travel – Page 30 – ToadMama.com

August 13, 2014August 13, 2014

Riding the Quicksburg Loop

Now that I’ve told you all about and shared pics from my recent road trip to the Shenandoah Caverns complex in Quicksburg, Virginia, I figure it’s about time that I tell you about the ride.

After all, destinations aren’t usually the reason we go for rides. The ride itself is usually the motivation. Fun destinations/stops are icing on the proverbial cake.

My recent trip was no exception. I kid you not, it started out with my wanting to get some breakfast. Soon enough it morphed into a 144-mile loop ride through some downright pretty country. (Wanna see the Google map?)

I’ll never forget seeing this sign for the first time. It was actually near the highest point of the road through the gap. It unnerved me a bit, but we didn’t have any trouble.

US-211 is an old road. It wasn’t built for speed. The curves can be a bit challenging, especially if you aren’t anticipating the radius to change mid-curve like it does on several of the turns.

It still tickles me to know we’re so close to SNP, home of Skyline Drive. Among other things. Skyline Drive is a pretty road, but it has a 35 m.p.h. speed limit, which is hard to maintain. It can sometimes be crowded, too, so I don’t use the drive often. There are plenty of other great roads in the vicinity, though.

I took a sorta direct route from Luray, where I ate breakfast, to Quicksburg, which is where the Shenandoah Caverns complex is located.

Since I had actually remembered to charge the GoPro, I wore it. I used some of the pics captured along the way to create a slideshow, shared later in this post. I didn’t include the piece of US-211 that crosses Thornton Gap and Skyline Drive since I’ve shared that road several times previously. (If you REALLY want to see that road, click on this video link and jump to the 2:00 mark.)

But first… here are a few other pics I wanted to share.

It was starting to sprinkle a bit as I got close to Edinburg, VA on US-11. And the sky to the east, which of course is where I was headed, looked quite ominous.

When I saw this fishing shop, which is owned in part by a guy who fostered our first dog, I decided to stop and pay him a visit.

I JUST missed seeing the guy, of course. But, by the time I got back outside, it had stopped raining. A quick check of the radar (what did we EVER do before mobile phone weather apps?) led me to believe I’d be following the storm. And since it was quite warm and humid, I opted not to don the rain gear.

Sounds like a sure way to get wet, right? I actually got very lucky and, quite literally, followed the storm most of the way home. The 10-degree temperature change in the wake of the storm felt delightful.

Eastbound on Edinburg Gap Road toward Fort Valley

Fort Valley is a geographically interesting place. As the terrain map shared below shows, it is a valley within a valley. The wider Shenandoah Valley includes the Massanutten Mountain range (between the north and south forks of the Shenandoah River). Fort Valley is a valley within the Massanutten Mountain range.

I think it looks cool on the terrain map. We actually considered living there at one point. It’s really very picturesque. But there’s no wired Internet access, which we need, and we didn’t like the fact that there are only two ways to get into or out of the valley by road, either at Edinburg Gap on the southwestern side or at the northeast head of the valley.

Fort Valley Map... the red arrows show points of egress — Fort Valley Map… the red arrows show points of egress

After exiting at the valley’s north end, I headed east toward US-340. I did not expect to see this as I traversed the mountain…

Seemed like an odd place for a jet airplane.

Quick pit stop at the Merry Moo Market in Flint Hill.

Slave quarters, circa mid-1800s, at Ben Venue, Virginia. If you would like to read more about the property, click here.

And, finally, that slideshow I promised you. There’s music, and it isn’t great, so you may want to hit that ole mute button before you watch.

The first nine slides are on US-211 heading west from Warrenton, VA. The rest of the slides are between Quicksburg (Shenandoah Caverns) and the Elizabeth Furnace Recreation Area on Fort Valley Road (678).

Weather-permitting, we’ll probably do some two-wheeled exploring this weekend. Exploring which is LONG overdue.

