Virginia – Page 17 – ToadMama.com

March 19, 2014

Whiteoak Canyon Picnic

This past weekend my friend, Brad, came for a visit. He arrived on Thursday evening, but had to entertain himself on Friday as I was working. Friday evening, he, Mike, and I went to our favorite local dining establishment — El Toro! — for a yummy dinner. Saturday, Brad and I left Hubby at home — he has a project going in his workshop — and went on a hike.

Brad slept in on Saturday, so I had plenty of time to research the right hike. I opted for Whiteoak Canyon. The guidebook described the trail, which provided access to Whiteoak Falls, as not too strenuous, but did warn that the hike back up to the trailhead was a bit steep in spots.

There’s nothing like a waterfall hike to make you realize just how badly out of shape you are!

We stopped at Safeway here in town for some picnic fare — cheese, sausage, a baguette, olives, peppadews, and water — and then drove out to the park. It’s quite convenient living just 35 miles from the park’s Thornton Gap Entrance.

Temperatures were in the upper 50s/low 60s on the trail, which, in my opinion, is perfect weather for a hike.

It’s still winter, so most of the trees are still bare. The big, dead tree (aka snag) I suspect is an Eastern Hemlock. According to the Virginia Department of Forestry, “Unfortunately, the hemlock woolly adelgid, an introduced insect, is taking a heavy toll on this species.” Sadly, there were quite a few snags in the forest.

Some of the deciduous trees were starting to bud.

I LOVE the sound of a fresh mountain stream.

After we’d walked a ways, we spotted a group of large boulders beside a pool, which made perfect seats for our picnic.

Downed tree full of Pileated Woodpecker holes.

It was also a good spot for some photos.

I’m not sure we ever made it to the lower falls. I’ll have to hit that trail again soon. Perhaps when the Mountain Laurel is in bloom.

By the time we’d finished eating, it was getting late. I wanted to show Brad a bit of Fauquier County and we still had to get home in time for dinner.

We exited the park at Thornton Gap, headed east toward Warrenton and then north on 522, through Flint Hill, to Hume Road. I was hoping the longhorns were out at the Marriott Ranch. They weren’t, but we did spot a small herd on Leeds Manor Road.

Of course, we had to stop for a closer look. And pictures.

After a brief bovine visit, we continued on.

It was a lovely, lovely day. Brad and I have known each other for 32 years. We don’t get to see each other nearly as often as we’d like. We’ll both treasure this weekend for a long time.

I hope you were able to get out and enjoy some nice weather, too. Barely 24 hours later, we were hit with yet another snowstorm that dumped 10 inches of the cold, wet, white stuff behind.

Come on Spring!

July 26, 2013

I Meet the Nicest People

Yesterday, the weather here in Warrenton was absolutely gorgeous. Around noon, it was still in the lows 70s with low humidity and few clouds in the sky. It would’ve been a crime not to take advantage of it, so I decided to take a slightly longer lunch and have me a bit of an adventure.

If you’re thinking something like “I knew she doesn’t really work all day,” you’re wrong. I work hard. But my schedule is sometimes flexible. I knew I’d be working late yesterday, so the extended lunch was completely justified.

One of Mom’s friends, Jill from Indiana, is coming to visit next week. Since the guest room is full of stuff out of Mike’s office (that’s for another post), I had to recommend some local hotels. There are several near town, but the place I would stay, which is about 30 minutes away, is The Inn at Fairfield Farm, an historic bed & breakfast located near the center of the 4,200-acre Marriott Ranch. Yes, that Marriott. It’s the only B&B in the Marriott portfolio.

I love that area. You have to take two of my favorite motorcycle roads (Leeds Manor and Hume Roads) to get there. I hadn’t been up there for a while, so that’s where I headed.

I did make a few quick stops along the way for some photos. It was SUCH a pretty day.

My first stop was the parking lot of the Providence Baptist Church at 7111 Leeds Manor Road in Orlean. I knew it was a great spot for a barn capture. Love that barn…

Apparently, a lot of people like the barn. A nice gentleman leaving the church said to me, “You won’t believe how many people photograph that barn.”

It was the kind of day only a fool could not love, so I decided a picnic was in order and stopped at the Orlean Market for provisions.

View from the market. One day, I’ll capture a sunset from this spot.

