Luray Caverns, Virginia

These are called 'eggs'. Can't you tell by their looks, but actually they are made of crystallized rock with iron ore, limestone and sulfur all found underground in the Luray Caverns.  What a sight! It took millions of years to develop the stalactites, the rock formations that grow down from the ceiling and the stalagmites that grow up from the ground.  They are actually growing about 1/2 a cubic inch in 120 years.  Wow! If you touch the rock formations they will not grow any longer. Luray Caverns were discovered by Andrew and Quint Campbell and a photographer Benton Stebbins in 1878.  Their attention had been attracted by a nearby sinkhole that had cool air coming up from it.  Can you imagine digging and then using only candle light to go in underground to find the sights I have featured here.

I don't have the pictures we took cataloged but can tell you some of the facts our tour guide said.  One of the pictures is referred to as the skeleton because the bones of a young Indian girl were found laying there. Another one was referred to as the draperies, and another is called Pluto's Ghost. You can see where one of the giant stalactites fell from the ceiling and is propped sideways. Several of the huge areas cleared had small lakes that reflected the rocks. Over 500 weddings have been housed in a giant area down in the cavern.  Even in 1956 Leland Sprinkle was given a large sum of money(a grant) to install a pipe organ and put rubber thumperson the various stalactites to play Almighty Fortress Is Our God! Beautiful! Although I can' t agree with our government using our tax money for ventures such as that! There are other caverns found under these mountain ranges the e Appalachian and the Allegheny, but the Luray are considered the largest-about three miles.  They are 164 feet deep. One stop we made in the cavern was the wishing well where you could throw in money and make a wish.  Since this started they have received over one million dollars that have benefited many charities that they had listed on a wall.

There is a law to protect the formations because when they first opened them they allowed people to break off souvenirs. This caused the rock formation to die and they realized how disastrous the outcome would be to continue that practice. Anyway, now if you are caught breaking off any part you will be fined $5000 for every cubic square inch.

Shenandoah Valley

We moved over to the Shenandoah Valley on Sunday, July 26. It's hard to imagine we've been on the road full timing for over a month. It will be interesting to read back through these blogs in years to come. Anyway, Shenandoah Valley is between the Appalachian Mountains and the Allegheny Mountains. We are staying in Stoney  Creek campground out of Greenville, Virginia off of interstate #81. We have been in the trees unable to get dish network but have really enjoyed listening to music. We've met another wonderful couple, Ed and Julie Hasenbuhler from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She loves to hike and he likes to play golf. She's hiked over 300 miles of the Appalachian trail. Wow! We're in hopes that later we will be able to plan trips or destination meetings somewhere in our travels.  That goes for all the other wonderful friends we have made during our travels. We went to eat at a wonderful German restaurant that they visit when they are in the area. The food was great! I had stuffed cabbage and Jeffrey had wienerschnitzle. We also enjoyed several nights just sitting round with Ed and Julie drinking wine and socializing. What a life!

This is Stoney Creek, our campground.  You can see their is a large lake where they have set up a beach area. We traveled out to Harrisonburg, Staunton, 

Luray Caverns. In Harrisonburg yesterday we didn't take pictures, but I really enjoyed a video depicting the various battles fought in the valley during the Civil War. It depicted the Confederate Army in red and the Federation in blue and as it narrated the various armies would move to the different places. They had the different brigades and regiments listed.  I didn't see any from South Carolina-mostly Va., NC., and Ga.  The Federation armies consisted of NY., OH., and Pa. That would be a great way for kids to learn about the different battles.  I realized there aren't many early, historical sites left because of the burning that took place during the Civil War. Most of the early settlers and places were in the early 1800s.  I still want to visit Appomatox, Lexington, and Lynchburg.
The Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway are miles over the mountains to see the beautiful views.  Everytime I see a gorgeous view I' m not ready with the camera. I took some shots with my tablet but am not sure I will be able to download onto my blog.  I'll have to work on it. I didn't get the pictures I wanted. We've really seen some beautiful sights.

