August 11th through 24th, 2024
We'd been slowly cruising north along the Atlantic coastline from Key West up to Williamsburg, Virginia. It had been hot and muggy all summer, but we were happily used to it. The next leg of our 2024 journey had us turning away from the shores and into the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
We often find ourselves stopping at a National Park or other location on the way to our next destination, even though we are 72 total feet in length, and it makes things interesting. Sometimes, it's just too far to that destination from either location we visit for a length of time, so we make do. This trip, we stopped at the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. This was especially significant because it's where the paperwork was signed to end the Civil War. Did you know "Appomattox Court House" was the name of the town and not a building? Did you know the document was signed at the McLean House and not in a government building? We didn't, either!
They have recreated a lot of the village, so there are buildings to wander through and re-enactments all through it. It was a gorgeous area, and we wandered through the magnolias with smiles on our faces. It was definitely a good stop.
The weather was cooler and drier after we got to our destination in the mountains, and we loved it right from the start. We're from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and the Blue Ridge Mountains are very different. They are lower, rounder and softer, and much greener. They're beautiful, but you can't take the Rockies out of the girl.
The campground was fun, too. We had a great location on a loop in the back. They had a big building with a bowling alley, restaurant, and arcade. There were two pools and lots of outdoor activities. We drove around and found there were even spots in the woods enough to feel like a state park. Very cool.
One of the main attractions was the Blue Ridge Parkway, a winding road of 469 miles through green canopies and trees interspersed with big overlooks of the valleys below. We started almost at the northern end (we didn't go all the way to Shenendoah National Park this time) and accidentally went north instead of south (no cell service!). That meant our leisurely trip along part of the Parkway would end up taking a lot longer than expected. But we had an amazing time.
The next day we went a bit farther from home to visit a couple national parks, starting with Booker T Washington National Monument. We'd both learned about him in school but forgot most of it, so it was good to get a refresher. The main visitor center was closed for construction, but they let us watch a movie in their makeshift store. Outside, the buildings that would have been there at his birthplace were recreated. The walk through the grounds was lovely, where they had a few farm animals among the big trees.
We also visited the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park on the same day. We've visited so many battlefields that they're starting to run together, but this one was really well done. The museum and movie were both done well, and there was a big auto tour through the locations of the battles that we managed to start as they closed the gates behind us. We both really like the "drive through the woods" that we get from these parks sometimes.
Of course, the biggest event of the trip was Margot's birthday! Monica surprised her with a shuttle to take us to the New River (great name for one of the world's oldest rivers) on the big kayak. The water was clear, and the weather was perfect. It was just about the perfect day, though we saw a lot of trash in the river and on the shores (much of it looked quite old).
Monica had another surprise -- a rented pontoon to take on the massively long Claytor Lake for the day of Margot's actual birthday. We had Lacey with us this time and we loved cruising around and looking at the fancy lake houses. That evening, we went to the fanciest restaurant in Wytheville (there aren't many) and had a fantastic meal.
We were loving the area so much we tried to stay longer, but all of the sites were booked. We were so sad to leave Virginia! But we were headed for the Great Smoky Mountains, and we figured things were only getting better.
