Happening Times.: Wonderful Weekend, Shenandoah.

So it happened to be A Very Good Thing Indeed that there were Plans afoot & Spontaneity did not have to occur Saturday.

If it had, I would've probably gone here & Style's feedback made it sound just a little bit busy. Plenty of Hanover Tomatoes in the stores to enjoy afterwards anyhow!

Shenandoah.

" While scholars debate the specific meaning.., they all agree that it has something to do with the land. "Silver Water" ... "Great Mountain" ... "River of High Mountains" ... "Daughter of the Stars", these varying definitions attest that the land inspired people to name it. "

We headed out of Richmond, late Friday afternoon. The forecast appeared grim: rain, rain & more rain. I tried to be upbeat about my unexpected free time anyhow. Drizzliness ensued. There are no photos from when we entered the Park that night via the south entrance at Rockfish Gap: due to the Fog, there was hardly a view at any of the overlooks.

Unlike our previous campsite in PWC, there was much less undergrowth, meaning a lot less dry kindling to be gathered in order to convince damp logs that they really did want to burn.

The evening meal began to look dubious. It started to rain.
The Manly Man made himself a makeshift Vulcan-inspired waterproof.

Those shoulders!

Our present from the Haileys!

Fire happened!

BBQ chicken happened.

Better.

.........

Saturday:

PWC's new camping gadget had been the Lantern.
For Shenandoah, it was a gadget best used for breakfast.

Check out these happy campers!

    Yay,
           coffee pot!

             We were off to a good start already.

Breakfast over, water collected from the faucet as deer napped on the grass nearby,
we struck out onto the Appalachian Trail.

I had packed for anticipated showers so was gratified as the day began to warm up. We passed fellow hikers on the trail, mentioning to us of snakes in the grass & a mother bear & her cub being spotted in the wood.

Shenandoah is bear country!
Home to the largest concentration of Black Bear in the United States.

But we didn't see either of those as we continued on our way, keeping an eye out for unexpected wriggly visitors. Frazier Discovery Trail brought us up and out onto an overlook, misty & blue, with Skyline Drive - the road we had travelled in on the night before - in view.

" Between 1933 and 1942, 10 Civillian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps were established within or on leased land adjacent to Shenandoah. During this time, more than 10,000 young men lived in these camps under the supervision of the Army. They worked on projects directed by the National Park Service & the Bureau of Public Roads. Their activities included building trails, fire roads & towers, log comfort stations, picnic grounds and construction projects associated with Skyline Drive.

... The "boys" built hundreds of miles of trails and installed much of the infrastructure.
These "boys" created the form & fabric of the new park so that future generations could find recreation and relaxation here. "
... "Iron Mike".

" The construction of Skyline Drive started on July 18, 1931, before the park was established. It was initiated as a drought relief measure by Pres. Hoover who had a fishing camp in the area. The road was first built by contractors who hired local farmers who needed work away from the farm because of crop failures.
The road was essentially finished in August 1939, during the Roosevelt administration. The cost of building this roadway was approximately $5 million at the time. "

It was beginning to brighten up.

" The park features 300 square miles of the Blue Ridge Mountains, rising above the Virginia Piedmont to the east & the Shenandoah Valley to the west, with two peaks rising above 4,000 feet."

The Piedmont hills.

Saturday evening's fire was a much happier affair.

The Manly Man was keen to encourage every log to
be involved & to play its part. Socialist firewood!

Fancy fare; shrimp & scallops...

And S'mores, of course:

Sunday was bright & sunny from the start,

Dundo Overlook.

I knew we were headed somewhere off site, destination untold. However I happened to know of The Manly Man's exploits in this part of the world so I thought I had him sussed...

Yup:

King Family VINEYARDS

King Family also operate a stableyard for polo horses (not playing on this particular Sunday) so an equine theme is apparent throughout the location, inside & out.

Hooks below the bar.

Saying "hi" to the residents:
"Darth masks" prove international!

The heat of the afternoon proved too much for us mountain-dwellers however so we packed up & returned for continued tastings at our cooler Loft Mountain campground. Elevation: roughly 2870 ft.