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Here I would love to share with you our travels and adventures as international mushroom consultants. MEMOIRS about husband Pieter Vedder, who was a SCIENTIFIC PIONEER in Mushroom Cultivation Education. His practical handbook is in 9 languages and is called the MUSHROOM BIBLE: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2020/08/modern-mushroom-growing-2020-harvesting.html

Friday, January 10, 2020

Skyline Drive & Shenandoah River in Virginia

So after staying 'home' for the day of the tornado on October 31, we woke up on November 1, to SUNSHINE!
It was good foresight from me to book us 4 nights here at the Hyatt Place in Charlottesville, VA...
So off we went to our Skyline Drive in Virginia.
Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive and the other way driving south, you enter the Blue Ridge Parkway what we did for two days.
This was in Waynesboro, Virginia around 10:00 in the morning and look at the blue sky!
After a visit at the Visitor Center to pick up some brochures and maps, I had to capture our U.S.A. flag waving against the blue sky here at Lyndhurst, Virginia.
Oh, the gentleman at the Visitor Center told us that the ENTIRE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY was CLOSED! This due to lots of fallen trees because of the tornado...
How lucky we both have been for having had two sunny days when we rode it on October 28 and 29!
So here we enter SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK on the SKYLINE DRIVE...
At the entrance I showed our National Park Pass and that was all fine but the lady told us that we had to turn back around the building as there was a fallen tree on the narrow road and it could not be removed in time.
About one hour later, we entered, after using a regular road, at Swift Run Gap Entrance Station and turned north on the Skyline Drive to start our new adventure...
That way we missed about  of the entire Skyline Drive but it was not as bad as tourists that had come down from New Hampshire to enter the Blue Ridge Parkway and had to go back! Sad for those people who came in vain.
Shenandoah National Park, Elkton, Virginia
Oh, the golden colors of Autumn agains the blue sky!
Shenandoah National Park, Stanardsville, Virginia
Yep, at Stanardsville, Virginia the time and temperature 36ºF or 2.2ºC tells you that at that height it was cold! 
It even had been as low as 32ºF or 0ºC before...
Shenandoah National Park, Elkton, Virginia, so we are circling back and forth into certain sections.
Mighty views over quite a distance!
Shenandoah National Park, Stanley, Virginia giving you a better impression by this overview. 
Don't listen to my Limburgs... I just say: 'yesterday tornado and today beautiful clear weather. First section was closed but here we are!'
In 1968 the eastern hemlock tree was present in the Appalachian and they were over 300 years old. 
Sadly Ninety-five percent of Shenandoah's hemlocks are gone, killed by an invasive pest called the hemlock woolly adelgid. 
This was at Sperryville, Virginia.
Shenandoah National Park, Sperryville, Virginia
The gray, broken tree trunks of Hemlock Springs remind us of the hundreds of thousands already lost and the ecosystems forever changed.
Shenandoah National Park, Sperryville, Virginia
Shenandoah National Park, Bentonville, Virginia
Shenandoah National Park, Bentonville, Virginia with our Nissan Murano against the rocks to the left.
Shenandoah National Park, Washington, Virginia with some more dead Eastern Hemlock Trees...
Shenandoah National Park, Washington, Virginia - Yep, this was very close to Washington, D.C. the nation's capitol.
Shenandoah National Park, Front Royal, Virginia with Pieter standing against a gorgeous background where you even see Shenandoah River to the left and Shenandoah Valley...
Shenandoah National Park, Front Royal, Virginia
For seeing all The Overlooks of Skyline Drive click here
When exiting the Skyline Drive we were in awe of the sight of the Virginian Stack Train (yep, TWO layers of containers!!!) passing by!
What a sight at Riverton junction, VA just click through... Got more of this majestic Virginian on my Pinterest under FAVORITE PLACES I've Visited...
Shenandoah, Virginia and the Shenandoah River
Being more precise, South Fork Shenandoah River...
With my brother Jan at our home:
Did sent from Shenandoah River in Shenandoah, this short video via WhatsApp to my youngest brother Jan Van den Munckhof... This is us on July 27, 1999 singing along with John Denver - Take me Home, Country Roads click on link
Sweet memories of their 1st visit to the USA and Jan with wife Wilma intended to drive to Shenandoah, Virginia but got discouraged by the way too vast distance and never went all the way.
So I wrote to Jan: In my thoughts I took you along... and then sent him the location.
South Fork Shenandoah River as seen from the bridge in Shenandoah, Virginia
The other side of South Fork Shenandoah River in Shenandoah, Virginia
From there I drove back to our Whole Foods Market near the hotel, also to Trader Joe's and Costco to do some shopping and to gas up for next day when we would be heading to our next destination.
Both of us felt very happy and blessed with such great weather for all our outings.
Despite not being able to do any hiking, this was a great adventure!
The total km 353.1 km or 219.4 miles and the 9h 7m is total time, including our breaks for food and shopping etc.
Skyline Drive - Shenandoah National Park click it

