We planned on starting our drive on Sunday, but Saturday morning we drove into Shenandoah National Park to check Skyline Drive road conditions at the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center. The Rangers advised us that due to rain and fog conditions for next couple of days, that we not start our drive until Monday, 19OCT. Being in no particular hurry we decided to postpone our departure by one more day.
Then it was off to Front Royal for a walkabout in Front Royal. Corrie had had enough of the chilly, damp weather and she returned to the RV, while then Dan took off for Luray Caverns. Luray Caverns is one of the most well known tourist traps in the USA. You can tell that the tourist trade has been good to them by all the new buildings surrounding the parking lot as you drive in. As opposed to caverns located in National Parks, pretty much anything goes in Luray Caverns – there are no limits on crowd size, where in National Parks you often need a reservation; flash photography is allowed; the air is not filtered to reduce humidity; and you can touch the formations! In fact, they have device called a “Stalacpipe Organ” that actually plays the stalactites by striking them with pneumatic hammers! Although it was obvious to Dan that the caverns are showing signs of wear, it is still a beautiful natural wonder. And they also have a very nice antique car collection among other attractions.
Sunday it was off to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, WV, where it turned out to be the third day of a special weekend program marking the 150th Anniversary of John Brown’s Raid. To mark the occasion there were many special events: walking tours featuring descendants of the Raiders & towns people reading passages from the journals & letters of those that were there; re-enactments of the raid; music by the Quantico Marine Corps Band; youth activities; and much more throughout the day. Some view Brown as a terrorist, some as a liberator, but as is always the case with the history “you think you know” it is almost never black or white. He was a complex individual capable of cold blooded killing for what he believed in, and yet taking many actions to protect hostages that resulted in his capture and eventual hanging.
The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is not just devoted to John Brown’s raid, but also focuses on: Natural Heritage – the water gap carved by the Potomac & Shenandoah Rivers provided a travel route for Native Americans, explorers and eventually settlers. Industry – the water also led to the establishment of the nations second Amory & Arsenal turning out 600,000 weapons before the Civil War. Also, John H. Hall is credited for starting the Industrial Revolution here by introducing interchangeable parts to the manufacturing of rifles. Transportation – the Baltimore & Ohio RR, the Winchester & Potomac RR, and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal converged here. Civil War – the town changed hands eight times during the war, and the largest surrender of Union forces (12,500 men) occurred here. African American History – one of the first black colleges in the USA (Storer College) was here until 1954. The second meeting of the Niagara Movement, forerunner of NAACP, was held in Harpers Ferry.
http://www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm
Harpers Ferry is also the mid-point of the Appalachian Trail, a National Scenic Trail, and the Headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), as well as the location of the National Park Service’s Appalachian Trail Park Office (ATPO). The Trail is protected along more than 99% of its route by federal or state ownership, or rights-of-way. It was designed, constructed and marked in the 1920s & 1930s by volunteer hiking clubs brought together by the volunteer, non-profit ATC. Although the Trail is administered by the National Park Service, the maintenance and care is still done by volunteer hiking clubs under the guidance of the ATC. It is estimated it takes five million steps to travel the two thousand miles of the Trail from Mt Katahdin, ME, to Springer Mtn, GA (or vice versa)! Now there are 8 National Scenic Trails, 16 National Historic Trails, & more than 900 National Recreational Trails throughout the USA!
http://www.nps.gov/appa/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/nts
http://www.fs.fed.us/
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/
And as if that is not enough, Harpers Ferry also has portions of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail; the C&O Canal National Historical Park (DC to Cumberland, MD); the National Underground RR - Network to Freedom; & the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail.
