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| Gas and diesel prices were relatively cheaper in Virginia. In fact, we found diesel at $2.81 per gallon today. Gas seems to get less expensive as we travel south. |
The Stoney Creek RV Resort outside Greenville, VA was beautiful so we stayed 2 nights and visited the area.
The Shenandoah valley is another location where the Civil War was fought. Today the valley is beautiful, with small towns scattered throughout. As we travel further south we follow the bright red, yellow, orange, and array of green colored trees which makes traveling a delight!
Above the valley is the famous Skyline Drive which winds through the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Shenandoah National Park. The road looked just like this photo for the 30 miles we drove it, with many pull outs on either side with vista views of the valleys below. Most of the trees were stripped of color leaves because of the wind blowing on the ridge. Jim, nor I, were impressed with this national park, but hey, nothing can compare to the Rainer National Park!
I'd never been in a cavern before and it's been 30 years since Jim was in one. There are hundreds of caverns in VA but not all are open to the public. We picked the Grand Caverns because it was close to our camp site and we were glad that we did.
This particular arrangement was called the chapel room because of a side view of Jesus and the praying hands. Can you find them?
We had a real nice and informative guide named Roger who took 5 of us through the cavern. He explaned how many years the stalactites and stalagmites take to grow (about 1 inch per year), which means some of these have been developing thousands and thousands of years.
The Grand Cavern was discovered in 1804 and visitors have been touring the cavern since 1806. Both the Union and Confederate armies used this underground cave to rest and feed troops during the Civil War.
The early visitors only went by candlelight and had to climb through narrow passageways and over the formations. Roger pointed out the old trails throughout and demonstrated how it would have looked by candlelight by turning off the electric lights; so dark you couldn't see your hands, let along the trail through the darkness.
The stalagmite Roger is standing next to is 8 feet tall and this particular room is called the George Washington Grand Hall.
That's me on the lower left with the blue cap on.
As always, we enjoyed our trip through Virginia, our 23rd state. Tonight (Sat.) we're near Greensboro, North Carolina where I come every August for the Market America International Convention.
The Banjo Creek RV Resort is full of RVers going from trailer to trailer trick or treating. It's only the 23rd! The hayride is at 8 pm and the dance starts after that. Whoopee!
Stay tuned for North and South Carolina adventures.
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