Blue Ridge Lunch

It’s Fall. My favorite time of year. The air is cool and the landscape is colorful. Notice I didn’t just say trees? The grasses and other ground plants change, too, which just makes for an even more-dramatic landscape.

Have I mentioned that I love Fall?

I planned a ride for Saturday. Hubby planned yesterday’s ride.

He’d mentioned on Friday that he wanted to go to Flint Hill for brunch on Sunday at Griffin Tavern and Restaurant, our go-to restaurant in that area.

I knew I wanted to go to Syria, which isn’t too far from Sperryville, so I thought we could eat at the Thornton River Grille. It’s got a 4-star Yelp! rating and we’ve never eaten there, so I figured it was about time.

Unfortunately, I forgot to factor in the leaf peepers. I also didn’t consider the Graves’ Mountain Apple Harvest Festival in Syria. (Only because I didn’t know of it.) We were mired in traffic in Syria for a bit as a result. Sperryville is very close to Shenandoah National Park, and was quite congested. And the Thornton River Grille was way too crowded (there was at least a 30-minute wait for a table), so we went to nearby Headmaster’s Pub, which has a 3.5-star Yelp! rating.

It was busy, too, but much smaller, so we thought we’d be okay. The food was good, but we had to wait a REALLY long time (about an hour after arriving) for our meal. Since we’d gotten so delayed, we nixed the second half of the route I’d planned, but did take the scenic route home.

Anyway… it was still a nice ride. Here are my favorite pics from around Syria, a lovely little spot just outside of Shenandoah National Park (SNP). For those who don’t know, SNP is the home of Skyline Drive, which is always extra-crowded at this time of year.

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CR-643/Etlan Road in-between Syria and Etlan, VA

 

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CR-643/Etlan Road in-between Syria and Etlan, VA

 

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CR-643/Etlan Road in-between Syria and Etlan, VA

 

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CR-643/Etlan Road in-between Syria and Etlan, VA

See why I wanted to go to Syria? It really is a pretty spot, especially in the Fall.

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VA-231/F.T. Valley Road, headed north toward Sperryille, VA

 

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Unknown location, but very pretty.

Sorry, but I can’t remember where that shot was taken. At one point, I started snapping pics with my point-and-shoot while riding.

Those pics are all from Saturday.

On Sunday, Hubby took the lead, so I decided to wear my helmet cam. Lucky for me, I’d remembered to charge the battery (for a change).

Here’s a slideshow for you. I added music, which you may or may not like, so be sure to check your volume before clicking play.


 

If I’m being honest, his route was nicer. Plus, we got to stop at the Griffin Tavern in Flint Hill for brunch.

Now I need to get rolling on today’s new, long, solo adventure.

6 Replies to “Blue Ridge Lunch”

  1. Beautiful, the landscape seems somewhat familiar to me. If it weren’t for the yellow road marks and the colour variety of the fall foliage, it could well be the Black Forest.

  2. You must love the fall since it is a reminder that winter is almost here! That’s the way I’ve felt for years, summers had to be endured and fall meant that winter was right around the corner…

    But I’m told that this is abnormal.

  3. Sonja, I think the Black Forest is like this area in that the hills are older (smooth and rounded as opposed to rocky and craggy). I’ll let you know once I’ve seen more of Germany just how similar they are. You don’t get this many colors in Germany? I’d miss that.

  4. Richard, I love Fall because of the colors. 🙂 And the cooler air. The heat of summer is definitely not for me. Looking THAT forward to winter may be a bit abnormal, but who is really to say what “normal” means?

  5. Brandy, I sometimes feel like I should pinch myself. I just had two of the most amazing days of riding. It’s simply gorgeous here right now.

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