August 12, 2014August 12, 2014

The Yellow Barn

If you’ve been following my last few posts, you’ll know this is a continuation of my recent fun visit to the Shenandoah Caverns complex in Quicksburg, Virginia. If you haven’t been reading my blog recently, be sure to see the previous post when you are through here. Assuming you enjoyed this post, of course. The post before that one describes my trip to the caverns and introduces you to the giant frog mentioned later in this post.

Anyway, continuing the visit story…

Once I’d finished immersing myself in parade relics at the American Celebration on Parade (ACOP) building, I went back across the road to see The Yellow Barn at Shenandoah Caverns. I’d only planned on visiting the parade building, but how could I NOT investigate the big yellow barn with a giant frog in out front?

According to the Web site, The Yellow Barn (TYB) is Shenandoah Valley’s “…newest attraction and entertainment venue. It offers visitors a whimsical look at our agricultural heritage and rural life with historical displays that include restored antique farm wagons, equipment, carriages and vehicles.” That sort of makes it sound like it was built for that purpose. But you want to know what I think? I strongly suspect it was built to house the overflow from the owner’s super-cool collection of parade artifacts. Calling it an “entertainment venue” justifies its existence. Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

Where ACOP was on the dark side, lighting-wise, and crammed full of some things that could maybe scare little ones (if they’re the gentler sort who are creeped-out by clowns, Santa, the Easter Bunny, etc.), TYB is bright, airy, and jammed pack with cuteness.

TYB’s Web site summarizes the building’s contents as such:

Exhibits ranging from a 25-foot-long tobacco press to horse drawn wagons to early 20th-century tractors to a Model T Depot Hack once used to pick up passengers at the railroad station fill the 15,000-square-foot space. A 35-foot-tall treehouse sits inside one end of the building and is home to a family of five-foot-tall squirrels.

I guess you could call the exhibits educational. I just call them delightful.

After passing through the building’s lobby and entering the exhibit hall, I was amazed by the sheer volume of stuff displayed.

My cuteometer must have been firing because the first centerpiece exhibit I was drawn to was that squirrel treehouse mentioned above.

Let’s call the Mama “Granny T’ and the Dad “Papa John.”

Just like at the ACOP building, I had to take my time and really look to see all of the delights tucked around the building.

Speaking of bees… this guy was there, too.

I thought he looked a bit creepy. All I could think of when I saw him was that movie, The Fly, with Jeff Goldblum.

There was a real beehive, too. I even captured a video for you. It’s very short, and might make you feel a bit buggy.

There were some cool ants, too.

Here are some cute donkeys.

Do you see a face when you look at this tractor?

And that’s what I saw inside of The Yellow Barn.

Do you love the squirrelly treehouse as much as I did?

August 7, 2014August 7, 2014

Breakfast and Then Some

The other morning, I had some time on my hands. The weather outlook for the day was decent, so I decided to go for a ride.

It was about 6:30 when that decision was made. Naturally, breakfast was on my mind. And since I really, really like Hardee’s breakfast biscuits, but there are no Hardee’s in the immediate vicinity, I googled Hardee’s locations near me. I opted for the one in Luray, Virginia. It’s not the closest, but it was opposite the direction I’d traveled on a couple recent rides.

Now, I admit, 43.6 miles would be too far to go for a simple, fast-food breakfast if I was in a hurry and/or had to turn around and come right back. But it makes a perfect pit-stop for a loop ride. In my opinion.

Which meant I had to define the rest of the loop.

I’m a map person. I love reading maps and plotting routes. Google makes it so easy, too, telling you how far you’ll be traveling and how much time your route may require.

Here’s a link to the actual Google map of the route I ended up plotting.

At some point, I started wondering if there was anything interesting in that area to see. That’s when I remembered “the parade thing” at Shenandoah Caverns. I’d read about it years before, but had never managed to visit. Hubby isn’t quite as interested in roadside oddities as I am. And some of the stuff I consider to be fun, he just thinks is dumb.

“Why would anyone collect old parade stuff?” he said when I got home and told him what I’d seen.

As it turns out, there’s a good reason. The guy who owns Shenandoah Caverns, Earl Hargrove, also owns a company (Hargrove, Inc.) that has been making parade floats for many years. He’s purchased quite a few floats from famous parades, too. And he thought it would be cool to share his collection.

