June 8: A small drive, to Shenandoah | |
 |
We got a rent-a-car at Washington DC to drive out to mountaineous counties of Virginia. This is one of the highlights of our trip. My husband loves mountain and made the plan. The first destination was Manassas, an old battlefield of the Civil War. A firce battle between Confederate and Union took place here on July 21, 1861. There are many artirallies on the field to reconstruct the scene of facing battle armies. It was so sad to take a sight seeing walk on the grass field that might have absorbed a lot of blood of the soldiers. |
 |
After the memorial site, we continued driving down I-66. I also took the steering on an American highway for the first time in 18 years. It was very terrible to pass by a long truck. Then we drove up to Shenandoah Sky drive and stayed in Skyland Lodge which was first built in 1894. This is our cabin, the cheapest one in the Lodge complex, of $48 a night. The cabin has two rooms, ours is on the right. |
 |
Inside of the room. Everything is made of wood, giving sound feeling. There are one double bed and a dresser on my back, a shower set and a toilet on the right, and a closet in the center. Many towels as well as a coffee set are provided in the clean room. I made many home pages but I couldn't send them because there was no phone line. |
 |
We saw many flowers like this on both sides of the Shenandoah Sky Drive. I first thought it was rhododendron, but actually it was quite different flower called Mountain Rose. |
 |
We took a walk before diner. As it was so cool, I bought a trainer. The temperature is about 7 degrees C. It is now about 8 p.m. A real darkness comes after 10 p.m. |
 |
we enjoyed a country music show after nine over wine glass. Aged couples, family groups, young lovers, all enjoyed with cracking jokes back and forth including the entertainer. A couple came from Holland who talked at me which was more distant Holland and Tokyo. Yes, the wine was "Blue Ridge Chardonney", of course. "Blue Ridge"
means Shenandoah's peaks.
|