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May 2011

Places Visited
I took a trip to Virginia and stayed in the Massanutten's Shenandoah Villas in McGaheysville. I had a one bedroom unit with a fire place and 2 decks. The Nassanutten's resort is huge!
On the way down, I stopped to visit a relative and we took a walk in a nearby park.

The first day I was there, I drove to Charlottesville and took the Court Square Walking Tour ($5). The day was sunny and warm, perfect for walking. We met on the steps of the McIntire Building (200 2nd Street NE) which is the Historical Society building (the original courthouse) and the guide was from the historical society. I learned a great deal about Charlottesville, including that: it was named after Charlotte, the wife of King George who never visited the area; was founded in 1762; is the county seat of Albemarle County; its major contribution to the Civil War was that of a hospital town for the confederates; and that Virginia University is located there. I visited on graduation weekend and one of the group on the tour was graduating from law school the next day. Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe both lived and worked in Albermarle County and I visited both of their homes on this day. Before the tour, a man and his wife showed me a beautiful new stained glass window in the United Methodist Church made by one of the church's members and which was going to be dedicated the next day. One of the many buildings we visited on the tour was Christ Episcopal Church to see the stained glass windows. The building was built in 1820 and three of the windows are by Tiffany.
From Charlottesville, I drove to Monticello passing Michie Tavern on the way. I watched a movie at Monticello, looked at the gift shop and the gallery, then took the 1:30 tour of the house, then went on the Plantation tour and the Garden tour. They were all exceptional! Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence. He spent 33 years in public life before finally retiring to Monticello where he oversaw the completion of the house and grounds, as well as designing the University of Virginia. Last, I visited the Thomas Jefferson grave site and walked to the visitor's center and my car.
From Monticello, I drove 2 1/2 miles to Ash Lawn-Highland ($11), the home of James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States. It was a short but informative tour. It turns out that James Monroe held more major offices than any other President. He and George Washington are the only presidents to run unopposed. He was a good friend of President Jefferson and they could ride to each other's estates on horseback in about 20 minutes. James Monroe's presidency was termed "The Era of Good Feelings". As President Jefferson's envoy, Monroe negotiated the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. He purchased Highland, as it was known then, in 1793 and Jefferson selected the site for the house and sent gardeners from Monticello to start orchards. Monroe and his wife, Elizabeth Korright of New York, moved into Highland on November 23, 1799. Their first guests were James and Dolly Madison.

On my second day in Virginia, I drove to Luray Caverns and took the one hour self-guided tour of the caverns ($23). They were discovered in 1878 by a tinsmith and a local photographer. They are a U.S. Natural Landmark. The two most outstanding things for me were the reflecting lake and the stalactite organ that plays music by gently hitting specific stalagmites and stalagmites within the 3 1/2 acres of the cave. On the grounds, I also visited the Car and Carriage museum with over 140 cars, carriages, coaches and costumes dating from 1725. One of the carriages was used in Portugal. In a previous year, Rachel and I had visited the carriage museum in Lisbon, Portugal!
From Luray Caverns, I drove about half-an-hour to Shenandoah Caverns ($20). It was discovered by two boys in 1922. It has the best "bacon" formations that I have seen anywhere. You take an elevator down and it is a little less commercial than Luray Caverns. From the cavern tour, I saw the Main Street of Yesteryear exhibit. It was a group of store window displays, some of which were motion activated. It was great! After taking the very interesting guided tour of the caverns, I went to the Yellow Barn for the 2:00 "Branson On the Road" show ($25). It was corny, funny, and great to see! After the show, I drove across the road to see the American Celebration on Parade which turned out to be where many floats that have been in parades are stored until they may be used again.
On my way back to the resort, I stopped for a meal and Top China Buffet in Harrisonburg. The food was especially hot and delicious.


