Virginia

Our July 2010 tour of Staunton was led by Mary Ann Harlan, who lived there and guided tours then.  Staunton is quite a showplace.  There is much to see that you may not have anticipated.  President Woodrow Wilson was born there and you can see his birthplace, Presidential Library with museum and his Pierce Arrow automobile there.  It is home to the World's only reproduction of the 1614 Blackfriar's Playhouse which is the place to see Shakespeare's plays performed by experienced actors.  Right next you will find your accomodations at a newly renovated Stonewall Jackson Hotel.  Zynodoah provided southern style foods prepared with locally grown ingredients.  All of these attractions may just revive this once thriving vacation destination.  Tourists can reach Staunton on Amtrak from as far away as New York and Chicago.

 

Our December 2009 tour of Danville's impressive Millionaire's Row will long be remembered.  Our voluble guide kept up a perfect pace to complete a tour of 20 homes with a variety of styles.  What a fine representative of her city she was.  The tour of the glittering Patton house gave us a chance to warm up from the cold outside while we marvelled at its architectural features.  Our lunch at Yancey House in Yanceyville also made us feel special.  Our host, the owner Michael Willis, told fascinating details of his own restoration of the Yancey House.  He and his wife, Lucindy, provided us with simple but satisfying cuisine.

 

We always look forward to our trip to Roanoke.  Last year we were in Tuscany and were not able to join the group but we didn't miss the trip this year.  I got a chance to see the new building which will be the future home of the Art Museum of Western Virginia under construction.  It will open in late fall of 2008, so look for that, one other reason to visit Roanoke.  We did the Mill Mountain Star hike in a different way, coming back  up the mountain with the bikers on a paved private road.

2011

Roanoke, Mill Mountain	Apr. 23rd			Mill Mountain - Star Trail Maps	Group photo by Santo		Wikipedia story about the Roanoke star
				Santo

2010

Blue Ridge Parkway	Sept. 21st	Just North of Roanoke		A favorite eagle watch	Common Buckeye		Comfort Inn, Staunton, VA
Skyline Drive	Sept. 22nd	Linda meets Cambridge visitors.  Mile 87	AT hikers had gone 30 mi. in 4 days.  Saw 3 bears.	11:05 am Mile 80		Traffic stopped for road work.  12:07 pm	Lodge at Big Meadows 2:41 pm Mile 52
			Ongoing repairs to ready for Fall visitors		Mama (injured and limping) watches over yearling.	Sunset was a short hike uphill	Impressive thunder clouds blotted out the sun 6:09 pm
			Just after sunset 7:19 pm	Sept. 23rd 8:57 am			9:23 am
Staunton	July 17th		As pretty a stream as you'd find in the west of England			Farmer's Market	Classical music... really!
			Tour leader Mary Ann on the right	The rest of us taken by Steve	Woodrow Wilson's birthplace	Woodrow Wilson museum
			Beautifully restored theater		Shenandoah pizza
			Stonewall Jackson Hotel	American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriar theater		Zynodoah - locally grown produce only, delicious!
Roanoke	Sam's Pix	Dave toting camera around Mill Mountain				Jolly laugh from Jane nibbling at the Farmer's market
	Apr. 2nd		Our deserts at Arzu	The Taubman Museum		The Norfolk and Southern railyards
			Sam	Beth		Motorcycles prowl the town at night.
	Apr. 3rd	Hiking around Mill Mountain		Gorrila in the Taubman		Jack describes the entrees professionally.	Group Picture
		Tom and Judy, Susana	Jane contacts Shubir	Apr. 4th	Landmark before sunrise	Taubman Museum just as the sun rises.