Michie Tavern and Monticello

This was our first day after moving over to the Shenandoah Valley on the western boundary of Virginia. I've had difficulty trying to download my pictures since we got here so I have to catch you up. These will be pictures of Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home. He took years building it and even had the second story torn off later andadded the dome as it is today. Thomas Jefferson was really very smart. He was a botanist before his time and kept extensive records. He was very learned in the sciences and was considered one of the first meteorologist. He had compasses and clocks that he designed to keep tract of the weather, the day, and the time. In his grand hall when you first come in to the house he had the bones of an old woolly mammoth dug up in Kentucky that dated 10s of thousands of years old. He also had a display of the artifacts that Lewis and Clark brought him back from the various Native Americans. He was born a very wealthy man and the plantation at Monticello was more than 5000 acres, a working farm. Needless to say, he had slaves and there is some controversary even today. It's even been determined that he fathered children with a slave named Sally Hemme. His wife died after only ten years of marriage-childbirth complications and of their six children only two lived to adult age. When Jefferson died he left a huge debt for his grandson, Thomas Jefferson Randolph to work out. It was about what a million dollars would amount to today. Consequently his grandson had to sell many acres and even the house. Monticello was built up on top of a mountain. Thomas Jefferson claims his greatest accomplishments were the writing of the Declaration of Independence, being the founder of the University of Virginia and the statuets he wrote about equality and independence.  He was an ambassador to France for five years and he even liked French cooking so well he sent his cook to France to learn how to prepare it. Thomas Jefferson was a shopper and that is one reason why he was indebted when he died. Because he was so devoted to equality for all it is a contradiction that he owned slaves.

Out under the decks built off from each side of the house Jefferson had an underground system that went from one side of the property. Because he didn't want to block his views in any direction, he went underground with the icehouse, the slaves quarters, the smokehouse, the kitchen, etc. Another ingenious Jefferson incorporated in Monticello was to use another pane of glass over the windows to create double panned windows to help keep the house warmer in the winter. I don't remember how many fireplaces the house had but Jefferson would not let the fireplaces be burned until it hit 52 degrees and he had thermometers in every room. He had a compass rose under the roof of the front porch and a windsock on top of the house.

On this day we also stopped at the Michie Tavern to view the sites and to eat lunch.  It was a buffet styled lunch and the whole experience reminded me of eating at the King's Arm Tavern in Williamsburg. On site there was an old grist mill and an old cabin to depict live back in early Virginia.

Virginia has really preserved our heritage in moving old places to create sites for tourists to visit to experience early Virginia life.  I love it because I am somewhat of a history buff.  We are getting to Luray Caverns so I will continue later.

Culture Frontier Museum

Hey, since I posted last we have moved on to the Shenandoah Valley on the western boundary of Virginia. We came across interstate 64 and are parked in a campground named Stoney Creek in the mountains out from a small town named Greenville, Virginia. There is nothing there, but it's off of interstate 81 and near Staunton, Virginia. We visited the Frontier Culture Museum today in Staunton. It is very nicely done, but be prepared to walk, all of it is around a perimeter of a couple of miles and even though it called for rain, it was very hot in the sun. The first area was indicative of a 1700s West African Farm.  All of the areas walk you through how this part of Virginia was inhabitated as the various immigrants moved into the area.  They even went to England, Germany, and Ireland and bought homes built in the periods to depict how the early settlers lived back then.  They know that the early slaves were brought over from a particular area that is now Nigeria. You notice how low the doorways were in the huts. That was to keep the huts cool and they were.  The hut in front would have been the husband's hut and tbehut on the right behind his would have been his first wife's hut. The hut on the left would have been his second wife's hut.  Their area would have been surrounded short mud wall  with thatching to mark their property.