I didn’t have much time for dilly-dallying, so off I went.

There weren’t many cows out. And those I saw weren’t close enough for good pics. But I do love those Marriott barns with the mountains in the background.

There was a big shade tree on the lawn of the inn with a little outdoor sofa beneath. Looked like a good picnic spot to me. That shot above was taken close to there.

Now, it make look like I was MILES from home, but the ranch is only 25-30 minutes from OTW. I ate quickly, took one more pic (below) and then headed home.

This next shot was captured at one of my favorite spots along Leeds Manor Road… Wickland Farm. One of these days, I’ll actually have to stop there for a visit. And a closer look at the critters, of course.

Continuing south on Leeds Manor, I passed the Orlean Market again and then made a last-minute decision to stop at The Village Green, a cool, larger-than-it-looks gift/antiques/flower/painted furniture shop.

I’m so glad I did. It’s an awesome little place. Not little literally. I was surprised at how big it is on the inside.

As it happens, Sandy also owns the Orlean Market. I laughed when she told me that, then explained that I’d gotten my picnic lunch there. I think she said her son runs the market.

That’s where I met Sandy Gilliam (two syllables, pronounced like GILL UM), one of the owners. She was super-sweet, said I could take pictures, and even showed me around a bit. I told her I was rushed and would have to come back sometime.

Sandy has quite a few very nice pieces there. She carries both painted furniture and what she called “brown wood” (unpainted antiques). There are an awful lot of people who prefer stained wood over painted wood.

In addition to furniture, there’s lots of other stuff. I’ll do a better, more-detailed post after my next visit.

The folks behind Middleburg Photo captured a nice set of Orlean shots, which you can see HERE.

I really had to boogie, but I did capture one last pic, which makes me smile.

The second I saw a shelf full of concrete rats with a couple mice sprinkled in, I knew I had to have some. They remind me of one of my all-time favorite books, “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.” They look quite cute snuggled in my trunk for the journey home, don’t they?

The concrete critters and birdhouse are just a few of the items, made by local artisans, that Sandy carries.

I thoroughly enjoyed my impromptu lunch-time escape. I hope you liked the virtual tagalong.

Happy Friday!

July 16, 2013

Back in the Saddle

The weather has not been very cooperative here in the Northeast of late. Nice days, when it’s not raining on unbearably hot and humid, have been few and fare between. Even rarer are the days where nice weather and our freedom to squeeze a ride in coincide. Such is life, I guess.

This past weekend, I’d hoped to do surprise a weekend getaway. I even had a dog-sitter lined up. But then Hubby told me there was a work deadline looming, so he couldn’t afford to take the entire weekend or even a whole day. So we had to settle for a short ride.

The weather looked pretty good. But Thursday night into Friday, between 11 PM and about 6 AM, we got 6 to 7 inches of rain. I’m not exaggerating either.

By Saturday, the roads were dry enough. But there were washouts to consider, where gravel is pushed from the roadside — driveways especially — into the middle of the road.

Not a huge concern when traveling on four wheels, but a big deal for bikes. Straightaways aren’t so bad, as you can see it coming. But curvy roads with blind turns can become absolutely treacherous after a hard rain. It’s especially bad in the mountains. That’s why I decided to stick to the Piedmont. I planned a nice little 60-odd mile circuit on roads we hadn’t traveled, including a lunch stop at a place we’d never been. At least there were some elements of adventure involved.

I shared the map below in case you’d like to see our route.

View Kellys Ford Inn Lunch in a larger map

Our destination was to be The Inn at Kelly’s Ford. I’d never been, but I heard the food was good. And it looked to be a nice setting.

Of course, getting there is half the fun. I even remember the GoPro.

Cloudy sky, but no rain in the forecast til later in the day.

It turned out to be a major washout. The asphalt had heaved up at least 6 inches. We elected to circumnavigate that particular patch of road.

After turning around, we were stopped by another hopeful motorist.

"Is the road passable at all?" — “Is the road passable at all?”

Um, nope. That road won’t be open for quite a while, I believe.

DCIM100GOPRO — She wasn’t happy having to go around. Detours in the country are rarely short.

As it turns out, we weren’t supposed to have been on that road anyway. And once we turned around, we were back on track.

We did encounter some high water, but it was passable.

Safe to cross. I could clearly see the road.

