There was not any place to
park or stop near the entry sign so Karen Duquette had to snap the below
photo through the truck window. After entering the National Park, the
two RV Gypsies had to choose either the south drive or the north drive.
Most cars went south, but Lee Duquette went north. In hindsight, the
two RV Gypsies recommend taking the south drive. |
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 Shenandoah
National Park was established in 1935 before skyscrapers and air travel
were commonplace. It was designed to give visitors the opportunity to
stand at the top of a mountain and see as far as the eye allows. Shenandoah
National Park's scenic roadway, Skyline Drive, follows the crest of
the Blue Ridge mountains for 105 miles. Construction of Skyline drive
began even before Congress established the National Park. At the southern
end, Skyline Drive joins the Blue Ridge Parkway which stretches 469
miles to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Of course, the two RV
Gypsies did not drive that far on this date, although they have been
to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Below is the view from one
of the 75 scenic overlooks on the Skyline Drive. Note: Many of the overlooks
only provided a view of trees, which the two RV Gypsies find happens
quite often.
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Below: Old Rag's crest is
strewn with massive Old Rag granite; rock that is ten million centuries
old. There is a natural staircase through the granite walls on Old Rag.
But of course it cannot be seen via this very long distance view. |
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Below: Karen Duquette has
always liked "naked trees" and photographs them whenever
she can. |
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A short trail leads from this
overlook to broader views at Crescent Rock, 100-yards to the
left. The photo below is a 360 degree panorama. |
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Then the two RV Gypsies went back towards
the park entrance, to drive Skyline Drive South. They drove through
a tunnel, then stopped to photograph the view from the other side of
the tunnel, but all they could see were trees, so Lee Duquette just
took a photo of Karen Duquette by the tunnel. |
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The two RV Gypsies drove more
of the Skyline Drive, but found that there were so many cars everywhere
and they never found any room to park their truck, so they headed back
out of the park. There are over 500 miles of trails, but most of the
hiking trails were much longer than what the two RV Gypsies wanted to
hike. And the parking lots were totally filled at the shorter hikes.
No wildlife was seen by the two RV Gypsies on this date at Shenandoah
National Park, but it was a nice drive anyway. |
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NOTE: If you came here from the very brief drive on Skyline Drive
in 2023,
return there now. Otherwise continue on in 2014 with the menu below.
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National
Museum of the Marine Corps
Hampton
Harbor Cruise, Naval Ships and Fort Wool
Angela's
Italian Restaurant
AFTER
you have viewed all seventeen (17) sections above, please continue on
to the adventures of the two RV Gypsies in 