 
This area was set up to depict a early 1600 English settlers' home.
In each area their was an interpreter there dressed in the typical attire for that time period. Boy does it make me blessed to have been born in the 20th century.  These people had a hard life.  Most of them had many children to help them work their farm. The foundation actually went to England and bought the home and brought it back to set it up in this outdoor museum area.  It was almost two miles to walk around to view the various early immigrant settlements.  It also depicts how the different people from different parts of the world influenced the beginnings of Virginia.

This is a 1700s Irish forge brought over from Ireland to be used in this capacity. In this home their was a blacksmith creating ironwork that would be needed for these early settlers.

This was the Irishman's home. I was surprised how cool the homes were because it was terribly hot outside.

This was a 1700s German home. In one room the family had a spinning wheel and a loom set up because they produced linen.  On this farm there were pigs in a pen out front with chickens and turkeys around the yard. There was a huge barn in the back with a garden area and the well. This family would not have been considered wealthy. One of the interpreters stated that to show your wealth would be indicated by how closely the wall beams were built around the outside of the house. Youmay not be able to see, but the chimney was done ornately and this was done to declare a certain amount of wealth.  Also. inside the furnishings were not as  bear and they had tin or copper buckets.

All of the areas had gardens. They said most of the early settlers could only afford to eat vegetables. On this property there was also a schoolhouse.

This was the 1700 American homesite. The Culture Frontier Museum offered camps for children of different ages.  They were even dressed in the appropriate attire and they were doing the chores the children in this household would have to do on a daily basis. What a learning experience!

There was also a dairy barn with huge cows and they had moved a church included in this area.

A 1700s Indian who lived near this area lived in wigwams like these. I was surprised to see the tree bark thrown over the tops of the thatched roofs.  The thatched roofs were made with bent reeds and the doorways were short, not because theses people were short, but to help keep the heat out. Surprisingly, it was cool in the wigwams. Around the edges in the interior of the wigwams there were mud benches covered with animal hides. There was a white tail deer and two raccoons in one.  The Indians used the skins to trade the white man for guns and other various items that helped their way of life.

38th wedding anniversary

If you haven't heard from me in a few days I want you to go back to my previous blogs because I have been updating them as I think of things and as I come upon pictures to add.  It is Saturday, July 25. We will be leaving New Point RV park tomorrow to move on to the Shenandoah Valley and drive it from there to see the western side if Virginia. We have loved this area. The closest town to our RV site now is Matthews, Virginia. I've told you some about it in previous blogs.  This morning we went to the Farmer's market they have every Saturday in town there. The had some new vendors there with their wares.  We browsed in a few more shops in the downtown area, too. I can't believe as small as Matthews is, it is always so busy with the streets full of cars and people.  Also, I'm so surprised at the expensive wares found in the shops.  Not everything, but a good selection of design items and clothing along with the artists' work.  It's surprising to me that the county can support this many businesses.  Jeffrey said I should tell you about the various places we have eaten during our travels. You  think all we do is eat!

Since last night was our 38th wedding anniversary we went out to eat at the White Dog Inn.  Beautiful and delicious! I loved the bread! We got Italian and Olive bread with honey and lavender butter and drawn butter and pimento cheese also on this appetizer there was goncgolius cheese, green and black olives a sweet pickle(I can't remember the name) and peppers.  I hope you understand which kind of cheese that was because I'm not sure how to spell it. Also, the chef sent out a complimentary dish-watermelon with feta cheese and balsonic vinegar dressing. All of it was delicious.  For our main entree Jeffrey and I both had scallops. We had hushpuppies stuffed with crabmeat and fish.  For desert we had a sopapiah(not sure about the spelling.  One day I will figure how to look up spelling as I am working.) with chocolate cheesecake and orange creamcycle filling in the middle, with a sauce on top! Wow! I was stuffed!It was delicious! The restaurant is beautifully decorated.  That's also surprising to me that Mathews can support this many restaurants. Now remember we have been here four weeks.  We have also eaten at Southwind. Jeffrey had crabcakes and I had a Reuben. We've eaten at Richardson's. We had seafood. We've eaten at the Mexican restaurant and the Pancake House.  We even got tickets for all you can eat shrimp and pork at the Ruritan club last week. Tonight we will get barbecue chicken plates from the Ruritan club.

