Charlottesville, VA

Occasionally, I get frustrated with Blogger and consider canning the blog. But it isn't only about telling everyone what we are doing. We started it to keep friends and family posted. The whole process of sitting down to do the blog has become its own part of our endeavor. It is more of a hobby, much like when I used to quilt.

When we first started traveling with my job, we both kept journals. On occasion we would sit down and read each other's. It was fun to see how the other person saw the day. We would write down thoughts of  our days in email to our families.

Now after our days of exploring, we sit down and go through our pictures. We talk about the day and how we would have forgotten moments that we don't necessarily post about. As we write the short tales of our days, new memories come back.

I am not a writer. As a nurse before computers, we seldom used full words much less sentences.  It can be intimidating but fulfilling when we get to interact with people that read along. It looks like we will keep up the process. We do enjoy your thoughts and comments.

On to Charlottesville. VA and the rest of our time here.

Carter's Mountain Orchard

This orchard is high on the mountain overlooking the beautiful valley that Monticello also overlooks. There are vineyards, apples and peaches growing on the hillside. We headed up in the morning and spent some time walking the paths among the trees after the Saturday morning 5 K completed.

We listened to music as we tasted our flight of hard cider along with a cider donut. I don't usually like donuts. But I chowed down on this warm one.

We visited with a local gal as we sat overlooking the valley and talked about the area. She gave us some tips on places to hike.

Baby apples

Baby peaches

 After our morning on the mountain, we headed into Charlottesville to check out the University of Virginia. Thomas Jefferson was the founder and that was the theme of the day. We parked near the visitor's center and took the free in town trolley to the university.

The rotunda was designed by Thomas Jefferson. (I find myself wanting to call him TJ but that would be disrespectful. He was the President after all.)

It is definitely an impressive place with all of the old architecture.

Then we headed over to the Special Collection building to see the Declaration of Independence exhibit.

 University chapel from 1889 with the original lead windows



Most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence suffered great losses in family and fortune as they were singled out and targeted by the British. Thomas Jefferson at the time said that he felt like he was placing a noose around his neck as he signed. If the war had turned out differently, that would have been a death sentence.

There was also an exhibit on William Falkner in another section of the building. Our heads were getting full of information. After spending some time looking over his life story and work, we were ready to get back to our little home. I wish I could go on and on. But sometimes it is good to call it a day.

The downtown pedestrian mall

Our last morning, we took a walk along the Monticello Trail. The trees were a great relief from the sun and increasing temps.

Tulip poplar log

We took Carter's Overlook Trail after walking the 2 miles of the Monticello Trail  through some red mud from all of the rain recently.

If you are reading this part, you will see that blogger once again published before I got a chance to finish and do correcting.  Very frustrating but maybe a challenge to continue to undertake.



Blue ridge Parkway and Floyd, VA

If you have been finding some of my posts that are published and are a mess, Blogger and I are having issues. Hopefully, I can quit hitting enter when I shouldn't.

We had a change in plans making our drive of 50 miles in 3 hours. The pollen has been very high after all of the rain. I woke up and realized I needed to get some medical help as we left Fries. Galax had an urgent care that fixed me up with a shot in the hip of steroids. We headed on to the CVS Pharmacy in Hillsville for the prescription. The drive to Daddy Rabbit's Campground was on narrow winding roads. The Blue Ridge Parkway campground hadn't opened yet.

The tourist season doesn't start until Memorial weekend. We were the only people in the campground that had  no internet. We are finding that Sprint's 1% less coverage than Verizon has been in most of the places we have been visiting. We do get a certain amount of roaming on our plan. Even when we go over that amount, the amount of roaming we use isn't as expensive as the extra $100 we are saving with Sprint.

Blue Ridge Parkway, Rocky Knob Trail

We woke to heavy rain but got ready to hit the Blue Ridge Parkway and do some hiking. We chose the Rock Knob Trail which was 3 miles. We thought a short loop was a good plan with the sprinkles and potential for the return of the heavy rain.

The clouds in the valleys were eerie at times.

Mabry's Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Mabry Mill was originally constructed in 1905 and was in operation by 1908 and was used by many in the region who brought their corn to be ground.

The mill had a lack of water power, earning it a reputation as a "slow mill," but because of this, the mill would not grind too fast or scorch the corn, which resulted in the Mabry's mill being known for producing some of the finest tasting corn meal in the region.

Ed would eventually construct a sawmill and woodworking shop alongside the grist mill, and a number of the tools he used in the shop were powered by the waterwheel. He would also go on to build a nearby blacksmith shop.

The mill still stands as a unique symbol of the region's heritage and has attracted visitors from around the world.



Used to haul logs



Kettle to make soap

Floyd, VA

The Floyd Country Store is renowned as a place to experience authentic Appalachian music, and is home to a group of musicians, flatfoot dancers, and cloggers who are carrying on the tradition of their families who’d pass the time playing music and dancing together. Everywhere they could these folks would gather with their friends and families from their front porch to the neighbor’s kitchen. In the 1980’s Folks in Floyd took to coming out to the General Store and began the Friday Night Jamboree tradition that continues today.

Over the years the store has played a central role in the Floyd community, as a supplier of all kinds of merchandise, and as a community meeting place where folks would gather round the wood stove to exchange stories and the local gossip. In the early 1980’s, when it was known as Cockerham’s General Store, it took on another role. Two of the store’s former owners were in a local bluegrass band that gathered at the store most every Friday night for a practice session. People passing by would knock on the doors, asking to be let inside so they could better hear the music.



My picture of the musicians was blurred but picture people singing and playing while we shared a slice of apple pie.

Pretty soon, the band got tired of being interrupted every few minutes to let someone else in the store, and so they just left the doors open. As the crowds grew, other musicians came to join the fun. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Rock Castle Gorge Trail

The camp host had suggested this hike on CCC Camp Lane and gave us good directions. It turned out that this trail was the lower section of part of the trail we had done on the previous day but in the valley.

  We had hiked the upper trail the previous day and walked the lower section with a climbing hill for 5.5 miles round trip. I like the downhill on the way home. We did each find a tick on our long sleeved shirts even with Off on us. That just gives me the willies.

The Magnolia Trees were blossoming.

Old homestead chimney along Rock Creek Trail

Austin House beside Rock Castle Creek.



We have run across several of these black snakes (some people call them rat snakes) since we were in Mississippi. This time we got a picture. Yuk!

You have to love a place called Tuggle's Gap

Swallowtail butterflies were flying all around us as we walked. 

Floyd and the Blue Ridge Parkway were both treats for us. We weren't far from the city of Roanoke but felt a million miles away.