We stopped at the first overlook on the Parkway to eat a quick breakfast that we’d picked up at a convenience store on the way. \u00a0We then continued south for a few more miles and turned right onto\u00a0Reids Gap Road.<\/p>\n
This narrow, curvy road offers some amazing views as it winds its way down the mountain to the Shenandoah Valley. We stopped to take this picture, and the ridges you see in the distance are the Allegheny Mountains, which are on the other side of the valley. (You can click on all of the pictures in this post for a larger view.)<\/p>\n
When we got to the bottom, we turned left<\/em> on Love Road (Rt. 814) when we actually should have turned right<\/em>. \u00a0Whoops! \u00a0Oh well, when we reached the Blue Ridge Parkway again <\/em>(south of where we’d turned onto\u00a0Reids Gap Road), we simply turned around and drove back on Rt. 814 to Rt. 664, and then on\u00a0to Sherando Lake and Campground<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sherando Lake is truly a special place. \u00a0We camped there for the first time last September (pics from our camping trip are\u00a0here<\/a>), and we hope to camp there again sometime this summer.<\/p>\n Driving in, I wondered if I’d see my cousin, Mary, and her husband. \u00a0Sherando is their favorite campground, but when we drove through, checking all of the sites, we didn’t see them or their trailer. \u00a0I was surprised to see that a majority of the sites in the campground were vacant, but given the time of day, I guess most Memorial Day weekend campers\u00a0had already checked out and headed home.<\/p>\n The lack of campers in the campgrounds, however, was more than offset by the number of people at the lake and in the picnic areas! Since parking spaces were limited in\u00a0the beach area (and we didn’t plan to swim anyhow), we drove up to the dam above the lower lake. \u00a0You can see the beach at the far end.<\/p>\n We saw a large\u00a0bird flying high above the lake, and it appeared to be an osprey, even though I couldn’t get a clear shot. \u00a0Just recently, I’ve seen a few ospreys at other local lakes, so I guess it’s possible….<\/p>\n After leaving Sherando Lake, we headed north towards Lyndhurst, then\u00a0turned left on Howardsville Turnpike (Rt. 610) towards Stuarts Draft. \u00a0This is another pretty valley drive, and our next stop was at\u00a0Shenandoah Acres Family\u00a0Campground<\/a>.<\/p>\n I went to this lake with my parents when I was a kid, and when my sons were young, we spent a fun day there in the 1990s with some family friends. \u00a0In 2004, however, the lake was drained and the property was basically abandoned–for years. \u00a0Now, with new ownership and management, Shenandoah Acres is thriving again!\u00a0 The campground boasts close to 300 sites, and\u00a0we enjoyed driving around, looking at all of the different types of trailers and RVs. \u00a0Our favorite sites were in “The Loop.”<\/p>\n After touring the campground (our second of the day!), we drove towards The Cheese Shop<\/a>, which is also in Stuarts Draft. \u00a0Wayne has been there many times, but this was the first time for me, and I was so impressed with all of the spices, herbs, and non-GMO offerings they have.<\/p>\n We bought\u00a0an assortment of things–including some cheese–and as we walked out to the car, I had a nice episode of “coincidence”: \u00a0While I hadn’t seen the\u00a0cousin<\/em>\u00a0I’d been thinking about at the campground, my cousin’s daughter<\/em>, son-in-law, and grandchildren had just pulled in! \u00a0We had a nice, but brief, visit in\u00a0the parking lot. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Since it\u00a0seemed that “campgrounds” had become the day’s theme, we decided to\u00a0check out yet another one near\u00a0Staunton, VA. \u00a0We took scenic backroads from the Cheese Shop to Rt. 11.<\/p>\n The Staunton\/Walnut Hills KOA is a relatively small campground off Rt. 11 south of Staunton. \u00a0A couple of friends who’ve stayed there had told me about the ducks\u00a0that hang out near the lake, and sure enough, there were ducks everywhere. We especially liked sites 26-33 along the lake.<\/p>\n So after touring these three campgrounds (Sherando, Shenandoah Acres, and Walnut Hills), we talked about the things we liked about each one and where we’d like to try to go next with our trailer. \u00a0Sherando is still probably top on our list, but I think we’d enjoy Shenandoah Acres, too.<\/p>\n As we started for home on Rt. 250, Wayne asked if I’d like to stop at the overlook on Afton Mountain. \u00a0This is another favorite spot, which offers\u00a0beautiful views of the Rockfish Valley.<\/p>\n There was a gorgeous Airstream trailer parked at the overlook, towed\u00a0by a Jeep Grand Cherokee.<\/p>\n Very, very<\/em> nice set up…. \u00a0Yeah, a girl can dream….<\/p>\n When I looked at the sign on the back window of the trailer, however, I had a flash of “alternate reality” or whatever! \u00a0We’d been looking at campgrounds and trailers all day, and suddenly there “we” were! \u00a0WOW!<\/p>\n The trailer’s door was open and a woman was reading, sitting on a couch across from the door, so as\u00a0Wayne walked by, he said hello, and\u00a0the three of us ended up talking for a few minutes. Turns out her first<\/em> name is Barrett, and she laughed when I told her my last<\/em> name is Barrett–and that I’m an art teacher. \u00a0She said she’d be spending the next three days doing en plein air painting<\/em>, and I told her that our school has offered en plein air painting events for local artists. \u00a0Small, funny world. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n After we got home, I looked up her website, and it’s most impressive. \u00a0Check it out:\u00a0http:\/\/barrettedwards.com\/about<\/a><\/p>\n Pretty darned cool coincidental ending to our campground-themed day!<\/p>\n Here’s a map showing our route today, and you can click here<\/a> for an\u00a0interactive map:<\/p>\n We thought about working in the yard; we really did! \u00a0But with a basically sunny day–after so many rainy weekends–we decided to go for a drive, instead. We headed west on Rt. 250 and got on the Blue Ridge Parkway\u00a0at … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/art-rageous.net\/artrageousblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/01-ReidsGap-300x240.jpg\")
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