2009

Millionaire's Row, Danville	Dec. 12th		Our caravan arrives at Dollar General, as planned.	Nancy and Joyce, our guide		The Presbyterian Church almost duplicates the VA state house.	Simple Palladian structure
				Our guide keeps up a nice pace.
			Two lawyers have worked for years at this restoration.	One day this will be the showplace of Danville.			We tour the W.F. Patton House
			Our host, Paul Liepe preserved these amazing mantle pieces.		The Museum once was the seat of the Confederacy, for only moments.		Once the residence of Lily Langtry.
		The II Georges Inn	And we're off to a wonderful feast at Yancy House, Yanceyville			John and Nancy	Yancey House preserves examples of  Thomas Day's artistry.
			Ted and Abbie Stuart	Earl and Linda	Our pleasant host and owner of Yancey House muses on the tale of ghosts.	Michael Willis	His wife, Lucindy, a PhD, wins the culinary prizes.  It was our pleasure.
Roanoke, VA	April 10th	First thing, we drop in on the Metro.		After lunch we visit the new Taubman Museum of Art			wikipedia on Taubman Virginia is for Lovers
		video on our way to Dinner at Corned Beef and Company	John, Susanan, Nancy, Earl, Linda	Mary, Bill, Ted, Abby Stuart	Jane, Shoebear, Louise		In the lobby at the Hotel Roanoke
	April 11th	On top of Mill Mountain		panorama of Roanoke from Mill Mountain
		Explorers at the top of the world		My Sister Louise	video of hikers	Then Ted took a shortcut.
			At the	Farmers	Market	Taubman	Controversial statue on the deck
			Gathering for dinner at Arzu	Video of walk to arzu Hilarious video of reading from Heidi	Thespian Jack Crowley	Abby Stuart, Ted , Susana After dinner party video	The Marquee at Arzu

 

2008

Marion	June 13-15th	I just finished reading her book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and	on a vacation in Abingdon in May our B&B hostess recommended	that the best restaurant, 10 miles away, was sponsored by Barbara Kingsolver...	in nearby Meadowview, Harvest Table.	Read an interview or read about her new book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.	About to enjoy our meal of locally grown produce.
		Happy gang!	Sam digging into a sundae.	Thanks to Mary Mudd for her pictures of me and Linda		I'm afraid the hat was too big for me.
		Next morning at Hungry Mother State Park		Our gang hikes from the visitor center.	the dam		Tom, Don, John
		Saturday night at the Lincoln Theater	PBS's Song of the Mountains	Thanks to Sam for his great images of the bands.	Celtic band, Naomi's Fancy	Gold Heart	Pine Mountain
		Cherryholmes	More on Cherryholmes, really exciting group.	Back at the General Francis Marion Hotel		We get to meet the fiddle player in Naomi's Fancy.	Nora Garver talking with our musician, Sam.
Roanoke	Mar. 21st	Two views of...	The Museum of Western Virginia	Dining at "50"	Gathering		Mill Mountain Star
	Mar. 22nd		Mary's photo of the first bloodroot		The climb back up	Cornerstone	Bar & Grill
		Thanks to Linda for the pictures of alfresco dining and the...	Easter Bunny parade	Our entertainment at Arzu was...	Heidi (1968) star Jack Crowley		Mary's picture of the post-Arzu party
	Mar. 23rd	Jane led us to the Roanoke River overlook.		Bungi jump anyone?		Group picture again

 

Earl finally came around to suggest the Dan River Trail during our usual meeting on Tuesday at the Franklin Street Pizza Shop in Chapel Hill.  This is a hike that we did way back on the 4th of July in 2004.  That is more than three years ago but Earl was sure it was more recent than that.   Any way, the rains during the preceding week made up for a couple months of severe drought in the Durham area.  But on Saturday, the rains stopped and a breeze blew in and we hiked.

 

2007

Danville, VA	Oct 27th	Read the sad tale of the Confederacy's RR blunder		The first bridge crossing	Norfolk and Southern engines crossing the swollen Dan	Lily and Nancy	Danville Tourism Site
		In case you didn't think the Dan was at full flow		Harvesting black walnuts			Lunch at Joe & Mimma's on Riverside Drive

We saw a riveting country music show on PBS called Song of the Mountains.  We knew that our hike leader, Earl, and friend Nancy had just visited MerleFest (a bluegrass music mecca) and wondered why they hadn't scheduled a trip to Marion.  Marion has two gems which were described on the Song of the Mountains: The newly renovated Lincoln Theater and the nearby General Francis Marion hotel.  Finally, we did go there and the show was an exciting part of our visit.  We also heard about Hungry Mother state park which is only 4 miles away which had the requisite hiking trails for our group.

