Shenandoah, I longed to see you

This stunning view was taken on Friday morning from the deck at the cabin we rented on the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Virginia. Our cabin was situated just north of the town of Luray, on the western slope just below Matthew’s Arm Campground area, facing the Massanutten Mountains. Looking closer at the photo below, can you see the fog in places? It was early morning when this was taken, and underneath the fog flows the Shenandoah River.

The photo below shows what it looked like a little later in the morning, before we left for a hike at nearby Shenandoah National Park. The river snakes all the way down this long valley that lies between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Massanutten Mountains.

Just to get to the cabin was quite a feat in and of itself, as a road became gravel and dirt, and seemed to straight up in places.

The Honda Element did a decent job of getting up the mountain, but I wouldn’t want to do it every day. It definitely taxed the little vehicle. (Plus, it made me a little dizzy, with all the straight-up driving).

We had perfect weather for the 4 days and 3 nights we stayed here. The original cabin had been in this spot for a long time, long enough for it to become abandoned, yet stay within families through several generations. Finally, it was torn down and rebuilt, cutting down some of the trees that had grown in front of it, to open up the beautiful view.

I walked up the road, behind the cabin to get this shot. It was really difficult walking up that road because the grade was so steep. A few other rentals dot this mountain road, and I counted 3 plus another being built; all owned by the same person. They are all quite private and all have hot tubs which was the selling point for me.

There is nothing as rewarding as hiking in these beautiful mountains and then coming home to rest your weary body in a tub full of warmth.

There’s something about the beautiful state of Virginia that keeps us coming back year after year. I’ll share some more of our visit tomorrow.

Thanks to all for stopping by, and for wishing us luck on our trip. Hello and welcome to all the new faces I’m seeing here.

And, as an aside, how many of you are planning on entering Pioneer Woman’s photo album contest? The only thing you have to do is to create a digital photo album on Snapfish.com. That’s it! Five winners will be chosen and the prize is 5 photo albums from Snapfish. I think that this is a great incentive to try that digital photo book you’ve always been meaning to create, you know?

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .