What a day in the mountains!

I spent today in the mountains of central Virginia.  I'm not a great driver in the mountains, so this was a real test for me.  But I needed the practice because I have some REALLY BIG mountains coming up later in my journey.  In Virginia's mountains, there's lots of stuff to see and do.

I'm the one on the left...LOL

My first stop was at Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello.  A docent named Brandon gave us a whale of a tour of the 200+ year old home, which is a national historic site.  I saw Jefferson's Indian memorabilia, his library (he gave most of his books to start the Library of Congress), some of his inventions, and his beautifully decorated, totally functional home.

Some school kids get their picture made on the front steps

The next stop was the Walton's Mountain Museum in Scuyler.  The creator of The Waltons, Earl Hamner, was raised here.  The small schoolhouse where he graduated is basically across the street from his home; it has been transformed into a Waltons museum.  I saw a 30-minute film narrated by the actors from the series, then toured rooms set up like their TV kitchen, living room, John-Boy's bedroom, and Ike Godsey's store.  There was even a locally-confiscated still in the room devoted to the Baldwin Sisters!  The elderly lady who took up the money showed me some newspaper clippings on the walls that told about Hamner's life, the TV series, and the opening of the museum in 1992.  It was an off-the-beaten-path trip that I'm glad I took today.

Earl Hamner birthplace,
across the street from the school/museum

Copy of John-Boy's bedroom.  John-Boy was based on Earl Hamner himself, and Earl did the narration each episode.

I then visited Staunton, Virginia, home of the country music legends The Statler Brothers.  Though their museum has long closed, I was able to see the monument to them in the old downtown area.

There's a stool for each of the Statlers.
Since they weren't around, I took a break on one.  Not very comfortable.

After mailing a postcard to my niece at the Staunton post office, I drove to the Shenandoah National Park, where I took the Skyline Drive.  This is a 105-mile highway IN THE CLOUDS!  The speed limit is only 35, the overlooks pop up regularly, and the views are ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING!!

The views along Skyline Drive range from 1900 to 3500 feet.
In places, you can see for 40-50 miles!

Lots of deer that aren't scared easily.  I even saw a baby BEAR scamper across the road!!

Richmond, Virginia

I passed through North Carolina and into Virginia today.  In Richmond, the state capital which also served as the capital of the Confederate States of America, I visited the Museum of the Confederacy.  There were a lot of neat exhibits, such as flags, uniforms, and a campsite that was set up with things that belonged to Robert E. Lee.  Next door to the Museum is the Confederate White House, the home of Jefferson Davis while he served as CSA President.








Virginia is the "Cradle of Presidents."  More United States Presidents were born there than any other state.  When I visited Hollywood Cemetery about a mile from the Museum, I saw the graves of two US Presidents, James Monroe and John Tyler.  Monroe's grave was a cage-looking mausoleum, and Tyler's obelisk and bust were only about 10 yards away.  Since Richmond was the heart of the Confederacy, there are a huge number of Confederate graves there, including those of Jefferson Davis and his family.  This cemetery, which is very hilly, has remarkable hillside views of the James River and downtown Richmond.

From Pedro to Market House -- The Carolinas

Spent the bigger part of the day driving across South Carolina.  

Just before crossing the North Carolina line, stopped at the long-time tourist trap known as "South of the Border."  I couldn't resist after all those funny billboards along I-95.  Found a geocache on the pedestrian bridge, then snapped this photo of Pedro.

I spent the evening in Fayetteville, North Carolina, a big military town with Fort Bragg nearby.  The old downtown area has some historic buildings, the most significant of which is the Market House.  Built in 1832-33, the structure's upper level was the town hall, while the bottom level served as an open-air market until 1906.  There was a skirmish around the building as Sherman's army moved through the area late in the Civil War.  Today, the Market House sits in the middle of a roundabout on the east end of old downtown, and it is still used as a meeting place.