 

Marion, VA	Oct 5th		Smyth County Courthouse	Dinner at Capers - Ted and Abbie Stuart	Interior	General Francis Marion Hotel at night	Mary and Bill
Hungry Mother State Park	Oct. 6th	Ted get's a map.	Visitor Center				Linda and Dave
Lincoln Theater		Judy, Earl, Tom, Nancy at Macado's			Preparing for the show	New murals in the Maya Revival style
		Night of the Banjo	#4 banjoist video #7 banjoist video	Butch Robbins and the World International Blue Grass Band Soloist from Sweden	16 year old Amber Collins Solo Encore	No Speed Limit video	Cleghorn video
Roanoke	April 7th, 2007	Pictures provided by Sam Weinstein		Now if we all hide behind one another...	Roanoke greenways
	April 8th	Construction site of the new Frank Gehry museum project.		Art Museum of Western Virginia.  See the progress on their AM-cam.	Bunny promotes the horse-drawn carriage.	Lovely dogwood	Thanks, Sam

Abingdon, Virginia is a wonderful town; Linda's favorite town these days.  It combines the joy of being in the out of doors with entertainment and the expected creature comforts like a feather bed, fireplace and fine cuisine.  The dinners were at Wither's Hardware Restaurant and the Wildflour Bakery Restaurant; both provided excellent meals.  The Wildflour was new to us by virtue of the Tavern being booked.  Joan made reservations for our group and the herbed salmon was great.

The Abingdon Boarding House was convenient to the old town, the theater and the bike rental shop.  Arriving at the bike shop a little before 9, we were first to rent our bikes, pick up our helmets at the door.  The girls all rented the gel seat pads at Linda's high praise for them.  A short van ride gets us to the start of our 17 mile roller coaster ride, the Virginia Creeper Trail.  It was 22°F early that morning so we all were wearing our two or three layers of clothing.  But once you get rolling and taking in the mountains you don't notice the cold.  There was nary a spot where you can't hear the soothing sounds of waterfalls and rapids.  Mostly smooth, the trail had occasional patches of frozen, rocky washboard that gave you a jouncing and kept you alert to upcoming rocks, ditches and puddles.  The ride was quite enjoyable all the way down with a number of snack shops along the way.

 

Abingdon	Nov. 3rd	Interior of Starving Artist Cafe	Such fine sandwiches and wine followed by... shopping.	Linda and Joan	Linda and Joan go to buy tickets to "Green Gables"	You mustn't miss a play at the Barter Theater.	We stay at the Boarding House
Pecan Street	Nov. 4th		Virginia Creeper Trail Bike Shop	All dressed up for biking	They truck us up to White Top Station	Ready to roll!	17 miles downhill
White Top Station	11:16 am		Joan is just a blur...	Sam	Linda	Jane	Sadly, Green Cove Station was closed.
Rolling country side	11:47 am						Taking a break
Down to Damascus	12:17 pm	Sam takes my picture.		Lunch at Damascus			Interior of Abingdon Boarding House

Roanoke, April 14th, 2006 - We set off on another Easter trip to Roanoke.  What a fair city!  Linda and I start upon arrival on Friday before noon by dropping in on the Metro for a little sushi and wine, always a pleasure.  Three of us do the O. Winston Link museum, featuring his remarkable railroad images.  It is the only museum in the United States that is devoted to the work of a single photographer.  I had just seen a documentary titled "The Photographer, His Wife, and Her Lover", about Winston and really gave his work my full attention this trip.  That evening we join with the group and try a new restaurant - Billie's.  There many of us had the roast beef, which is their specialty.  Saturday morning we got off to a very late start, almost 11.  We do a free environmental trail along the Roanoke River, to the south of Virginia's Explore Park, a little village with admission $9.  Dinner is at Arzu, always a pleasure also.  Their menu of Mediterranean, Italian, Turkish cuisine is extensive, the service is prompt and intelligent, their price is reasonable.  I even had room for desert, the baklava.

Roanoke	April 14th, 2006	Mill Mountain as seen from the Roanoke Hotel	O. Winston Link Museum	Taking the walkway over the tracks to Billie's on Market Square	Saturday at the Farmer's Market after breakfast at Ernie's	Linda and Ann buy some breads.	Flags flapping in the wind
Blue Ridge Parkway near Virginia's Explore Park	April 15th	Waiting to get the hike going		John is full of energy this morning.	Richard with MATA rounding the bend	Good group shot above the Roanoke River	A cool, breezy day for a hike.
Mill Mountain	afternoon	Typical of Sam	Mill Mountain observation platform		Easter bunny in the lobby of the Hotel		Our waitress at Arzu was a gem.
Back at the Hotel Roanoke	evening	Having a few drinks on the deck outside the lobby	Judy and Tom	As usual, Mary does the unexpected.		Surprise! Mary hands out candy sacks for everyone.	Another marvelous outing to Roanoke