http://www.nps.gov/pohe/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/history/ugrr/
http://www.nps.gov/lecl/index.htm
Monday morning we headed into Shenandoah National Park to finally commence driving Skyline Drive. The Park was established in 1935, and from the beginning was designed to capitalize on the new popularity of cars (obviously times have changed)! The center piece of the Park was to be a scenic roadway called Skyline Drive following the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains for 105 miles. Construction of the roadway started even before Congress authorized the Park. The Park is much more than Skyline Drive; 40% of the Park is designated wilderness, and there are over 500 miles of hiking trails including portions of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is not just devoted to John Brown’s raid, but also focuses on: Natural Heritage – the water gap carved by the Potomac & Shenandoah Rivers provided a travel route for Native Americans, explorers and eventually settlers. Industry – the water also led to the establishment of the nations second Amory & Arsenal turning out 600,000 weapons before the Civil War. Also, John H. Hall is credited for starting the Industrial Revolution here by introducing interchangeable parts to the manufacturing of rifles. Transportation – the Baltimore & Ohio RR, the Winchester & Potomac RR, and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal converged here. Civil War – the town changed hands eight times during the war, and the largest surrender of Union forces (12,500 men) occurred here. African American History – one of the first black colleges in the USA (Storer College) was here until 1954. The second meeting of the Niagara Movement, forerunner of NAACP, was held in Harpers Ferry.http://www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm
Harpers Ferry is also the mid-point of the Appalachian Trail, a National Scenic Trail, and the Headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC), as well as the location of the National Park Service’s Appalachian Trail Park Office (ATPO). The Trail is protected along more than 99% of its route by federal or state ownership, or rights-of-way. It was designed, constructed and marked in the 1920s & 1930s by volunteer hiking clubs brought together by the volunteer, non-profit ATC. Although the Trail is administered by the National Park Service, the maintenance and care is still done by volunteer hiking clubs under the guidance of the ATC. It is estimated it takes five million steps to travel the two thousand miles of the Trail from Mt Katahdin, ME, to Springer Mtn, GA (or vice versa)! Now there are 8 National Scenic Trails, 16 National Historic Trails, & more than 900 National Recreational Trails throughout the USA!
http://www.nps.gov/appa/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/nts
http://www.fs.fed.us/
http://www.appalachiantrail.org/
And as if that is not enough, Harpers Ferry also has portions of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail; the C&O Canal National Historical Park (DC to Cumberland, MD); the National Underground RR - Network to Freedom; & the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail.
http://www.nps.gov/pohe/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm
http://www.nps.gov/history/ugrr/
http://www.nps.gov/lecl/index.htm
Monday morning we headed into Shenandoah National Park to finally commence driving Skyline Drive. The Park was established in 1935, and from the beginning was designed to capitalize on the new popularity of cars (obviously times have changed)! The center piece of the Park was to be a scenic roadway called Skyline Drive following the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains for 105 miles. Construction of the roadway started even before Congress authorized the Park. The Park is much more than Skyline Drive; 40% of the Park is designated wilderness, and there are over 500 miles of hiking trails including portions of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.
Anyway, we pull up to the start of the Skyline Drive only to be told by the Ranger that the north end of the Drive was closed due to snow! They were rerouting everyone forty miles south outside the park! Dan would not accept this, and now was on a mission to drive the entire length come hell or high water! So we went to a nearby Wally Mart to buy a few items we were needing, and wait for the sun to do its thing. Two hours later we were back at the Park gates and commenced our drive.
It was a beautiful drive but it took almost five hours to travel the 110 miles of the drive! Why? First, the speed limit is 35mph, but since it is constantly up and down, with many curves, it is almost impossible for a RV to average this speed. Second, the drive is so beautiful that you are constantly pulling over to take pictures (assuming you can find a spot to park a RV). And lastly, some of the people driving cars get so wrapped-up in the scenery, that they literally come to a stop in the middle of road giving no thought to traffic behind them! Even with the delay in getting started and the length of the drive, it was definitely worth it! We will spend the night in Waynesboro, VA, and then onward to the Blue Ridge Parkway on 20OCT!
http://www.nps.gov/shen/index.htm
Trivia – What does Lewis & Clark have to do with Harpers Ferry? What two famous generals from the Confederacy took part in ending John Brown’s Raid as members of the forces sent from D.C. by President Buchanan? What President had his summer white house in the middle of what became Shenandoah National Park? What did the Union classify as “contraband” during the Civil War?
Trivia – What does Lewis & Clark have to do with Harpers Ferry? What two famous generals from the Confederacy took part in ending John Brown’s Raid as members of the forces sent from D.C. by President Buchanan? What President had his summer white house in the middle of what became Shenandoah National Park? What did the Union classify as “contraband” during the Civil War?
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