We met up with family earlier this month.
For the Thanksgiving Holiday we had time for a get away.
First up, we went for a hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
What we didn't realize was that everything was closed because of a huge ice storm a week and a half ago. There were downed trees everywhere. We got to the entry to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Waynesboro, Virginia. When we arrived we were bewildered with a number of other motorists. However, undeterred, we drove along a parallel road that connected with the Blue Ridge Parkway here and there. We got within a mile and half of our intended hike and just parked the car on the side of the road and thus began our adventure.
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| You can see why the Parkway was closed. There were many downed trees like this one. |
Because of such limited access, this trail, which is usually highly trafficked, was virtually empty.
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| There were patches of snow and ice, especially up near the top. |
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| It's a pretty steep hike. |
We got to the Humpback Rocks and enjoyed some serious views in total solitude.
Because of the downed trees, it was surprisingly slow going. The trip took much longer than we had expected and we only arrived back to our car just as twilight was fading!
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| Sometimes this is what the trail looked like. We certainly did our share of horizontal tree climbing! |
After that hike we had huge appetites for the Thanksgiving Buffet at Hometown Grill. By something of a coincidence, this was our second year in a row enjoying that particular restaurant on Thanksgiving day.
The next day had some great experiences.
First we went to the Frontier Cultural Museum. This is a great living history place that teaches about the Parent Cultures of the Virginia Frontier. We learned about East Africa, England, Ireland, Germany and Native American cultures and how they contributed to the American culture.
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| It was a cold morning, which is why everyone is so bundled up. |
We had a fun lunch at in Downtown Staunton and the Shenandoah Pizza Restaurant.
Then on to The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum
The kids particularly enjoyed the scavenger hunt that they had available.
Virginia is the Birthplace to 8 US presidents. We are still getting around to learn about them all. Woodrow Wilson is the most modern Virginia President, although he was around about 100 years ago.
After this we went to Kathy's Dinner, famous for the best Breakfast in the Valley. Although, it was dinnertime, we all agreed, it was an excellent breakfast.
Last up was to take in a play at the Blackfriars Theater. A replica of Shakespeare's lesser known indoor theater.
I regret not taking a picture of our handsome kids dressed up for the theater.
We saw Richard III. The kids totally enjoyed it. I was very surprised to hear my 9 year old son excitedly quoting (and paraphrasing) Shakespeare.
It was a late night last night and we spent the night in Staunton again and had a lazy morning and came home today.
Totally a fun trip.