Abingdon, November, 2005 - Linda and her sister Sharon got together to enjoy the features of this quaint Virginia town.  This time however they stayed at B&B a few blocks from the Martha Washington Inn ($179/night).  The Abingdon Boarding House had many creature comforts to offer for just $149/night.  Eggs for breakfast?  You better say yes since they have their own coop and fresh eggs.  They had a chance to take in the play at the Barter Theater.  What a completely relaxing vacation this was for them.  This is now Linda's favorite town in Virginia.  The sisters will return to Abingdon and maybe bring Kay with them next time.  We've seen Abingdon now in three seasons, Winter, Summer and Fall.  I think Linda is getting pretty good with my Sony point-and-shoot.  I hope she will adopt it where e'er we go.

Abingdon	Nov. 3rd	Ordering their meal at Caroline's	Sharon		Hiking the Virginia Creeper Trail
The leaves are peaking out.	Nov. 4th		Linda does the artistic scene.		Flag in front of the boarding house
Linda and Sharon roll down the Creeper trail.	Nov. 5th, 11:44 pm	Sharon rides the rails.
3:21 pm	Nov. 5th		Good scenic, Linda.  But next time try not to get so many electric wires in the photo.		In Monet Garden behind the Abingdon Boarding House

Lynchburg, 2005 - Linda and I started out early on Friday.  We were able to preview the Depot restaurant for the group.  Basic burgers and chicken fingers are available.  This is quite a hilly town, more hilly than the trail that we hiked.  It certainly had a unique Rails-to-Trails conversion, the Creekside Trail being 5 miles in length, which was within the city but you'd never know it.  The Blackwater Creek Trail is paved for biking or hiking but you can go off the paving for many miles of bike-free running or hiking.  The restaurants were first rate, my personal preference the Main Street Eatery.  It is very popular and was full on Friday night.  They offered their regular menu or the Octoberfest menu.  Most of us ordered from the Octoberfest menu.  Enjoy!

Lynchburg	Oct. 28th	The Depot Grille next to the railroad tracks			just downhill from the court house	where the local patriots have supported our troops for 204 days.	Ordering at the Main Street Eatery
Lynchburg Community Market	Oct. 29th, 9:22 am			Hiking the Trails of Blackwater Creek Natural Area		Happy group starts at Langhorne Road.
Through some gorgeous ravines...	10:37 am			crossing the bridge at the 2.0 mile marker	We follow the Point of Honor Trail		and return on the Beaver Trail
altogether maybe we did 5 miles	11:48 am	we meet some of the wildlife - snake	After lunch at 2:33 pm	Enormous fountain creates a rainbow across from the Depot.		Earl leads an afternoon hike of the Diamond Hill area.

South Boston, 2005 - I was scheduled to take a course in Alternative Photographic Processes for this Saturday so Linda had to cover for me.  That means that I entrusted her with the Sony DSC-P150 point-and-shoot camera and assigned her to document their visit to South Boston.  This is one that Earl has been wanting to do and finally the time came and I couldn't make it.

South Boston	Sept. 9th	Gathering at Riverview Furniture on Roxboro Road		Staunton River State Park, 1.2 miles on RR bed		Gamboling with the Reb	Iron Bridge
Our Fearless Leader, Earl	12:01 pm		Lunch at the Vintner's Cellar		Bistro 1888		Linda thinks we should return for a romantic Saturday.
Riding the carousel in antique shop	2:06 pm		P.M. Bank 1891		South Boston Town Hall		Ben Franklin aphorism

ABINGDON, August, 2005 - This was a cool place to spend an extended weekend.  We celebrated Linda's birthday by having the complete Abingdon experience.  We did the four best restaurants in town; a play at the Barter Theater (Virginia's State Theater); the annual Arts/Crafts Festival; a bike ride down the Virginia Creeper Trail.  The bicycle rental shop offers the rental with a van ride to the top of the trail 25 miles away.  We opted for the 17 mile half trip since we had things to do in the afternoon.  For the first 15 miles it was downhill (2% grade of a railroad bed) and required no pedaling.  The trail was shaded for most of its length with waterfalls to be heard all along the way.  Beware of careening teenagers.  They could cut you down if you don't watch out.  I know from personal experience.  I had a close encounter.  Your trip to Abingdon should be as full of activities as ours.

