Gary and I love the Shenandoah Valley, partly because it is where we spent our honeymoon. It was only 17 short years ago. We stayed in the Valley. We saw four of the first five presidents' homes. We went to Luray Cavern. We went fishing and rode horses. It was an amazing week in a BEAUTIFUL place. One of the things we wanted to give the kids the chance to do when we visited Northern Virginia, was see some of the natural beauty in the area. So one afternoon we drove the Skyline Drive.
Skyline Drive is one of the National Parks that have no entrance cost. It is a 105 mile drive along the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia. There are four entrances to the drive from main roads in Virginia so that you can drive part or all of the road. We chose to only do a section as it is about a three hour drive from start to finish, plus the drive back to the hotel. It's open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with the exception of when their is inclement weather.
One of the great sights while traveling the Skyline Drive is all of the wildlife that you have the opportunity to see. We saw several does and even a pair of twin fawns. There were a great deal of rabbits and birds along the road. Additionally, we saw wildflowers and tree types galore.
However the landscape as a whole is my favorite part about the drive. I love the tree covered mountains and the way the clouds roll across the top of them. There is gorgeous views everywhere you look, out each window, from each look-out. It's views that are ever changing and testify to God as the mighty creator.
The kids enjoyed driving through the park with the windows down. The speed limit is 35 mph. We read several of the signs along the way giving us information about different rock formations, tree growth, and various views.
As I mentioned in our last post (ages ago now). We absolutely adore this area of the country, and I think it is one of the prettiest in the world. There are so many things to do at various exits along the Skyline Drive. We will definitely be back again and would highly recommend others visiting as well. One of these days I want to carry the kids down the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway all the way from Virginia to Georgia. It's simply breath taking country.
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