During my third day in Virginia, I began the day by going to the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton. I got there just in time for a tour of the house where Woodrow Wilson was born but he only lived there until he was about 1 year old, then his family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. His mother's name was Janet! After the tour of the house, I walked through the museum. There were many interesting things to see at this site concerning the 28th President, including his 1919 Pierce-Arrow limousine.
I walked to downtown Staunton next and looked at the shops, including R. R. Smith Center for History and Art where there was an exhibit of the maps of Jed Hotchkiss, the man who mapped the 140 mile long, 12 to 24 mile wide Shenandoah Valley for Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. The 9 foot map was not completed until after Jackson's death but Hotchkiss gave the Confederates an accurate, detailed plan of the terrain, something the Federals lacked. I continued my walk and came to Sunspots Studios where there was a man blowing glass and much beautiful glass in the gift shop by various artists. On my way back to my car, I stopped for lunch at Pampered Palate and had a slice of Greek quiche.
Leaving downtown Staunton, I drove outside of town to the Frontier Culture Museum. The idea behind this museum was different than any I have been to. The museum tries to show how the immigrants to the Shenandoah Valley lived before they came and then how their way of life changed over the years they lived there. It was quite interesting and the guides were especially friendly and conversational.

Day 4 turned out to be my eating day! I got ready early so had time for breakfast at Johnny Appleseeds before any of the activities opened. It appears to be a chain but since I've never seen one, it met my qualifications. Thick French toast with sausage was the special and that is what I chose along with hot chocolate ($7). It was fine and the staff was friendly. Then I went a couple of miles down the road to the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park and Hall of Valor Civil War Museum ($7). First, I watched a movie in the Hall of Valor about the battle at New Market on May 15, 1864. It was informative for me because I knew nothing about the battle but it was also quite sad. 247 Virginia Military Cadets, some as young as 15, were needed at the battle. 10 of them died either that day or in the next few days as a direct consequence of the battle. VMI is the nation's first military college. One of the most poignant parts was the description of the Field of Lost Shoes. The field was plowed and planted but because it was spring it was so muddy that the soldiers lost their shows in the mud. On my one mile walk around the battlefield, I saw this area. The home of the Jacob Bushong family was in the middle of the battlefield, between the Confederate troops, led by Confederate General John C. Breckinridge, and the Union troops, led by Major General Franz Sigel. The family hid in the basement during the battle. The Confederates swept over the Federal position capturing a cannon. Never before or since has an American cadet corps participated in a pitched battle. The farm, the barn, and the outbuilding are still standing. When the fighting ended, soldiers on both sides were treated in makeshift hospitals throughout New Market. There is also an extensive art collection in the museum.
The very helpful people at the Hall of Valor helped me find the roads to the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park where I went next. At the entrance, for $10 I was able to get my admission and a life-long National Parks pass. The joys of getting old! It turns out that not only can I now get into any National Parks, but so can anyone in the car I am in. The Skyline Drive is beautiful and I enjoyed each of the overlooks. I started to take a walk but within minutes was covered with black flies. When I got to the highest point, I stopped at the Skyland Lodge for lunch. I was able get a window table with a great view. The waiter was from Indonesia! I had a pulled pork barbeque sandwich with fries, pickle and cole slaw ($9). The sandwich was perfectly spiced and the roll was the kind I particularly like. I tried again to take a walk but by now it was lightly raining. The rain made for particularly nice pictures of the Blue Ridge Mountains, though.

On my last day in Virginia, I drove to Harrisonburg and stopped at the Hardesty-Higgins House and Visitor's Center for a movie showing how life was in the Shenandoah Valley just before the Civil War and how it changed with the start of the war. I also planned my day. I ended up buying a book ($2) that had a walking tour of Harrisonburg and told about the different historic buildings. One of the stops on the walk was the Virginia Quilt Museum. It was designated the official quilt museum of the Commonwealth in 2000. Besides a variety of quilts made from 1806 to the present, there is an Antique Sewing Machine room. On the way home, I got a sandwich to go at the Log Cabin Barbecue. It was great treat after my online class. Before my class, however, I took the ski lift ($6) at the resort for a magnificent last view of the Shenandoah Valley.

Books Read
Explorers: Great Tales of Adventure and Endurance Royal Society - Smithsonian Institution
Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers
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Last Updated: February 2023