Abingdon	Aug. 11th	Our first lunch at The Starving Artist Cafe	134 Wall St.		Federal Courthouse	Caroline's for dinner - 301 E. Main St.	Look at the food shoot!  Delicious pictures on smugsmug
The Barter Theater	with minutes to spare		Feeding on Mulberry Leaves	August 12th - Weaving an honest basket		Lunch at Wither's Hardware restaurant
	Friday, 12:06pm		Enjoying leisurely tea at 4:00pm		Time for the carriage tour, a very reasonable $5.00		The Tavern dates to 1779
Made reservations for the bike ride	Saturday, 8:00am	Virginia Creeper Trail Bike Shop			Linda got to try the new Canon Rebel XT camera		Getting ready for the ride downhill
Virginia Creeper Trail Club maintains it.	9:43am					Our ride detailed in GORP
My surreal picture of a yearling	10:43am		The poor deer is soon surrounded by a dozen bikers.	The Iron Bridge at 15.9 miles		White's Mill soon to be restored

ROANOKE, 2005 - Easter weekend this year was a quite early.  The weather reports were depressing as a last cold blast of winter was quickly moving into our area.  March was about to go out like a lion.  We drove up to Roanoke on Friday morning anticipating the worst.  We parked in a triple decker parking lot but found that there were 2 spots just after we entered that were marked "For Hybrid Vehicles Only".  Wow, we jumped for that since our car was the Toyota Prius.  I hope we see more of this consideration for the energy-conserving hybrids.

We strolled around town looking for a restaurant with the special character that makes it memorable.  The Metro restaurant, avant garde decor with an extensive wine cellar visible from Campbell Avenue, looked inviting.  We enjoyed our favorite wines with miso soup, seaweed salad and a spicy sushi roll.  Then we drove over to the Hotel Roanoke to check in.  We met our friends, John and Ann, and walked around the Market area and up to Elmwood Park which was a bright spot in the setting sun.  We found that the bare broken back of the Blue Ridge mountains was peeking through the turf at the highest point of Elmwood Park.  We enjoyed the conventional fare at Macado's.  Those who came late on Friday missed Roanoke at it's sunniest.  You can read about each restaurant by clicking on the underlined links.

Roanoke	March 25th, 2005	Lunch at The Metro		Checking in at the Hotel Roanoke		The hotel was brilliant in the Good Friday sun.
City Market		Elmwood Park				Macado's
Setting up shop in the Market	March 26th		Convenient breakfast - Ernie's		Meeting in the elegant lobby
Jill and Jane setting off on a misty hike		Group picture at mid-point		Earl and Jane ascending up into the fog		Ann and Linda
Sam logs our hike on his Garmin GPL		Nick pushes upwards	We reach the summit!		The world's largest man-made star in heavy fog.
Altitude - 902 feet	We can only hope that no one gets lost in the fog.		A short visit to the visitor's center		and we hike the 2 miles down to...dinner at	Arzu

As always we gamely mounted the Mill Mountain Star Trail in an unseasonable drizzle.  As we approached the summit the fog became quite thick.  We were able to see the star but the city was lost somewhere down below.  At 7:00pm we sought out the Arzu restaurant to see if it remained as sweet as it was on our last visit (2004).  Their menu is amazingly extensive with many dishes even including venizen and duck.  Earl's cousin Tom and wife Judy sat near us at Arzu and we finally had a chance to chat with them.  Back in 2002 they hosted a memorable MATA trip to Valdese which you can still find on the index page at the bottom left.  Coming attraction - Linda's video footage will appear on this page when I finish processing it.  Come on back!

I'm beginning to think of Roanoke as a city which ranks up there with Asheville, NC as a place to retire to.  It has so many attractions and the city fathers have done a fine job of creating a civilized and inviting place for visitors.

ABINGDON - Linda and I needed a break from the daily tribulations of our lives and we had heard of the Virginia Creeper Trail from a number of the members of the Morrisville Ale & Trail Association.  It was reported to be the most beautiful of the Rail-To-Trail conversions in Virginia and we wanted to preview it for our hiking group.  I chose to direct Linda up route 77 to route 58 which was unfortunate since we arrived on the Blue Ridge Parkway just as the predicted snowfall was at its peak.  The winding road into Abingdon was treacherous but we got through alright.