But I’m getting ahead of myself…

After I got dressed, I walked into Hubby’s office. He looked at me and said, “Are you going for a ride?”

Wonder what gave him that idea? I was wearing my black, Under Armour, capri-length pants, black over-the-calf socks, and my lucky t-shirt.

It was a gift from my mother-in-law. She prays a lot, so I figure the shirt must be lucky, right?

Plus, it’s covered in toads.

I didn’t mention that the route took me across US-211 and Thornton Gap. That’s a road I’ve mentioned here before.

Usually, it’s clogged with cars and other vehicles. That day, I didn’t encounter one pokey vehicle until I’d reached the top. At a point where I had plenty of room to pass.

How awesome is it that we live so close to Shenandoah National Park?

I did get stuck behind a roll-back tow truck on the way down, which was carrying a full-size, smashed-up pick-up truck and pulling a van. It was CREEPING down the mountain. Luckily I was able to pass him, too.

Soon after that, I was at Hardee’s.

After enjoying a leisurely breakfast, I was on my way.

Since I was still headed west on US-211, I got to cross the New Market Gap, too. It’s not as nice or as long as Thornton Gap, but does have some good curves, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

My next stop was only about 20 miles from Hardee’s, so I got there in no time.

You’ll never guess what I saw when I arrived…

I almost didn’t believe it myself. And, yes, I did squeal loudly with delight after laying eyes upon this adorable behemoth.

giant frog2 — It doesn’t get much cooler than that.

The big green guy isn’t actually at the parade place — American Celebration on Parade. It’s across the road at another part of the caverns complex.

Just seeing the giant frog would have made the whole trip worthwhile. Really.

frog_selfie — ToadMama and Frog Together

But there was so much more to see. I decided to keep my helmet on and re-visit Mr. Frog more closely after viewing the parade exhibits.

I do have more images to share, but I’ll save them for the next post.

It was SUCH a fun place. 🙂

July 31, 2014July 31, 2014

Birthday Lunch

Seventy-six years ago yesterday, my Dad was born. As luck would have it, I was able to finagle a day out of the office and ride to Pennsylvania for a lunch-time celebration.

I was tickled to be able to spend the day with him. For months, I’ve been wanting to go up for a visit. Timing just hadn’t worked out. What with all the stuff I’ve had going on lately — nothing bad, just busy — and his part-time work schedule.

It’s so nice visiting in his “new” home. He’s been there a little over a year now. He’d moved from Pennsylvania, his boyhood home, to Baltimore in 1969. After Mom’s passing in 2012, it seemed like getting him back to the country was the right thing to do. It took until June of 2013 to make that happen, but it was worth the wait.

His new home is in the perfect location, a mobile home park surrounded by farmland, minutes away from the area where he grew up.

Now, he can sit on his large front porch, enjoying the breeze, watching Amish buggies ride by. Pure bliss.

The frogs belonged to his home’s former occupants, but I think he keeps them around for me.

Two of his sisters, Pearl and Bertha, live in the same mobile home community. They joined us for a celebratory birthday lunch yesterday at Dad’s favorite restaurant, Gus’s Keystone Diner in Mount Joy.

L-R, Aunt Bertha, Aunt Pearl, Dad and Me

Gus’s doesn’t look like your typical diner, but, like most diners, it has an extensive menu and good, home-cooking-type food.

Pennsylvania Dutch-style home cooking that is. Note the “pig’s stomach” special. Ugh.

And that Chicken Pot Pie isn’t the stuff baked in crust that most of the world eats, it is boiled chicken pot pie. Essentially it’s very thick hand-cut noodles cooked in chicken broth with chunks of chicken and potatoes. Aunt Bertha asked Dad before he ordered whether he knew if Gus puts “carrots, peas, and that other crap” in his pot pie. She says they don’t belong in pot pie.

As much as I love peas and carrots, I have to agree. But Dad said it was good.

The aunts both got a ham steak.

