SORRY TO LEAVE YOU HANGING!

I may not have many readers left after being away from the computer so much last week. In the whirlwind of daily events, I haven't EVEN finished telling you about the wonderful last day of our Virginia trip, which we returned from a shocking TWELVE days ago! My apologies!

On Wednesday, September 24, we began a winding journey home by heading further from home. We followed U.S. Highway 58 from a straight four-lane superhighway until it became a meandering two-lane mountain backroad in the far western part of Virginia. Much of it was reminiscent of old 221 from Blowing Rock down to Linville, NC which more of you may be acquainted with.

Our first destination was the beautiful Grayson Highlands State Park. We had never been there but knew that it featured Virginia's highest peaks (over 5,000 feet, but not as tall as NC's tallest). It was obvious throughout this park how heavily Virginia invests in these facilities.

A most helpful attendant at the mountaintop welcome center recommended the Twin Pinnacles Trail, and we were so glad she did. It was a strenuous but rewarding hike, for in just over an hour we had views from the two highest points in the park. Little Pinnacle is actually a few feet higher than Big Pinnacle. But, it's not as BIG (duh)! Here, Judy enjoyed a 360 degree view and it was spectacular.
Not many leaves turn in September, but at these altitudes the colors were already advancing nicely. Climbing over these rock formations was fun, and you never had the feeling you might fall over a sheer cliff.
Traveling another hour west, we came to the town of Whitetop, where Judy found abundant mountain apples free for the picking. We were scouting Whitetop for an anticipated future bike trip on the Virginia Creeper Trail. The unique thing about the trail is that the gentle downhill grade for seventeen miles from Whitetop to Damascus allows you to almost coast all the way, and then pay to be shuttled back to your vehicle.
Our final "tourist" stop was actually back in North Carolina. Our state's Stone Mountain is geologically very similar to Georgia's larger, more celebrated one. But when you stand at the base of this monolith, its size and majesty are awe-inspiring. We plan to return here one day for a hike to the summit.

One additional note: even though it was past tourist season and people were sparse throughout our trip, everywhere we went someone seemed to come along to take my and Judy's pictures! I think it was just for Debi, who had specifically requested them!

It was a great trip and we were never more than four hours from home. Any of you that would like more details for your own little getaways should get in touch. Happy Trails!