Country Gal for a Day!

This past Labor Day weekend, a friend and I decided to do a day-trip visiting small towns outside the DC region. We decided to visit the beautiful Shenandoah valley in Virginia stopping in small towns on the way and ending it with the Skyline drive with its picture-postcard beautiful views. Shenandoah Valley is bound by the Blue-Ridge mountains. The scenery is so spectacular that one can go there innumerable times and yet want to visit again.

Shenandoah Valley - General Meanderings...

As for living in any of the towns in the area, that would be next to impossible for a cosmopolitan person like me. The bucolic lifestyle would be great for a weekend or for vacations-beyond that I am not so sure I could survive without the cultural exposure one takes so much for granted when living an urban lifestyle. This trip further confirmed what I have always known, that I am a city girl at heart right from New Delhi to the Washington DC area that is now my home. Sleepy little towns with barely any sign of life except for areas which were college towns, there just seemed to be not much activity or for that matter much diversity. I am beginning to understand why some of these universities in these small towns are such "party-schools" -clearly there is nothing much to do there for fun other than party!

Having said that the folks that we met were very nice and affable -simple country folks steeped in their own little worlds disconnected somewhat from the politics so rampant in the not too faraway DC. Exactly the prime audience targeted by both the political parties whose political campaign ads/tactics seem to reach a new low with each subsequent presidential election. But that is not exclusive to US but every country where political campaigns are geared towards the real folks living far from the government centers. Anyway, personally I feel very fortunate to live in the DC area which has so much diversity, cultural and otherwise and yet has access to such beauty of nature right outside the borders, barely a couple of hours away.

We were lucky to have idyllic sunny weather and I was especially fortunate to have a friend who just knew a lot about everything making me realize how ignorant, I am about small-town America and the rich American history. Having grown up in New Delhi and learning through the British system of education, the focus of my history studies has naturally been India, Britain and Europe. So this was a great learning experience as well. As a former high school history teacher, I love to soak up all information relating to the past. Learning facts like the Shenandoah valley being the bread-basket of the Confederates and the strategies devised during the Civil War made this trip both educational and fun!

Needless to say, I went camera crazy as you can see from the pictures below:


OK - I have no clue about farming so I got a lesson as to how automated farming has become nowadays and how these bales of hay are rolled...

We had to stop to look at this beautiful Church on our way back from Endless caverns-we didn't actually go into the caves which are known for little brown bats visible during the tour- just as well as a bat girl - I ain't!

Behind me is a building which I believe was formerly a school-house as is evident from the bell-tower - I think that would be the correct term.

The Skyline Drive-the Epitome of Nature's Beauty

The pictures of the magnificent views from Skyline Drive are next. This more than 105 mile drive runs through the mountains. Now here is a truly funny observation.

While I had not seen a single face from India in all the towns we stopped in namely, Warrenton, Sperryville, Harrisonburg, Front Royal and I forget a couple others-there were literally car loads of fellow Indians visiting with their entire families and elderly parents. The strong hold of the extended family system which is such a critical part of the Indian culture in which the elderly parents traditionally live with their adult kids was nowhere more evident than in these huge groups of Indians. Each group consisted of three generations in each family- grandparents, their kids and grand kids. I humorously told my friend that the Indian population explosion was now evident in the Shenandoah! Seriously the Indian immigrants in US are clearly a huge group now, but it seems to me that they are mostly based in big towns and cities and not such rural settings.

My good friend and very patient tour-guide put up with my incessant questions about everything in sight... He certainly had the patience of a saint especially when I started getting a craving for Starbucks coffee in the middle of the mountains because I needed my afternoon caffeine kick that I normally get from strong tea.



Note the fading light as dusk approaches and the shadows cast by the mountains.
The winding road in the mountains where the speed was limited to 30mph or so.


Saw deer on the way but my squeal of excitement had no effect on this chap as he kept grazing and just couldn't be bothered. So I could only get his robust behind. I guess the deer are somewhat used to the public..

The Drive goes through the mountains. Note the tunnel- it was quite thrilling going through it.



By the time we completed the Skyline Drive, it was dusk and I could not resist taking a picture of this scraggly tree against the skyline. My friend could not understand why I would want to photograph a dead tree. I have stopped trying to explain such such subtle poignant nuances to the male mind long time ago...

I know I know I have put too many pictures but I hope they give you a flavor of what a beautiful state Virginia is. Do not miss visiting the Shenandoah Valley should you visit DC. I am a lazy girl who likes to be driven around but for folks who are more active, there are lot of hiking trails and biking routes etc.