The bitter weather kept us from hiking very far along the Virginia Creeper Trail but we wandered around Abingdon and did a little shopping for crafts and wines.  They had a well stocked wine/coffee shop but it opened at 10am and we are early risers and need the coffee early.  Caroline's Restaurant was country fare (low country shrimp, German style mashed potatoes with bacon and red skins left in) but prepared well.  I had the trout which was just right.  By morning Linda had us moving on to...surprise, Blowing Rock.  That is always a favorite of ours and it is a much easier route out of Abingdon.  It passes through maybe 20 miles of the Cherokee National Forest.

Abingdon	March 11th, 2005	The Martha Washington Inn		At the trailhead of the Virginia Creeper		Yep, that's also the name of the engine in the barn.
Evening	The Barter Theater			Interior of Caroline's, really fine dining		Return to the Martha Washington
Morning, March 12th	Railroad Stations, recent and 19th century			MW Inn from another angle		A little hike at the trail head
Cherokee National Forest	March 13th	The river was swollen with recent rainfall.		The shortest tunnel on the Blue Ridge Parkway			A natural rock wall cut through for the roadway.

LEXINGTON - We revisited Lexington again on Halloween weekend.  We drove up on Friday the 29th and spent a mystical morning driving along the Blue Ridge Highway draped in fog.  The deer did not seem afraid of me as I approached them.  The leaves were well past their peak but the views were magnificent.  We wandered around the town looking at the menus at various restaurants and waited for the hiking group to arrive.  Many of Earl's friends turned up as usual with the added pleasure of seeing cousin Don and his other cousin Tom and his wife Judy again.  A small group of early arrivals set out at 7:00 for dinner at the Willson-Walker House and we were delighted to sit on the veranda enjoying the cool evening air and the passers-by.  I hope that everyone enjoyed their meal but the breast of duck that was served me was fatty and grizzly.

Next morning after a brief breakfast we loosely planned our hikes of the Chessie Nature Trail.  One group of us who were more ambitious decided to do the whole 7 miles starting from the east end in Buena Vista.  Our group didn't want to undergo the shuttle complication that limited parking at the other end required.

Soo...we started from the west, near the Law School of W&L University.  We were to discover that the Chessie trail begins maybe a mile and a half away.  And we were also to discover with the help of another walker with his wife and baby that the pedestrian bridge had washed away a long time ago and that the way to proceed was to cross highway 11.  We walked until we reached a large moss covered boulder where I set up a group picture.  Feeling our legs had had enough we turned back towards the Law School and a restful lunch at The Palms restaurant in downtown Lexington.  This was just our kind of restaurant with quick service; a selection of nice sandwiches and...BEER.

My legs had about as much as they could take but we pushed them on to Washington & Lee University where they stumbled around back to Robert E. Lee's office and museum which was in the basement of Lee's Chapel.  Ted and I examined the Lee family's many oil paintings in the museum and came across the family tree which removed any doubt as to whether Washington and Lee were related.  They weren't.  Lee married Mary Anne Randolph Custis who was the granddaughter of GW.  Thus, Lee's seven children were related to GW.  We returned to find our group lolling in the fallen leaves in front of the collonade.

That evening at 6:30 while our group was discussing where to eat, Ted and I drove across the highway to obtain the menu of a what looked like a fine restaurant, Sweet Magnolia's.  We brought the menu back to the discussion and maybe twenty of us wound up going there.  The restaurant had only opened about a month ago.  The service was quick and accurate and the meals were delicious.  I had a crispy house salad with blue cheese dressing, stuffed flounder with mixed vegetables and of course we passed around some of their superb deserts, chocolate cake and pecan pie.  The cuisine was excellent.  And they gave us individual checks.  All in all, an enjoyable meal was had by all.  Read this review by someone at W&L Law School who had gone there for lunch and concluded that Sweet Magnolia's is on their way to becoming a fine restaurant.  My fellow diner's may agree with me that it already has become fine.  Thanks to the desk clerk at the Holiday Inn Express for recommending it.