Note to self… next time, go slower and lift your feet. (They only got a little damp.)

Passable high water. — Lovely country, no?

Soon enough, we arrived at our lunch spot. The collage shared below is actually a huge image, so if you click on it, you’ll get a much better look.

I hadn’t told Hubby about the place and he was worried we’d be under-dressed. But they have a lovely little pub on the lower-level in the back that I knew would be perfect for us.

I was tickled to see clam strips on the menu. My huge mound of fries was delivered moments later.

Photo 2(1) — Hubby opted for chicken tenders.

They do have a nice menu, we were both just in a fried food mood.

Both the Inn and Kelly’s Ford have historical significance. Follow those links if you’d like to learn more.

After lunch, we had about an hour’s ride to get home.

This is just such a pretty area.

Since it was warm, I decided a cooling stop was in order.

I opted for a huge Hawaiian Ice (snowball served in a cup). And Hubby chose the ice cream.

It was a cooling end to a lovely riding day.

July 9, 2013July 9, 2013

Daisy Days of Summer…

I’m a bit behind, but I’d still love to tell you about a fun event that happened in Old Town Warrenton on June 29. Billed as the “Daisy Days of Summer Shop Hop & Wine Tasting,” it was hosted by The Shops at Fifth & Main.

As described on their Facebook page…

The Shops at Fifth & Main is a project of The Fifth St. Coalition, an eclectic group of merchants who are convinced that by supporting and collaborating with one another, we create a dramatic opportunity for mutual success and a vibrantly local shopping experience for our customer community.

I have befriended many of the coalition merchants since moving here to OTW. They’re lovely people. I firmly believe that small businesses are what “makes” towns like ours so special, so I do what I can to support them. Whether it’s visiting their stores, making purchases, attending events, etc., I feel like they need all the support they can get. Plus, they are very cool places.

The Fifth Street Coalition was featured in the February 2013 issue (page 18) of Warrenton Lifestyle magazine. According to that article, which does make for an interesting read, one of their goals is to make OTW a destination spot for guests as well as a regular hangout for locals.

The Daisy Days of Summer event accomplished both. There were tons of visitors in town and locals like me had lots of fun.

I started off at Kelly Ann's Quilting. — I started off at Kelly Ann’s Quilting.

The theme for the Shop Hop was Daisies and the Roaring Twenties. Participating stores included The Red Thread, Great Harvest Bread Co., Latitudes Fair Trade, Kelly Ann’s Quilting, Tagaloo, Sherrie’s Stuff, The Empty Nest, and Ciao Bella Photography. Each store had one visiting winery, including Barrel Oak Winery, Capitol Vineyards, Notaviva Vineyards, Mediterranean Cellars, The Vineyards and Winery at Lost Creek, Gray Ghost Vineyards, Desert Rose Ranch and Winery, and Cobbler Mountain Cellars.

It was perfect for me as all shops are within easy walking distance of my house. It really was a good time. I was amazed by the great turnout, too. I didn’t realize it had been widely advertised.

Since I stopped taking photos about halfway through (I think the wine distracted me), I didn’t want to post a bunch of individual shop pics and have anyone feeling left out. So I shared that montage (above) instead.

I had to share two shots, though. The first is a very cute patriotic quilt, which is on display at KAQ.

Patriotic quilt at Kelly Ann's Quilting. — Patriotic quilt at Kelly Ann’s Quilting.

The next one is a shot of the interior hallway at Tagaloo. The web site describes Tagaloo as “Warrenton’s premier social, interactive and unique destination for creative minds.”

I’d never been inside before, and was delighted to see the charming space.

I am SO looking forward to the next Coalition event. I’ve heard rumors that it may be a Beer and Bacon Festival. How cool would that be? I’ll be sure to let you know once details are announced.

July 4, 2013July 4, 2013

Eyes Around Old Town Warrenton (OTW)

Yesterday was one of those days where, while working, I reached a point where I absolutely could NOT sit at my desk for another single second. Literally. I got all fidgety. Couldn’t sit still no matter how hard I tried. Could not concentrate.

I wasn’t sick. I’d just been staring at and comparing spreadsheet data for four straight hours. I needed a break. Lucky for me it was lunchtime. The sun was out, too, which was nice, since it had been raining all morning.

