Day Two

Forget Golf!

Saturday dawned with showers looming and the further northeast we drove, the colder and gloomier it got.  But we weren't daunted!

We headed up to Abingdon, Virginia and made an early stop at the Abingdon Vineyard & Winery. Not too far off the interstate and relatively easy to find with good directions, but as we wound down to the winery we might have heard banjos in the distance ... just sayin'. The gentleman behind the counter was very informative and since we were the only ones in the shop we had his undivided attention. 

The site is lovely, though, alongside a babbling brook which flows into a larger stream beyond the trees.

From there we headed up to my favorite mountaintop east of the Mississippi River.  It's in Grayson Highlands State Park, located within view of Mt. Rogers, the highest elevation in Virginia at 5,729 feet.  On a good day you can see that it is very craggy; today, however:

I could have taken a picture of my bed sheets and you'd have had the same impression!

Nevertheless, we forged on to the top and made our way to the Visitor Center where we learned a little more about the geology and wildlife in the area.

One thing I have to say about Virginians -- they are physically active, in spite of the weather.  There were large groups of people gathering on the mountain to hike and bike.  The Appalachian Trail winds through the park and there is a bike trail on an old railroad bed that goes through Damascus at the foot of the mountain.  Tons of folks, dressed appropriately for the weather, having a great time in the great outdoors.

We were at least 1,000 feet higher than yesterday when we were at Bays Mountain and we could see that Fall has fell up there (apologies, my dad was a Pogo fan). On the road up the maples had turned red and orange, but there was still a bit of green.

When we were able to see the mountainsides, they were mostly yellow and orange with very little green.

Back at the resort, watching football and getting ready to do some slow stitching on a binding.  I can't say enough what a joy it has been to be away from home with my husband doing nothing in particular.

I will try to report from my classes next week if I'm able to get on WiFi there.  Otherwise I'll write my posts and log in when I get home next Friday.

Hope you all have had a pleasant weekend!