, cooking, cleaning and Charlie repaired a few minor deficiencies.  Just like in a sticks and bricks home, there is always maintenance that needs to be done - on the truck, on the travel trailer.  We still need to go food shopping, get rid of trash daily, clean the litter box (also daily). So although this may seem like a "vacation" - a word no longer part of my vocabulary since we retired - we are just living our lives in our little home on wheels; our backyard just keeps on changing!

   

Making Onion Soup                                   Sometimes We Sleep In                                                                               

So Saturday (yesterday) morning we arrived in Fort Chiswell, VA.  It's an area very close to the NC border and about 175 miles northeast of Asheville.  Asheville is a stop I am considering for our return trip next April. (I haven't planned the return yet). We are staying two nights at Fort Chiswell RV Park.

At first glance, this park doesn't look like much, but what a pleasant surprise! Beautiful bathhouse (the best so far), nice laundry facility. The park butts right up against a vast farm with a variety of sheep, lambs, cows - all grazing on the green hillside within our view. Walking a little further down, I discovered a waterway, meandering through the side of the park. Sometimes first impressions aren't always accurate. 

Sunday,(today), we visited the Fort Chiswell Animal Park. This came highly recommended by reviews and only 2 miles down the road; looked like a great way to spend some time….well - what a fun place this was! We climbed onto the "safari" bus and drove through 45 acres of free roaming animals. The exciting part was how friendly the animals were and we could feed them!! Our photos speak for themselves!

We leave tomorrow for our next stop -  Pigeon Forge, TN! Dollywood here we come!