These are our new friends Faye and Bob Van der Veer from Virginia Beach. The also own a place in Arizona. She is the artist I told you about in a previous blog. Look her up on the internet. She does beautiful work.  They came back to the campground this past week with their granddaughters.

Another campground over past Urbanna, Both Page.  It is beautiful with lots for kids to do. Not on the beach and it's not Passport America, the club we are members of to get our stays at posted campgrounds for half price. The girl at the dentist office I visited mentioned the Beth Page campground because they have a weekend place there that they go to. I had a bad toothache on Wednesday and Katrina(the girl at the front desk) recommended Dr. Ben Lennon in Matthews and he also has an office in Deltaville. He and his staff were great! If I lived nearby, I would use him as my dentist! Most of you don't know how much I hate visiting the dentist, but they were great!

While I'm mentioning Urbanna, it didn't have a lot of history, but had more of the classy, dress shops. We ate at The Virginia restaurant. Jeffrey had a seafood platter and I had shrimp. It was very good.
I told you yesterday was our 38th wedding anniversary. I can't believe that much time has past. We are so blessed to be able to do this with our lives right now! I know some of this info is trivial to you, but I want to use this as a journal of our travels and if we pass this way again I want to remember the places we enjoyed. We washed the RV and packed up the outside pretty much so we will be ready to drive out in the morning. I may go lie in the surf one last time this afternoon. I love it!

The day we went to visit Kilmarnock we ate at Willow's on the Rappahannock River.  We both ate seafood.  I really enjoyed the shops in Kilmarnock. Lots of artists displays.

Fredricksburg,Mary Washington's. Monument 

George Washington's sister's house.  

Amtrak bridge over Rappanhanock River where we ate lunch at Brock' s.

Carrabelle, Florida

Jeffrey kayaking in our cove on the Chesapeake Bay.  We also got to paddleboard. We both liked it. I wanted to add the paddleboard-kayak belonged to Cindy and Jimmy Hopkins from Utah.  They sold their house and are traveling full time.  I mentioned them in another blog.  He is a bicyclist enthusiast. Her bicycle is motorized. The kayak was a blowup, hard type. That makes it easier to transport.

I'm taking you back to June, 2015. Our first trip out on the road full timing. We are in Carrabelle, Florida. We loved it there. It's half the way between Pensacola and Panama City on the Panhandle. Carrabelle is a sleepy, fishing town. The bridge over to Carrabelle Island was as pretty as a postcard. All the fishing boats are parked in the harbor. I wish we had a picture, but I still wanted to comment on it to jog my memory later in our travels. Also, on this trip we visited St. George's Island. A beautiful area with the white sandy beaches on the Gulf side. They had refurbished the island with truckloads of sand. Mostly houses with new construction going on there. There is a campground on the island, but it is in the woods with small lots-no beach,but you can ride your bike down the road to the beach.  It is very quiet over there. Another place we visited during this trip was Appalachicola. It was a bit larger down the coast towards Mobile.  It had a quaint downtown area with lots of shops to browse. It was hot there with no breeze.  That's why I've chosen to be on the coastal campgrounds.

A beautiful sunrise over the pier at Ho Hum, our campground. We loved it. It's very small and only for adults, right on the beach.

Looking through our patio area outside our RV- that's the beach out front. You pull right up to the water. When it's high tide the water is all the way up. Then when it's low tide, the water's out.

I had to show you the oysters Buddy and Cindy made for Jeffrey. He loved them!  They own a bar in New Orleans and this is some of the different ways they fix oysters.

Our RV parked at Ho Hum campground.

Here we are on the next half of our lives! There is life after work! We love it!