Stay tuned for next part!

Thanks for your visit and comment.

Related links:
Monticello Gardens of President Thomas Jefferson and Mulberry Row | previous post by me
Mabry Mill Restaurant and Blue Ridge Parkway | previous post by me
SO Proud of my NONAGENARIAN | previous post by me

26 comments:

  1. Liebe Mariette,
    herzlichen Dank für deinen schönen Post.
    Alles Liebe
    Elisabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liebe Elisabeth,
      Ja, es war sehr schön dort und so kann ich mehrere mitnehmen mit den Bildern.
      Liebe Grüße,
      Mariette

      Delete
  2. Hello Mariette, As relative latecomers to the U.S., you and Pieter seem to appreciate our natural resources all the greater. When I was working in Ohio, I always seemed to be so busy that I could not take a few days off to enjoy such a roadtrip. Virginia was not excessively far, but there are similar spectacular sites closer to and also in Ohio, each however with its unique features and beauty. I did get to a few places, but there was always that feeling that there was plenty of time in the future, as soon as the current project was finished.
    --Jim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Jim,
      Well, I've lived here longer now than in my birth country and we knew already a lot about the natural resources here in the U.S.A. a travel dream for everyone. Indeed, it is time consuming to do this well, as we too had passed by numerous times but never had the time to actually get on the Blue Ridge Parkway nor Skyline Drive to enjoy the vistas. Both of us obviously love mountains, that is the end sum about our lives and we also love rivers, bridges etc. So as much as we could we have enjoyed it. Hope you one day get to visit these areas!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  3. Wat adembenemend mooi daar. Ik weet dat je op een foto bijna nooit weer kunt geven wat je ogen in het echt zien, dus het zal fantastisch geweest zijn.
    Die trein is ook wel heel gaaf, zo kennen we ze hier niet.
    Jullie hebben echt wel geluk gehad met het weer. je krijgt wat je verdiend toch♥ Toch wel fantastisch dat je het nog eens goed met je eigen ogen hebt kunnen zien.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ja, een foto is moeilijk om daarin alles vast te kunnen leggen.
      Je moet er kunnen zijn en alles zien, horen en voelen.
      Die treinen waren geweldig, ik had er eerst geen erg in toen we voor zo'n overweg stonden te wachten, er kwam maar geen éind aan en die Virginian locomotief vonden we beiden zó mooi. Had het graat opgenomen maar om alles te kunnen doen, en rijden en filmen dat kan niet. En Pieter is niet meer zo alert om dit snel ingesteld te krijgen... Hij geniet er gewoon van en dus vond ik de informatie later en nog professioneler ook.
      Qua weer had het echt niet beter gekund en of we het verdiend hebben...? Bidden helpt ook en ik had God zij dank al ruim ingepland en voor 4 nachten geboekt, ook al om eens een dag níet te moeten rijden maar rust voor mijn ogen. Die tornado konden we zo dus mooi omzeilen.
      Ben heel blij met deze ervaring samen; goed gelukt!
      Liefs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Dearest Anne,
      Yes, the autumn colors, in combination with clear blue sky and sunshine made it spectacular.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  5. Liebe Mariette,
    das ist ein interessanter Post. Habe leider nur Schulenglisch und das ist zu wenig, um alles lesen zu können, leider ist Dein Bing Übersetzer nicht bereit zu übersetzen, ist er kaputt? Guckst Du bitte, ich danke ;-)))
    Lieben Dank für Deinen Besuch und netten Kommentar, ich freue mich. Habe vergessen zu erwähnen dass der Geburtstag vom Sofatiger schon im Oktober war, danke für Deine Glückwünsche, ich gab sie weiter ;-))))
    Wünsche Euch einen schönen Tag und schicke liebe Grüße mit.
    Traudi.♥ aus dem Drosselgarten