Lexington	Oct. 29th, 2004	The animals were not afraid.		Mountains lost in the mist		Lee's Chapel at Washington & Lee University
Washington & Lee's Law School	Oct. 30th	Abbie-Stuart, Linda and Ted		Crossing route 11		Finally got to the Chessie Nature Trail, Mary and Linda
Chessie Nature Trail	10:41	The group shot		Pedestrian bridge was out.		Carriage approaching Ted
Washington and Lee University	13:04			Roy Orbison checking out of the Holiday Inn Express		The Halloween gang and cousin Don

DANVILLE - This year we did not do our usual 4th of July trip to Milton.  Instead, after visiting Shangri-la and Yoder's Mennonite store in Blanch we continued along Blanch Road into Danville.  John and Ann surprised us by arriving at Yoder's at the moment we arrived from Hillsborough.  It is an exciting experience for those who have not visited Yoder's to see the well-stocked shelves, buy some yummies and set a spell on the cedar chairs and swings under the eaves.  It was a refreshing to drive the Blanch Road through tobacco fields and rolling hills which were lush and bright green due to our recent heavy rainfall.  We visited the classic Dutch-style railroad station now museum and butterfly house, hiked along the Dan River until we reached the dam, and turned back.  The heat gave me a little headache but we refreshed ourselves at Ruby Tuesdays.  We really hadn't done this trail until now and it would have been a great hike on a cooler day.  Now for the photojournal.

Yanceyville, NC area	Fourth of July, 2004	Shangri-La		Yoder's Mennonite store			Stuart and Fiora smiling for their portrait
Danville, VA	Crossing the old RR bridge		Dan River Trail				Dan dam

ROANOKE, 2004 - Our trip for Easter this year was to Roanoke, Star City of the South.  Linda and I drove up on Friday and went north of Roanoke on the Blue Ridge Parkway and found an overlook where we had our lunch, very pleasant.  Returning to the city we were surprised by a vibrant downtown section which was just across the railroad tracks from the Hotel Roanoke.  This was a wonderful hotel with all of the amenities and a favorable price tag for our hiking group.  It is a venerable, stately simulated Tudor structure.  The original hotel was built on the site back in 1882.  The hotel is the Convention Center for the City of Roanoke and is connected to the Market Square by a glassed-in walkway with escalators.

Roanoke, Virginia at Easter	April 9th, 2004, Good Friday	Venerable Hotel Roanoke	Built in 1882		Market Square	The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center website
Evening in the Market Square, Roanoke		A fine Mediterranean meal was had at ARZU	April 10th, sunrise	Cousin Don arrived	Had breakfast at Ernie's place	Ken, Leslie and John went to hike the AT
While we went to hike the Mill Mountain Star trail					The star	Roanoke is the Star City of the South

Linda and I wandered the streets and sought out ARZU, a restaurant which had been recommended to her by a co-worker.  We studied the menu and found the prices reasonable with a wide variety of entrés.  Later, at 7 p.m. we met the group down in the lobby.  Most of them had just arrived and we suggested the restaurant and since it was only a two block walk we took them there.  It turned out to be an agreeable place and everyone agreed that the food was excellent.  We wandered the Market Square and some brightly lit streets and finally retired to the hotel to rest for our hike in the morning.

Next morning we had breakfast at Ernie's which was fine.  Ken, Leslie and John set out for their hike on the Appalachian Trail and we went for the hike to Mill Mountain.  Roanoke claims to be the only city in the south that has a mountain within its city limits.  It was a 1.7 mile gradual uphill climb but the view was worth the climb.  Got some nice shots of the group, including myself, and of the star at the top.  After dinner we collapsed into bed.  All in all, this was a wonderful place to spend the holiday.

NEW RIVER TRAIL - A rails to trails conversion which runs for 57 miles mostly along the New River.  It is a multi-use trail and the section we did runs 6 miles from Allisonia landing on Claytor Lake to the parking area near the town of Draper.  You can visit the Virginia State Park website to get details as to how to plan your own visit to the New River Trail.

This was our second visit to the Pulaski area, the first time being in 2002.  This time there was an overcast which makes for much better picture taking.  The bridges that spanned the valleys gave us spectacular views of the autumn countryside but the leaves had not yet begun to change.  It was cool and fairly stiff breezes were experienced at the bridges. 

Allisonia, New River Trail	Oct. 4th, 2003
Bridge over Claytor Lake
Uphill to Draper, VA						Dinner was at the Log House at Wytheville

DANVILLE - On the 4th of July 2003 we once again visited the small town of Milton with its historic Union Tavern, home base of the famous free African-American Thomas Day.  A side trip to Yoder's Mennonite Market is always a good time to stock up on comestibles.  At the end of this trip we were invited to enjoy an afternoon dessert at Nancy's apartment in Danville.  Great fun on a hot July day!