Grilled Ham & Provolone on a Pretzel Roll

I had to chuckle when my sandwich arrived. It was heart-shaped. Can you see it?

I absolutely LOVE this red beet salad Gus’s serves. It is simply red beets, onion, and parsley in a sweetish red beet juice. YUM.

Lunch was delicious. The company was pretty good, too. Those three together are a hoot.

Dad took me on a little detour after lunch. The last couple times I went there, shortly after my arrival, he asked, “Did you see the tobacco?” Both times, my reply was, “I don’t know. I don’t know what tobacco looks like.”

Now I can say I know what tobacco looks like. I know where the field is, too, so I can be on the lookout on future trips. According to Dad and Aunt Bertha, those plants are ready to be harvested. Their parents farmed tobacco when Dad and Bertha were young.

I asked Aunt Bertha to take a picture of me near the cornfield so y’all could see how tall it is. The picture doesn’t do it justice, though. The scale is wrong. I bet that stuff is 12 feet tall!

Shortly after we got back to the house, I set off for home. On the way up, I took the fastest route. On the way home, since the weather was perfect, I took the scenic route.

On several occasions, I felt like I was riding through a corn tunnel.

My first stop was in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, the home of the Pickle Man Statue. He’s carved out of an old tree stump.

I sent Hubby a text while I was stopped. With the above selfie attached.

His reply cracked me up.

After that, I made my way home, meandering south and west along two-lane roads down through Pennsylvania, through Maryland, and finally into Virginia and then home.

I hope Dad enjoyed his birthday as much as I did. 🙂

July 27, 2014July 27, 2014

Our Last Day in Texas

Sunday was our last day in Texas. Sunday a month ago, that is. I’m behind as usual.

Our flight was scheduled to leave Austin around 3:30. So we had a bit of time to explore more of Texas. I plotted a route for us that meandered through Hill Country. But first we did a bit of interstate so we could visit Buc-ee’s in New Braunfels, billed on RoadsideAmerica.com as the world’s largest convenience store.

World's Largest Convenience Store — World’s Largest Convenience Store

It really was BIG. I’ve never seen so many gas pumps in one place.

Because everyone needs a tube for their beaver…

A friend of mine said river tubing is quite popular in that part of Texas.

It was a bustling place.

I had to get a selfie, of course.

We drove past The Salt Lick BBQ on the way to Austin, but, sadly, it was closed.

Speaking of selfies…

I thought Hubby might enjoy seeing a bit more of Austin. We visited the Capitol building first. He had to see the pink granite building for himself. Don’t you agree?

According to the State Preservation Board’s Capitol Web site, the granite is red. But it sure looks pink to me. Not in a bad way, though.

Completed in 1888 as the winning design from a national competition, the Capitol’s style is Renaissance Revival, based on the architecture of 15th-century Italy and characterized by classical orders, round arches and symmetrical composition. The structural exterior walls are “sunset red” granite, quarried just 50 miles from the site. Additional structural support is provided by interior masonry walls and cast iron columns and wrought iron beams. The foundation is limestone.

It was a lovely, if hot, day. So we explored the grounds a bit.

The floor design is more impressive when you realize it’s all done with inlaid stone.

We wandered around the inside a bit, admiring the architectural details of the place.

Back outside, we admired the building’s facade a bit more.

From there, it was off to Sixth Street, which is apparently THE place in Austin for fun.

I’d been to Sixth Street on one of my earlier visits to Austin in 2012. But I’d only gone for dinner, and hadn’t had a chance to explore.

There were lots of fun shops, bars, and restaurants, and it was past lunchtime, but we were waiting to eat at the airport. In fact, I was downright looking forward to some airport food.

But first…

We HAD to go see this guy, named Bevo. I’d missed it on my previous trip, and it was just blocks away from where we’d parked on Sixth Street.

After that, we were off to the airport.

That’s why I was excited about eating at the airport. It’s where our love affair with Salt Lick BBQ Sauce began.

Of course, you can’t buy Salt Lick sauce locally in Virginia. But it’s really, REALLY good, so we get it shipped in special.

