In the past two weeks, my husband, his brother and I have put on more than 1500 miles in gorgeous, historic Virginia. What a pleasure to be riding on Route 10 to Surry to take the ferry over to Yorktown, past Williamsburg and stop at a tavern for crab cakes on the Chesapeake Bay in Jamestown. Situated on the Virginia Peninsula, Historic Jamestown and the Yorktown Battlefields are connected by the 23 mile scenic Colonial Parkway. Green Spring, the 17th century plantation home of Virginia's colonial governor, Sir William Berkeley, and the Cape Henry Memorial, which marks the approximate site of the first landing of the Jamestown colonists on the Atlantic Coast in April of 1607 are right there. The Colonial Parkway shows a variety of natural resources including extensive wetlands, forest, fields, shorelines and streams, as well as rare, threatened and endangered plants and animals.
Then return home via route 5 with glimpses of the James River plantations on the way by. With all the leaf cover this time of year, you really got to be looking but you drive right by Bacon’s Castle, built in 1665, Chippokes Plantation, 1854, North Bend Plantation, 1819, Piney Grove at Southall’s Plantation, 1790, Sherwood Forest, home of President John Tyler, Shirley Plantation, Virginia’s first plantation 1613, Smith Fort Plantation, part of the original lands deeded to Pocahontas by her father Powhatan, and Westover, build 1730.
We spent five wonderful days on the Blue Ridge Parkway, sometimes called "America's Favorite Drive". When you are there, you know why. A drive down the Parkway provides stunning, long range vistas and close-up looks at the natural and cultural history of the southern Appalachian Mountains. It is designed as a drive-awhile and stop-awhile experience. Wildlife is a delight to see along the parkway. When the sun is high, groundhogs sit erect and chipmunks and squirrels chitter and chatter. Whitetail deer are present but seldom more than a glimpse is seen. The many varied songs of hundreds of kinds of birds are a delight.
At only one stop, the Peaks of Otter, the motor road follows the crest of the ridge into the Peaks area. In the valley formed by Sharp Top, Flat Top and Harkening Hill, there is a lodge and restaurant, visitor center, campground, picnic area and historic farm. The beautiful view from Buena Vista overlook offers a look at the mountain town of Buena Vista. Around you see the magnificent mountains rising straight up from the valley below. The green valley extends as far as your eyes can see.
The temperatures are several degrees cooler on the mountain, so in the intense heat we have been experiencing, it is a favored destination.
Attached is a picture of Tim, my husband’s brother racing by us at one of the stops ----- We named this pic “See Ya!” You can see the next curve just ahead of him. What an absolute blast.
Sorry, flhtcse2004, we knew we were in your stomping grounds, but we were selfishly keeping to ourselves to not miss one moment of Tim's visit. He had never been to see us in more than 20 years of our being together and we didn't want to share even a moment. [smiley=laugh.gif]Tim loves to ride motorcycles, has been riding since he was barely 13, and just does not have the luxury of owning such motorcycles as we are used to riding. So when we had an extra in the garage for him, Oh Yeah Baby! was he excited! And he tends to go on 20 - 40 mile rides at his home, so don't you think he thought he had died and gone to motorcycle heaven to have two whole weeks vacation, an older brother who likes to put on some miles and destinations like we have here to head for. He went home a very happy man. We are left here a little bit sad.
Next time we will be calling, and if any of you are in the south Richmond, VA neck of the woods and don't mind riding 300 - 450 miles a day, give us a ring. We've definately got some nice roads mapped out. [smiley=xyxthumbs.gif]
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Topic: Gorgeous Historic Virginia (Read 8175 times)