Shangri-La, roadside America	July 4th, 2003				Welcome to Historic Milton, NC
Danville, VA	afternoon					Museum of Fine Arts and History, Danville

CHARLOTTESVILLE - We finally visited Charlottesville on Easter weekend in 2003.  We arrived on Friday very early and immediately went to the Downtown visitors center (DVC), a good thing to do even if you know the town.  They allow you to park free across just across 2nd  Street.  Historic downtown Charlottesville is just behind the visitors center.  The Mall is seven blocks long and runs from the U.S. Federal Building to City Hall.  Lots of shops, coffee houses, restaurants, antique shops for you to peruse.  We walked up and down the Mall maybe two or three times in the drizzle and finally had lunch at the Hardware Store, converted to a restaurant, obviously.

On Saturday, we had the breakfast at the English Inn and set forth with the hiking group at 10 a.m. for Monticello.

Monticello, just off I64 along rt. 53	Saturday, Apr. 18th, 2003
A tour of the grounds, gardens and hike back down	Saturday

SUTHERLIN-RINGOLD TRAIL - A little after New Years day, January 4th, 2003, we drove on a brisk morning from Durham to the Sutherlin terminus of the Richmond & Danville Rail-Trail to meet with maybe ten friends from Earl's provisional hiking group and our many neighbors in Virginia.  I have hiked this trail twice before and was pleased to see how much progress was made on making our hike easy.  Gone are the ballast stones that covered the trail last time.  The trail, now covered with stone dust provided by a grant, was easy going for its 6 mile length.

We all share an interest in the trail and stuffed into my hands were papers for the Dan River Basin Association, the Dan River Trail Association and a slick brochure with a map of the Rockingham County rivers.  About 5 miles out, we enjoyed our lunch under the 5-arch stone bridge next to a waterfall.  Retired Judge Ryland Dodson allowed us to visit the 250-year-old oak tree and 200-year-old log cabin on his property south of the trail.  He has purchased the land to protect it from ever being developed.  This hike has grown from a so-so one to an experience not to be missed.

Sutherlin Terminus of R&D Rail Trail	Morn, Jan. 4th, 2003				Dan River Basin Assoc.	Contact: catalyst@vnet.net
5-Arch Bridge	>5 miles into the hike				Forrest Altman's The Dan River Book can be purchased	at the South Boston-Halifax Museum of Fine Arts & History
Judge Dodson's 200-yr-old cabin	Down the RR a piece					Rockingham County's wonderful guide to the Dan and Mayo Rivers

After we completed the Sutherlin-Ringgold section of the trail, we drove on home to Durham.  With just a short stop to pick up goodies at Yoder's Mennonite store near Milton.  We all agreed that it was a refreshing and enjoyable hike.

NEW RIVER TRAIL - Our trip to hike the Pulaski-Claytor Lake section of the New River Trail was as far as our hiking group has gone in the area.  The objective for most of us was to experience one of the most beautiful of Virginia's state parks once a railbed for the Norfolk and Southern railway.  For a few of us another objective was to attend the World Music Festival at Floyd to hear, among others, Doc Watson play.

Days Inn, Pulaski	Sept. 27th, 2002		Allisonia, New River Trail, Sept. 28th
Crossing the RR Bridge						Draper, VA, end of the trail for us, 6.5 miles in the morning
Pulaski	Sept. 28th afternoon
Railroad Station		Country Cooking at  Wilderness Inn, Old New Bern		Earl, Nancy and Linda can't believe this sight.		A Pepsi machine next to the chapel door.

LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA - For Linda's birthday this year, we visited the Applewood Inn.  I had read of Windsong in Crabtree, North Carolina which featured llama trekking in the Pisgah National Forest.  You might want to read Fodor's Nights To Imagine by Peter Guttman.  I liked this idea and searched the internet for the keywords llama trekking and came upon 2 other B&Bs which also featured llamas.  The closest one was the Applewood, only a little over 3 hours away in the Shenandoah Valley.

This romantic getaway has a lot to offer - hot tub room, fireplace, breakfasts, nearby Blue Ridge Parkway, canoeing on the James River, etc.  Unfortunately, the llamas don't like to trek in the warmer months.  They like carrying loads in the winter.  But the rest was sufficient to make this a weekend to remember.