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liebe Traudi,
      Danke und schaue bitte rechts oben da ist mein Translate Button!
      Ja, genau wie du schreibe ich immer viel später über Nachlässe die längst vorbei sind, aber Geburtstagswünsche sind immer gut.
      Liebe Grüße,
      Mariette

      Delete
    2. ich sehe :-) und danke...
      LG Traudi.♥

      Delete
  6. How I liked this post showing me parts of a country I doubt I will ever get to visit in person

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Jo-Anne,
      Thank you and glad you at least you virtually liked this journey!
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  7. Thanks for showing us greatness of Shenandoah river. I only know its name.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest RTC.,
      Oh, we too finally got to see some of it after living here for 36 years and passing by and even over it numerous times.
      There is a lot of natural beauty and lots of mountains for hiking but my husband could not partake in any of that.
      Glad you enjoyed traveling along; learned from you a lot about giving a good representation of how it looks like etc.
      You do great writing and photographing and both can transform the reader to the actual area.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  8. Thank you for sharing your trip, Mariette. I enjoyed the beautiful views! I'm glad you could mostly avoid the impact of tornado. It must have been very disappointed for the people who could not enter Blue Ridge Parkway at all--hopefully they will have a better luck next time.
    Have a wonderful week, Mariette!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Tamago,
      You're quite welcome and it was so worthwhile for sharing that with my readers and for reliving for Pieter and me.
      We were so lucky with having enough days to select a better day, without tornado and/or rain.
      Sad for so many people indeed that drove down to enter the Blue Ridge Parkway and couldn't at all...
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  9. Hi Mariette! happy New Year! 12 days late! but enjoying as always my visit to your blog, I always find something to enjoy with you. These beautiful views of your route, the color and the wonderful vegetation. A hug dear! Rose

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Rose M.
      Thank you and yes, the rat-race has started again, the time is passing way too fast!
      This was such a marvelous route to travel and still grateful that we could do so together.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  10. Just imagine how beautiful that place during spring and summer. So interesting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Endah,
      In the spring yes, with lots of blossoms but not during summer as it is just lush and green.
      We opted for the golden colors of Autumn and it was incredible.
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete
  11. Your you tube video brought me here to a great post! Beautiful pictures Mariette. Places we love to take day trips to and some overnighters. Virginia has always been my home and I love getting out to the mountain areas. West Virginia is where my daughter lives and some mighty pretty places there too. Autumn in Va., gorgeous! Thank you for sharing your video and trip back in 2020. Hugs, Betsy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dearest Betsy,
      Thanks for your visit and only because of looking back to this post for finding where we went, I noticed that I'd not uploaded this video.
      Both my youngest brother and I love Virginia so much and that song tells it all so passionate.
      Fortunately my Pieter captured us singing along...
      Hugs,
      Mariette

      Delete

Thanks for your visit and comment.

Mariette...

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MARIETTE'S BACK TO BASICS © 2009. All rights reserved - Text and images may not be copied for distribution or sale.

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