Hubby and I both were in pulled pork heaven. He’s been digging the sauce for a couple of years now, but to experience the sauce atop The Salt Lick’s own slow-smoked pulled pork took it to a whole ‘nother level. Really.

I know it’s just food, but man, is that stuff ever delicious.

That’s what I call ending a fun-filled trip on a really high note.

Texas is such a big state. We’ve only seen a small part of it. I think Hubby and I will have to go back and see more of Texas one day…

July 20, 2014

A San Antonio Saturday

As promised in my last post from our recent work-plus-fun trip to Texas, here are some of my pics from downtown San Antonio.

It really is true that Hubby and I don’t usually vacation in cities. We actually tend to avoid cities. So why go to San Antonio when there’s so much other stuff and places in Texas we could have explored?

Before we were married, Hubby had spent a lot of time in San Antonio, as he played a pretty big role in the design of the Marriott Rivercenter hotel. For those who don’t know, he is a plumbing engineer. Architects design buildings, he is responsible for designing the plumbing systems that make the buildings function.

He enjoyed his visits to San Antonio, but had never really done the touristy thing while there. In fact, since he was a single father with two young daughters, he didn’t have much extra time to linger and usually flew down and back in the same day. And he’d never seen the completed project.

He was quite excited to see “his” hotel.

Hubby in front of the Marriott River Center.

We don’t usually stay in big, fancy hotels. We’re more mid-range-accomodation types. But we decided to make an exception for this trip.

Hubby’s first time entering the completed hotel.

It really is a gorgeous property. The hotel’s web site describes it as:

…Marriott Rivercenter, a magnificent 38 story hotel on the River Walk…just steps away from the world famous San Antonio Riverwalk, premier shopping, dining and entertainment destination.

The River Walk is rather interesting. The “river” is actually a flood bypass channel. In the late 1930s, folks began to realize that having a sort-of-river that meandered through their city was kinda cool. The River Walk was born. Slowly but surely over the years, the River Walk became a park, and a garden, and, today, is reported to be the number one tourist attraction in Texas. (If you want to know more, you can visit the River Walk web site.)

Hubby e-mailing some “look where I am” pictures to his former colleague.

The park is situated below street level, which is sorta cool. Especially if you know nothing about the city and just happen to be exploring its streets.

If there’s one thing I do love about cities, it’s all of the colors, angles, and textures you see.

Have I mentioned that it was HOT in San Antonio that day? The heat isn’t unusual. I mean, latitude-wise, San Antonio is further south than New Orleans. But it was also humid, which made it gross. There was a breeze, so the air wasn’t nearly as thick as it could have been. But it was uncomfortable. Especially for someone like me who hates sticky heat.

We decided to find a place for lunch. We used our Yelp apps, as we usually do when exploring new places, and settled on Schilo’s Deli, which had a four-star review.

Unfortunately, the rating was wrong. We were completely underwhelmed by the food. The root beer was cool and the interior was nice and kitschy, which I loved. But the food was nothing to write home about. It was completely mediocre. We did, however, really enjoy the air conditioning.

After lunch, we settled back into tourist mode and headed over to the Tower of the Americas.

We took a short-cut through the convention center.

There was an AAPIO convention under way.

The Tower of the America’s is a lot like Seattle’s Space Needle. Except it’s not as ridiculously expensive.

The view from the top — the tower is 750 feet tall — was nice.

Me with Hubby’s hotel in the background.

Methinks that’s a church of some historic significance.

Just like the Space Needle, there’s an outside observation deck that was REALLY windy. It was much warmer than it was when we visited Seattle in February.

This next series of shots shows what Hubby looked like in the wind.

marshmallow — The Stay-puff Marshmallow Man!

After we enjoyed the view for a bit, we headed back to the hotel. By then, it was late enough in the day that we could check in.

Close-up of that church from street level.

The view from our room on the 22nd floor.

Seemed like a good time for some rest and relaxation.

I’ll close with this selfie captured later in the day as we headed out for dinner.

The final post from Texas will be shared one day…