Shenandoah Valley & Goshen Pass – January 31, 2016

With roads clear after our first major snowfall of the year–and with a beautiful day in the forecast–on January 31, 2016 we set out on one of our “roads less traveled” adventures.

We typically start with a general idea of where we want to go, check maps, and then set our course.  On this day we drove over the mountain to the Shenandoah Valley, and drove south on Rt. 252.  The scenery was spectacular!

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This route took us through the quaint little towns of Middlebrook, Newport, and Brownsburg, all rich with early Valley history.

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When we came to Rt. 39 we headed west, following the Maury River towards Goshen Pass. This area always offers the opportunity for some nice photographs.

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We were surprised to see kayakers braving the rock-strewn white water of the Maury at Goshen Pass!

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This guy made it through the rapids okay, but we saw another guy “take a drop in the drink.”  Brrrr!

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Just a little further west of the overlook, Wayne carefully made his way down to the river.  This is one of our favorite–and certainly one of the most scenic–places, regardless of the season!

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Moving along–and feeling adventurous–we turned off of Rt. 39 West onto Rt. 601.  We weren’t quite sure where it would lead, but we were willing to explore.  Fortunately, we were again rewarded with beautiful views and muddy–but passable–paved and dirt roads.

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We took a side road off Rt. 601 to check out Wallace Mill.  What an amazing and busy place this must have been during its heyday….

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We followed Rt. 601 until it met Rt. 42, and then, traveling north, we stopped at the August Springs Wetlands–another new-to-us place.  Unfortunately there was too much snow for us to consider walking on the trails, but we hope to go back to see what’s there.

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Our last stop before heading home was on Rt. 250 East, where we paused to enjoy the view of the Rockfish Valley.  We truly love exploring our beautiful state!

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Here’s where we were:

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Photos by Sharon & Wayne

 

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