Shenandoah National Park

After we got to see black bears for the first time we decided that we should take advantage of our new purchase yesterday – the National Park Annual Pass. We bought the annual pass for $80.00 and after visiting Shenandoah National Park the last few days we already have received $30.00 in benefit by having the pass. Now we are not big history buffs or museum types so we have passed by some of these National Parks in the past since it wasn’t worth the expense to see them. With our annual pass they are sort of “free” since entry is covered with the pass so we may not pass all of them without visiting like we have before.

We were supposed to go to Washington DC this day but my bride decided that she wasn’t all that keen about fighting traffic and throngs of people on such a hot day.Instead we decided to drive the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. With a lunch packed we headed off to Luray, VA and drove into the Park from there.

Once inside the park we headed south for about 15 miles to the mile marker 55 or so and then did a U-turn and headed north to Front Royal VA. If you haven’t driven this stretch of road you must do so… the scenic turnouts with views that last forever along with the assorted trails and picnic areas make for a splendid day.

The next day found us going to the Camping World just north of us to purchase a 30 amp to 15 amp adapter so we can stay at our friends farm on the other side of the mountains from here in Toms Brook, VA. They are coming to the farm on Monday from their home in Norfolk, Virginia and we hope to meet up with them for a day or two or three… We met these wonderful people while we were in Key West and they insisted we visit the farm when we came through this area.

So we drove over the other side of the mountains and checked out the roads and conditions to see if we should take our 37’ long and 10’ wide home there. The road conditions are not the best but look very doable so more than likely we will be boondocking near their farm for a bit while we plan our northern trek out more.

Tomorrow it is off to see our friends …

P.S. Some have asked about this park and I can say the park itself is wonderful… 50 amps, water, no sewer with fairly level gravel pads, picnic tables, and lantern poles. Each site has an additional tent pad beside them and the sites are large and spaced far apart. Nice hike and bike trails and close enough to civilization. We stayed in the upper loop that has better views of the mountains while the lower loop is near the Shenandoah River. The down side is there is no Verizon signal here and for us that means no internet. They do have internet at the Park Office so we go up there in the morning and evenings to get on line for a bit.