{"id":1889,"date":"2017-03-25T22:59:02","date_gmt":"2017-03-26T02:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/?p=1889"},"modified":"2017-03-26T09:53:24","modified_gmt":"2017-03-26T13:53:24","slug":"north-on-the-skyline-drive-march-25-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/?p=1889","title":{"rendered":"North on the Skyline Drive – March 25, 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

We both had plenty of things to do at home, but given a very warm, overcast Saturday–and with rain in the forecast for Sunday–we decided to go somewhere. \u00a0A return trip to Westmoreland State Park<\/a> or\u00a0Smith Mountain Lake<\/a> weren’t totally off the table at first, but finally\u00a0we decided to drive out Rt. 810, get on Rt. 33 West, and go up the mountain to the Skyline Drive.<\/p>\n

This plan almost<\/em> worked, but\u00a0about 10 miles into the trip on Rt. 810, we saw a sign announcing that the road was closed. \u00a0Really? \u00a0Okay, fine. \u00a0We backtracked, took some alternate routes, and\u00a0still\u00a0saw interesting things along the way.<\/p>\n

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The Skyline Drive<\/a>\u00a0runs for 105 miles (north\/south) in Shenandoah National Park along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We got on the Drive at Swift Run Gap, and we were surprised by the amount of cars getting on at this entrance. \u00a0Fortunately, there wasn’t a lot of traffic<\/em>, but many of the overlooks and hiking areas were quite busy. \u00a0What can we say? \u00a0It’s nice that people enjoy these spectacular views!<\/p>\n

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When we got to Big Meadows<\/a>, we checked out the campground. \u00a0There were a lot of tents and a fair amounts of trailers and RVs, with more coming in while we were there.\u00a0 I think this was the opening weekend for Big Meadows, but other campgrounds along the Drive are still closed.<\/p>\n

THIS site in the campground was rather interesting…. It appeared to be right on the edge of a steep drop-off, so I sure hope that campers use their flashlights or lanterns when they’re stoking the campfire or going to their picnic table!<\/p>\n

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We went to the visitor’s center, and as we were walking around outside, I kept hearing a Bluebird. \u00a0I was finally able to spot it in a distant tree and get a half-decent picture.<\/p>\n

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After leaving Big Meadows, we continued north on the Skyline Drive, stopping frequently to take pictures. \u00a0The first picture below is the west side of Old Rag Mountain, and the second picture is of Crescent Rock.<\/p>\n

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At the Crescent Rock overlook:<\/p>\n

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Because the Skyline Drive is\u00a0on the very top of a mountain, there are views to the west of the Shenandoah Valley, as well as to the east. \u00a0Both directions offer nice views.<\/p>\n

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There’s a short tunnel<\/a> a little further north, as well as an overlook. \u00a0It was a nice spot to pause for a bit and count our blessings.<\/p>\n

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