So I decided to go for a stroll. With my camera, of course. And, in my opinion, I captured some pretty cool pics.

IMG_4578_reduced — I love how the town flies flags during holidays.

It was a gorgeous day. Temporarily.

I did have a particular destination in mind, but enjoyed meandering along, taking it all in. Old Town Warrenton is very pleasing to the eyes.

For you locals who are curious, those images were all shot in the vicinity of North Sixth Street and Horner Street.

The following flowers pics were taken near the corner of High Street and Academy Hill Road.

As for that particular destination I mentioned, I’m getting there. But first, I had to share this house image.

Moving right along to that special place…

I absolutely LOVE this hydrangea bush in the side yard of the house at the corner of High Street and Liberty Street.

It’s just the coolest hydrangea. Not only does it have flowers of multiple colors, it sits atop and hangs over an old stone wall.

Remember, these pics are all from the same bush. The same location, at least. I guess there could be more than one bush planted in that spot.

The next image is my favorite capture of the day. It’s got the flowers AND that awesome wall.

See what I mean? Do you love that bush and wall, too?

It was really humid yesterday, and by that point I was getting quite hot. And drippy. Ugh. So I headed over toward Main Street. The next two images were captured behind the house near the corner of North First and Main Streets.

Actually, I snagged this shot of the water tower from that spot, too.

Although this church sits on Alexandria Pike, I captured this shot of the steeple from the parking lot behind the bank at Main and North First Streets.

I was pretty much done by that point. I hate being hot. So I crossed over Main Street to Jimmie’s Market, which was my other goal for the stroll.

Jimmie’s is a delightful little place. I cannot believe I only entered for the first time a week or so ago. I’ll tell you more about Jimmie’s later. This post is already way too long. But wait, there’s ONE more pic.

I just HAD to share this image of my lunch.

Boy, was THAT ever tasty.

🙂

May 28, 2013May 28, 2013

Revisiting Mike’s Favorite Road

So far this year, we’ve really neglected our bikes. We’ve both done short rides here and there, and Hubby has commuted by bike a few times, but for the most part our babies have sat unused.

It’s been a busy year. But we were both determined to get out at least once over the long, holiday weekend. And we did.

Here I am, right before suiting up in the gear. In warmer weather, I wear shorts under my riding pants. The soccer socks are great for riding as they don’t get “eaten” by my boots.

One of us should have checked the weather before we left. It definitely was NOT warm. The weather in these parts has been downright weird. I think Friday evening, temps dropped into the 40s. Saturday was nice, but very windy. Sunday was gorgeous, but still sort of cool. We’d though Monday was supposed to be warmer. And dry. We were wrong. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

In May 2012, Hubby and I set off on an overnight adventure, heading south and west into the mountains of West Virginia. If you’re a map nut like me, you can see the entire route.

There was one piece of road in particular that we both really enjoyed. It’s a short stretch of US-33 NW of Harrisonburg, Virginia that is jam-packed with curves. How many curves? No idea. But it’s one of those roads with a “Motorcyclists Beware… High Crash Area Next 4 Miles” sign.

View May Motorcycle Adventure in a larger map

We promised each other we would one day revisit that spot, and yesterday we FINALLY did.

Unfortunately, it was a rather rainy day. Lucky for us, the rain had just barely begun when we got to that stretch of road I decided to dub Mike’s Favorite Road, aka the MFR.

I even remembered to take the GoPro (helmet cam) along. It was the first time I’d used it on my new helmet. Sadly, the angle was all wrong. You don’t get much scenery in the video, but you do see lots of cool road.

Those of you who don’t ride will probably be bored stiff by this video. My riding friends might not even make it all the way through. But I wanted to share it anyway. I’ll return once I get the angle of the GoPro corrected.

I added some music, too, because the engine and wind noise was boring. You may want to adjust your volume before you click play.

We headed north from Brandywine, West Virginia up through the South Branch Valley to Moorefield, West Virginia. Then we headed east through the mountains to home. It rained off and on pretty much the whole way. Never very hard, but often quite steady.

That’s a screen shot from my phone when we were getting close to home. I guess we should have checked the weather sooner.

It was still a great day. In all, we covered 233.5 miles over about a six-hour stretch of time. Had the weather been nicer, we would have lingered a bit.

You know what they say, though… a bad day on the motorcycle is better than a good day at the office.