Evening, Campers! It's Silver Cliche' here with you again tonight. This report is being made from Big Meadows Campground about a mile off Skyling Drive in Shenandoah Natinal Park near Stanley, Virginia.
So, after 10 nights of visiting friends and family (and a healthy thanks for hosting us goes out to Mr. & Mrs. Buff in Buffalo, my mom and dad in Pennsylvania and our oldest daughter and her clan in Maryland... I hope you're all saying "we'd love to have that giant silver thing in our driveway again" and not "what were we thinking????") we are on the road again. Frankly, we are not used to so much good friendship and continuous good food when we travel. It's taken a toll on us... or at least our waistlines. We are now back to simple fare and having only each other, the roads of America and Romeo the wonder puggle for companionship.
Tonight we have nothing but what the trailer provides (onboard water, propane and two batteries) and a sketchy internet connection from some Verizon Wireless tower that's probably 10 miles away and overloaded with Saturday night visitors to the Shenandoah region. I have some pics to share with you, but I'll post them the next time I have a reliable internet connection. As I shared last night, this morning included a full restocking and trailer prep to get back on the road, so,we have plenty of food to choose from. The weather is delightful and we are on the last leg of our trip home.
Having lived in the Washington area for 18 years, it's easy for me to forget the history and charm of the distant suburbs. That's where today's route took us. We pulled out of the campground at about 11:45 road-ready. We the option of South then taking the Capital Beltway (yes... that "Beltway") and heading into Virginia. Those of you who've experienced the Beltway would join me in asking "are you insane?". We opted for the slightly longer drive through West Virginia and down the Shenandoah Valley.
We headed north on I-270 passing the Monocacy National Battlefield. We lived only a few miles from there for 5 years. The battle there took place on July 9, 1864 -- a year and a week after Gettysburg. It was part of a plan by the Confederates to attack Washington from the north and cause the Union Army to pull troops from elsewhere to defend the capital. The South also wanted to disrupt the presidential election of 1864 (and you thought 2016 was the first time a foreign power tried to use a sneak attack to alter a US election!). America's first railway - the Baltimore and Ohio -- had a major junction at Monacacy which had a Union garrison to defend it. 15,000 Confederates moved north up the Shenandoah Valley, turned east and moved through Frederick, Maryland then turned south to attack the garrison which had been reinforced to a total strength of 6,500 Union troops in anticipation of the battle. Beyond Monocacy, the Confederates saw a clear path to Washington to the south. By then end of the day there were nearly 2,000 soldiers killed or wounded. By the carnage standards of the Civil War this was a modest battle. By any other measure it was an appalling waste of life. The South technically won the battle since their larger numbers overwhelmed the Union and they owned the ground when the sun set. However, the Union efforts were successful at delaying the advance... just successful enough that the Union had time to move troops in the path of the Confederate advance and defeated the same Confederate troops three days later sending them across the Potomac to Virginia. That's the kind of history that the ring 30-50 miles from the US Capitol dome contains.
We reversed the path that the Confederates took to reach Monocacy. On the way we passed Frederick, Maryland; Burkitsville, Maryland (site of the "Blair Witch Project"... ok, not historic, but memorable to some); and Sharpsburg, Maryland site of the greatest carnage in a single day in American military history, the Battle of Antietam. Then we crossed the Potomac at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. History drips from this little town including a seminal event in the run up to the Civil War... the raid on the US Arsenal there which was led by John Brown. We've crossed the Potomac there many times. Today as I looked from the bridge into the water below I realized that the River is turbulent, cold and not very deep. It never occurred to me until today what a fine metaphor it makes for the larger city on its banks 50 miles downstream.
The trip down the Shenandoah Valley was smooth and easy. Small towns with old brick buildings interrupt the landscape which itself is a mix of ancient farms set on beautiful rolling land and more recent homes and businesses that suggest life slightly above the poverty line. After about an hour and three quarters we entered Shenandoah National Park at the northern end of Skyline Drive. Our National Parks Senior Pass saved us from paying the $25 that the young schmucks were shelling out! " Who ya callin' old and slow now, punk?!" Skyline Drive, and much of the Park is the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps from the "New Deal" in the 1930's. We've seen their work all over the country. The road rises from less than 1,000 feet above sea level to nearly 4,000. It bobs up and down along the ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains and has more overlooks than an all girl marching band on parade past the dorm of a boys school. I'll have pics tomorrow... of the overlooks, not the marching band. We ate lunch at the restaurant at "Skyland" in the park then headed on to our campsite at Big Meadows.
Tomorrow we may stick to our plan of following Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway, or we may divert to see Monticello which is not far off the path. Stay tuned and I'll give you an update in the next report.
Until then...
SC'
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