Shenandoah, Jamestown and Williamsburg

Shenandoah National Park, view looking east from Skyline Drive

Thursday morning we were the third car in line at the northern entrance to Shenandoah National Park.  We greeted the ranger at the booth with a “We are so glad you are back at work.”  He laughed and said it was great to have the park open again.  Heading for Big Meadows Campground, we drove along Skyline Drive marveling at how beautiful the park looked with the fall leaves.  It is hard to believe we were driving this very same road going north in June and here we are in October heading back to Texas. 

Doyles Falls

Arriving at the campground, we again found the park employees full of smiles and glad to have the park open.  Being in a beautiful place usually makes people happy, but everyone was in an exceptionally good mood that first day Shenandoah was back in business.  I bet it was the same in the rest of the parks across the country.



Leaves on the trail...

 

We enjoyed three days in Shenandoah and took two long hikes, both including some miles on the Appalachian Trail.  The days were cloudy and mild but the nights were cold!   A reminder that winter arrives earlier up here and it is time to be heading south.

 

South River Falls

 

The drive leaving Shenandoah was spectacular.  Many places on Skyline Drive were in peak color.  There were fewer maples, so the color was not as vividly red as in New England and New York.  Still, we weren’t complaining.

 

Maya investigates a new hiding place

 

On our way to the National Historic Site of Jamestown and to Colonial Williamsburg we continued to enjoy the fall color along Virginia roads.  When we reached Richmond, we made a stop for lunch at a Chuy’s.  David was so excited to discover that his favorite restaurant, Chuy’s, has expanded and now has several locations in the east.  The food tasted just as good as it does in Texas.  There was also an REI and Whole Foods in the same shopping center.  David bought badly needed new hiking boots and I stocked up on some of my favorite foods from Whole Foods.  It doesn’t get much better. 

 

Archaeology 'dig' in front of church at Jamestown

 

We spent a couple of days visiting Jamestown and Williamsburg and had a great time.  Probably because we have been thinking and talking about our government and its difficulties as of late made visiting these historic places all the more meaningful.  To think it all began with the first English settlement at Jamestown in 1607! 

 

Restored framing of the Barracks at Jamestown

 

 Except for tourists, archaeologists and park staff, Jamestown is abandoned.  The whole place feels silent and empty, much like it did when there were only 104 men and boys living on the island with the occasional Native American visitors.  It made me think how vast and lonely this country must have felt to the first settlers.  They were much braver than me.

 

 

Carriage ride for tourists in Colonial Williamsburg

 

Colonial Williamsburg, on the other hand, felt like a bustling little city.  Carriages were constantly going by and re-enactors were abundant in the shops, restaurants and walking along the streets.  There were plenty of tourists as well, but it wasn’t hard to imagine that you were in colonial times and might see George Washington or Patrick Henry on the streets.

 

Re-enactors in front of restored Williamsburg home

 

Jamestown was Virginia’s first capital until it was moved to Williamsburg in 1699.  During those years and many to follow the seeds of our form of representative government grew.  And other legacies from those early days are still with us too – American Indian policies, the consequences of slavery and tobacco.  We are still 'a work in progress.' 

 

 

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked    2

Total Miles Hiked   18.05

Ave. Miles per Day      7.03
Total Elevation Gain       2,889
Ave. Elevation Gain per day    1,420