Saddened, we said goodbye to Pamela and Rocky Hill Farm at 5:30 am on July 4th. Our first stop was in Weston, MA to say hello to my uncle who's just 98 years young. We had a nice time visiting and catching up before we put it back on the road headed for Harrisburg PA. Traffic was light and the total 460-mile day flew past.
We had not expected to do or see much for the remainder of our trip, but we had planned to spend a little time passing through Shenandoah NP while riding the Skyline Drive. We can't recall having done that before; certainly not in summer. Each of my trusty, handy-dandy Apple weather apps lied and told me the 5th would be clousy and completely overcast; partly cloudy was not mentioned until tomorrow. So...once again, lazy Lenny packed his trusty Canon 7D not expecting to require its services. So...all the snaps that follow are courtesy of Apple and the iPhone 7. Little did we realize what an unexpected treat we had in store.
The sun peeking through low hanging clouds made for a foto-fun day...
It turns out that the entire day was most pleasant. And, I must disclose that travel on Skyline Drive is limited to 35 MPH and is monitored heavily. So, we decided to just take our time and enjoy the 100+ miles and check out the plethora of overlooks provided by your National Park Service. For those not having been there, Shenandoah's Skyline Drive begins just below Winchester, VA. And, it is arguably the northern launch point of the Blueridge Parkway. While similar to the Parkway, Skyline feels just about 20% more intimate probably because it resides in a National Park, whereas, the Parkway does not. Skyline's speed limit = 35 MPH while Parkway's = 45 MPH. Though their similarities and differences are many, the last I'll mention is Skyline has far, far more overlooks, as might be expected (being in a NP and all).
Here's the most northern overlook of Skyline Drive. Suggests good things to come...
As you can see in the image above, the day was truly "partly" cloudy rather than overcast. Photographers, even amateurs like me, love days like this. The sky adds so much interest when dramatic clouds overlay an otherwise boring, albeit clear, blue sky.
Jethro said to tell you he really enjoyed the day...
Summertime Skyline Flora
It took us almost four (4) hours to lallygag our way through the Shenandoah NP. Both Lizzy and I were surprised how much we enjoyed the leisurely pace; maybe we're just getting older and more leisurely. It was a great way to get over leaving our awesome hosts and get ready to face the unavoidable, upcoming, Texas heat.
Don't wish to bore you, but we stopped at many of the overlooks and snapped pic after pic. Here's a few more before we reached the end of the trail at Waynesboro, VA.
Overcast?...hmmm...
...well...artistically overcast!
Clouds and Sun - dynamic duo!
Jethro's diggin' it!
Goodbye sweet Skyline Drive
Well...the good news is that the end of Skyline Drive marks the beginning of the Blueridge Parkway.
I mean, that's good news if you're up for it. Unfortunately, we face a rather huge day tomorrow, so we opted to jump off the parkway after about 30-40 miles or so. Don't get me wrong...all that gorgeous scenery is breathtaking; but after a while it becomes a little like your 4th or 5th awesome milkshake in a row. They're yummy, but even better if spread out over a longer span of time. Here, then, are our only shots of the Parkway before jumping off to make it to Roanoke, VA.
1st Blueridge Parkway overlook from the north end.
The clouds add such a nice touch. Tell them thanks from Lenny!
Oh...and a special thanks to you for riding along...
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